The Deskbound Birder: Arctic Redpoll

Showing posts with label Arctic Redpoll. Show all posts

Saturday, 11 June 2016

Alaska - 11th June (Day 15 - Part 2)

After spending the morning on Freshwater Road (see Part 1 here) we headed to Cakeeater Road and Gas Pipe Road birding it until 01:30. On the pool along Cakeeater Road was a nice selection of waders including Baird's Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper and by now the usual and familiar Western Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper. Onto Gas Pipe Road and out onto the tundra I spent my time with four species, firstly, Spectacled Eider, Steller’s Eider and Red-throated Diver on their tundra breeding pools enjoying great views. But my highlight was undoubtedly spending time with pair of Pomarine Skua at the nest. These are, back in the UK one of my favourite species and one that I don't get the chance to see that often, at their best passing a headland in a flock in the spring. This was more a bird of my childhood when I spend many many hours seawatching at St. Catherine’s Point on the Isle of Wight, one of the highlights of the year was seeing flocks passing by the headland in early to mid-May. It was a real privilege to see them on their breeding grounds in all their splendour with spoons and menacing appearance – uber cool and to be dive bombed by them so that they were no more than 3m away was for me perhaps the highlight of my time in Alaska, a moment I shall always treasure. Today had been a fantastic days birding with some real star birds.

Semipalmated Sandpiper - Crabeeater Road, Barrow

White-rumped Sandpiper - Crabeeater Road, Barrow

Arctic Redpoll of race exilipes - Crabeeater Road, Barrow

Gas Pipe Road habitat

Lousewort species on Gas Pipe Road

Spectacled Eider - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Greater White-fronted Goose - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Pomarine Skua - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Pomarine Skua (this more mottled and barred bird is the female

of the pair) - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Pomarine Skua (this more mottled and barred bird is the female

of the pair) - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Pomarine Skua - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Pomarine Skua (female) - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Long-billed Dowitcher - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Steller's Eider - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Long-tailed Duck - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Grey Phalarope - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Red-throated Diver - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Links to the other days of the trip (click to view)

Day 1 – Background, international flights and Anchorage

Day 2 (Part 1) – Anchorage

Day 2 (Part 2) – St. Paul, Pribolofs

Day 3 - St. Paul, Pribolofs

Day 4 - St. Paul, Pribolofs

Day 5 - St. Paul, Pribolofs then fly to Anchorage

Day 6 –Seward

Day 7 – Kenai Fjords cruise then drive to Denali

Day 8 – Denali National Park and Denali Highway

Day 9 – Paxton Area of Denali Highway

Day 10 – Drive Paxton to Anchorage

Day 11 – Nome

Day 12 – Nome

Day 13 – Nome

Day 14 – Nome and travel to Barrow

Day 15 (Part 1) – Barrow

Day 16 – Barrow

Day 17 – Barrow then travel back to Anchorage and international fli

Alaska - 11th June (Day 15 - Part 1)

We were up at 07:30 for a 08:00 breakfast and then spent the morning (09:00-14:30) at Barrow Point slowly working our way along the headland scanning and checking for birds. There were numerous Glaucous Gull on the frozen Chukchi sea and on the clear areas of water were several thousand King Eider, 30+ Spectacled Eider, 15 Pacific Diver, 6 White-billed Diver while overhead passed the occasional flock of Snow Goose. Around the old whaling station were Snow Bunting and Arctic Redpoll of the race exilipes. Martin, scanning the pack ice with his scope, exclaimed ‘Polar Bear! I am not fuckin’ joking’ and we knew he was serious! There amongst the shards of ice were two Polar Bear, even at this distance they were impressive animals and we watched as one tossed around a large block of whale blubber. The next three hours were spent watching these animals as they swam along the ice edge, played with a traffic cone used to mark local hunters way across the ice and did a great deal of sleeping. Iconic mammals but I wanted to head back to the birds, I get a lot more pleasure from birds than mammals these days. We headed back to the hotel for coffee and a siesta and then out to the North Lights Restaurant for another Korean meal, our food intake now down to breakfast, a few snacks and then dinner before another eight hours or so in the field.

Snow Geese over the Chukchi Sea, Barrow

Snow Geese and a Greater White-fronted Goose - Barrow

Snow Goose - Barrow

Snow Geese - Barrow

Arctic Fox on the frozen Chukchi Sea - Barrow

Polar Bear on the frozen Chukchi Sea - Barrow

Arctic Redpoll of race exilipes - Barrow

On Barrow Point with the frozen sea beyond

Old whalers settlement on Barrow Point

Whale bones at the old whalers settlement on Barrow Point

We started the afternoon by birding the Freshwater Lake Road which runs south-west from the airport. We stopped at the end of the road and spread out, the theme had become to spend time birding and taking photographs alone but within site of the group. I headed over to the freshwater lake with Ian as we had both spotted a pair of Pacific Diver that we both wanted to photograph. The lake was large and deep and as well as the divers supported six Spectacled Eider and two Red-throated Diver, the margins inhabited by Arctic Tern, Long-billed Dowitcher, Pectoral Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope and Grey Phalarope. It was fantastic birding and our ‘allocated’ two hours at the site flew by in no time at all.