Monday 13 June 2016

Alaska - 13th June (Day 17)

It was our final mornings birding in Barrow and indeed in Alaska as this was the final day of the trip. We decided to head out to the point to get some final views of Polar Bear. As we drove along the coast road the male Snowy Owl from yesterday was perched close to the road on the edge of town, this is a stunning looking bird, almost pure white, and we had much better views today. Otherwise we saw the usual range of birds including Semipalmated Plover, Arctic Redpoll, large numbers of Spectacled Eider (35) and King Eider (1000's), White-billed Diver (6) and Pacific Diver (4). We recorded two flocks of Pomarine Skua (12 and 8) heading north-east, these appeared to be migrating birds. It was soon time to head back to our hotel and pack for our flight back to Anchorage via Fairbanks at 11:30 landing in Anchorage at 14:45.

Snowy Owl - Barrow

Snowy Owl - Barrow

Snowy Owl - Barrow

Semipalmated Plover - Barrow

Semipalmated Plover - Barrow

Long-tailed Duck - Barrow

Snow Bunting - Barrow

Snow Bunting - Barrow

Snow Bunting - Barrow

Snow Bunting (sub-adult male) - Barrow

The frozen Chukchi Sea, Barrow

The frozen Chukchi Sea, Barrow

The frozen Chukchi Sea, Barrow


Barrow House

The frozen Chukchi Sea, Barrow

The frozen Chukchi Sea, Barrow

Barrow sign and whale jaw bone

Barrow sign


After landing in Anchorage we picked up a hire car and dropped our gear off at Hotel 6. Andy decided to crash for a couple of hours while Martin, Ian, Barry and I headed to Westchester Lagoon for some final birding from 16:30 to 18:00. The highlights here were Bonaparte's Gull (10), Lesser Yellowlegs (4), Short-billed Dowitcher (15) and Alder Flycatcher (2). But best of all was a flock of around 60 Hudsonian Godwit roosting on the island in the centre of the lagoon, most of these birds were in summer plumage, a fitting final bird of the trip. 

Black-billed Magpie, the species is genetically similar to Common Magpie 
and often considered conspecific - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Black-billed Magpie - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Black-billed Magpie - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Lesser Scaup - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Lesser Yellowlegs - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Lesser Yellowlegs - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Lesser Yellowlegs - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Green-winged Teal - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Red-necked Grebe - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Hudsonian Godwit (and Short-billed Dowitcher) - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Hudsonian Godwit (and Short-billed Dowitcher) - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Hudsonian Godwit (plus Short-billed Dowitcher, Canada Goose and Arctic Tern) - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Hudsonian Godwit - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Hudsonian Godwit (plus Short-billed Dowitcher and Arctic Tern) - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Hudsonian Godwit (and Short-billed Dowitcher) - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Hudsonian Godwit (plus Short-billed Dowitcher and Arctic Tern) - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

Hudsonian Godwit (plus Short-billed Dowitcher and Arctic Tern) - Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage

After freshening up at the hotel we headed to the Moose’s Tooth for a final dinner of a massive pizza and beer. Martin and I then dropped Ian, Barry and Andy before heading back to the hotel. Martin departed at midnight while I had and extra night before my flight. On the 14th I was up at 06:00 for my 11:10 flight to Seattle, I landed in Seattle at 15:35 and departed for London Heathrow at 19:10 finally landing in London at 12:25.

Trip List
Total of 181 species with 21 ticks (shown in bold).

Willow Grouse
Trumpeter Swan
Tundra Swan
Brent Goose
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Snow Goose
Greater White-fronted Goose
Long-tailed Duck
Spectacled Eider
King Eider
Common Eider
Steller's Eider
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Goosander
Red-breasted Merganser
Harlequin Duck
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Blue-winged Teal
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Eurasian Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Red-necked Grebe
Horned Grebe
Rock Dove
Sandhill Crane
Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Yellow-billed Loon
Northern Fulmar
Short-tailed Shearwater
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Red-faced Cormorant
American Black Oystercatcher
Grey Plover
Pacific Golden Plover
American Golden Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Ringed Plover
Bristle-thighed Curlew
Whimbrel
Bar-tailed Godwit
Hudsonian Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Black Turnstone
Great Knot
Surfbird
Sanderling
Red-necked Stint
Dunlin
Rock Sandpiper
Baird’s Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Red-necked Phalarope
Red Phalarope
Spotted Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Sabine’s Gull
Red-legged Kittiwake
Black-legged Kittiwake
Bonaparte's Gull
Mew Gull
Arctic Herring Gull
Thayer's Gull
Slaty-backed Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Glaucous Gull
Aleutian Tern
Caspian Tern
Arctic Tern
Long-tailed Jaeger
Arctic Jaeger
Pomarine Jaeger
Rhinoceros Auklet
Tufted Puffin
Horned Puffin
Parakeet Auklet
Least Auklet
Crested Auklet
Marbled Murrelet
Kittlitz's Murrelet
Black Guillemot
Pigeon Guillemot
Ancient Murrelet
Thick-billed Murre
Common Murre
Short-eared Owl
Snowy Owl
Osprey
Golden Eagle
Northern Harrier
Northern Goshawk
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Buzzard
Belted Kingfisher
Yellow-shafted Flicker
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Merlin
Gyrfalcon
Peregrine Falcon
Alder Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Horned Lark
Collared Sand Martin
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Buff-bellied Pipit
Yellow Wagtail
Bohemian Waxwing
American Dipper
Northern Wren
American Robin
Varied Thrush
Grey-cheeked Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Bluethroat
Northern Wheatear
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Arctic Warbler
Black-capped Chickadee
Boreal Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Great Grey Shrike
Steller's Jay
Grey Jay
Black-billed Magpie
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
Common Starling
Common Redpoll
Arctic Redpoll
Grey-crowned Rosy-finch
Two-barred Crossbill
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Wilson's Warbler
Smith's Longspur
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting
Red Fox-sparrow
Sooty Fox-sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Rusty Blackbird

Biggest dips were McKay's Bunting and Emperor Goose, we were too late for the former and unlucky with the latter.


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

Sunday 12 June 2016

Alaska - 12th June (Day 16)

The morning started rather foggy and dreary, a big change from the amazingly warm weather we had been experiencing (up to 21c yesterday) and much more akin to the weather we were expecting. However, fairly quickly the fog cleared and the morning morning was gloriously sunny although rain set-in in the afternoon. We spent the morning on the Gas Pipeline Road and Cakeater Road, one of the first birds was a stunning almost all white male Snowy Owl. A 1st winter Thayer's Gull flew overhead and we enjoyed the waders around the lagoon here including some stunning Western Sandpiper, one of which had a ridiculous number of rings plus a leg-flag, the flag was causing the bird to trip as it fed - I don't understand the mentality of fitting so many rings to a bird.

Snowy Owl (male) - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Thayer's Gull (1st winter) - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Thayer's Gull (1st winter) - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Western Sandpiper - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

The next inlet produced a stunning summer plumaged Red-necked Stint showing at close range and displaying to a Western Sandpiper. Also here were Red-breasted Merganser, Greater White-fronted Goose, DunlinAmerican Golden Plover and Long-billed Dowitcher.

Red-necked Stint - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Red-necked Stint - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Red-necked Stint - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Red-necked Stint - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Red-necked Stint - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Red-necked Stint - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Red-necked Stint - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Red-necked Stint - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Western Sandpiper - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Western Sandpiper - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Western Sandpiper - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Long-billed Dowitcher - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Long-billed Dowitcher - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Long-billed Dowitcher - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Greater White-fronted Goose (gambelli) - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

American Golden Plover - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

 Dunlin of race articola - Cakeeater Road, Barrow

Further along Gas Pipe Road a stunning pair of Spectacled Eider showed well close to the road and we spent some time enjoying these birds. Absolutely stunning in the morning sunshine. Further on towards the end of the road we enjoyed views of Grey Phalarope, Red-necked Phalarope, Tundra Swan and Pacific Diver.

Spectacled Eider - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Spectacled Eider - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Spectacled Eider - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Spectacled Eider - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Spectacled Eider - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Spectacled Eider (female) - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Spectacled Eider - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Spectacled Eider (female) - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Spectacled Eider - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Spectacled Eider - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Spectacled Eider - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Spectacled Eider - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Red-necked Phalarope - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Red-necked Phalarope - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Red-necked Phalarope - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Red-necked Phalarope - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Red-necked Phalarope - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Grey Phalarope (male) - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Grey Phalarope (female) - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Grey Phalarope (female) - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

American Golden Plover - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

American Golden Plover - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Snow Bunting - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Snow Bunting - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Snow Bunting (female) - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Snow Bunting - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Tundra Swan - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Red-necked Phalarope - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Red-necked Phalarope (male to left) - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Red-necked Phalarope (male) - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Pectoral Sanpiper - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

Pintail - Gas Pipe Road, Barrow

After dinner we spent the early evening on Barrow Point where three Polar Bear were still present but not showing as well as previous days, in fact they were mainly asleep. We spent some time messing around on the beach and on the shores of the frozen sea before heading for bed a little earlier than usual due to the rain. 

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