Tuesday, 12 June 2018

Alaska Keeps Rocking!


Headed along Teller Road this morning and into yet more wilderness areas with fantastic vistas. The highlight was a close male Rock Ptarmigan that was sat close beside the road and totally ignored us. 


Rock Ptarmigan

We saw all the usual suspects such as many Willow GrousePacific Golden PloverWilson’s Warbler, Golden-crowned Sparrow etc……… 



Willow Grouse or Willow Ptarmigan

Pacific Golden Plover


Golden-crowned Sparrow

We turned off to Woolley Lagoon and found a male Northern Wheatear perched on one of the boulders - this is  rare breeding bird in the USA and only breeds here in Alaska. 

Northern Wheatear

Northern Wheatear hunting...!

There was also a pair of Wandering Tattlers, Ruddy Turnstone and Black-bellied Plovers here as well. 

Black-bellied or Grey Plover

Then we hotfooted it back to town for a Subway lunch before setting off along the Council Road and our goose quest… 


Brunnich's Guillemot, also known as Thick-billed Murre

We birded our way along Safety Lagoon, finding a pair of Eurasian Wigeon, Brunnich’s Guillemot, and a Pectoral Sandpiper until the end and then headed inland, where in the first drizzle of the trip we found a Golden Eagle sitting on a nest just 10 feet up from the road on a small cliff! Wow! 

Golden Eagle

We followed that with a perched Gyrfalcon before heading back up to Safety Lagoon. Our first Snow Bunting was nice, and we sifted through the shorebirds seeing lots of Western Sandpipers, as well as the common Semipalmated Sandpipers

Red Knot in breeding plumage - stunning!

A couple Red Knots were on the beach, with a loafing drake Common Merganser (Goosander), and lots of commoner species. We eventually reached the hotel at 9.30pm for dinner…


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