Alaska Day Three: Taylor/Kougarok Road

 Alaska 2014 Continued:

Day three started out the same--a quick breakfast of cereal and yogurt and then into the van. Sunday was the day we'd search for the Bristle-thighed Curlew, among others. The day was much like Saturday--cold, breezy, foggy. I wore my winter coat, which I had packed at the last minute, and wished I'd worn it the day before.

Nome and the Bering Sea from Taylor Road

I got to ride shotgun this time and watch for birds, which would also enable me to get better pictures. I think this was the prettiest of the three drives, with wide valleys and the snow-capped Kigluaik Mountains all around us.

Our first big sighting of the day wasn't a bird but another small herd of muskox. We stopped to watch them, as this was not an animal we would see downstate.  Such magnificent creatures, so well adapted to this environment.

Muskox eye us warily.

It didn't take them long to decide we were a bit too close. But to watch them run was a treat, with their long guard hairs flowing out behind them.

We paused for a while at the campground at Salmon Lake, where there was a pit toilet, and spent 20 minutes or so exploring the area. Only a few waterfowl could be seen on the lake, all at a far distance.

Salmon Lake, still mostly iced over.

An old cabin sits along side the Salmon River.

There were a few breaks in the clouds which allowed us better views of the mountains, but for the most part it stayed cloudy.

Kigluaik Mountains.

We made it to the area where the curlew was known to nest around 11 am. Bill decided to forego the path that was farther down the road and we instead climbed right up the hill. This was extremely difficult walking, as the ground is covered with small hummocks of grasses and forbs surrounded by mud and small pools of water. While my boots got pretty wet and muddy I managed to not fall down, though several others were not so lucky.

Mile marker 72, Coffee Dome area.

I took several photos of the area with my cell phone, and even recorded a video or two, but I can't find them now. At any rate, we climbed high above the road, and as the hill curved up we eventually lost sight of the van. As usual I got a bit bored as the curlew eluded us, and began examining the ground, where flowers were beginning to emerge.

Diapansia lapponica, or cushion-plant, blooming low on the tundra.

After our search for the curlew we began the drive back to Nome. We took a short trip down Pilgrim Hot Springs Road and stopped at an area known to harbor Northern Wheatears. By this time the sun had begun to shine more regularly, and the hike up the hill to the rock outcroppings was quite pleasant as this ground was solid and fairly flat.

The Tors region along Pilgrim Hot Springs Road

We did not venture all the way to the hot springs, but it was nice getting to spend a little time exploring this area.

While my aunt and I explored the large outcropping, several of our party tramped off to another where the wheatear had been heard singing. I was tired, and told my aunt that unless the bird landed within 15 feet of me, I wasn't going to chase it. We had seen one the day before so my motivation was low. But not 30 seconds later I heard a bird singing, and looked up to see the wheatear doing some areal acrobatics. He landed perhaps 30 feet away on the lichen-covered granite behind us, and paused long enough for me to get some photos. Guess I should threaten the birds more often!

Northern Wheatear.

We drove back to Nome and finished our day with dinner at Airport Pizza, a place with a surprisingly diverse menu. As with all of Nome, food was quite expensive, and they didn't always have all of the ingredients (I recall they were out of tomatoes, among other things) but the food was good and worth the price.

Looking down at the van along Pilgrim Hot Springs Road.

Next: The hunt for the Bristle-thighed Curlew

Caribou and Muskox Along Teller Road

 Alaska 2014 continued:

The ride back from Teller was a bit subdued, even with the sharing of all the goodies we'd gotten at the Native Store. I think we were all a bit shook up by it--I know I was. But our spirits were lifted when we came upon a herd of caribou near the road. We paused to watch, and I did my best to shoot through the tinted and rather muddy rear window.

Caribou along Teller Road.

The herd moved steadily along, seemingly unbothered by our presence.

Both male and female caribou have antlers, though in June they were all still in velvet. This male stood out from the others.

Not too much farther down the road, as got closer to Nome and the sky began to brighten somewhat, we spotted a pair of muskox. We had seen one briefly along Council Road the day before, but it was gone over a ridge before everyone in the van had seen it. These two were laying at the edge of the shrubs, probably chewing cud.

Muskox along Teller Road.

This time Bill let Ed and I out of the van so we could get some better pictures. While we were likely to see caribou when we moved back downstate, this would be the only place we would see muskox as they only inhabit the Seward Peninsula and points north.

I once had a dream, long ago when I was maybe 10 or 12, of running around our house and coming face to face with a muskox. I can see it as if I just dreamed it last night--that shaggy hair, and the broad expanse of horn across its forehead. I'm pretty sure at the time I didn't know what it was, though I must have seen a picture of one somewhere. I remember my shock when, several years later, I discovered it was a real animal.

We made a few more bird stops, then, with the city of Nome in view, we came across yet another, larger herd of muskox, this time with several calves among them. I was very lucky in all this that the animals were all on my side of the van.

Muskox calf near Nome.

According to Wikipedia, the muskox, along with bison and pronghorn, are survivors from the Pleistocene era, and may have survived the last ice age by finding ice-free areas where there were no people, or they may have been hunted to extinction. It also states that the population currently in Alaska was introduced, after being extirpated by hunters.

Muskox stand four to five feet tall. Females range from four to six feet long while males can reach eight feet in length. Both sexes have horns. They average around 600 pounds but can weigh as much as 900. Their coats are characterized by the long guard hairs, which blow dramatically in the tundra winds. Fabio, eat your heart out.

Such stately creatures they are. They eat grasses and pretty anything else they can find. They are known for their habit of forming defensive circles when threatened. This herd, which held maybe 10-12 individuals, did not exhibit that behavior.

Eventually they tired of our presence and began to move away, and so did we. But what a treat to be able to see them up close, and especially to see calves. I suspect there will be muskox art in my future.

Next: the birds of day two, Teller Road