Alaska Birds, Day Three

 Alaska 2014 continued:

Our third day in Alaska's Seward Peninsula was another grey, dreary day. We got some sun in the afternoon, up along Pilgrim Hot Springs Road, but otherwise it was drab, which made for difficult conditions to photograph in. My images from day three are less than impressive. It doesn't help that the diopter wheel that adjusts the focus of the eyepiece on my camera is located in a place where it is easily, inadvertently turned. This means that when I'm manually focusing (which I nearly always am with birds) the focus is going to be off, as nearly all of the shots early in the day were. It's very frustrating and I think a piece of tape or some glue is in order. Fortunately I figured it our before we saw the Bristle-thighed Curlew (see previous post).

The other issue is that many of these birds are very small and were at a great enough distance from the road that they're tiny in the images. All of these are cropped as much as I dared. In any case it was overall a good day for species numbers--I saw 38 species total, ten of which were new to me (as denoted with an asterisk).

American Wigeon
Wilson's Snipe 
Red-throated Loon
Red-breasted Merganser
Glaucous Gull
Harlequin Duck
Greater Scaup*
Canada Goose
Cackling Goose
Wilson's warbler*

Wilson's Warbler. He was singing and singing about 30 feet from the road.
We will see another of these little guys in a future post.

Fox Sparrow
Wandering Tattler*

Wandering Tattler. This was one of my target birds and I was thrilled to see one. Driving down the road this bird flew in front of the van. Bill hit the brakes while I watched where it went, which was behind us on the opposite side of a creek. Bill backed the van up and I managed to get a few fuzzy shots before the bird took off again. So glad I was in the front seat!

Common Redpoll
Gray-cheeked Thrush*
Long-tailed Duck
Mew Gull
American Golden Plover

American Golden Plover. We saw this bird on day two but I like this shot better than the ones I got that day. I like how this also shows some of the tundra habitat.

Rock Ptarmigan

Rock Ptarmigan. Another bird we saw on day two but I like this shot better. Shot through Bill's open window.

Rough-Legged Hawk* (I'd seen one in captivity but never in the wild.)
Whimbrel
Bristle-Thighed Curlew*

Bristle-thighed Curlew. I know I did a whole post on this bird, but I have bragging rights!

Northern Harrier
Black Scoter*

Black Scoter.  Horrible picture but it shows the bird's red bill.

Yellow Wagtail*

Yellow Wagtail. I'm almost embarrassed to post this image it's so bad but the bird is recognizable. This one also flew in front of the van. There were several in the bushes but they were behind a house--one of the few along the road--and we decided against trespassing so we had to look from afar.

Greater White-fronted Goose*
Northern Wheatear

Northern Wheatear. After leaving Pilgrim Hot Springs Road we ran across this fellow. It was the closest we'd been to one so Bill stopped so we could get good looks.

Merlin
American Tree Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Savanah Sparrow
Hoary Redpoll
American Robin
Willow Ptarmigan

Willow Ptarmigan. Not a great pic but I wanted to show the bird in a willow. That's snow in the background.

Short-eared Owl* (Flew across the road in front of the van, no chance for pics.)
Northern Pintail
Long-tailed Jaeger
Red-necked Phalarope

Red-necked Phalarope. Female, I believe.

The one bird we did not see on day three was a Bluethroat, another species that breeds in the Arctic but winters overseas. Half of our group went back out Monday morning, before our flight back to Anchorage, but I sat that one out. I really wanted to see Nome, which we had not had time to do, and Monday morning greeted me with a terrible headache, so I didn't go. They did find the Bluethroat, so I missed out on that one. It's a good excuse to go back to the region some day!

Next: Day four, Nome, Anchorage and Soldotna.

In Search of the Bristle-thighed Curlew

 Alaska 2014 continued:

The big push for day three of the birding tour in Alaska was to search for the Bristle-thighed Curlew. This was one of the birds highest on our list, as it is a species that does not migrate through the United States, and therefore can only be seen in Alaska. The curlew only breeds on inland tundra along the Yukon River and the central Seward Peninsula, which is where we headed. The species' wintering grounds are on islands in the South Pacific. While not listed as threatened or endangered, it is a species of special concern as there are only about 10,000 of them.

We pulled off the Kourgarok Road near mile marker 72 around 11:00 am. I was hungry but Bill wanted to wait until after our hike to eat. I knew I couldn't wait that long so I snagged a banana and granola bar. Those of us who were headed up the hill found semi-private places to relieve ourselves, then gathered up our gear and began to trudge up the hillside.

The hike wasn't bad at first but the walking conditions quickly deteriorated. The tundra here was made up of clumps of grasses and forbs surrounded by muddy, wet depressions. Each step had to be tested for stability. Most people fell down, a couple more than once. You could not walk and look around at the same time, so we'd take several steps then pause to look and listen. It took forever to get up the hill. I was afraid I was overdressed, since I had my down coat on, but it was windy and chilly enough to keep me comfortable. It snowed on us a bit too, but it was short lived.

We all got excited when we spotted a tall, long-billed bird perched on a hummock near the curve of a small ridge, but Bill quickly determined it was a Wimbrel, and not our curlew. The two birds are remarkably similar, but Bill was confident this was not our quarry. I took some images anyway as this was a bird I'd only seen once before.

A Wimbrel stands atop a hummock on a high tundra ridge.

The Wimbrel apparently felt some discomfort at our presence and flew a short distance away. After going through my photos I could also confirm this was not a curlew. One of the best ways to ID the Bristle-thighed curlew is that it has a pale, buffy rump, which this bird clearly lacked.

Image showing lack of light rump patch, confirming it is not the curlew.

We trudged along the hillside for quite some time with no luck. Our group fractured and several of us fell behind or wandered off, myself included. I was fascinated by the plants growing on the tundra, and surprised by the amount of water that was held on the hillside by the hummocks.

After nearly an hour and a half we abandoned our search and started to trudge back down the hill. But then one of our group pointed out two birds on the ground, and we all grabbed our binoculars for a look. Shortly after that, one of them took to the air and began singing--at that moment, we knew we had our bird. The song of the Bristle-thighed Curlew is very distinctive, and Bill had played it for us, describing it as sounding like a short-wave radio. Have a listen here: birds.audubon.org/birds/bristle-thighed-curlew

At first the bird was little more than a speck on the horizon. But to my great delight, he banked and flew almost directly towards us.

A Bristle-thighed Curlew flies above the tundra.

Within moments the curlew was nearly directly above me.

The curlew flew in close, giving us great looks.

Then the curlew let us know exactly what he thought about our presence on his hillside.

Cries of "Look out, Bob!" rang out across the tundra as the curlew launched an assault. He missed.

The curlew continued past, then banked and flew by again, a little lower, giving us a clear view of his buffy rump.

The curlew shows us its buffy rump.

The bird eventually landed some way off, nearer to the rest of the group. Stunning how well the bird blends into the tundra.

Amazing camouflage.

He took to the air again after a few minutes, and we decided it was time to move away. It was not our intention to be that close and we didn't want to cause the birds any more stress.

As we began to move down the hill, Bill gave out a little yelp. Looking down he discovered that he had very nearly stepped on the bird's nest. Now, before you worry too much, keep in mind that these eggs were not yet being incubated. The Bristle-thighed Curlew lays a clutch of four eggs, and birds who hatch precocial chicks (ones that are hatched at an advanced state and are able to move around and fend for themselves) don't begin incubation until all the eggs have been laid. At that point the female will not leave the nest, no matter the threat. We hurried over for a quick look, and I took a few pics with my long lens, so as to not get too close to the nest, then we quickly moved away.

Bristle-thighed Curlew eggs, laid in a shallow depression among the lichens and moss on the tundra.

Thrilled with having seen and heard the bird and seen its nest, we stumbled, tripped and rolled down the hill back to the van, where we devoured our lunch and showed off the pics to the handful of people who had opted out of the difficult trek. Those few hours up on the high tundra is something I will never forget. And Bill was kind enough to say that mine were the best shots of that bird he had seen anyone on his tours take.


Next: the rest of the birds from day three.

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

Alaska Birding Tour Birds, Day Two (Teller Road)

Alaska 2014 continued:

On top of all the amazing mammals we saw on our second full day in Alaska (see the previous two posts) we saw a good number of birds, too! The first bird we saw that day, Saturday May 31, was a Wilson's Snipe perched up on the end of what looked like an old fence post. The last birds of the day were two Long-tailed Ducks, one chasing the other away from its mate, very near where we saw the muskox herd with the calves.

It was not a nice day, gray, rainy, even some snow flying, and I was in the back of the van looking through dirty tinted windows, so some of the images are pretty poor. We drove from Nome to the village of Teller and back, taking a detour on the Wooley Lagoon Road to look for the Northern Wheatear--twice. In all I saw 36 birds, 10 being lifers.



Bar-tailed Godwit*

Bar-tailed Godwit. We saw the female too and I got a few pics of her but they were poor. Note the slightly upturned beak. On Teller Road.

Pacific Golden Plover* 
American Golden Plover

American Golden Plover. Not a first, but a first in breeding plumage. Note the black head, full black from belly to undertail coverts, and goldish color on back. On Teller Road.

Black bellied plover*

Black-bellied Plover. Note the lack of black on head, and white undertail coverts/vent, as compared to the American Golden Plover. Along Wooly Lagoon Road.

Orange-crowned Warbler

Golden-crowned Warbler. I know I've shared a pic of this bird from day one, but I love this straight-on shot. On Teller Road.

Golden-Crowned Sparrow*

Yellow-crowned Sparrow. We watched this fellow singing while Bill listened for Arctic Warblers, which we did not see. On Teller Road.

Pelagic Cormorant*
Common Raven
Willow Ptarmigan*

Willow Ptarmigan. This was a bird I had really wanted to see. They reminded me of my chickens back home. Note chocolate head and back pattern. On Teller Road.

Rock ptarmigan*

Rock Ptarmigan--on a rock! Note lack of brown compared to Willow Ptarmigan. I LOVE the red eyebrows. (Note also the rain streaking by.) On Wooly Lagoon Road.

White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Pintail
American Widgeon

American Wigeon. Not a new bird, but cute, so why not? On Teller Road.

Green-winged Teal
Greater Scaup*
Harlequin Duck
Red-breasted Merganser
Dunlin*
Wilson's Snipe
Red-necked Phalarope
Cliff Swallow
Lapland Longspur
Red-throated Loon
Ruddy Turnstone

Ruddy Turnstone. Not a new bird, but I'd never seen it in breeding plumage. Quite distinctive. On Wooly Lagoon Road.

Canada Goose
Long-tailed Jaeger

Long-tailed Jaeger. We had seen this bird the day before but this was such a great shot. Perched on a pole right next to the road, I practically had to lay in my mom's lap to shoot it. On Wooly Lagoon Road.

Arctic Tern*

Arctic Tern. We will see this bird again. On Wooly Lagoon Road.

Northern Wheatear*

Northern Wheatear. This is a bird that breeds in the Arctic but winters in AFRICA. There are now two known populations of this bird, one that migrates east to Europe and down to Africa, and one that migrates west across the Bering Strait through Asia to Africa. We will see this bird again, too. On Wooly Lagoon Road.

Red-Necked Grebe

Red-necked Grebes. I missed an opportunity later in the trip to get some closeup shots of a pair in the morning sun in Wasilla because I did't have my camera. On Teller Road.

American Robin
Northern Waterthrush
Fox Sparrow
Northern Shoveler
Long-tailed Duck

Long-tailed Duck (formerly Old Squaw). I like this shot as it shows the bird's feet which I think are interesting. First time in breeding plumage. On Teller Road.

Mew Gull
Glaucous Gull


Next: Day Three, Kougarok Road and 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