ALASKA - Nome, Pribilofs, Seward and Barrow
Wednesday 10th to Sunday 28th June 2009
AA9029
Alaska's
breathtakingly beautiful landscapes will leave a lasting impression on your
memory. This is North America's 'final frontier', a remote wilderness of
ice-blue fjords, vast forests, towering snow-capped mountains, remote,
tranquil bays and wide-open spaces of tundra. We begin our tour with a
flight to the Pribilof Islands for some of the rarest seabird species in the
US. The abundance of breeding auks is quite unique and a fantastic
experience to witness Tufted & Horned Puffins, Brünnich’s Guillemots, Least,
Parakeet & Crested Auklets in close proximity. Nome, whose location lies
just below the Arctic Circle, is our next venue, where we shall enjoy
watching the abundance of shorebirds which breed on the open tundra -
American Golden Plover, Black Turnstone, Bar-tailed Godwit, Western
Sandpiper and the rare Bristle-thighed Curlew. We'll then explore the
beautiful coastline of the Kenai Peninsula, a lovely area of forests,
waterfalls and lakes and take a boat trip to the Chiswell Islands and the
Holgate Glacier, from which we should see marine mammals and many seabirds,
including: dolphins, Sea Otters, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels and Short-tailed
Shearwaters. Our tour reaches a magnificent conclusion at Barrow in the High
Arctic, where the wilderness of ice formations and vast stretches of tundra
are ideal habitat for Red (Grey) Phalarope, beautiful Snowy Owl and
immaculate King & Spectacled Eiders.Day 1: Scheduled flight from London to Seattle, and then a connecting flight to Anchorage.
Overnight - Anchorage.
Day 2: We’ll spend the day visiting some of Anchorage’s well-known birdwatching sites, which may include Kincaid Park and Arctic Valley, where we look for some of the special boreal species. Spruce Grouse, Northern Goshawk, Boreal Owl, Three-toed Woodpecker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Townsend’s Warbler and White-winged Crossbill are all present. Overnight: Anchorage
Days 3 & 4: On Day 3 we catch a morning flight to St Paul in the Pribilof Islands - the seabird Mecca of the USA. In this exhilarating location we should find Red-faced Cormorants, Horned & Tufted Puffins, Least, Crested & Parakeet Auklets, Brünnich's Guillemots and Red-legged Kittiwakes - even McKay's Bunting, which breed here in some years. There is a high density of breeding Rock Sandpipers and many Asiatic vagrants also turn up here. Mammal species include good numbers of Arctic Foxes and a Northern Fur Seal colony allows excellent views and photographic opportunities. Overnights - St Paul.
Day 5: After a morning’s birding we’ll fly back to Anchorage for an overnight stay.
Day 6: We’ll spend the day visiting some of Anchorage’s other well known birdwatching sites, which may include, Westchester Lagoons and a drive north along the Glenn Highway. Westchester lagoons are an excellent site for migrating Hudsonian Godwits and other shorebirds, breeding Red-necked Grebes and a number of duck species, including Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon and Lesser Scaup. Orange-crowned Warbler, American Robin and Boreal Chickadee are also present amongst the trees and vegetation. For those wishing to do so, they may join the tour at this point. Overnight - Anchorage
Days 7 - 10: On Day 7 we catch a morning flight to Nome for a four-night stay. Nome is situated just below the Arctic Circle and close to Siberia, making it an exciting birding hot spot; the rugged scenery is magnificent, and time will be spent observing and perhaps photographing a host of excellent birds. The following species are all possible: Red-throated Diver, Gyr Falcon, Pacific Golden Plover, Surfbird, Black Turnstone, Bristle-thighed Curlew, Whimbrel, Red-necked Phalarope, Baird's Sandpiper, Sabine's Gull and Long-tailed Skua. With over 200 miles of road across the open tundra, viewing and photographic opportunities are excellent. Overnights - Nome.
Day 11: We take a morning flight to Anchorage, with an opportunity for afternoon birding at a local reserve, perhaps re-visiting Westchester Lagoons. Overnight - Anchorage.
Days 12 & 13: After arriving at Anchorage airport, we will drive south to Seward, stopping en route for birdwatching breaks, which may include the following venues: Girdwood, Ptarmigan Creek and the Exit Glacier.
We will look for Barrow’s Goldeneye, American Dipper, Steller’s Jay, Varied Thrush, Townsend’s & Orange-crowned Warblers and Pine Siskin. On Day 12 we will take a boat trip to the Chiswell Islands and Holgate Glacier, where we should encounter a variety of seabirds and sea mammals. Amongst them should be Pelagic Cormorant, Tufted & Horned Puffins, Kittlitz’s & Marbled Murrelets, Pigeon Guillemot, Short-tailed Shearwater, Forked-tailed Storm-Petrel, Sea Lion and Sea Otter. Overnights - Seward.
Day 14: After breakfast we will take a leisurely drive back to Anchorage for an overnight stay.
Days 15 & 16: On the morning of Day 14 we fly from Anchorage to Barrow, which lies 350 miles north of the Arctic Circle and is the most northerly town in North America. Amidst a wonderland of ice formations, flat coastal tundra and a maze of lakes we may observe some of the rarest Arctic breeding birds, along with some of the more familiar species. We hope to encounter White-billed Diver, Spectacled, King & Steller's Eiders, Red (Grey) Phalarope, Pectoral, Baird's & Western Sandpipers, Sabine's Gull, Snowy Owl and Arctic Redpoll. Overnights - Barrow.
Day 17: After breakfast we catch a return flight to Anchorage. Overnight - Anchorage.
Days 18 & 19: Return flight from Anchorage to London via Seattle, arriving on Day 19.