I Made it to Barrow



It was a long day of air travel that went with no hitches.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I even arrived in Anchorage early enough to change to an earlier flight to Barrow that would get me in before it got dark.  When I arrived in Barrow, it was 25F and there was some new snow on the ground.  Bob Dittrick and Dave Porter picked me up at the airport and we went out to the spit to scan for Ross's Gulls, but didn't see any in the waning light.  We did pass the native group that was carving up three Bowhead Whales that had been harpooned today.  It was a pretty efficient operation.  It had to be since any leftover whale would attract polar bears.  Maybe I'll get to see my first one in the next couple of days.  However, it does make birding on the spit a little dicey, requiring vigilance.  We had a nice Japanese dinner at the Osaka Restaurant, topped off by a slice of apple pie.  I picked up my bag which came in on the plane I was originally to arrive on, and went to the King Eider Hotel where I checked in and met a couple of birders new to Barrow.  Tomorrow we'll all be out looking for pink gulls.