Nome - III

We left the house in Nome at 5:00am, our earliest start since we trekked for Dovekies at Gambell. Since Joyce and Nancy were going on a journey of their own, our smaller group fit nicely into the larger van. Our route was north up the Kougarok Road and our destination was Curlew Hill where we hoped to witness the courtship flights of Bristle-thighed Curlews. Along the way we were looking for Rock Ptarmigans. Although we saw over 20 male Willow Ptarmigans, we saw no Rocks. However, we did see some Musk Ox (photo).  We arrived at the hill at 7:20am and met the WINGS group with whom we coordinated the climb up the hill. Jon Dunn was the WINGS leader and he had seven people with him. The climb is through tussocks which are difficult to walk on. So it’s better to walk through/around them taking care not to be tripped up by them. The climb is neither particularly steep nor particularly long, about half a mile. But the tussocks make it tricky and somewhat exhausting. However, we had barely walked for five minutes when the characteristic call of the curlew was heard. Since that indicated that the birds were indeed there, it made the remainder of the climb a bit easier. Once we were all near the top we had great displays from at least one pair of curlews. I thought there was a second pair that remained over the crest of the hill. The key field marks include the peachy-colored rump, the large, golden flecks on the wings, and the buffy tone of the breast. We saw all these marks well. The curlew was my second lifer of the year.
After we slowly made our way back down the hill, we headed south with plenty of stops along the way. We stopped near several bridges where we birded and saw new trip birds like Black-capped Chickadee, Myrtle Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, red Fox Sparrow, Common Merganser, Rusty Blackbird (a catch-up bird for John, who doesn’t have many left to catch up). Aaron suggested a stop for Varied Thrush. I didn’t believe him, but sure enough! One of his stops produced a calling Varied Thrush which was a year bird for us. We turned off on the road to Pyramid Hot Springs and drove up onto a ridge where Northern Wheatears breed. We saw a couple of them, but not near the road. We did a last-of-the-day run past the dump, but there were only Glaucous, Mew, and a Herring Gull plus the Common Ravens, but not the Slaty-backed Gull that had been there earlier in the week. Back at the house I took a shower and got ready for dinner while waiting for Joyce to return from her excursion. Dinner was at the Airport Pizza. Don’t be misled by the name. In addition to serving pizza, they also did sandwiches, salads, steaks, pasta, and other dishes. I tried to order something that wasn’t too much food. I succeeded, but Joyce didn’t. Back at the house I found the StL Cardinals losing badly to Los Angeles. Tomorrow we’ll drive out the road to Teller, looking for Rock Ptarmigan. The two new birds today brought the total for the year to 618.

Nome - II

The morning came earlier than I wanted it to. The birds singing outside our window just wasn’t enough to offset the lack of sleep. We had a cereal, muffin, bread type breakfast with plenty of coffee. We went in two vehicles east out the same road we had traveled yesterday afternoon. We enjoyed a good assortment of ducks, geese, and shorebirds. Good birds included Surfbird, forty-plus Bar-tailed Godwits, a few Pacific Golden-Plovers, a couple of the large race of Cackling Goose, a Red Knot, and several Long-tailed Jaegers (photo). A single Emperor Goose was new as was a male Willow Ptarmigan alongside the road (photo). A group of Sabine’s Gulls was much closer than those of the previous evening and the small group of Bank Swallows was a catch-up bird for John. We saw the remnants of a failed railroad project initiated during the height of the gold rush. Further out the Council Road we were shown a Gyrfalcon nest with one adult brooding a fluffy white chick. On the way back to Nome we passed a couple of birding groups who had seen the Arctic Warbler an hour or so earlier. This was a bird that our guide had found on a scouting trip and that we would see tomorrow. But since it had been just seen, we decided to try for it now. When we got there, it was singing, so we piled out of the van and searched for it at the tops of the willows. While searching, a Bluethroat male displayed in front of us (web photo). We did find the warbler and eventually everyone got to see it through the scopes. We came back directly to dinner at a multi-national restaurant where our group ordered baked halibut, eggplant parmesan, shrimp tempura, and pizza. Stops at the gas station, where gas was $4.50/gal, and the grocery preceded our return to the B&B. The reading of the list was very rewarding since we had such a good day. The five new birds bring the year’s list to 616.

Gambell - V, and Back to Nome

Most of us started the morning with a sea watch which went off nicely with all four eiders seen well in flight directly in front of us as well as a close-up Horned Puffin (photo). Since this was moving day, we pulled together our belongings and Bob moved things around inside the house so the owners from whom he had rented it could have it back. We ate leftovers for lunch. During lunch I had made the statement that we’d all be energized when we got the word that a Common Rosefinch had been found. And the the two-way radio squawked and indeed a Common Rosefinch had been found. Fortunately it was nearby and we all got there in a jiffy. Paul had the bird in view and pointed it out to us. We all drank it in, although to be honest it was a bit of a drab bird. We did a little more sea watching, and then it was time to go. We walked to the airstrip where we piled all of our luggage which was then loaded onto the two Bering Air planes that had arrived almost simultaneously. The forty minute flight brought us to Nome where we re-met our guides for the Nome portion of the trip, Aaron and David. All of our stuff was loaded into the van and went to the house of George where we got our assigned rooms. Then it was off to dinner at a local restaurant. Following dinner we did some birding along the Council Road. We scored with Aleutian Tern and John got a catch-up Sabine’s Gull. We returned to the guesthouse, did the list, and hit the sack. The two new birds brought the year’s list to 611.

Gambell - IV

With an early morning arising we set off for the bird cliffs to look for Dovekies. It was indeed a slog, but we met with success with six of the little guys seen well on the snow. Sean found a Golden-crowned Sparrow, but we couldn’t re-find it. We crossed the far bone yard and met up with the WINGS group but we didn’t sandwich any birds in between our two groups. We then tried the near bone yard with similar success, so we adjourned to the house for a hot cup of coffee. After lunch, several subgroups headed off in different directions. Tom and I went south along the runway and around the south end of the lake. We saw a White Wagtail (photo), the pair of Common Ringed Plovers, a Long-billed Dowitcher (photo), some Dunlin, a Peregrine Falcon, a Tundra Swan, and an octet of Sandhill Cranes. But no new birds for the year. After dinner of spaghetti and cole slaw, we were roused from our lethargy by a report of Orcas attacking a Grey Whale. So we dressed for the out-of-doors and went out to see. Indeed there was a large group of Orcas with a Grey Whale in the middle (photo). After a while, things settled down and the Orcas swam away and nothing was seen of the Grey Whale. However, three Grey Whales swam past close to the shore apparently avoiding that part of the sea where the Orcas were. No new birds. Total is still 609.

Gambell - III

This morning was to have begun with a walk to the bird cliffs to look for Dovekie. However, as we were getting ready to leave after our breakfast, the word came in that there was a Red-necked Stint in the near bone yard. We hoofed it down there and although there was no one there to give us any information, quick-eyed Sean spotted a shorebird which turned out to be the bird. We all had great looks (photo). That made our start to the east a little late, but we did get there. However, we didn’t get to see any Dovekies. We did the far bone yard and got a couple of Gray-cheeked Thrushes before heading south on the mountainside road. We walked the whole way to the sewage lagoon, through the marshes, with nothing new. Just as we were heading back word came in that there was a Brambling in town. We got a little confused about where the bird was, but Bob got it arranged that Gloria would bring her wagon out and take us in to town. Sean and I walked one way while John walked the other. When Gloria arrived we got everyone into the cart and went in to town where Paul and Jon had the bird and showed it to us. It moved around a bit, and we got some pictures (photo). John and I went back to the house for a cup of coffee and the call came in that a Stonechat had been found along the mountainside road. Bob called for a taxi and John and I rode to the site where all the birders on the island were gathered. The bird was in view but a bit distant (photo). Good scope views were had and we hired Gloria again for a ride back home. Dinner was a great stew with bread and salad. We did a little sea watch for an hour or so and then went to bed. The three great birds today brought the year’s list to 609.

Gambell - II

After a great night’s sleep, we got up at 6am and got the day started with a breakfast that for me was cereal and coffee and a sweet roll. Then it was off to the sea watch for nearly three hours. It was a fantastic time with lots of birds. To boot there were new species too. First it was the Arctic Loon overhead with the flank patch seen well. Then came a series of Black Guillemots with the white underwing clearly seen. The first of several Spectacled Eiders came by in a mixed flock of eiders (photo). We ultimately saw over forty of these handsome ducks. Sean pointed out an adult Ivory Gull cruising by. In addition there were Yellow-billed Loons, a pair of Steller’s Eiders, giving us an eider slam for the day. After lunch we geared up for a long walk. We did both bone yards and re-found the Rustic Bunting (photo) and a Northern Wheatear. A couple of immature Glaucous-winged Gulls were with some Vega Herring Gulls (photo) at the edge of the lake. The walk down along the mountain side didn’t produce the number of wheatears that I had hoped. But at the culverts Steve pointed out a Rough-legged Hawk in the air, one of a breeding pair, that was a catch-up bird for me. A short time later John and I had an Eastern Yellow Wagtail fly by, its bounding flight apparent. A run for a Red-necked Stint, our second in two days, also didn’t work out. We again got a ride back to the house from Gloria. Dinner was pasta with pesto and apple crisp for dessert. We had a steady stream of carvers bringing their wares for us to view. The nightly checklist brought us up to 59 species for the two days. The six new birds for me brought the year’s list to 606.

Gambell - I

Up at 3:50am for our early morning flight to Nome and Gambell. Grabbed a Danish and a cup of coffee on the way out the door to the airport courtesy van. At the airport met Lisa, Aaron, and David who gave us the lowdown on our flying arrangements. Our Alaska Airlines flight was on time and we arrived in Nome ahead of schedule. After reshuffling the baggage between what went on to Gambell and what stayed in Nome, we boarded our Bering Airlines flight and forty minutes later we were in Gambell. Bob and James met us and we exchanged places with the earlier tour group which was leaving the island. We walked back to our house/home for the next five days and got situated in our “room” a space which Joyce and I will share with John and Nancy Spahr. Our spaces are separated by a blanket a la “It Happened One Night.” We had lunch and headed out into the field where we almost immediately found two White Wagtails. A bit later we stumbled onto a Pacific Golden Plover (photo). Then a message came in over the two-way radio that the male Rustic Bunting was being seen nearby in the boneyard. We rushed over but no one was there who could have sent the message, a mystery to this moment. The strangeness gave way to elation as the bunting popped into view for everyone. Then news of a Red-necked Stint at the south end of Troutman Lake came in. That generated a discussion of what to do, how to get there if we went, the lateness of the hour, etc. On top of that additional news came that there was a Lesser Sand-Plover. That clinched it! We asked Bob to find an ATV that could get those that wanted to go to the bird’s location. He arranged to have Gloria bring an ATV with a cart that could take six. Off we went. When we arrived, the WINGs group was looking at the sand-plover and we too got to study it. Jon Dunn mentioned that there was a pair of Common Ringed-Plovers that hung out in the area. Shortly after briefly watching a Rock Sandpiper, Paul Lehman called that the birds were in sight. We raced over and got great looks at the birds (photo). That bird was bird #600 for the year. We rode back to the house in high spirits where we enjoyed an enchilada supper with cheesecake dessert. Several local ivory carvers brought their wares by the house for viewing and sold a couple of pieces. After a seawatch, I decided it had been a long enough day and hit the hay. The five new birds brings the count to an even 600.