Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell

GRAND ALASKA: NOME & GAMBELL

MAY 29–JUNE 8, 2021

Bluethroat (male), Teller Road, Nome, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

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GRAND ALASKA: NOME & GAMBELL MAY 29–JUNE 8, 2021

By Kevin Zimmer

Long-tailed Jaeger, Gambell, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Following a most enjoyable Kenai Peninsula & Anchorage Pre-Trip that netted a wealth of boreal forest breeders, nesting seabirds, and special mammals, we convened our full group in Anchorage, and then headed north to Nome the next morning to kick off the Nome & Gambell tour. There is probably no North American tour that I more eagerly look forward to than this one, even after more than 30 years of doing this combo (Nome + Gambell) in one incarnation or another. The promise of numerous iconic Alaskan tundra-breeding specialties, combined with the very real potential for multiple Asiatic vagrants—not to mention some glamour mammals—and spectacular scenery and tundra wildflowers, all make for an exciting birding adventure with more than a bit of a wilderness feel to it.

www.ventbird.com 2 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 The stretch of the Council Road that skirts the coastline of Norton Sound from the Nome River mouth, around Cape Nome, and on to Solomon is always the most dynamic place for birding in the Nome region, and seldom fails to deliver something good or unexpected. Our first afternoon drive provided the expected introduction to many of Nome’s tundra breeders, as well as to many of the regular spring migrants. After the usual first stop at the dredge ponds on the outskirts of town for close Red-throated Loons, Long-tailed Ducks, Greater Scaup, Arctic Terns, and Red-necked Phalaropes, we made our way to the bridge over the Nome River mouth. A quick scan revealed that low tides were exposing extensive mud flats heaving with shorebirds, and that most of them could be viewed to better advantage from the beach side of the river mouth. So, we backtracked to the sandy track leading down to the beach and hiked over the sand to the best viewing area, in the process, scoring our first Eastern Yellow Wagtails of the trip. A narrow barrier strip of sandbar on the ocean side produced a Black Turnstone and a Pectoral Sandpiper, but the real action was in the tidal basin of the river mouth itself, where masses of hyperactive shorebirds (mostly Western and Semipalmated sandpipers) swarmed around an assortment of loafing waterfowl, gulls, and terns. It didn’t take long to determine that Aleutian Terns were more conspicuous than usual, as calling groups of birds flew back-and-forth, bathed in the shallow waters, or actively courted, with many males carrying small fish to their would-be mates as courtship enticements.

I was most interested in securing good scope views for everyone of the handful of Bar- tailed Godwits that I had seen distantly from the bridge. This trans-Beringian migrant is one of the true breeding specialties of the Nome region, and one that can prove problematic to find during a short visit, so I wanted to make sure that everyone had good looks while there were several relatively close in front of us. These big shorebirds are sexually dimorphic: females are distinctly larger-bodied and longer-billed, but are rather drab and pallid buff in color, whereas the smaller, shorter-billed males are rich cinnamon- orange below. Scanning the godwits for a more richly colored example, I swung my scope onto an obviously rusty individual, only to see that it was a Hudsonian Godwit— an expected breeding species in the muskeg and bogs of southern Alaska (and one that we had seen nicely during the Pre-Trip in Anchorage), but a real rarity in the Nome region, where I have seen it on only two or three other occasions. It was a real treat to have side by side comparisons of a Hudsonian Godwit and 6 different Bar-tailed Godwits! More scope work soon yielded several Red Phalaropes, strictly migrants in the Nome region, in among the more common and expected Red-necked Phalaropes, which nest in the Nome area. A lone Sabine’s Gull, elegant in full breeding plumage, with a yellow-tipped black bill that appears as if it had been dipped in mustard, rounded out the bonanza of great birds at this, our first real birding stop of the tour.

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Hudsonian Godwit, Nome River mouth, Nome, AK, 5/30/21 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

We had spent more time at the river mouth than anticipated, and it was already getting very late in the afternoon, so I made fewer stops than usual en route to Safety Lagoon. The extensive lagoon and its outlet at Safety Sound were quieter than usual, but still yielded Tundra Swans, more than 75 Brant, Sandhill Cranes, Parasitic and Long-tailed Jaegers, and a variety of ducks, highlighted by numerous dressy Common Eiders and 2 male Gadwall (rare this far north). Between MP 18 and MP 19, I stopped to scan a peninsula of exposed mud at the tip of a grassy island in the lagoon. There were numerous shorebirds of different sizes puttering about on the mud, and this particular spot had a proven track record for producing rarities, so a closer look was very much in order. Thermal distortion on this sunny day was extreme, which made scoping distant shorebirds difficult. But, within seconds, I picked out an obvious Lesser Sand-Plover (formerly known as “Mongolian Plover”) from the crowd. This species is a vagrant anywhere in North America, although it has been suspected of breeding on a few occasions elsewhere on the Seward Peninsula and at Gambell, St. Lawrence Island. Over the past 35 years, I’ve seen perhaps 5 or 6 in the Nome area on my annual May-June visits, so this was a good bird indeed. At one point, while attempting to document the plover photographically, I questioned aloud whether I might be seeing 2 Lesser Sand- Plovers through my viewfinder, but the distance was so great, the thermal distortion so bad, and all of the shorebirds on the mud flat were moving around so much, that I soon abandoned the idea, particularly since no one else seemed to be seeing two of these rare plovers. Only after returning home, where I could view my photos greatly magnified on the computer screen, was I able to confirm that I had, in fact, taken several photos with 2 Lesser Sand-Plovers identifiable in the frame! We turned around before reaching Solomon, and headed back to town for dinner. We had gotten off to a rousing start, and

www.ventbird.com 4 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 there would be more chances to bird the Council Road more thoroughly in the coming days.

As always, our days in the Nome region were filled with special sightings. It was a down year for ptarmigan, which are notoriously cyclical in their population fluctuations, but we still managed great studies of multiple Willow Ptarmigan along the Teller and Kougarok roads, and of a single male Rock Ptarmigan well off the Teller Road. We were able to hike up for close views of the Rock Ptarmigan, which remained rooted to its spot, overly confident in the ability of its cryptic plumage to conceal it from view. The two species of ptarmigan comprise the primary prey base for Gyrfalcons, so a poor ptarmigan crop typically means that Gyrs are also thin on the ground. Such was certainly the case this year, as only one of the many traditional Gyrfalcon nesting sites along the Nome road system appeared to be active. This was in stark contrast to our last visit here in 2019, when we were averaging 20–30 Willow Ptarmigan seen/day, and I knew of at least 3 actively nesting Gyrfalcon pairs. Repeated nice studies of the omnipresent Long-tailed and Parasitic jaegers, along with a plethora of breeding-plumaged shorebirds that included Wandering Tattler, Black-bellied Plover, both species of golden-plovers, and Surfbird, were among the daily highlights. Northern Shrikes were more conspicuous than usual; American Dippers had returned to nest at Penny River; perky Northern Wheatears were in their usual spots; and seemingly every alpine thicket rang with the plaintive, pure songs of Golden-crowned Sparrows, while Northern Waterthrushes belted out their exuberant songs from the tallest Felt-Leaf Willows along every watercourse. In and amongst the many avian highlights, we were also treated to several encounters with prehistoric-looking Muskox, ranging from gnarly lone bulls to herds with youngsters. We also enjoyed sightings of Moose, Reindeer (an introduced subspecies of Caribou), Alaskan Hare, and American Beaver among the other mammals.

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Muskox, Teller Road, Nome, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

As is usually the case, top honors on the lengthy list of Nome highlights were shared between our experience with the iconic Bristle-thighed Curlew and our prolonged studies of a dazzling male Bluethroat, the latter in full skylarking display mode. Since discovering the first known nesting pair of Bluethroats in the Nome area (and, by extension, the first Bluethroats in Alaska that tour groups could access by car) on June 11, 1987, we have never failed to produce these beautiful, “chat-like” Old World Flycatchers during our annual Nome visits. This year, it seemed as if we had arrived right at the beginning of the breeding season, when few Bluethroats were on territory. Many spots that have hosted breeding Bluethroats in years past were seemingly unoccupied—at least, I did not hear or see any evidence of them during our four-day exploration of the Nome road system, with the notable exception of one very territorial male along the Teller Road, who more than made up for his lack of compatriots by treating us to repeated skylarking song bouts, typically terminating in a “parachuting” glide downward, to perch in the top of a willow shrub for our scope-viewing pleasure. That this male was merely the tip-of-the-spear, and not representative of some distressing population downturn, was further evidenced by the fact that many of the same spots that were curiously devoid of Bluethroats during our time in Nome were hopping with displaying males the following week, when I returned with our Grand Alaska Part I tour group.

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Bluethroat (male) in skylarking display, Teller Road, Nome, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

As is often the case, being early in the season proved helpful in our quest for the Bristle- thighed Curlew. We got our first one scarcely 20 minutes into our hike. I heard the distinctive call, but a quick scan of the sky revealed no curlew. I did, however, take note of a Common Raven upslope, flying in our direction, and told everyone to keep their eyes on the Raven, since nesting curlews typically go to great lengths to drive habitual nest predators such as ravens and jaegers from their territories. Sure enough, within seconds, a Bristle-thighed Curlew appeared upslope, chasing the raven and vocalizing all the way as it flew past us and appeared to put down to our north. We left the well-worn footpath and trekked in that direction for several hundred yards but could not re-find the curlew. We had all seen its contrasting buffy rump and tail, and heard its diagnostic flight calls and songs, but everyone was still game for trying to find one on the ground. So, we continued our trek up the large dome, eventually leveling out and then continuing to the west, where the mountain began sloping downward to a large, brushy draw. Once again, we heard Bristle-thighed Curlew calls, and they seemed to be coming from the ground. We spread out and tacked in the direction of the sporadic calls, until someone (Craig?) called out that they had the bird. It soon became apparent that there was a pair of curlews on the tundra ahead of us, and we were able to patiently work our way closer without spooking them. We stayed with them for 30 minutes or so, securing wonderful studies of the foraging pair in the process, and then left them there, still on the ground, as we headed back to the van. We made it up and back in about three hours, having seen at least 2, and perhaps 3 Bristle-thighed Curlews.

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Bristle-thighed Curlew, MP 72.5 Kougarok Road, Nome, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Our last day in the Nome area found us once again working the Council Road, but this time with an entire day to devote to the task. As on our first day, we began at the Nome River mouth, this time sticking to the bridge. There were even more shorebirds peppering the mudflats than on our first visit, including impressive numbers of Dunlin (I counted 65 in one pass), a couple of Ruddy Turnstones in high breeding plumage, and Bar-tailed Godwit numbers that had reached double-digits. There were also 8 Sabine’s Gulls restlessly patrolling the river mouth, including one that put down pretty close in front of us. As I was putting this bird in the scope, I heard Leon say, “Is this a Red- necked Stint?” I took my eye away from the scope and asked, “Where?” Leon gestured to the closest exposed mud bar directly below the embankment where we stood. There, sandwiched in between a couple of Western Sandpipers, a Semipalmated Sandpiper, and a Red-necked Phalarope, was a beautiful adult Red-necked Stint, an annual but rare visitor (and at least occasional breeder) to the Nome region, and what would prove to be the only one we would see during our entire trip!

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Red-necked Stint (L) & Western Sandpiper (R), Nome River mouth, 6/2/21 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Farther out the Council Road, between Safety Lagoon and Solomon, we encountered still more Sabine’s Gulls and Bar-tailed Godwits, over 150 Pectoral Sandpipers, 15 Long- billed Dowitchers, 400+ Tundra Swans, 200+ Brant, a late-migrating group of 12 Snow Geese, a pair of Gadwall, and 10 Black Scoters among the other shorebirds and waterfowl. Pairs and small groups of Harlequin Ducks were scattered up and down the Solomon River, and an adult gray-morph Gyrfalcon treated us to excellent flight views by making a few passes before settling onto its nest. We ended up making it all the way to the end of the Council Road (MP 75), which had been closed near MP 50 due to muddy road conditions just days before, and, in the process, found Boreal Chickadee, Blackpoll Warbler, and a few other odds and ends in the stunted spruce forest along the last few miles of road.

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Gyrfalcon, Council Road, Nome, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

On June 3, we left Nome behind and flew to Gambell, a Yupik village of 600+ residents situated on a largely gravel spit at the northwest tip of St. Lawrence Island. No two spring visits to Alaska’s Bering Sea outposts are ever the same, mainly because the migratory pulses of breeders and Asiatic vagrants alike are dictated by weather patterns that, in these high latitudes, can be simultaneously extreme and ephemeral. We arrived to find a snowier landscape than what we’ve become accustomed to over the last 20 years. Troutman Lake was still largely iced over, and much of the upper slopes of Sevuokuk Mountain were still snow-covered, meaning that appropriate nesting sites for the bulk of the tens of thousands of alcids that nest here were still unavailable. More notably, we could see from the plane that there was significant sea ice stacked up along the shoreline of Northwest Cape, a common occurrence on early June visits back in the 1980s and 1990s, but a rare sight during June visits of the past few decades. We had received advance reports from birders who preceded us to the island of a solid week of wickedly strong north winds. Besides making life miserable for the birders, north winds also serve to keep all migrants (not just rarities) bottled up to the south—few birds are willing to push on across open seas in the face of relentless headwinds out of the Arctic. Accordingly, the spring migration at Gambell had been disappointing right up until the last 48 hours before our arrival, at which point the north winds had abated, and the wind direction had actually shifted to southwest, the most favorable condition for producing Asiatic vagrants. This shift resulted in an immediate uptick in the appearance of migrants, including a mega-rarity in the form of a female Pallas’s Bunting, found the day before our arrival. As we touched down on the airstrip and taxied to a stop, I had my fingers crossed for news that the bunting was still there.

www.ventbird.com 10 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 On exiting the plane, I immediately huddled with the leaders of the departing group to get the latest news on the bunting and any other rarities that might be present. I was ecstatic to hear that the bunting was still present in the same spot above the Far Boneyard as of an hour or two earlier, which boded well. It took an hour or so to get settled into our rooms at the lodge, and then we headed out on our first chase, accompanied by Charlie Bostwick, an independent birder staying at the lodge, who offered to show us the precise spot where the bunting was hanging out. It was a good thing that Charlie assisted us, because the bunting was anything but easy to find. It was extremely furtive, remaining motionless and hidden until nearly stepped upon, then flushing and flying some distance, only to drop out of sight once more. Each time it flushed, we would regroup and cautiously advance to where we saw it put down, only to have it flush once more without ever seeing it on the ground, or, to have it disappear entirely, only to resurface at the original spot. After a couple of hours of this maddening exercise, we still had not seen the bird except in flight, with little more than naked-eye glimpses of a small gray-brown passerine with bold, silvery-white outer tail feathers to show for our efforts. We returned to the lodge for lunch, the first of many fabulous meals prepared by Sean, and thus fortified, headed back up to the Far Boneyard for Round 2. This time, persistence paid off. The bunting kept returning to its favored spot, and, eventually, we succeeded in having it land in view on three different occasions, where we could see it on the ground through binoculars and camera viewfinders. We were even able to see the gray lesser wing-coverts, a diagnostic (but often hard-to-see) plumage feature separating Pallas’s Buntings of both sexes and all ages from the otherwise similarly plumaged Reed Bunting (which has rufous lesser wing-coverts). This was a fabulous bird, and hands-down the rarest bird of the tour. This was only the second spring record of Pallas’s Bunting at Gambell ever (we missed a male in 2017 by 24 hours), and represented a rare life bird for me!

Pallas’s Bunting (female), Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, AK, 6/3/21 (© Kevin J. Zimmer) www.ventbird.com 11 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021

After dinner, we made the first of our motorized excursions to the south end of Troutman Lake to look for another Eurasian vagrant that had turned up prior to our arrival—Wood Sandpiper. We had no trouble in finding the Wood Sandpiper, and everyone enjoyed excellent studies of this rare but somewhat regular vagrant. Disturbingly, we failed to find a Common Ringed Plover that had been reported from the gravel flats and marshes south of the lake by other birders while we were working on seeing the Pallas’s Bunting. I wasn’t overly worried at the time, because there are typically 1 or 2 territorial pairs of Common Ringed Plovers south of Troutman Lake every spring, so I figured it was just a matter of time until we caught up with them. As it turned out, I was wrong. Despite repeated daily visits to this area, both as a group and on my own late at night or during post-lunch breaks, we never saw one, marking the first time I’ve missed it on a trip to Gambell in the last 20 years or so. We did hear a Common Ringed calling in flight as it passed overhead in the fog as we were sea watching at The Point one day, but that was as close as we got.

Wood Sandpiper, Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, AK, 6/5/21 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Other noteworthy sightings from our four days here included a Lesser Sand-Plover, multiple male Bluethroats and Northern Wheatears, an early-arriving Arctic Warbler seen nicely in the Circular Boneyard, a nice Wandering Tattler feasting on sticklebacks near the northeast corner of Troutman Lake, a pair of Rock Sandpipers, and numerous White Wagtails, including one female that showed some plumage characters suggestive of the subspecies lugens, formerly treated as a distinct species, “Black-backed” Wagtail. The Bluethroats were interesting, because each one seen was a male, and rather than being furtive and elusive skulkers in the boneyards, as migrant Bluethroats at Gambell are want to be, these birds were all incredibly conspicuous, and singing and skylarking almost

www.ventbird.com 12 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 nonstop. Their prevalence here, where they do not breed, lent further credence to the idea that the bulk of the breeding population at Nome had simply not arrived yet when we were there.

Lesser Sand-Plover, Gambell, AK, 6/6/21 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Sea watches from Northwest Cape (“The Point”) are always a high point of birding at Gambell. The daily commute of hundreds of thousands of alcids past the Point is spectacle enough to justify the trip, but it is accentuated by the excitement that comes with never knowing what will fly by next. This year’s sea watches, while still thrilling, did not live up to those of past years. I suspect that this was due at least in part to the fact that the southwest and westerly winds that prevailed throughout most of our stay kept the sea ice packed tightly to the shoreline of the Cape, meaning that there was little open water near shore, which forced most passing sea birds to move along the far edge of the ice, too far out for identification. I also think that the preceding week of north winds had kept even common migrant species largely bottled-up to the south of us, and that many birds, particularly loons and waterfowl, were simply later than usual in reaching the waters off Gambell. The sheer numbers of Crested, Least, and Parakeet auklets, and Horned Puffins were, as always, staggering, and Black-legged Kittiwakes, Glaucous Gulls, and Pelagic Cormorants moved past the point in numbers that I would call typical. More ice in the water meant more lingering Black Guillemots, which, in a stark reversal of the normal June situation, greatly outnumbered Pigeon Guillemots. Eider numbers, in general, were way down, and we never did find either a Spectacled or Steller’s eider, the first time that I can recall having dipped on both species in the same trip. Loons and jaegers were also way down in numbers, and we ended up seeing only 3 Yellow-billed Loons and missing Arctic Loon completely. www.ventbird.com 13 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021

Northern Fulmar, viewed from sea watch at Northwest Cape, Gambell, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Our final full day on the island began with a Dovekie-search along the slopes of Sivuqaq Mountain. The Dovekie is a predominantly north Atlantic breeding bird, with only a relatively tiny, relict population inhabiting the Bering Sea. Most years, there are a handful of presumed breeding pairs present on the slopes of Sivuqaq Mountain at Gambell, but finding them is no slam-dunk, given that they represent a veritable “needle” amongst the alcid “haystack” of this mountain. Indeed, the daily Gambell alcid spectacle, as witnessed from a position along the base of the mountain, is usually overwhelming for first-timers, and only marginally less thrilling for me, after 30 years of visits. The skies overhead are blackened by thousands of swirling auklets (Crested, Least, and Parakeet), lending the appearance of angry swarms of bees, while the slopes below are literally covered with more of the same (including a sprinkling of Horned Puffins and Pigeon Guillemots). Individual rock slabs are festooned with auklets: comical Cresteds, with their goofy, perpetual grins; diminutive Leasts crowded cheek-to-jowl; and larger Parakeets, looking more formal and stoic, with their black-and-white “tuxedoed” appearance and more erect carriage. Throughout, the voices of the masses of birds above combine to assault the senses with a cacophony of sound—the yelping of the Crested Auklets; the harsh, buzzy chatter of the Leasts; and the musical trilling rattles of the Parakeets—made all the more voluminous each time a passing raven, Rough-legged Hawk, or Peregrine Falcon sends the panicked alcids into frenzied flight. Amid all of this chaos, we must find the Dovekies, seldom represented in any given year by more than 6– 8 individuals, and typically located at least two-thirds of the way up the mountain, and

www.ventbird.com 14 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 hope that they remain in view long enough for everyone to obtain satisfactory scope views.

This spring, the task of finding a Dovekie had been complicated by the fact that no one had yet located more than a single individual (only a single Dovekie was located in 2019 as well, and, of course, there was no visitation to the island by birders in 2020 due to the pandemic), and that bird was not hanging out at the usual spot, but rather, at another spot 50–100 m away. Finding Dovekies on the mountain is typically an early morning (before 0900h) or late evening (after 2200h) exercise—the vast majority of the alcids, including the Dovekies, are either foraging at sea, or in their burrows for the remainder of the day. As luck would have it, morning and late evening fog cloaked the upper reaches of the mountain throughout our first few days on the island, and it wasn’t until the morning of our last full day that conditions were even remotely promising. Even then the fog situation remained touch and go, and despite a painstaking search, we were unable to find the single Dovekie among the hordes of other auklets before the fickle cloud ceiling descended to the mid slope once more.

Late that evening, I offered an optional last-ditch attempt to find the Dovekie. Dick and Ken opted for a late evening sea watch at The Point instead, and my only taker for Dovekie-searching was Leon. Terry Doyle, a visiting “independent” birder from Anchorage, who, along with his wife Kathy, had seen the Dovekie at two different rocks on the mountainside during the days prior to our arrival and knew exactly where to look, met Leon and me for a joint effort. Terry pointed out the exact rocks where he had seen the Dovekie earlier, but both rocks were sans Dovekie for the moment. Suddenly, my radio crackled. It was Ken, calling in from The Point, where he and Dick had just seen and photographed a Ross’s Gull! About this time, the ceiling descended again, obscuring the upper slopes of the mountain in fog and rendering further Dovekie efforts futile. Leon and I abandoned the mountain and headed for The Point as fast as we could, but, frustratingly, we arrived mere minutes after the Ross’s Gull made its second, and seemingly final pass. We hung in for another hour with the hope that springs eternal, but to no avail.

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Ross’s Gull, Northwest Cape, Gambell, AK, 6/6/21 (© Dick Latuchie)

With our plane due in at 10:00 a.m. on the final morning, and fog still enveloping the top of the mountain, there was little time for anything more than an optional last sea watch at Northwest Cape, which failed to turn up any more Ross’s Gulls or “good” eiders, but which did result in another fly-by Yellow-billed Loon. As luck would have it, the low cloud ceiling was interfering with more than just our Dovekie search—we also received word from Bering Air that our flight was on weather hold, and that it would be at least a couple of hours before any flight would leave Nome for Gambell. With extra time on our hands, and the cloud ceiling clinging precariously to the top of the mountain, I decided to roar up to the mountain on my ATV and see if there was any sign of the Dovekie. I could only take one passenger, and Susan was the first person I ran into, so we hopped on the ATV and sped up there, with the idea that we could radio back to the lodge if we actually found a Dovekie. Leon set out on foot at about the same time. When we reached the mountain, we found the Doyles already there and scanning. Suddenly, Terry shouted that he had the Dovekie in his scope, and Susan and I quickly took a peek before I directed my scope to the rock. I put out a radio call to the lodge, informing everyone that we had a Dovekie for anyone who wanted to head up. About this time, we could see Leon slogging toward us, so Terry hopped on his ATV and roared over to pick up Leon and get him over to where we had our scopes set-up on the Dovekie. To my horror, just as Terry reached Leon, the ceiling, almost on cue, began to drop visibly. It was like watching someone draw down a shade! At our urging, Leon jumped off the ATV and hurried to my scope, but when he put his eye to the eyepiece, there was nothing to be seen—no Dovekie, no rock, not even the mountain was visible—in a final cruel twist, everything had been swallowed up by the fog once more! www.ventbird.com 16 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021

The erratic cloud ceiling kept us on the island for the rest of the day, but thankfully, conditions improved long enough for a plane to make it out in early evening, and by 8:30 p.m. we were back in Nome, having one last dinner at Milano’s before our tour concluded the next morning.

A trip to Gambell is always memorable, as much for its glimpse into Bering Sea culture and the adventure of birding one of America’s few remaining frontiers as for any birds seen. Just knowing that the snow-capped peaks glimmering some 40-odd miles in the distance (seen particularly well during this year’s visit) are part of the Russian Far East and mainland Asia lends an exotic quality to being here. It will also be hard to forget strips of blackened seal and walrus drying on traditional drying racks, ATVs humming across the landscape at all hours of the night, stubbing our toes on walrus skulls while birding the boneyards, and, of course, the unique opportunities to purchase a variety of Yupik native crafts, including some exceptional ivory carvings, directly from the artisans themselves.

The Russian Far East (mainland Asia), as viewed from Northwest Cape, Gambell, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

A trip to northwestern Alaska’s outposts highlights the ephemeral, transient nature of birding in the arctic and subarctic regions. Rare birds arrive without warning and leave without notice; conditions are optimal one moment and inhospitable the next. One has to admire the feathered wanderers that return again and again from more hospitable climes to fulfill their reproductive destinies in lands that can be so capriciously unpredictable www.ventbird.com 17 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 and unforgiving. Seemingly fragile, always restless, they strike out each spring for this land at the edge of the Bering Sea. And each spring, we wait, anticipating their arrivals, and reveling in our unexpected discoveries. It is a drama that I look forward to repeating, year after year, with undiminished anticipation.

I would like to extend special thanks to Sean and Irene for taking such good care of us at Gambell, and for making sure that even if we were tired, or cold (or both) we would not go hungry! Sean took the state of culinary arts at Gambell to new heights, and his skill and efforts were greatly appreciated by all. It was great fun birding with you all, and we hope to see you again on some future VENT trip!

ITINERARY

5/29 - Met at 1830h in Anchorage for dinner at Coast Inn at Lake Hood. 5/30 - Anchorage to Nome: 0700h breakfast at Pipers (Coast Inn) followed by transfer to Anchorage airport in time for 1045h departure of AS #151, arriving into Nome at 1215h. Following hotel check-in and lunch, we headed out the Council Road, birding our way out to Safety Sound, with major stops at the Nome River mouth, Cape Nome and Safety Lagoon. 5/31 - Nome: all day birding along the Teller Road to MP 40 and along the road to Woolley Lagoon and back, with major stops at Penny River (MP 12-13), the Sinuk River, and the MP 34 Quarry Road. 6/01 - Nome: all day birding along the Kougarok Road to MP 72.5 (Coffee Dome), where we hiked for the Bristle-thighed Curlew, and back. 6/02 - Nome: all day birding along the Council Road, to the end of the road at Council (MP 75) and back, with major birding stops at the Nome River mouth (bridge only), Hastings Creek mouth, Cape Nome, Safety Lagoon, Safety Sound, Solomon, East Fork of the Solomon River (MP 46), Skookum Pass, and DOT maintenance shed area near Council. 6/03 - Nome to Gambell: 0845h flight on Bering Air, arriving at Gambell at ca. 0945h. After getting all of our gear transferred to the lodge, check-in, lunch, and getting our gear organized, we made our first excursion to the Far Boneyard to try for the Pallas’s Bunting, from 1130h to 1315h. After lunch and a break, we went out again at 1515h, for a check of the marsh at the NE corner of Troutman Lake, another try for the Pallas’s Bunting in the Far Boneyard, a check of the Circular Boneyard, and the base of the mountain until 1830h, when we returned to the lodge for dinner. Following dinner, we did an ATV-excursion to the south end of Troutman Lake and beyond. 6/04 - Gambell: multiple sea watches at Northwest Cape (“The Point”), near & far boneyards, boat yard (Old Town), base of mountain, south end and NE corners of Troutman Lake. 6/05 - Gambell: Northwest Cape sea watch, sewage pond, Near Boneyard, boatyard, south end of Troutman Lake and beyond, Circular & Far Boneyards. 6/06 - Gambell: Dovekie search & Far Boneyard, Near Boneyard, boatyard (Old Town), Northwest Cape sea watches, south end of Troutman Lake and beyond, optional late night Dovekie search at the mountain and sea watch at Northwest Cape.

www.ventbird.com 18 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 6/07 - Gambell to Nome: early morning sea watch at Northwest Cape, followed by all day weather hold waiting for fog to lift so we could fly back to Nome. During this time, there were some optional sea watches and checks of the Near Boneyard and boatyard (Old Town) and a last search of the mountain for Dovekie, participated in by a few folks, but mostly, we were just hanging tight waiting for the plane, which finally arrived at 1930h. We made it back to Nome at 2030h, and it was about 2130h before we had transferred everyone and all of our gear to the Aurora Inn, barely leaving us time for a late dinner at Milano’s before they closed (they stayed open just for us!). 6/08 - Nome to Anchorage: After breakfast, I took Steve, Leon, Ken and Dick to the airport to check in for their return flight to Anchorage (AS #152 at 1305h), and to welcome Brian and the incoming new participants joining those of us continuing on for the start of the Grand Alaska Part I: Nome & Barrow tour.

KEY

G = Gambell N = Nome area * = heard only

BIRDS

Emperor Goose (Anser canagicus) - G (1 spotted by Dick as it flew over us while we were working the Near Boneyard on 6/4 constituted our only record for the trip.) Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens) - N (1 at the Nome River mouth and 12 between Safety Lagoon and Solomon on 6/2.) Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) - N (6 in the Kuzitrin drainage along the Kougarok Road on 6/1; 1 along the Council Road on 6/2); G (Singles seen on 6/3 and 6/4.) Brant (Branta bernicla) - N (high count of 200+ along the Council Road between Nome and Solomon on 6/2; 75+ along the same stretch on 5/30.) {All brant seen on this trip were typical western nigricans, formerly called “Black Brant”.} Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii) - N (2 along the Council Road on 5/30; 6 along the Teller Road on 5/31; 10 along the Kougarok Road on 6/1; and 5 along the Council Road on 6/2.) {Birds in this region belong to the subspecies taverneri, which is large compared to other subspecies of this recently split {from Canada Goose} species. They are confusingly like the parvipes subspecies of Canada Goose, which has not been confirmed to occur here, although many of the birds seen in the Nome area are suspiciously suggestive of that species.} Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) - N (2 along the Council Road on 5/30; 1 along the Teller Road on 5/31 and the Kougarok Road on 6/1; 400+ along the Council Road [mostly between Safety Sound and Solomon] on 6/2.), G (1 seen on 6/5 by some.)

www.ventbird.com 19 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021

Tundra Swans, Nome, Alaska (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) - N (Single males seen along the Council Road on 5/30 and the Kougarok Road on 6/1, with a high count of 8 seen along the Council Road between Nome and Council on 6/2.) Gadwall (Mareca strepera) - N (2 males along the Council Road at Safety Lagoon on 5/30 were a surprise, as were a pair [male & female] together along the same road but nearer to Solomon, on 6/2. The species is a rarity in the Nome area.) American Wigeon (Anas americana) - N (10 along the Council Road on 5/30; 12 along the Kougarok Road on 6/1; and a high count of 25 along the Council Road on 6/2 [mostly between Safety Sound and Solomon]. We never encountered any large groups of wigeon this year – most were distributed as pairs or single males) Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) - N (3 males along the Council Road on 5/30; 5 along the Kougarok Road on 6/1; and an unusually high count of 12 along the Council Road on 6/2.) Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) - N (Common; seen daily in good numbers along all three roads.), G (2-4 seen daily.) “American” Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca carolinensis) - N (2–10 seen daily, and along all three main roads.) {All birds seen this year were of the widespread North American race carolinensis.}

www.ventbird.com 20 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021

“American” Green-winged Teal (male), Council Road, Nome, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

“Eurasian” Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca crecca) - G (1 male seen south of Troutman Lake on 6/4 by KJZ, may have also been seen by Ken and Charlie during the post-lunch break.) Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) - N (Common; seen daily, and along all three main roads, with high counts of 50–75 along the Council Road [mostly between Safety Lagoon and Solomon] on 5/30 and 6/2.), G (2 on 6/4, and 6 on 6/5.) King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) - G (It was another poor showing for eiders at Gambell. We missed Spectacled and Steller’s completely, and Kings, while showing better than they did in 2019, were but a pale shadow of their glory years in the not-too-distant past. Sea watches from Northwest Cape produced 60 Kings on 6/4, 15 on 6/5, 80 on 6/6, and 40 on 6/7, but, of these, fewer than a handful could be labeled as fully adult males.) Common Eider (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) - N (Common along the coast, where we recorded counts of 20 and 75 along the Council Road between Nome and Solomon on 5/30 and 6/2 respectively.), G (Fewer than normal recorded from our sea watches, with 8 on 6/4, 20 on 6/6, and 15 on 6/7.) {Males of this subspecies, v-nigrum, differ from populations in northeastern North America mainly by their bright orange [as opposed to greenish] bill.} Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) - N (6 at Cape Nome on 5/30; 4 along the Teller Road on 5/31; 5 along the Nome River, Kougarok Road on 6/1; 20 along the Council Road (Cape Nome and along the Solomon River) on 6/2.), G (3–8 birds seen daily past Northwest Cape)

www.ventbird.com 21 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021

Harlequin Ducks, Nome River, Kougarok Rd, Nome, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

White-winged Scoter (Melanitta deglandi) - N (2 seen flying offshore, across the street from our hotel, on 5/30, were, surprisingly, the only ones seen.), G (1 male flying past Northwest Cape on 6/4 was, amazingly, our only record.) {Note: What was called White-winged Scoter has now been split into three species: the Siberian-breeding stejnegeri (= Stejneger’s Scoter); Eurasian fusca (= Velvet Scoter) and North American deglandi (= White-winged Scoter). Stejneger’s is an uncommon-to-rare visitor to northwestern Alaska, and has been seen by some of our groups at Gambell and Nome. Most of the White-winged-type Scoters that we see flying along the coast at Nome or past Northwest Cape at Gambell are too far to distinguish the differences in bill shape and color pattern, and plumage, and are generally assumed to be North American breeding deglandi until proven otherwise. But, occasionally, individuals will come close enough to allow positive identification, particularly with digital enhancement of telephoto images.} Black Scoter (Melanitta americana) - N (8 along the coast, Council Road on 5/30, and 10 along the same stretch on 6/2; 6 at the MP 64-65 lake on the Kougarok Road on 6/1.), G (8 seen flying offshore from Northwest Cape on 6/6.) {This species has recently been split from Common Scoter, M. nigra, of Europe.} Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) - N (Common; seen daily, and along all three roads, with high counts of 30 on 5/30 and 20 on 6/2 along the Council Road, but only 2 seen on 5/31 along the Teller Road, and on 6/1 along the Kougarok Road.), G (Fairly common; seen daily in small numbers, mostly as migrants past Northwest Cape, but also on small lakes south of Troutman Lake.)

www.ventbird.com 22 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) - N (1 male along the Solomon River [Council Road] on 6/2 was our only record. This species is an uncommon-to-rare visitor and rare summer resident in the Nome region.)

Common Merganser (male), Solomon River, Council Rd, Nome, AK, 6/2/21 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) - N (Common; seen daily, along all three roads, with high counts of 40 along the Council Road on 6/2, and 25 along the Kougarok Road on 6/1. Amazingly, none were seen from sea watches at Gambell, where normally, at least a few are seen every day.) Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) - N (Both species of ptarmigan appeared to be in a low point of their periodic population fluctuations. We saw only 1 Willow along the Teller Road on 5/31, 5 along the Kougarok Road on 6/1, and 2 along the Council Road on 6/2.)

www.ventbird.com 23 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021

Willow Ptarmigan (male), Kougarok Rd, Nome, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) - N (This species, seemingly, has yet to rebound from the last population crash of a few years ago. We saw only 1 male, along the Teller Road on 5/31, but it allowed us to walk close for scope-filling views.)

Rock Ptarmigan (male), Teller Rd, Nome, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

www.ventbird.com 24 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena) - N (1 at the MP 64-65 lake on the Kougarok Road on 6/1 was our only record. This species is a rare, but regular breeder in the Nome area) Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) - N (10+ seen near the Snake River bridge on the Teller Road on 5/31; these are free-flying “pets” belonging to people living in one of the houses along the Snake.) Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) - N (15 birds seen along the Council Road between Safety Lagoon and Solomon on 5/30, but only 4 seen along the same stretch on 6/2; 1 foraging in the dump along the Kougarok Road on 6/1.) Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) - N (3 seen along the Woolley Lagoon Road on 5/31.)

Black-bellied Plover, Woolley Lagoon Rd, Nome, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica) - N (2 seen from the Teller Road on 5/31; 2 on Curlew Mountain, MP 72.5 Kougarok Road on 6/1.) Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva) - N (2 along the Council Road [Nome River mouth to Cape Nome] on 5/30 and again [MP 74 near Council] on 6/2; 8 along the Teller Road and Woolley Lagoon Road on 5/31.), G (1 that I found in the boatyard on our last morning [6/7] was hanging out with the Lesser Sandplover.)

www.ventbird.com 25 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021

Pacific Golden-Plover, Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) - G* (1 heard calling as it passed overhead in the fog, while we were sea watching at Northwest Cape on 6/6 was our only record. This was the first time that I can remember not seeing this species in the last 20 or so visits to Gambell! Usually, we see 1-2 territorial pairs south of Troutman Lake, but repeated daily checks of those areas failed to turn up any this year.) Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) - N (1-8 seen daily; found along all three major roads, with a single site high count of 6 at the Nome River mouth on 5/31.), G (2-10 seen daily) Lesser Sand-Plover (Charadrius mongolus) - N (2 at Safety Lagoon [ca. MP 18 Council Road] on 5/30. These birds were on a rather distant mud bar, and viewing [and especially photography] on this sunny afternoon was hampered by some pretty horrific thermal distortion). We left the area thinking there was only a single Lesser Sand-Plover among the Semipalmated Plovers and various sandpipers moving about on the mud bar, but you may recall that at one point I asked if there were 2 individuals. Subsequent close examination of my very distant photos clearly reveals that there were, in fact, 2 Lesser Sand-Plovers present on the same mud bar! This is a vagrant to Nome, but it is one that we have seen on several occasions over the past 35 years. I don’t remember seeing more than 1 here on any single trip however.), G (1 seen nicely in the boatyard [Old Town] on 6/6 by all, and again on 6/7 by some.) Bristle-thighed Curlew (Numenius tahitiensis) - N (2 or 3 seen, with good flight views of a calling bird showing off its diagnostic, contrasting, buffy/cinnamon rump and tail as it harassed a Common Raven (just 20 minutes into our hike), followed an hour later by

www.ventbird.com 26 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 our discovery of a pair foraging on the ground that we managed to approach closely for excellent, prolonged studies.) Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) - N (2 along the Teller Road on 5/31; and only 1 on Curlew Mountain, MP 72.5, the Kougarok Road on 6/1. This may have been the only time in 60+ hikes up this mountain that I’ve recorded fewer Whimbrels than Bristle-thighed Curlews!) Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) - N (8 seen along the Council Road on 5/30 [6 at the Nome River mouth and 2 at Safety Lagoon], and 18 seen along the same stretch on 6/2.) Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemasticta) - N (1 photographed at the Nome River mouth on our first afternoon [5/30] represented an even rarer find than the Lesser Sandplovers that we found a couple of hours later! I believe this was only the 3rd Hudsonian Godwit that I’ve ever seen in the Nome area.) Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) - N (1 at the Nome River mouth on 5/30, and 2 there on 6/2.) Black Turnstone (Arenaria melanocephala) - N (1 at the Nome River mouth on 5/30.) Surfbird (Calidris virgata) - N (A group of 3 photographed along a gravelly portion of the Nome River, Kougarok Road [where I have never encountered them before] on 6/1.) {It is always a bonus to find these uncommon alpine breeders in the Nome area. Seeing them where they breed usually requires extensive hiking on the higher domes, and given their cryptic coloration and low densities, they are very seldom encountered here as breeding birds. They are most often seen as just-arriving migrants, non-breeders and/or failed breeders along the shores of Norton Sound, but our 3 birds were probably early arriving breeders en route to inland breeding sites that were still covered in snow.} Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis) - N (1 beautiful breeding-plumaged individual first spotted by Leon, at the Nome River mouth [seen from the bridge] on 6/2.) Dunlin (Calidris alpina) - N (2 at the Nome River mouth on 5/30, and 65 there on 6/2.), G (1 on 6/4, 2 on 6/6, and 1 on 6/7.) Rock Sandpiper (Calidris ptilocnemis) - G (1-2 were hanging out in the fenced waste pond south of Troutman Lake throughout our stay. Another (same?) pair was also seen in the near boneyard on 6/5.) {Our Rock Sandpipers were of the subspecies tschuktschorum, which is smaller, notably darker and duller in overall appearance, and with less white in the wings and tail, than the nominate subspecies ptilocnemis that we see in the Pribilofs.}

www.ventbird.com 27 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021

Rock Sandpiper displaying, Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) - N (Our visit seemed to coincide with the main northward movement of these Arctic breeders through the Nome area. We recorded 10 along the Council Road on 5/30, 2 off the Teller Road [MP 34 quarry road] on 5/31, 4 along the Kougarok Road on 6/1, and a high count of 150, mostly between Safety Lagoon and Solomon, on 6/2.), G (5 on 6/4, 2 on 6/5, and 1 on 6/6.) Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) - N (Common along the coast, where 20- 50 seen along the Council Road [mainly Nome River mouth and Safety Lagoon to Solomon] on 5/30 and 6/2; several seen along the Woolley Lagoon Road and a few along the Teller Road on 5/31.) Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri) - N (Common; seen daily [all 3 roads], with a high of 500+ birds seen along the Council Road between the Nome River mouth and Solomon on 6/2.), G (4-5 birds seen daily.) Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus) - N (15 seen along the Council Road between Safety Lagoon and Solomon on 6/2.), G (1 on 6/6) snipe sp.? (Gallinago sp.?) - G (1 flushed out of the Far Boneyard late in the evening on 6/3 by KJZ appeared to be a Common Snipe, based upon the overall buffy coloration and broad white trailing edge to the secondaries, but the identity could not be confirmed. Upon flushing, the bird gained altitude steeply as it flew north over North Beach, flying higher than I can recall ever seeing any flushed snipe fly, before turning, and flying back over me while maintaining altitude and then disappearing out of sight to the south, high over Troutman Lake. Any species of snipe is a rarity at Gambell.) Wilson’s Snipe (Gallinago delicata) - N (Seen/heard daily, and along all three major roads, with a high count of 10 along the Teller Road on 5/31.)

www.ventbird.com 28 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) - N (Common; seen daily, and from all three main roads, with high counts of 120+ along the Council Road on 5/30 and 6/2, but only 4 seen along the Teller Road on 5/31, and only 8 seen along the Kougarok Road on 6/1.), G (6-10 birds seen daily.)

Red-necked Phalarope (female), Gambell, AK (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) - N (5 seen along the Council Road between the Nome River mouth and Safety Lagoon on 5/30, and 2 at Safety Lagoon on 6/2 were migrants.), G (15 [in small groups of 2–5 birds] seen flying past the shore at Northwest Cape on 6/3 and 2 seen there on 6/4.) Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) - N* (Unusually scarce this year. Our only record was of a bird heard along the Sinuk River, Teller Road, on 5/31.) Wandering Tattler (Tringa incana) - N (2 seen along the Teller Road, on 5/31.), G (1 that we first found feeding on sticklebacks at outlet of the marsh at the northeast corner of Troutman Lake on 6/3, was subsequently found alternating between there and the culvert at the south end of the lake on 6/4 and 6/6.) Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) - G (1 hanging out near the culvert south of Troutman Lake was seen well by everyone on 6/3, and was seen again by KJZ on 6/5.) Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus) - N (1 fly-by seen by some along the shore opposite our hotel on 5/30 was our only one at Nome. Pomarine Jaegers are strictly migrants in the Nome area.), G (2 migrants seen from the sea watch off Northwest Cape on 6/4 and 6/7, and 3 seen there (over 2 different sea watches) on 6/6 were our only records. Jaeger numbers offshore from Gambell were lower than I have ever recorded before.)

www.ventbird.com 29 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus) - N (1–3 seen daily, with a high count of 3 along the Teller & Woolley Lagoon Roads on 5/31, and along the Council Road on 6/2.), G (1 seen from the sea watch off Northwest Cape on 6/6.) Long-tailed Jaeger (Stercorarius longicaudus) - N (Seen daily, and along all three main roads, with a high count of 10 along the Teller Road on 5/31.), G (A migrating group of 6 seen south of Troutman Lake on 6/5, and 4 there on 6/6; with only 1 bird seen offshore from Northwest Cape on 6/5.)

Dovekie (Alle alle) - G (After being thwarted by fog obscuring the slopes of Sivuqaq Mountain for much of our stay, a couple of us finally scoped one Dovekie out of the masses of alcids [thanks Terry & Kathy Doyle!] during our weather hold on our last morning. As luck would have it, the fog ceiling descended within 15 minutes, denying later arriving members of any views.) {This species is a rare, but regular breeder here, but picking out the handful (at most) of breeding pairs from among the tens of thousands of other alcids cramming the slopes is never easy. The local population seems to be declining, and this year, as was the case in 2019, no one reported seeing more than a single individual.} Common Murre (Uria aalge) - N (2 seen at Cape Nome on 5/30, and 5 seen there on 6/2.), G (Common; seen daily offshore from Northwest Cape, with an estimated high of 300 recorded during our 6/4 sea watch. As is typical in this season, Thick-billed Murres outnumbered Commons by at least 5:1, although many murres moving past the Point were too distant to identify to species.) Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) - G (Common; with 1500–2000 seen daily offshore from Northwest Cape.)

www.ventbird.com 30 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle) - G (Seen from our sea watches off Northwest Cape on 6/4, 6/6 and 6/7, with an unusually high number of 20 recorded on 6/4. Usually, Black Guillemots are outnumbered by Pigeon Guillemots by at least 10:1 during our spring visits. The exceptions to the rule come early in the spring when there is significant shore ice lingering around Northwest Cape [as there was during our visit].) Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba) - G (Seen daily from sea watches at Northwest Cape, with a high count of 8 on 6/4; 20+ on the lower slopes and coastal rocks at North Beach on 6/5. The lower than normal numbers may reflect a later than usual spring, with the bulk of local breeders not yet having arrived. ) Parakeet Auklet (Aethia psittacula) - G (Common; seen daily during sea watches from Northwest Cape, where counts maxed out at 50–75/day; 200-500 visible from the slopes of Sivuqaq Mountain on the days when we were scanning for Dovekies.) Least Auklet (Aethia pusilla) - G (Abundant; seen daily, with 5,000 to 10,000 present in early morning and late evening on the slopes of Sivuqaq Mountain, although numbers seen offshore during sea watches from Northwest Cape were curiously low, ranging from a low of 20 on 6/4 to a high of 100 on 6/6.) Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella) - G (Abundant; seen daily, with offshore estimates of 7,000 to 15,000 per hour moving past Northwest Cape during daytime sea watches, and numbers on the slopes of Sivuqaq Mountain in the early mornings and late evenings numbering between 10,000 and 30,000.) Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata) - G (Seen daily during sea watches from Northwest Cape, where we averaged 20–35/hour; the species was scarcely evident on the slopes of Sivuqaq Mountain, probably because most of the potential breeding sites were still covered with snow.) Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) - G (Seen daily during sea watches from Northwest Cape, where we averaged 15–20/hour; the species was not evident on the slopes of Sivuqaq Mountain, probably because most of the potential breeding sites were still covered with snow..) Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) - N (40+ along the Council Road between the Nome River mouth and Safety Sound on 5/30, and again on 6/2.), G (Common; 100–300/day from sea watches off Northwest Cape.) Sabine’s Gull (Xema sabini) - N (1 at the Nome River mouth on 5/30 and a group of 8 there on 6/2, with 6 more seen loafing on the sand spit at Safety Sound on 6/2.), G (1 flying past Northwest Cape on 6/6 was our only record from Gambell this trip.) Ross’s Gull (Rhodostethia rosea) - G (1 sub-adult bird found by Ken and Dick on their late-night sea watch from Northwest Cape on 6/6. A great find of an amazing bird! These are rare and irregular spring migrants to Gambell and Nome – our last record from Gambell was of multiple birds on 31 May 2001!) Short-billed (Mew) Gull (Larus canus brachyrhynchus) - N (The common tundra- breeding gull in the Nome area; seen daily, in good [30–50] numbers, along all three major roads.) {Note that the AOS has recently split North American brachyrhunchus from Old World L. canus canus, which the Europeans have long called “Common Gull”. The NE Asian breeding subspecies kamtschatchensis, or

www.ventbird.com 31 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 “Kamchatka Gull”, which we occasionally see as a vagrant on our Alaska trips, is now considered a subspecies of Common Gull.} Herring (Vega) Gull (Larus [argentatus] vegae) - N (5 between the Nome River mouth and Safety Sound on 5/30, and 2 in the same span on 6/2; 2 at the landfill on the Kougarok Road on 6/1.), G (6-8 seen daily.) {Entirely of the Siberian race vegae, treated by some authorities as a distinct species, and then called “Vega Gull” or “Vega Herring Gull”.} Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) - N (1 1st-cycle bird seen at Safety Sound on 6/2 was our only record, bucking a trend in recent years of increasing numbers of non-breeders of this species showing up in the Nome area.), G (1 1st-cycle bird seen during sea watches off Northwest Cape on 6/5 and again on 6/6.) Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) - N (Common; seen daily along the coast in good numbers, and inland along the larger rivers in somewhat smaller numbers.), G (Common; seen daily in good numbers [50–100/day].), Aleutian Tern (Onychoprion aleutica) - N (As usual, seen only along the Council Road, on 5/30 and 6/2, when we recorded 20-30 individuals on each pass by the Nome River mouth, with scattered individuals or small groups encountered elsewhere between Safety Lagoon and Solomon.) Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) - N (Common; seen daily in good numbers, both along the immediate coast, and along all major rivers inland.) Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) - N (By far, the most common breeding loon in the Nome region, with 20+ seen along the Council Road on 5/30 and again on 6/2, and with 10 seen along the Teller Road on 5/31 and 2 seen along the Kougarok Road on 6/2.)

www.ventbird.com 32 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica) - N (Much less common than usual, with 4 seen along the Council Road on 5/30 and 2 seen there on 6/2; with 1 along the Kougarok Road on 6/1. I suspect that these all represented the earliest arriving birds, particularly since we saw many more the following week with the Grand Alaska Part I group.), G (An unusually pathetic total of 16 birds spread over four different days [10 on 6/4, 1 on 6/5, 3 on 6/6, and 2 on 6/7.] Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii) - G (1 fly-over Northwest Cape on 6/6 and 2 on 6/7 during our sea watches were our only records from this trip. I think that the main northbound movement of all loons past Northwest Cape was late this year, possibly influenced by the strong headwinds out of the north that persisted for more than a week prior to our arrival.) Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) - G (Seen daily from sea watches off Northwest Cape, although numbers were lower than usual, with high counts of 8 on 6/4, and 12 on the late evening of 6/6.) Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus) - N (3 seen offshore from Cape Nome on 5/30, and 1 there on 6/2.), G (Seen daily from sea watches off Northwest Cape, but in smaller numbers than usual, with 2 on 6/3, 10 on 6/4, 5 on 6/5, 12 on 6/6, and 30 on 6/7.) Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) - N (1 adult at an active nest along the Kougarok Road on 6/1.) Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) - N (3 along the Kougarok Road on 6/1, and 1 along the Council Road on 6/2.) Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) - N (1 along the Teller Road on 5/31; 1 along the Kougarok Road on 6/1) Merlin (Falco columbarius) - N (1 on the pass above Salmon Lake, Kougarok Road, on 6/1.) Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) - N (1 at the active nest at ca. MP 46 on the Council Road on 6/2.) Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor) - N (1 along the Council Road just outside of town on 5/30; 1 scoped at Penny River along the Teller Road on 5/31; and 2 seen along the Kougarok Road on 6/1.)

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Common Raven (Corvus corax) - N (Common; small numbers seen daily.), G (2-4 birds seen daily.) Black-capped Chickadee (Parus atricapillus) - N (1 along the Council Road beyond Solomon on 6/2.) Boreal Chickadee (Parus hudsonicus) - N (1 around MP 72-73 Council Road, near the DOT maintenance shed, on 6/2.) Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) - N (2 seen near the Snake River on the Teller Road on 5/31, and beyond Solomon along the Council Road on 6/2.) Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) - N (4-5 seen along the Council Road on 5/30 and 6/2; also seen [numbers not recorded] along the Teller Road on 5/31.) Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) - N (5 at the bridges over the Pilgrim and Kuzitrin rivers along the Kougarok Road on 6/1; 10 at the Sinuk River bridge, Teller Road, on 5/31.) Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis) - G (Great looks at a migrant in the Circular Boneyard on 6/5.) {This is typically the latest arriving of the breeding passerines in the Nome area, and the first arrivals there appeared while we were at Gambell.}

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Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) - N (1 seen around MP 72-73 Council Road near the DOT maintenance shed on 6/2.) American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) - N (2 (pair) seen at Penny River, Teller Road, where they were actively nesting, on 5/31.)

www.ventbird.com 35 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius) - N* (heard along the Kougarok Road on 6/1, and around MP 72-73 Council Road on 6/2.) Gray-cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus) - N (Common; seen daily along all three roads, with a peak of 30 seen/heard along the Teller Road on 5/31.), G (1–3 birds seen in the various boneyards daily.) Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) - N* (Heard from the alder-covered slopes above Cape Nome, Council Road, on 6/2.) American Robin (Turdus migratorius) - N (Common; seen daily in small numbers along all three roads.) Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) - N (1 displaying/skylarking male seen nicely along the Teller Road on 5/31 was, oddly, the only one seen/heard during our 4 days at Nome. I think the main wave of breeding Bluethroats arrived in Nome later than usual this spring, as further indicated by the fact that we saw so many at Gambell {where they don’t breed}, and, because we found several more displaying males in the Nome area the following week on the Grand Alaska Part I tour.), G (Unusually conspicuous this trip, with 2–5 singing/skylarking males seen daily in the various boneyards, and 1 displaying bird at the revetments south of Troutman Lake on 6/5.)

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) - N (1 along the quarry road off MP 34 Teller Road, and a pair along the Woolley Lagoon Road, both on 5/31.), G (1–2 individuals seen in the Far & Circular boneyards on 6/3 and 6/6.)

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Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis) - N (3 seen along the Council Road on 5/30, including a pair at the Nome River mouth; and 2 seen along the Teller Road on 5/31.) {This species has declined significantly as a breeding bird at Nome over the past 15 years.} White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) - G (1-2 pairs of the regular breeding subspecies ocularis seen daily, at various points between the Far Boneyard and the boatyards/Old Town. A female seen a couple of times near the dump, was significantly darker gray dorsally, and appeared intermediate between ocularis and ssp lugens {formerly treated as a distinct species, and then called “Black-backed Wagtail”}. An independent birder (not from our group) who was staying at the lodge, showed me a photograph, taken at the dump, that appeared to be a typical male “Black-backed” Wagtail, but I never saw that individual during any of my passes through the area. The two subspecies are known to interbreed wherever they come into contact.)

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American Pipit (Anthus rubescens) - N (1 seen along the Council Road at Hastings Creek mouth on 5/30; 5 along the Teller Road on 5/31; and 2 along the Kougarok Road between MP 32–35 on 6/1.) {Subspecies pacificus, one of the widespread subspecies that breed in North America.} Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea) - N (1–5 seen daily, along all three main roads.), G (1–2 seen daily in the boneyards and boatyard.) {For the 35+ years that I have been birding Nome, it has been my experience that “redpolls” (collectively) are among the most abundant of passerine birds present in June, and that Hoary Redpolls greatly outnumber Commons in all habitats (particularly tundra) except for the areas with the tallest thickets of willow and alder (e.g. Cape Nome and portions of the Pilgrim, Kuzitrin and Solomon river drainages). A typical breakdown of redpoll phenotypes on our annual June trips is about 70- 75% Hoaries, 10-15% Commons, and 10+% intermediates that probably represent intergrades or hybrids. For three consecutive years (2017–19), such was not the case, with redpolls of all types being noticeably less common/conspicuous during our visits, and, with the proportion of Commons to Hoaries increasing significantly. This year (2021) was a return to normal Hoary versus Common proportions, but with overall (generic) redpoll numbers still nowhere near what they were 20+ years ago. See note below under “Hoary Redpoll”.}

Hoary Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni) - N (5–30 seen daily, along all three main roads.), G (2–10 seen daily in the various boneyards.) {Census work conducted in the 1970s–1990s has shown that, collectively, “redpolls” are the most abundant breeding passerine across the entire Seward Peninsula. Over much of the past 35 years, we typically recorded in excess of 150-200 daily, but that number has www.ventbird.com 38 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 dropped dramatically over the past 7 years. It was widely expected that the two species of redpolls would be lumped in each of the last few supplements to the AOS checklist, but that didn’t happen. Until a formal lump happens, we can say positively that both “species” were recorded at Nome. However, the reason for the recent apparent scarcity of all redpolls, and for the dramatic swing in the differential counts of the two phenotypes between 2017 and 2019, with a reversion to prior ratios in 2021 is a mystery. It seems likely that the drastically warming climate may have allowed the more southerly breeding Common Redpolls to expand their breeding range northward, although that still doesn’t explain the marked decline of the local Hoary Redpoll population.} Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) - N (Common; seen daily in small numbers along all three main roads, with a high count of 25 along the Teller Road on 5/31.), G (Common; 10–20 birds seen daily.)

Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) - N (2 along the quarry road at MP 34 of the Teller Road on 5/31 were the only ones seen in the Nome area on this trip.), G (Common; 20–30 seen daily.) Pallas’s Bunting (Emberiza pallasi) - G (1 female seen well by all and photographed by some, at the upper end of the Far Boneyard on 6/3, was, hands-down, the rarest bird of the tour. First found a day or two before our arrival, it stayed just long enough for us see it on our first afternoon, and then, was not seen again! This bird represented only the 2nd ever spring record of the species for St. Lawrence Island.)

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“Red” Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca zaboria) - N (Common; seen/heard daily in small numbers along all three roads, with a highs of 10–15/day on the Teller and Kougarok roads.), “Sooty” Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca ssp?) - G (1 persistently singing bird at the base of the mountain, near where we were scanning the slopes above for Dovekies, on 6/5 was one of the so-called “Sooty” Fox Sparrow subspecies that are typical of south-coastal Alaska, although I’m not sure which one. It did not sound like the birds that we hear around Anchorage and Seward, although this could be attributed to the bird being a 1 year old male that had not yet learned its ‘proper’ song.) American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea) - N (Common; seen daily from 5/31–6/2 in small numbers along all three roads, with a high count of 12 seen along the Teller Road on 5/31.) Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) - N* (1 heard in the spruce forest near Council on 6/2 was our only record.) White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) - N (Common; seen/heard daily in good numbers along all three roads.) Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) - N (Common; seen/heard daily from 5/31–6/2 in good numbers along the higher portions of all three roads, with a high count of 40 along the Teller Road on 5/31.) Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) - N (Common; seen/heard daily in small numbers along all three roads.) Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) - N (1 male seen at Penny River, MP 12-13 on the Teller Road on 5/31.)

www.ventbird.com 40 Grand Alaska: Nome & Gambell, 2021 Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis) - N (Common; seen/heard daily from 5/31–6/2 along all three roads, with a high count of 25 along the Kougarok Road on 6/1.) Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata) - N (Less conspicuous than usual, with just 1–3 seen/heard daily along all three roads.) Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) - N (3–5 seen/heard daily along all three roads.) Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata) - N (2 seen and heard near the DOT maintenance shed, MP 72-73 Council Road, on 6/2.) Yellow-rumped (“Myrtle”) Warbler (Setophaga coronata coronata) - N (2 seen and heard near the DOT maintenance shed, MP 72-73 Council Road, on 6/2.) Wilson’s Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) - N (Seen/heard daily from 5/31–6/2, along all three roads, with a high count of 8 along the Teller Road on 5/31.)

Total = 120 species

Favorite Birds of the Trip (as voted by the group)

1. Bristle-thighed Curlew & Pallas’s Bunting (tied) 2. Bluethroat & Ross’s Gull (tied) 3. Sabine’s Gull, Wandering Tattler, Emperor Goose, Rock Ptarmigan, Long- tailed Jaeger, Least Auklet, Arctic Warbler & Lapland Longspur (others receiving votes)

MAMMALS

Arctic Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus parryi) - G, N (The “Lowbush Grizzly”!) American Beaver (Castor canadenis) - N Tundra Vole (Microtus oeconomus) - G (Seen daily in the various boneyards.)

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Alaskan Hare (Lepus othus) - N (Contrary to what I was thinking at the time, ALL of the hares found in the Nome area are apparently Alaskan Hares – I was thinking that this was a contact zone between the larger Alaskan Hare and the smaller Snowshoe Hare, with the two largely sorting out by microhabitat. But, according to Alaska’s Department of Fish & Game, all of the hares we saw are Alaskan Hares.) Arctic Fox (Canis lagopus) - G* Spotted Seal (Phoca largha) - G Moose (Alces alces) - N Caribou (Reindeer) (Rangifer tarandus) - N Muskox (Ovibos moschatus) - N Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) - G

Total = 10 species