HIGHLIGHTS

JUNE 15 –27, 2017

Bluethroat, near Nome, Alaska, June 18, 2017, photo by Barry Zimmer

LEADER: BARRY ZIMMER LIST COMPILED BY: BARRY ZIMMER

VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM

ALASKA HIGHLIGHTS JUNE 15 –27, 2017

By Barry Zimmer

“Oh my God, there’s a Gyrfalcon right next to the road being chased by Long-tailed Jaegers!” I yelled, as I brought the van to a quick halt. There aren’t many places around where one can utter those words, but such are the possibilities in Nome, Alaska. Nome is one of my favorite birding places on the planet, and all of the reasons why were on display on this year’s Alaska Highlights tour.

Three roads radiate out from Nome, and we had a full day to cover each one. We started with the Teller Road, running northwesterly and inland through expansive, rolling tundra domes. The Gyrfalcon incident was incredible, as the pair of Long-tailed Jaegers bombarded it for nearly five minutes close by and in circles around our van. But that was just one of many highlights on this road. A massive bull Musk Ox greeted our arrival at the base of the road, posing atop a small hill for incredible photographic opportunities. Next came a pair of Willow Ptarmigan with tiny chicks foraging on the shoulder. At a higher, drier tundra dome some thirty miles out, we encountered Red Knots, American and Pacific golden-plovers (in stunning breeding plumages), and a Northern Wheatear among others. Arctic Warblers sang from the willow thickets next to streams, distracting us from the American Dipper that was nesting under the bridge. A pair of Bar-tailed Godwits rested on a rocky island in the Sinuk River, and a cow moose with calves was spotted on a distant hillside. Further out, we saw a Golden Eagle soaring over the hills to the right of the road. We were pursuing it when the eagle flushed a male Rock Ptarmigan from the slopes. We immediately abandoned the eagle and tried to follow the ptarmigan. A female joined the male in flight, and we watched as they landed about a half-mile up ahead. They landed high upslope, but two of us circled around the birds and were able to herd them downhill to a rocky bank adjacent to the river. There we obtained superb scope studies of this uncommon species. A Rough- legged Hawk, a Merlin, and a few Hoary and many Common redpolls rounded out the highlights. The day on the Teller Road was magical indeed.

Next up was the Council Road running east of Nome along the coast to Safety Lagoon before veering inland toward the tiny town of Council. Most amazing on this day was seeing a group of eight Red-necked Stints at one spot! But as with the Teller Road, there were many memorable moments. Five Eastern Yellow Wagtails at Hastings Creek, great studies of Aleutian Tern at the Nome River mouth, and a Northern Shrike hovering over the tundra were early highlights. At Safety Lagoon, we encountered Tundra Swan; all three scoters; Common Eider; King Eider (a fly-by flock of nine); Black Turnstone; Pacific, Red-throated (abundant), and Common loons; and most incredibly, a Short-tailed Shearwater resting on the water just thirty feet from shore. Further out, we were treated to Peregrine Falcon at a nest site, another Gyrfalcon with a baby also at a nest site, and a perched Golden Eagle sitting atop a tiny spruce. A post-dinner option

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Alaska Highlights, 2017 out this same road netted a rare Arctic Loon and found that the stint flock had grown to an unbelievable 14 individuals!

The Kougarok Road was our final destination in Nome. This road runs almost due north along the Nome River. The incomparable Bluethroat was our primary target for the day. We made many stops in suitable habitat, tallying the likes of Golden-crowned and Fox sparrows, more Arctic Warblers, Gray-cheeked Thrush, and scads of redpolls, but no Bluethroat. Finally, our persistence paid off at about our eighth stop. First we had a semi-responsive, somewhat elusive individual that provided distant scope views but never seemed entirely satisfactory. Then a short distance down the road, a fabulous male posed atop a small willow, front on for all to see! Anything after that would be gravy. We were at Salmon Lake for a bathroom stop when Kathy spotted a Yellow-billed Loon out on the lake! This was a great rarity here, and we had lengthy scope studies. It would ultimately be voted the favorite bird of the tour (in a tie with the Gyrfalcon). It also gave us all five loons in one 36-hour stretch! Other highlights included a lovely pair of Harlequin Ducks along the Grand Central River, a pair of Wandering Tattlers, three more baby Gyrfalcons at a nest, and a huge herd of 48 Musk Ox with babies. Although we missed the Bristle-thighed Curlew later in the afternoon, our day was a huge success.

Of course, the Alaska Highlights tour is about much more than just Nome. In the Denali region we tallied Trumpeter Swans, American Three-toed and Black-backed woodpeckers, Short-eared Owl, Boreal Chickadee, and White-winged Crossbill (literally one foot away). We saw Mount McKinley (Denali) in full view both from the highway coming up and within the park on the shuttle ride (this happens on only about 10% of trips). On the mammal front, we had ten Grizzlies (including some cubs), many Caribou and Moose, and a few Dall’s Sheep.

Finally we visited the Kenai Peninsula. An all-day boat trip into Kenai Fjords National Park yielded an incredible array of seabirds, including Horned and Tufted puffins by the hundreds, Common Murre, Parakeet and Rhinoceros auklets, Marbled and Ancient murrelets, Pigeon Guillemot, and Red-faced Cormorant among others. Many Humpback Whales were seen, including one individual that put on an amazing show of pectoral fin slapping and breaching. Dall’s Porpoises, Steller’s Sea Lions, Sea Otters, and unbelievable scenery rounded out the day. Back on land, our list included Barrow’s Goldeneye, Rufous Hummingbird, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Steller’s Jay, Northwestern Crow, Varied Thrush, Townsend’s Warbler, and Pine Grosbeak to name a few. A wonderful experience with a very close Black Bear in a poplar near Girdwood was certainly one of the most memorable moments of the tour.

In all we tallied over 150 species of birds, 19 species of mammals, countless species of wonderful tundra wildflowers, and scenery that simply must be seen to be believed. Oh, I forgot to mention the amazing dinners with king salmon, king crab, halibut, and delicious fruit pies. Alaska certainly lived up to its lofty reputation.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Alaska Highlights, 2017 ITINERARY:

June 15 – arrival in Anchorage

June 16 – Westchester Lagoon; flight to Nome; Teller Road to MP 34 (52 species; 52 total)

June 17 – Teller Road to MP 57 (Bluestone River) in the morning & early afternoon; Council Road to MP 24 in late afternoon (57 species; 77 total)

June 18 – Kougarok Road to MP 72 (52 species; 85 total)

June 19 – Council Road to MP 74; late evening trip back to Safety Lagoon to MP 29 (74 species; 100 total)

June 20 – morning flight from Nome to Anchorage; afternoon to Potter Marsh; post dinner trip to Westchester Lagoon (27 species; 106 total)

June 21 – Anchorage to Denali with stops along Parks Highway (Sockeye Burn near Willow), Denali Highway to MP 125 (43 species; 123 total)

June 22 – Denali National Park shuttle bus ride to Eielson Visitor Center; evening excursion on Denali Highway to MP 120 (26 species; 125 total)

June 23 – Denali Highway to MP 101.5, Parks Highway to Anchorage with stop at the Sockeye Burn (35 species; 127 total)

June 24 – Anchorage to Seward with stops at Girdwood, Granite Creek, Summit Lake, Trail River Campground, Bear Creek, and Ava’s house off Nash Road; post dinner trip to Lowell Point Road (52 species; 142 total)

June 25 – all day boat trip from Resurrection Bay to Kenai Fjords National Park & the Chiswell Islands (22 species; 151 total)

June 26 – Nash Woods, Nash Road, Primrose Campground, Trail River Campground, Granite Creek campground, Girdwood, Upper & Lower Summit Lakes, Potter Marsh, Kincaid Park (44 species; 153 total)

June 26 – departures home or on to Barrow extension (153 total species)

KEY:

N = Nome and surrounding A = Anchorage and surrounding areas (Potter Marsh, Turnagain Arm, Girdwood, Williwaw, etc.)

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Alaska Highlights, 2017 S = Seward, Kenai Fjords, Summit Lakes, Granite Creek (Kenai Peninsula) D = Denali National Park, Denali Hwy, and Parks Hwy north of Wasilla

bold-faced species indicate birds of rare, casual or accidental occurrence

underlined species indicate birds of very uncommon occurrence or species which occur regularly but in such low densities as to be easily missed

# - indicates birds seen with babies or on nests

BIRDS:

Brant N---the western race nigricans (a possible future resplit) Cackling Goose N---although very difficult to separate from parvipes type Canadas, all “white-faced” geese on the Seward Peninsula are of the large Cackling Goose group taverneri Canada Goose A---presumed to be of the small “Lesser Canada Goose” group parvipes ; # Trumpeter Swan D,S---a good year for this species with 18 seen, including one pair with half grown young; # Tundra Swan N---up to 200 in one day Gadwall A---one male at Westchester on two occasions Eurasian Wigeon N---nice male at Safety Lagoon American Wigeon N,A Mallard A,N,D,S---# Northern Shoveler A---four at Westchester the first morning were, surprisingly, our only one of the trip Northern Pintail N,A,D---# Green-winged Teal N,D,S Ring-necked Duck A---uncommon; fourteen in Potter Marsh Greater Scaup A,N,D---common Lesser Scaup A---much less numerous than preceding species King Eider N---two small flocks of females & immature males around Safety Lagoon as fly-bys Common Eider N--- v-nigra subspecies along Safety Lagoon Harlequin Duck N---always spectacular; much scarcer than usual but we still had 11 total; a pair on the Grand Central River was especially memorable Surf Scoter N---one in with flock of White-wingeds off Safety Lagoon White-winged Scoter N,D Black Scoter N Long-tailed Duck N---up to 30 in one day Bufflehead D---up to 20 at the float plane lake along the Denali Highway Barrow’s Goldeneye A,S---one males and four females Common Merganser S---with cute babies at Benny Benson Park in Seward; # Red-breasted Merganser N,S

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 Alaska Highlights, 2017 Willow Ptarmigan N,D---superb studies in Nome; a total of 10 adults seen (a very good count for a species whose numbers rise and fall cyclically); # Rock Ptarmigan N---two pairs on the Teller Road (the first took some real effort to see, the second pair was in the middle of the road!); voted the third favorite bird of the tour!

Rock Ptarmigan, Teller Road, Nome, Alaska, June 17, 2017, Barry Zimmer

Horned Grebe S---glimpsed briefly by a few of us near Primrose Campground Red-necked Grebe N,A---common around Anchorage; # Rock Pigeon A,S---decreasing? Rufous Hummingbird S---four total, including one adult male Sandhill Crane N---a down year with only 8 total birds seen Black Oystercatcher S American Golden-Plover N---in stunning breeding plumage Pacific Golden-Plover N---gorgeous breeding-plumaged birds; eleven total Semipalmated Plover N Whimbrel N Hudsonian Godwit A—only one this year at Westchester Bar-tailed Godwit N--- baueri; four total this year Ruddy Turnstone N---one pair on post dinner option at Safety Lagoon Black Turnstone N----five at Safety Lagoon; generally very uncommon Red Knot N---scope views of two at MP 34 on Teller Road; very uncommon

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 6 Alaska Highlights, 2017 Red-necked Stint N---incredibly we had a group of eight at Safety Lagoon on June 17 (first found by Gavin) and that group multiplied to an unbelievable 14 birds by the evening of June 19; missed far more often than seen Dunlin N Least Sandpiper N---one at the Penny River by some; uncommon Semipalmated Sandpiper N Western Sandpiper N Wilson’s Snipe N,D---one perched on a wire! Spotted Sandpiper A,N Wandering Tattler N---great views at Grand Central River Greater Yellowlegs A---one at Westchester Lesser Yellowlegs A,D---in trees! Red-necked Phalarope N,A---beautiful breeding-plumaged birds Parasitic Jaeger N,S---including a couple of dark morphs Long-tailed Jaeger N---common and conspicuous birds around Nome; up to a dozen in a day Common Murre N,S---about 2000 from the boat in Seward Pigeon Guillemot S---great studies; 40 or more on boat trip; our first thanks to Sheila Marbled Murrelet S---about 20 from the boat Ancient Murrelet S---quick flight views of three for those in the bow at the time; very uncommon Parakeet Auklet S---great views of about 50 (an unprecedented number for this trip); often missed entirely Rhinoceros Auklet S---a good year with about 130 seen Horned Puffin S---about 800 seen; superb views, including birds on the cliffs Tufted Puffin N,S----about 1000 seen; side-by-side with Horneds! Black-legged Kittiwake N,S---thousands in Kenai Fjords; # Bonaparte’s Gull A,D---Westchester & Kashwitna Lake Mew Gull seen daily in numbers; # Herring Gull A,N---“American “ Herring Gull ( smithsonianus ) around Anchorage; also a couple of “Vega” Gulls (the Siberian subspecies vega ) in Nome Glaucous-winged Gull N,A,S---common around Seward, increasing around Nome Glaucous Gull N---very common Aleutian Tern N---great views at the Nome River mouth; four total Arctic Tern A,N,S---repeated spectacular views; adorable babies; # Red-throated Loon N,S---gorgeous breeding-plumaged birds; up to 31 in a day; # Arctic Loon N---one by Dick and I at Cape Nome on a post dinner option, plus another flyby around MP 26; seen on about half the trips here Pacific Loon N---spectacular breeding-plumaged birds Common Loon N,D,S---uncommon in Nome; # Yellow-billed Loon N---one spotted by Kathy at Salmon Lake was a real bonus; we had great scope views from a few hundred yards away on the dead calm waters of the lake; quite rare & unexpected here: tied for favorite bird of the tour

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 7 Alaska Highlights, 2017

Yellow-billed Loon, Salmon Lake, Nome, Alaska, June 18, 2017, Barry Zimmer

Short-tailed Shearwater N----quite unexpected was one within 30 feet of shore along the Council Road at MP 26 Double-crested Cormorant S Red-faced Cormorant S---good views of one in nest cave on boat trip; this declining species was missed the two previous years completely Pelagic Cormorant N,S Osprey D---one near the Sockeye Burn was a treat; uncommon in Alaska Bald Eagle A,S,D---70 in one day!; # Northern Harrier N,D---nine total Red-tailed Hawk A---nice scope views of dark morph bird of Harlan’s subspecies Rough-legged Hawk N---seven seen, our first thanks to Ida Golden Eagle N---nice studies of three total, including bird at the nest; # Short-eared Owl D---one spotted by Dick in Denali from the shuttle bus; a down year for this species Downy Woodpecker D,S---only two Hairy Woodpecker D,S Black-backed Woodpecker D----fledged young bird loosely associated with American Three-toeds at the Sockeye Burn; only the third time ever for this tour!

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Black-backed Woodpecker, Sockeye Burn, Alaska, June 21, 2017, Barry Zimmer

American Three-toed Woodpecker D---three total in the Sockeye Burn; great views; uncommon and easily missed American Kestrel A---uncommon; seen along Knik River north of Anchorage Merlin N,D---four total, our first thanks to Mary; uncommon Gyrfalcon N---our first was one along the Teller Road being dive-bombed by Long- tailed Jaegers for about five minutes right next to the road (what a show!); subsequently, we had three babies at one nest site and another baby plus a perched gray morph adult at a second nest site; probably the best year ever for this low density species; tied for favorite bird of the tour!; # Peregrine Falcon N---great scope study of perched bird near nest site Olive-sided Flycatcher D---singing bird in the Sockeye Burn area; uncommon Western Wood-Pewee D Alder Flycatcher A,D Say’s Phoebe D---by Dick only from the shuttle bus; uncommon Northern Shrike N,D---two birds in Nome on different days (one along Council Road and the other along the Kougarok Road) and one on the Denali Highway; very uncommon and easily missed Gray Jay D,S---including interesting juvenile plumaged birds Steller’s Jay S---darker, shorter crested race with dark blue spots on crest Black-billed Magpie A,S,D Northwestern Crow S---our first at the Alpine Bakery! Common Raven almost daily

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 9 Alaska Highlights, 2017 Horned Lark N---uncommon Tree Swallow A,N,D,S---# Violet-green Swallow A,S,D---excellent views of this beauty; # Bank Swallow N Cliff Swallow N,D Black-capped Chickadee A Chestnut-backed Chickadee S---the chestnut-sided subspecies rufescens Boreal Chickadee D,S---very nice views of this uncommon species Red-breasted Nuthatch S Pacific Wren S----third time for this tour in past decade; great study from about 15 feet away! American Dipper N,S---especially nice study of adults with fledged young north of Seward; # Golden-crowned Kinglet S---wonderful study of male with orange crest flared from just feet away! Ruby-crowned Kinglet D,S Arctic Warbler N---several superb views of this specialty Bluethroat N---after much effort, we had great views of responsive male (plus one other less cooperative male); a highlight of any trip to Alaska!; voted the second favorite bird of the tour! Northern Wheatear N---five total (a good count); uncommon Gray-cheeked Thrush N,D Swainson’s Thrush D Hermit Thrush S---perhaps the best song in North America American Robin almost daily Varied Thrush N,D,S---another top song contender; exceptional was one male gathering food along a bike path near Girdwood European Starling A---this species has increased dramatically in Anchorage over the past several years Eastern Yellow Wagtail N---subspecies tschutschensis; seven total; seemingly declining here American Pipit N---uncommon Pine Grosbeak S---wonderful views at several spots Red Crossbill S---one female at Ava’s and a small group of five or so at Nash Woods; only the third time ever for this tour! White-winged Crossbill D----great views of one immature bird at Denali Village Lodge from literally one foot away!; also two at the Sockeye Burn; uncommon & sporadic Common Redpoll N,A,D,S---almost daily Hoary Redpoll N---a down year with only five total seen; likely to be lumped in the future with Common Redpoll Pine Siskin S Lapland Longspur N---spectacular in breeding plumage; common around Nome Northern Waterthrush N,A,D---heard more often than seen, but we had exceptional views along the Solomon River Orange-crowned Warbler N,D,A,S Yellow Warbler N

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 10 Alaska Highlights, 2017 Blackpoll Warbler D Yellow-rumped Warbler A,S,D---Myrtle types Common Yellowthroat A---quite rare was one at Potter Marsh; only the second time ever for this tour! Townsend’s Warbler S---superb view of this striking species; eight total

Townsend’s Warbler, Seward, Alaska, June 26, 2017, Barry Zimmer

Wilson’s Warbler N,D,S American Tree Sparrow N,D Savannah Sparrow N,D Fox Sparrow N,D,S---”Red” birds ( zaboria ) in Nome & Denali, “Sooty” (unalaschensis ) birds around Seward Song Sparrow S---nice looks at the big, dark coastal race kenaiensis Lincoln’s Sparrow A,D,S White-crowned Sparrow N,A,D Golden-crowned Sparrow N,S Dark-eyed Junco A,D,S---Slate-colored types

Total species – 153

MAMMALS:

Red Squirrel

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 11 Alaska Highlights, 2017 Arctic Ground Squirrel---fairly common in Nome & abundant in Denali American Beaver Unidentified shrew Snowshoe Hare-----common in Denali NP this year Alaska Hare-----several along the Kougarok Road in Nome; uncommon American Black Bear ----unbelievable show near Girdwood of one up in a poplar tree literally eat the tree from top to bottom (consuming leaves, bark, and seeds and denuding the tree)

American Black Bear, Girdwood, Alaska, June 24, 2017, Barry Zimmer

Brown Bear (Grizzly)---ten total on shuttle bus ride including a very close sow with tiny cubs near Eielson Visitor Center Steller’s Sea Lion---declining at a ridiculous pace; maybe 50 total Harbor Seal---particularly numerous around the glacier; at least 80 seen Spotted Seal----one at Nome Sea Otter---great views of these cute critters in Kenai Fjords; about 25 total individuals Moose---a total of 21 including a few calves; nice show of two young bulls chasing each other along the Parks Highway Caribou---nine seen in Denali, one right next to the bus Mountain Goat---near Tern Lake and from the boat Musk Ox--- superb views; 52 or more total; voted favorite mammal of the tour!

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Musk Ox, Nome, Alaska, June 17, 2017, Barry Zimmer

Dall’s Sheep---scarce this year with six split between Turnagain Arm & Denali NP Humpback Whale-----eleven from the boat, including one individual putting on an amazing show of pectoral fin slapping followed by breaching! Dall’s Porpoise---about 18 on boat trip, including bow-riding

Total species - 19

BUTTERFLIES:

Old World Swallowtail Northern Marble Clouded Sulphur Phoebus Parnassian Unidentified blue species Unidentified fritillary species Unidentified alpine species

Total species – 7

SIGNIFICANT OTHERS: blueberry fritters in Girdwood

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 13 Alaska Highlights, 2017 king crab, halibut, & salmon dinners blackberry & fruits of the forest pie at Summit Lake the garbage grinder all food at Ray’s, Glacier Brewhouse (voted the best restaurant of the trip), Orso and Jen’s Mount McKinley (Denali)---in full view on the drive up to Denali and for about three hours in the park from the shuttle bus (this only happens about ten percent of the time in June) Finding a dead Boreal Owl on the roadside David & Dick---the best luggage handlers

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 14 Alaska Highlights, 2017