ACCIDENTAL, CASUAL, UNSUBSTANTIATED KEY n Casual: Occasionally seen, but not every year Anchorage Coastal n Accidental: Only one or two ever seen here X Unsubstantiated: no photographic or sample evidence to support sighting W Listed on the Audubon Alaska WatchList of declining or threatened species Audubon Important Bird Area PM Documented in Potter Marsh; may be seen elsewhere in checklist area Spring: March 16–May 31 and State Wildlife Refuge Summer: June 1–July 31 Fall: August 1–November 30 BIRD CHECKLIST Winter: December 1–March 15 Including Potter Marsh SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER SPECIES SPECIES SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER Emperor Goose W Franklin's Gull John Schoen Cinnamon Teal PM Ring-billed Gull Tufted Duck Caspian Tern ANCHORAGE COASTAL WILDLIFE REFUGE PINE GROSBEAK Steller's Eider W Pomarine Jaeger AND IMPORTANT BIRD AREA ACCESS POINTS Common Eider W Parasitic Jaeger PM Pied-billed Grebe PM Common Murre For more information on Alaska bird festivals Sooty/Short-tailed Shearwater Rhinoceros Auklet and birding maps for Anchorage, Fairbanks, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel PM Snowy Owl Strung between the Ship Creek industrial center down- Pelagic Cormorant Rufous Hummingbird town and the busy Seward Highway south of the city is the and Kodiak, contact Audubon Alaska at incredibly rich Anchorage Coastal Important Bird Area (IBA). Red-faced Cormorant W Black-backed Woodpecker www.AudubonAlaska.org or 907-276-7034. It spans a 20-mile strip of coastal area including Ship Creek, Double-crested Cormorant PM American Kestrel PM Westchester Lagoon, Point Woronzof, Campbell Creek, south Great Blue Heron PM Say's Phoebe PM For more information on birding in Alaska, visit Anchorage, and Potter Marsh. It contains extensive tidal flats, American Coot PM Western Kingbird marsh communities, and alder-bog forests. The southern www.birding.alaska.gov Sora PM Northwestern Crow Black Oystercatcher Horned Lark three-quarters of this area lie within the Anchorage Coastal State Wildlife Refuge, managed by the Alaska Department Killdeer PM Chestnut-backed Chickadee Checklist Compiler of Fish and Game to protect wildlife habitat and allow for Terek Sandpiper PM Pacific Wren PM Aaron Bowman, Audubon Alaska compatible public uses. Limited hunting is allowed on parts of Marbled Godwit W Siberian Stonechat the refuge (Potter Marsh is excluded), so take note if you are Bar-tailed Godwit W Northern Wheatear birding in the fall. Visit www.refuges.adfg.alaska.gov for more Contributors Red Knot W Townsend's Solitaire information on the refuge. Red-necked Stint Tennessee Warbler Ruddy Turnstone PM Nashville Warbler This narrow strip of valuable habitat along Cook Inlet sup- White-rumped Sandpiper Common Yellowthroat PM ports some of the greatest numbers and diversity of birds in Sharp-tailed Sandpiper PM Palm Warbler the Anchorage area. Bird enthusiasts have recorded approxi- Stilt Sandpiper Swamp Sparrow PM mately 220 species, of which about 160 occur annually either Buff-breasted Sandpiper W Lazuli Bunting as migrants or breeders. Ruff PM Yellow-headed Blackbird PM Wilson's Phalarope Brown-headed Cowbird PM The Anchorage Coastal IBA was established for the large Red Phalarope Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch numbers of Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese, Hudsonian Ivory Gull W Red Crossbill PM Godwits, and Short-billed Dowitchers that stop during Little Gull Ross's Goose PM X migration. Visit www.AudubonAlaska.org for more informa- Reviewers Sabine's Gull Garganey PM X tion about IBAs. Audubon Alaska uses science to identify Black-headed Gull Red-throated Pipit X David Sonneborn, Pat Pourchot and conserve important habitat for birds across Alaska, emphasizing public lands and waters. Potter Marsh, at the southern end of the IBA, is one of Anchorage’s most popular For a full list of data sources, visit spots for photographers and local birders, offering seasonal www.AudubonAlaska.org spectacles such as majestic Trumpeter Swans and one of Printed on sustainably-sourced paper Alaska’s most accessible Arctic Tern colonies. www.MiloBurcham.com with 10% post-consumer recycled content FRONT COVER: TRUMPETER SWAN REVISED 2017 LOONS AND GREBES GULLS, TERNS, JAEGERS KINGLETS J F M A M J J A S O N D CONTINUED J F M A M J J A S O N D CONTINUED J F M A M J J A S O N D CHECKLIST KEY Golden-crowned Kinglet PM Horned Grebe PM N Glaucous Gull PM Ruby-crowned Kinglet PM N n Very Common: Easily found in the right habitat and season Red-necked Grebe PM N Arctic Tern PM N n Common: Found in the right habitat and season THRUSHES HAWKS AND EAGLES Long-tailed Jaeger PM n Uncommon: Found, with persistence, every year in the right habitat and season Gray-cheeked Thrush PM Osprey PM PIGEONS Swainson’s Thrush PM N n Rare: Seen in most years, but in small numbers Golden Eagle PM Rock Pigeon (Introduced) PM Hermit Thrush PM N n Casual: Occasionally seen, but not every year Northern Harrier PM N OWLS American Robin PM N PM Documented in Potter Marsh; may be seen elsewhere in checklist area PM N Sharp-shinned Hawk Great Horned Owl PM N Varied Thrush PM N W N Documented nesting Northern Goshawk PM N Northern Hawk Owl PM STARLINGS W Listed on the Audubon Alaska WatchList of declining or threatened species Bald Eagle PM N Great Gray Owl PM European Starling PM N Red-tailed Hawk* PM N Short-eared Owl PM N WATERFOWL J F M A M J J A S O N D PIPITS Rough-legged Hawk PM Boreal Owl PM Grtr. White-fronted Goose* PM W American Pipit PM CRANES Northern Saw-whet Owl PM N Snow Goose PM WAXWINGS Sandhill Crane PM N KINGFISHERS Brant W Bohemian Waxwing PM Cackling Goose PM PLOVERS Belted Kingfisher PM N BUNTINGS Canada Goose PM N Black-bellied Plover PM WOODPECKERS Lapland Longspur PM Trumpeter Swan PM N American Golden-Plover PM W Downy Woodpecker PM N Snow Bunting PM Tundra Swan PM Pacific Golden-Plover PM Hairy Woodpecker PM N WARBLERS J F M A M J J A S O N D Gadwall PM N Semipalmated Plover PM N American Three-toed Woodpecker PM N Northern Waterthrush PM N Eurasian Wigeon PM SANDPIPERS J F M A M J J A S O N D Northern Flicker PM N Orange-crowned Warbler PM N American Wigeon PM N Spotted Sandpiper PM N FALCONS J F M A M J J A S O N D Yellow Warbler PM N Mallard PM N Solitary Sandpiper PM N W Merlin PM N Blackpoll Warbler PM N W Blue-winged Teal PM Wandering Tattler PM W Gyrfalcon PM Yellow-rumped Warbler PM N Northern Shoveler PM Greater Yellowlegs PM N Peregrine Falcon PM Townsend’s Warbler PM Northern Pintail PM N Lesser Yellowlegs PM N W Wilson’s Warbler PM N Green-winged Teal PM N Whimbrel PM W FLYCATCHERS SPARROWS Canvasback PM N Hudsonian Godwit PM W Olive-sided Flycatcher PM W American Tree Sparrow PM Redhead PM Black Turnstone PM W Western Wood-Pewee PM N Savannah Sparrow PM N Ring-necked Duck PM N Surfbird PM W Alder Flycatcher PM N Fox Sparrow PM N Greater Scaup PM N Sanderling PM SHRIKES Song Sparrow PM N Lesser Scaup PM N Semipalmated Sandpiper PM Northern Shrike PM Lincoln’s Sparrow PM N Harlequin Duck Western Sandpiper PM JAYS, CROWS, RAVENS White-crowned Sparrow PM N Surf Scoter Least Sandpiper PM N Gray Jay PM Golden-crowned Sparrow PM White-winged Scoter PM PM Baird’s Sandpiper Steller’s Jay PM N Dark-eyed Junco PM N Black Scoter PM W Pectoral Sandpiper PM Black-billed Magpie PM N BLACKBIRDS Long-tailed Duck PM Rock Sandpiper W PM N Common Raven Red-winged Blackbird PM N Bufflehead PM Dunlin PM W SWALLOWS J F M A M J J A S O N D Rusty Blackbird PM N W Common Goldeneye PM N Short-billed Dowitcher PM N W Tree Swallow PM N FINCHES Barrow’s Goldeneye PM Long-billed Dowitcher PM Violet-green Swallow PM N Pine Grosbeak PM Common Merganser PM Wilson’s Snipe PM N Bank Swallow PM N White-winged Crossbill PM Red-breasted Merganser PM Red-necked Phalarope PM N Barn Swallow PM Common Redpoll PM N GROUSE J F M A M J J A S O N D GULLS, TERNS, JAEGERS Cliff Swallow PM N Hoary Redpoll Willow Ptarmigan PM Black-legged Kittiwake PM CHICKADEES Pine Siskin PM N Spruce Grouse PM Bonaparte's Gull PM Black-capped Chickadee PM N Mew Gull PM N LOONS AND GREBES Boreal Chickadee PM N Herring Gull** PM N Red-throated Loon PM W NUTHATCHES, CREEPERS, DIPPERS Pacific Loon PM Thayer's Gull PM Red-breasted Nuthatch PM N Common Loon PM Glaucous-winged Gull** PM N Brown Creeper PM N *Most Red-tailed Hawks are Harlan’s subspecies in this range. *Tule subspecies is on the WatchList, other subspecies are not. American Dipper PM **Most Glaucous-winged and Herring Gulls are hybrids in this range..