The Anchorage Audubon Society trip to the Pribilofs (St. Paul) just
returned day before yesterday. They had been having an unusual
spell of dry, sunny weather, almost a drought, which meant not
much in the way of "vagrating" birds had stopped by. Our one
"chase" bird was the Gray-tailed Tattler, which all in the group got
to see. Other lifers for me were the Red-legged Kittiwake and
Least Auklet. There is one rookery (Ridge Wall cliffs) with eleven
species nesting on it: Horned and Tufted Puffin; Least, Crested
and Parakeet Auklet; Red- and Black-legged Kittiwakes; Common
and Thick-billed Murres, Red-faced Cormorants and Northern
Fulmars. Great views.

Although Anchorage is on salt water, one doesn't feel very much
like one is on the sea - no seaside smells, or pounding surf.
St. Paul was a treat in that respect. Very serene, softly whooshing
waves, seabirds calling. Mammals seen: Northern Fur Seal
(males had arrived, only one female so far), Steller's Sea Lion,
Harbor Seal, oodles of Arctic Blue Fox (which are endemic and
not hunted or trapped), domestic cat. Dogs are not allowed on
the Pribilofs because of something that can happen between
them and the seals, possibly diseases.

There were 2-1/2 bus loads of birders, shared out among 7
charming and competent guides. There was excellent
botanizing also, with most wildflowers in bloom.

A storm was making in just as we departed in Reeve's big,
comfy probably 50+year-old Electra. So the next wave of
birders may catch a rarity or two (or have to stay indoors
a day or two).

Species list:

Northern Fulmar (mostly light morph)
Pelagic Cormorant
Red-faced Cormorant
Canada Goose (actually this is a rarity on St. Paul)
Green-winged Teal
Northern Pintail
Eurasian Wigeon
King Eider
Harlequin Duck
Oldsquaw
White-winged Scoter
Common Goldeneye
Semipalmated Plover
Gray-tailed Tattler
Bar-tailed Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Pectoral Sandpiper
Rock Sandpiper (the nominate race; very plentiful)
Red-necked Phalarope
Red Phalarope
Parasitic Jaeger
Long-tailed Jaeger
Glaucous-winged Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
Red-legged Kittiwake
Common Murre
Thick-billed Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
Parakeet Auklet
Least Auklet
Crested Auklet
Tufted Puffin
Horned Puffin
Winter Wren
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting (the one nesting
pair of McKay's Bunting no longer
there)
Gray-crowned Rosy Finch

Chris Maack
Anchorage, AK
CMaack at compuserve.com