Subject: RE: SE Alaska/SW Yukon sites
Date: Jun 3 08:41:39 1998
From: Teresa Michelsen - avocet at halcyon.com


We were just in Sitka and had a very nice time birding (even though it was only April). The two best birding opportunities are 1) a boat trip to St. Lazarius Island, which is a puffin/murre/oystercatcher, etc. rookery and 2) a wetland just north of the ferry dock north of town. The first is easily accessed that time of year through various wildlife tour companies, one of the best being the vessel Raven's Fire, advertised in local publications. You can walk to the second from the ferry dock - there are shuttles and busses to the ferry when it's running, so if you know the schedule you can get around. I would also recommend the numerous hiking trails that go back into the mountains from Sitka. Birding in Sitka Harbor is also good. When I was there we saw, mixed in with five or six gull species wheeling in the harbor, a flock of fork-tailed storm-petrels, and numerous eagles and ravens harrasing both. The shellfish beds south of town are also good, on the way to the totem park (which is pretty interesting by itself). It was fun to hear the ruby-crowned kinglets singing all over town, since around here I don't hear them because they go up to higher elevations to breed.

Teresa Michelsen
avocet at halcyon.com