Hi all,

I just got back from a wonderful, monomaniacal birding journey to NE Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Northern British Columbia. This year, I travelled on some less known routes and tire ripping roads where few birders tend to venture. As a result, the exploration to these unknown territories simply amazed and exceeded my birding expectations and imagination. So much area to explore and see.

Dates travelled were from 5/24/2008 to 6/7/2008. I had spectacular weather almost the entire two weeks with little bugs.

The main attaction and goal for this trip was to see alpine, boreal and Eastern songbirds on their breeding grounds. I chose this earlier time period for two reasons; one, to avoid the hordes of aggressive bugs and secondly, to increase my chances of seeing the breeding birds during their peak cycle in their beautiful breeding plumage. And if I miss some of my target birds, I knew the consolation would be miles and miles of spectacular scenery and interesting mammals. I was simply overwhelmed by the scenery as I think I have seen enough mountains in my lifetime. After this trip, I can live in Kansas for three years and be okay.

And don't forget there are many hours of light to optimize birding. It never got completely dark. As of 12:30 AM on 5/25/2008 in the Yukon, the sun was barely setting. I had no problems reading without light! The birding was most productive from 5:00 AM to 11 AM.

My ambitious 6500 mile road trip started in Anchorage, AK proceeding Northeast towards the "Top of the World Highway" and then northward to Dawson City, birding along the Dempster Highway, which is about 350 miles north of Whitehorse, Yukon. From here, I ventured southeast, birding along the Alcan Highway towards Dawson Creek, BC for most of the Eastern warblers and songbirds.

I went prepared studying and memorizing all the bird species and their songs expected in the areas travelled. My research and efforts rewarded me in many ways. I extensively studied and mapped out my trip from the following references:

1. ABA Birders's Guide to Alaska by George West

2. Birds by the Dempster Highway by Robert Frisch

3. A Bird Finding Guide to Canada by J. Cam Finlay

My advice for a successful trip in such remote areas is to be adventurous, open-minded and expect the unexpected, keeping your eyes and ears peeled. There is always a pleasant surprise to greet you along the way. Expect to camp and gas prices are costly, ranging from 1.38 to 1.85 per litre (5.75 to 7.50 a gallon in Canada and Yukon areas). Wow, just think it may be alot more next year :( I have my health and time, so I seized the moment. Life can be short....

It seems like the more I bird, the less I know as nothing substitutes for being in the field. Even several field guides and local 'experts' were off in their expected range or expected time for the some of the breeding birds to arrive. But more importantly to me, watching the birds habits and hearing their songs and voices on their turf at the peak of their breeding cycle is very SPECIAL. Where I live, I am use to seeing them briefly in their non-breeding plumage during migration, usually devoid of color or voice.

The area along the Dempster Highway in the Yukon was one of my favorite areas to bird and explore. Its habitat is diverse as so was the birding. The enriched area is said to rival Churchhill, Manitoba. I have not travelled to Churchhill and I cannot say for sure, but this area blew me away in the 2.5 days I spent there.

HIGHLIGHTS and MUSINGS: Well there were many to include.... At this point getting new lifers is almost insignificant compared to the interesting sightings of the more common birds and their habits. On the Dempster Highway, I had as many as 25 WILLOW PTARMIGANS eagerly await me early one morining along the gravel road, emitting their territorial but glutteral challenge calls and aggressively chasing each other. ROCK PTARMIGANS roamed the gravel roads, displaying their flutter flights and comic frog-like calls. At one point, several almost pure, white Rock ptarmigans rolled in dust to quickly conceal themselves as I approached them.

At one location near Tombstone Territorial Park, I was overwhelmed by the alluring beauty of several breeding plumaged AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS emitting their loud calls, as they claim their territories around the tundra carpet while several male SMITH'S LONGSPUR sang on tussocky hillocks, and a pair of UPLAND SANDPIPERS utter their wolf whistle call during their display flights. If that wasn't enough, LAPLAND LONGSPURS flitted nearby while the many WILLOW PTARMIGANS aggressively defend their territories, calling and displaying their flutter flights. REDPOLLS and AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS add more life and color to the already birdy spot. I didnt know where to focus; it was so surreal!

I was surprised as how much the SMITH'S LONGSPUR songs resemble the American Tree sparrows without the thrill and how secretive they were even when they sang. They would briefly pop up on a elevated mound for to sing and then hunkered down, and methodically moved through the grass like rodents and disappear.

It is also interesting to note that the Smith's Longspurs on the Dempster Highway (which is about 500 miles plus north of Denali) were on their breeding grounds on May 24th and none were on the Denali Hwy as of June 5th at the expected locations. I also had two Smith's Longspurs near Klesall Lake near Chitkat Pass in BC on June 2nd as well.

Along the Dempster Highway, I got my lifer GRAY HEADED CHICKADEES (very rare) and NORTHERN WHEATEAR on a strentrous 10-mile roundtrip hike. The calls from these birds were quite different compared to the Boreals. The gray heads let out a much more hoarser, slower peevish call than their comrades. I had no problems separating them from the many Boreal chickadees that I have seen in the past several years. Seeing SURFBIRDS on top of a peak as well as WHITE TAILED PTARMIGANS was something different but special.

An excellent year for NORTHERN HAWK OWLS as I had as many as 12 birds along the Glennallen Hwy along MP 130-150 and several near Kluane National Park. Fort Nelson, BC was excellent for GREAT GRAY OWLS as I had as many as 7 bags of gray feathers in one night roaming the country roads in town. I easily found many CONNECTICUT WARBLERS in Northern BC and had several birds in Fort Liard, which is in the Northwest Territories. Most of the field guides are a tad conserative in some of the birds distribution range.

The Fort St John and Dawson Creek, BC were simply dripping with colorful warblers, vireos, sparrows, and other songbirds.

Other rarities on the trip included: WHITE RUMPED SANDPIPER, LITTLE GULL, HUDSONIAN AND BAR TAILED GODWIT.

Here is a list of birds I saw and some of their locales (abbreviations). I had over 225 species for the trip but listed only the ones I think would interest birders from this region.

LOCATIONS AND CODES:

Denali Highway near Paxton, AK= DNA
Top of the World Highway near Chicken, AK= TW
Dempster Highway, Yukon= DMP
Whitehorse, Yukon= WH
Kluane National Park, Yukon= KNP
Watson Lake, Yukon= WL
Fort Liard, NWT= FL
Fort Nelson, BC= FN
Fort St. John, BC= FSJ
Dawson Creek, BC=FSJ
Chitkat Pass, BC= CP

BIRD SPECIES SEEN:

Common Loon
Red throated Loon (DMP, DNA)
Pacific Loon
King Eider
Long tailed Duck (DMP, DNA)
Willow Ptarmigan
Rock Ptarmigan (DMP, TW)
White tailed Ptarmigan (DMP)
Dusky Grouse (Carcross, Yukon)
Sharp tailed Grouse (near Glenallen, AK)
Northern Goshawk
Merlin
Gyrfalcon (3 birds DMP, 1 bird DNA)
American Golden Plover (10 birds DMP, 4 birds DNA)
Semipalmated Plover
Solitary Sandpiper
Buff breasted Sandpiper (DMP)
Wandering Tattler (DMP, DNA)
Upland Sandpiper (8 birds DMP)
Whimbrel (DMP, DNA)
Hudsonian Godwit (2 birds CP)
Bar tailed Godwit (1 birds DMP)
Red Knot (WH)
Semipalmated Sandpiper
White rumped Sandpiper(WH)
Baird's Sandpiper (DMP)
Pectoral Sandpiper (DMP)
Surfbird (DMP)
Stilt Sandpiper (WH)
Red necked pharalope (DMP, DNA)
Long tailed Jaegar (DMP, DNA)
Little Gull (KNP with Sabine's Gull)
Bonaparte's Gull
Sabine's Gull (Muncho Lake, BC and Kluane NP)
Arctic Tern
Northern Hawk Owl (12 birds Glennallen Hwy, 3 KNP)
Northern Pygmy Owl (1 bird Tumbler's Ridge, BC)
Great Gray Owl (5 birds FN)
Short eared Owl (1 bird Taylor Highway, 3 DMP)
Boreal Owl (2 birds Tumbler's Ridge, BC)
Barred Owl (Liard Hotspring)
Yellow bellied Sapsucker
American 3-Toe Woodpecker
Black backed Woodpecker
Yellow bellied Flycatcher (Liard Hotspring)
Alder Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe (FSJ, DC)
Northern Shrike (DMP)
Blue headed Vireo (FSJ)
Philadelphia Vireo (FSJ)
Red eyed Vireo
Blue Jay (FSJ)
Boreal Chickadee
Gray headed chickadee (DMP)
Northern Wheatear (DMP)
Gray cheeked Thrush (DMP, DNA)
Bohemian Waxwing (Mount Fairplay, Taylor Hwy)
Tennessee Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler (WL)
Palm Warbler (FN)
Bay Breasted Warbler (WL)
Blackpoll Warbler
Black and White Warbler
Black throated Green Warbler (FSJ, and DC)
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Connecticut Warbler (FSJ, NWT, FN)
Mourning Warbler (DC and NWT)
Canada Warbler (DC)
American Tree Sparrow
Clay Colored Sparrow
LeConte's Sparrow (FSJ-Rolla and NWT)
Nelson's sharptailed Sparrow (FSJ-Rolla)
Fox Sparrow (Taiga form)
Swamp Sparrow (FSJ)
White Throated Sparrow
Lapland Longspur (DMP, DNA)
Smith's Longspur (DMP, CP)
Snow Bunting (DMP)
Rose breasted Grosbeak (FN, FSJ, DC)
Baltimore Oriole (DC, FSJ)
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle (DC)
Gray crowned Rosyfinch (DMP)
Pine Grosbeak (Toad River, BC)
White winged crossbills (Toad River (200 birds), BC, FN, and DMP)
Common Redpoll
Hoary Redpoll (DMP)

The area is vast and there is alot to explore and see. I hope you will get the opportunity to experience the amazing North. You won't be disappointed!!

Some photos to come but may take a me a while to process them. I manage to get only a handful of decent ones.

Good birding,

Khanh Tran (Portland, Oregon)