Hi all,

Sorry for the delayed and trite trip report. I made it back safely from up North without being stumped by a moose or attacked by a Grizzly. This was solely a vacation trip and resulted in less time to bird and photograph my desired feather subjects. I had to compromise my time and priorities with my significant other but regardless, we had a FANTASTIC time!

We managed to see a few cool birds, wildlife, and of course, SPECTACULAR scenery. We had excellent weather the entire time with the exception of one snowy day near Tok, Alaska. It was definitely one of my best vacation.

We flew into Anchorage and drove up to Inuvik (Northwest Territories) along the Dempster Highway. This is the only road in Canada that you can drive above the Arctic Circle. Scenery and geology of the land was simply AWESOME.

Towards the end of the trip and as a last minute decision, we headed southwest,taking an amazing ferry ride from Haines, AK to Juneau. Ironically, the same day we were in the state capitol, Sarah Palin decided to resign. I guess after she watched the special, 3-D version of Star Trek-The Wrath of Khan, she took the hint:)

As always it is a treat to see these birds in their full breeding plumage and summer grounds. Here are my favorites from the trip.

Favorite Bird: Pacific Loon in breeding plumage. Simply gorgeous!!

Favorite Restaurant: Hegland Hotel in Juneau. Apple Crisp was out of this world with vanilla ice cream.

Favorite Town; Dawson City,Yukon. Has character and great energy.

Favorite Scenic Area: Dempster Highway near Tombstone Territorial Campground. Haines Summit in British Columbia was tough to beat, too.

Favorite Mammal and Bird moment: Two short-eared owls and a gyrfalcon harassing a fox with a mouthful of voles. Later on, the father fox caught another one, dropped his stash, and then re-assemble the meal for the six kits. Way cool!

List of highlight species:

Trumpter Swan with cygnets
Tufted Duck (breeding male)
Harlequin Duck
White winged Scoter
Surf Scoter
Long tailed Duck
Spruce Grouse (Taiga form) several hens with chicks
Willow Ptarmigan (with chicks)
Rock Ptarmigan
Sooty Grouse
Sharp tailed Grouse (with chicks)
Red throated Loon
Pacific Loon
Northern Goshawk
Swainson's Hawk
Rough legged Hawk
Golden Eagle
Gyrfalcon
Peregrine Falcon
American Golden Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Solitary Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Wandering Tattler
Upland Sandpiper
Red necked Phalarope
Bonaparte's Gull
Arctic Tern
Parasitic Jaeger
Long-tailed Jaeger
Pigeon Guillemot
Marbled Murrelet
Cassin's Auklet
Great Horned Owl
Northern Hawk Owl(4 birds total, numbers down from 2008; I had 12 without trying last spring)
Great Gray Owl
Short eared Owl
American Three Toe Woodpecker
Black backed Woodpecker
Yellow bellied Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Northern Shrike
Northwestern Crow
Boreal Chickadee
Arctic Warbler (lifer bird)
Northern Wheatear
Mountain Bluebird
Gray Cheeked Thrush
Bohemian Waxwing
Northern Waterthrush
Blackpoll Warbler
American Tree Sparrow
Timberline Sparrow
Harris's Sparrow (nice to see in full breeding plumage, breeds only in Canada)
Lapland Longspur
Smith's Longspur (Several birds)
Snow buntings
Gray crowned Rosyfinch
Pine Grosbeak
White winged crossbills (several flocks)
Common Redpoll
Hoary Redpoll (near Inuvik, NWT)

A few recent photos are on my newly designed website:

www.ktbirding.com

More photos to come and enjoy your summer!!

Khanh Tran (Portland, Oregon)