SMEW, LESSER SAND-PLOVER, WOOD SANDPIPER, COMMON GREENSHANK, Gray-tailed Tattler, Whiskered Auklet, Long-billed Murrelet, Brambling, Orca, Sperm Whale, Caribou. Sound intriguing? All of these and more were seen on our recent Adak Island, Alaska Tour. We hope that you will consider joining us for our fall tours, scheduled for August 27 - September 3, and September 3 - 10. Click on http://www.birdtreks.com/itin/akad206.html for the full details and itinerary. Good times, comfortable accommodations, and good birding are guaranteed. Complete species lists from our two May 2006 tours are available upon request. The checklist of the third tour in late May - early June (currently underway) will be available sometime in July.
And now, for our recent two-week adventure . . .
ADAK ISLAND, ALASKA
14 - 28 May 2006
Leaders John Puschock and Bob Schutsky
Trip report by Bob Schutsky
Our group assembled at the Anchorage Airport. There were two obvious signs that we were in Alaska. First were the snow-capped mountains surrounding the city of 250,000 people. Second were the giant Moose tracks that we followed across the tarmac to board the plane that would take us to Adak, 1300 miles to the west in the Aleutian Islands.
We made a stop at the town of King Salmon, with enough time to get off of the plane and find a few birds. Some of the species that we saw here and would not see on Adak include Sooty Fox Sparrow, Common Redpoll, Tundra Swan, and Hudsonian Godwit. Even something as common as American Robin and White-crowned Sparrow would not be on Adak. It is a very different world, which we would soon discover.
Our first few common species upon reaching Adak were Bald Eagle, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Rock Ptarmigan, Glaucous-winged Gull, and Ancient Murrelet. These are birds that we saw daily. Two hours after landing we found our first Asian vagrant, and young male Smew. Go to www.birdtreks.com for a photo of the Smew and additional Asian species found during the tour. We were all thrilled--a life bird for the entire group! And it was on aptly named Smew Ponds, near the airport. Little did we know that we would see it almost every day, plus find a second one in a different location. Two more birds of note that afternoon were a drake Eurasian Wigeon and several Kittlitz's Murrelets. Clam Lagoon on Adak is one of the best spots anywhere to see this diminutive alcid. We moved into our spacious townhouses, had a nice dinner, did a bit more birding, and settled down for the night. Sunset is not until 11 PM. The townhouses are one of many remnants of the large naval base that was established during World War II and closed about a decade ago. There are signs of past military presence throughout the island. The lodging was quite comfortable and our meals were always tasty.
Overnight our best weather of the entire period moved in. We had torrential rain most of the night, accompanied by 50-60 mph southwest winds. When you are on the Aleutians in spring looking for Asian strays, this is a dream come true. The action began early with six Wood Sandpipers at Contractor's Camp Marsh, followed by 4-6 Common Snipe that were calling and displaying. The Smew was still at Smew Pond, now accompanied by a male Tufted Duck. Sea Otters were a daily attraction at Clam Lagoon. A female with a pup on her chest is almost irresistible. A herd of seven Caribou grazed peacefully on the abundant grass. They were introduced by the military. There are no native land mammals on the island. We found our first Laysan Albatross over Sitkin Sound and saw Black Oystercatchers and a Common Loon. As we made our rounds we put out birdseed at strategic locations, spots that John had used in previous years. This was often near a small spruce tree, as the few trees on the island are very attractive to vagrant songbirds. Strong southwest winds continued as we retired for the night. Hopes were high for the morning . . .
We began the day with a Gyrfalcon, the second most common raptor next to Bald Eagle. Two shorebirds flushed from the gravel road at the Seawall between Clam Lagoon and Sitkin Sound. Only two of us saw them and our impression was that they might be Semipalmated Plovers, a common breeder. Luckily we relocated them further down the road. One was indeed a Semipalmated Plover, and the other was a Lesser Sand-Plover, formerly called Mongolian Plover, alluding to its Asian heritage. And, just to add to the excitement, it was in full breeding plumage. John has a photo of this beauty on the web site. Later in the day we saw approximately 25 Laysan Albatross from the Loran Station at the north end of the island and our first Arctic Loon from the Palisades Overlook. Wood Sandpiper numbers jumped to 50-60 compared to our six of yesterday. We estimated even larger numbers later in the week, perhaps as many as 100.
It is now Wednesday, 17 May. Common birds that came to our impromptu feeders included Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Lapland Longspur, an occasional Snow Bunting, Common Raven, and even Glaucous-winged Gull, especially if we added a leftover roll or muffin. But today brought our first real payoff, THREE Bramblings--an adult male, a young male, and a female. We would see them for four consecutive days, always at the same feeding area.
The next morning began with two Eastern Yellow Wagtails on the west side of Lake Andrew, followed by a Greenshank on a small pond on the east side of the lake. We presumed that these Asiatic species were a result of the big storm of Sunday night. The weather had changed, but we were still finding good birds. Two more people arrived after lunch; there are only two flights per week to Adak, Sunday and Thursday. So, our mission for the afternoon was to relocate as many of the good birds as we could for Susan and Jim. The Smew and Tufted Duck were easy, as were the three Bramblings. We found a first year Glaucous Gull and an adult Black-headed Gull at Clam Lagoon. Late in the day we came up with a male Eurasian Wigeon and a female Common Merganser. Coupled with the Red-breasted Mergansers and Smew, this was our third merganser species. That's a nice accomplishment in North America without seeing Hooded Merganser!
Friday produced five Eurasian Wigeon, one Tufted Duck, and one of the two Yellow Wagtails. Wood Sandpipers were still well represented, even feeding in roadside puddles. Two new birds at Contractor's Camp Marsh were four Pacific Golden-Plovers and a first spring record for Osprey. On Saturday we found our first Bar-tailed Godwit. The godwit and the plovers were most likely brought in by the north and northwest winds that were now blowing.
Our initial boat ride on 17 May was quite productive. We saw hundreds of Whiskered Auklets. Near shore waters at Adak are perhaps the best spot in the world to see this very local and highly sought-after species. We also found Crested, Parakeet, and Cassin's Auklets, plus Laysan Albatross and Short-tailed Shearwater. Twenty Steller's Sea Lions were basking on the rocks. We barely put our feet on shore when John whisked us away to Sitkin Sound to see a LONG-BILLED MURRELET, probably our rarest bird of the entire tour. It was the first record for the Aleutian Islands and only about the fourth record for the entire state of Alaska. We were ecstatic that it was still there, as it was never seen again after that day. Our second boat ride with the remainder of the tour group also did well and found the only Minke Whale and Dall's Porpoises of the tour. But they had missed Crested Auklet, listed as casual on the Adak checklist. We were pleased to have one pinned down for them when they returned to the harbor late in the day. It wasn't quite a fair trade for the Long-billed Murrelet, but at least we had found a good bird for them.
Sunday morning we saw a total of 13 Pacific Golden-Plovers. There were four Aleutian Terns at Clam Lagoon, and a Kamchatka-type Mew Gull. This is a potential split from the North American Mew Gull. Noon marked the beginning of our second week. A new tour participant arrived, so it was off to round up the stakeouts once again. The Smew Ponds Smew was easy and we found a second one on a small pond near Clam Lagoon. Some days we saw no Gyrfalcons; today we saw three. On Monday John spotted a Vega-type Herring Gull, another potential ABA split. Nearby were a Glaucous Gull, two Black-headed Gulls, and a Bar-tailed Godwit. We found our first Orcas from the Loran Station, a pod of six. And finally, there were three East Siberian Whimbrels at Contractor's Marsh, another potential split. We later found two more at Clam Lagoon.
Our next good bird was a Gray-tailed Tattler in a rocky canal near the airport runway. John once again obtained some superb photos--check the web site. This Asian stray would stick around for at least a week. An Arctic Loon, a Gyrfalcon, five Bar-tailed Godwits--just another afternoon on Adak Island. May 24th yielded our first Tree Swallow, soon to be followed by at least two Bank Swallows. We had absolutely spectacular looks at 25 Kittlitz's Murrelets in late day light, no more than 100 feet away.
Late Saturday morning we did a sea watch at the Loran Station. It began with seven Short-tailed Shearwaters. At the end of 90 minutes, we estimated that 27,000 had passed the point! Intermingled with the shearwaters were a single Laysan Albatross, a Northern Fulmar, and Horned and Tufted Puffins. Feeding far offshore was a lone Black-legged Kittiwake. And finally, two Sperm Whales gave us a fantastic show, logging not far from shore. On Sunday morning five Aleutian Terns drank and bathed in a freshwater lake, by far our best look at this handsome species.
So ended our first two weeks. We found 82 species and John and Chuck have at added a few more during the first half of the third week which ends 4 June. Look for John's report in the next NEWS FLASH.
Please consider joining us for our August - September Adak adventures. It is certainly a fantastic birding island.
ADAK PROGRAM for BIRD CLUBS and AUDUBON CLUBS
The program, "ADAK - GAMBLING ON BIRDS", gives a brief history of the island, its current status, a tour of the island's birding areas, and lots of pictures of the resident and transitory birdlife. Frank Haas developed the program after he and his wife Barb visited Adak last spring. They enjoyed it so much that they are returning in September to search for fall vagrants. Frank lives in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He can be reached at 717-445-9609 or by e-mailing him at fbhaas@ptd.net.
TOURS GUARANTEED TO GO
The following tours have at least the minimum number of participants needed for the tour to go, but still have one or more openings available. Simply click on the web site address to view the detailed itinerary. Additional information concerning all of our tours is available by going to http://www.birdtreks.com/schedules/sched.html. This includes a short description of each tour, plus highlights, photos, and favorite species from previous adventures.
These tours are GUARANTEED TO GO:Day-by-day itineraries and additional information are on our web site at www.birdtreks.com. Please contact the BIRD TREKS office if you need help accessing our web site or if you would rather have information mailed to your postal address. Many of our other scheduled tours are likely to go, but they cannot be guaranteed at this time. Please contact BIRD TREKS for more information or to register for the tour of your choice.
MORE TOUR INFORMATION
This year's KENYA TOUR is scheduled for 1-16 November 2006. We are conducting our original Classic Tour that we first ran in 2001. We limit the number of participants to six people per safari van, so that everyone gets a window seat. And we take two vans. So, if you are interested, I would love to hear from you soon, as we need just two more people to fill the tour.
COMING SOON . . .
We hope that you have enjoyed reading about Adak and our upcoming trips. We have enjoyed sharing our news, updates, and information with you. Our next NEWS FLASH will contain more birding tales from Adak, plus Churchill and Winnipeg in Manitoba.
Please let us know if we can assist you with any additional information. We'd love to help you with a regularly scheduled tour, or perhaps a custom tour. We are soon taking eight friends to Churchill Manitoba. Imagine the surprise and delight if you invited your friends on a tour to the destination of their choice!
Sincerely,