TOP 10 SPECIES

Top 10 lists are voted upon by the participants at the completion of each tour.

ADAK ISLAND, ALASKA:
11-18 May 2008 (week #1 of 3)

ADAK ISLAND, ALASKA:
18-25 May 2008 (week #2 of 3)

ADAK ISLAND, ALASKA:
25 May - 1 June 2008 (week #3 of 3)

ADAK ISLAND, ALASKA
11 May - 1 June 2008
Leaders: Bob Schutsky and Jason Horn
Trip Report by Bob and Jason

Sun, May 11 When we touched down on Adak Island, we were on a mission. We needed to claim our luggage, pick up our townhouse keys, load up the rental van, and head for Boy Scout Lake. There had been FOUR Tundra Bean-Geese coming and going from the lake for the past week. We were there within 15 minutes, but the lake was bare except for a few ducks, including a small flock of Eurasian Wigeon. Oh no. We scanned again and again, but nothing looked like a goose. Suddenly, there they were in the air, flying past us, four Tundra Bean-Geese! We had seen a super-rarity within an hour of our arrival. We would see them again the next day, but we all cherished this moment. The Adak Experience had begun. Our next stop was Smew Pond, near the airport runway. There was a male Tufted Duck, our third good bird of the evening, along with the Eurasian Wigeon. We counted a flock of 79 Cackling Geese, also very nice. It was time to move in, get settled, and have everything set for our first full day of Adak Island birding.

Mon, May 12 We began our daily routine: do our best to re-locate any previous rarities and continually look for new ones. We located the more common and exciting regular species, plus set up feeding stations throughout the area, usually near some of the very few evergreen trees that were planted on the island. The only native trees are small patches of stunted willows. The Tundra Bean-Geese were once again flying over Boy Scout Lake (also called Haven Lake), and seven Eurasian Wigeon were on the lake itself. Clam Lagoon produced five Barrow's Goldeneye, relatively uncommon for Adak. And a bit later we found a Long-tailed Duck. The Tufted Duck was still on Smew Ponds.

Tue-Wed, May 13-14 The next few days were tough. The weather was nasty, but not nasty enough to blow in any good birds from Asia. Conditions were just bad enough to make viewing difficult. But the more normal and expected species on Adak would be considered exceptional in most of North America. Lapland Longspur is the most common songbird on the island. Flock after flock arrived daily, and most birds were in full breeding plumage. Snow Buntings are less numerous, but very showy in their breeding plumage. They seem to prefer abandoned quarries, and occasionally come to our feeding stations. An average day produces 25 or more Rock Ptarmigan, bursting from the roadsides or walking along grassy ridges. Another very common bird is the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. It is easy to take just one more look at this large, spectacular finch. Bald Eagles are common and approachable. Every day is a good day on Adak.

Thu, May 15 Just before lunch we found our first flock of Sandhill Cranes, 15 feeding near airport runway. They would be a daily occurrence for the next week or more. Throughout the day we enjoyed Rock Sandpipers, the very large local race of Common Ravens, and the regular assemblage of Harlequin Ducks on Clam Lagoon. A tour of Contractor's Camp Marsh after dinner gave us our first look at four Pacific Golden-Plovers. This is always a popular bird, especially in full breeding plumage.

Fri, May 16 The birding action was good today. Palisades Overlook produced our first two Arctic Loons and two Arctic Terns. It seemed as if more terns had arrived, as we soon found five Aleutian Terns high above Clam Lagoon. Both tern species later settled in to nest on a grassy peninsula on the lagoon, in relatively large numbers. Good birds continued around the lagoon with a single Pacific Golden-Plover and another Arctic Loon. At Contractor's Camp Marsh we heard and saw Common Snipe well, sometimes in direct comparison with Wilson's Snipe. And we ended the day with a handsome Red-necked Grebe on Lake Andrew.

Sat, May 17 Today was the one day that we hoped for gorgeous, calm weather, and our hopes came true. We boarded Al Giddings' boat, the Homeward Bound, in search of seabirds. Our special target bird was Whiskered Auklet, and we were rewarded with point blank looks at as many as 20,000! This is only one of two spots in the world where this very localized species can be seen. We also saw small numbers of Parakeet, Crested, and Least Auklets. There were large numbers of Horned and Tufted Puffins, and even a Wandering and a Gray-tailed Tattler. As we returned to the dock, a call came in from one of the other tour leaders. He and his group had just seen a Bar-tailed Godwit and a Bristle-thighed Curlew on the large mudflat at Clam Lagoon. We spent most of the afternoon searching for these two birds, as did the other three tour groups, but to no avail. Our consolation prize was two more Arctic Loons on Kuluk Bay. And there were now three Tufted Ducks on Smew Pond, an adult male, a young male, and a female.

Sun, May 18 Two more firsts today, a Pacific Loon in Kuluk Bay, and a Bar-tailed Godwit on the flats at Clam Lagoon. We made our late day run to welcome Jason, Jim, and Mymm at the airport. We easily found the Tufted Ducks, Eurasian Wigeon, and Arctic Loons, then settled in for the night.

Mon, May 19 The flock of Sandhill Cranes had grown to 17. We checked them daily, just in case any other type of crane joined the group. Clam Lagoon yielded a beautiful Bar-tailed Godwit, plus at least 15 Kittlitz's Murrelets, a showy little alcid that is often quite difficult to find. Late in the morning we saw a female Smew at Lake Shirley, thanks to Jason's expertise as the duck flew from the lake with a flock of Common and Barrow's Goldeneye. During the next day or two it would be seen on Lake Shirley, Clam Lagoon, and Shotgun Lake, variously spending time with Green-winged Teal, Greater Scaup, and the goldeneye flock. I believe that all of the birders on the island eventually saw it, sometimes with a great deal of effort. We later learned that a father and son team birding alone had found the Smew the previous evening, but did not know how to contact any of the other birders. We were all very happy that we found it again! And we gladly loaned them a radio.

Tue, May 20 We made our way to Shotgun Lake right after breakfast and had fantastic views of the Smew. Moving on, our time at the Loran Station was quite productive. This is the best spot on Adak to watch for seabirds. We saw 60 Laysan Albatross, 2 Black-footed Albatross, a Northern Fulmar, and a Short-tailed Albatross, in addition to many more common species. Almost all of these birds were following a fishing boat that was close enough to give us nice views. Back in town, there were now 31 Sandhill Cranes at the airport.

Wed, May 21 Cackling Goose is a rather recent split from Canada Goose. It is relatively easy to see on Adak in the spring. This morning we had a flock of 33. Pacific-Golden Plovers seemed to be making their presence known, with a flock of eight at Contractor's Camp Marsh and three more at the Seawall on the north end of Clam Lagoon. We watched them intently for quite a long time. A late afternoon view of the Smew was a fitting end to the day.

Thu, May 22 Most of the Parasitic Jaegers on Adak are extremely dark birds, and we see a few almost daily. Today we found a light-morph Parasitic, a nice comparison with the local dark birds. Our next bird gave us just a really fast look, but it was a Gyrfalcon that buzzed by near Haven Lake. We had seen another one the previous day, from the window of our housing unit! Bar-tailed Godwit is expected on Adak, but a male and female feeding and flying together made for a very nice study of the species and sexual differences.

Fri, May 23 Today's highlight was a Wandering Tattler. Normal habitat for this handsome shorebird is rocky shoreline, especially large rocks. This bird was in a gravelly, roadside ditch that did not contain a drop of water. We were able to view it from the van for quite some time before it finally flew away toward more familiar habitat.

Sat, May 24 Part of the group took their boat ride on the Homeward Bound today, while Rick and Bob made a thorough sweep of the island. We checked every single feeding area, feeling this would be our best chance at finding a new bird. We had great looks at many Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches, Lapland Longspurs, and a few Snow Buntings and Common Ravens, but no rarities. We spotted an Arctic Loon, three Tufted Ducks, and our first Red-necked Phalaropes, gorgeous females in full breeding plumage. Late in the day we found what may have been an Iceland Gull on the flats at Clam Lagoon. Jason's photos are still being scrutinized to try to confirm this local rarity.

Sun, May 25 Final day of week #2 and the start of week #3. We made a special effort to see Common Snipe displaying, and it worked quite well. A nice flock of eight Eurasian Wigeon was on Smew Pond. We had seen American Wigeon earlier in the week, much less common than its Eurasian relative. A flock of three shorebirds buzzed by high overhead at Contractor's, two phalaropes and an unidentified stint. We checked all of the likely places based upon their direction of flight, but no luck. They were never seen again. Two Pacific Loons were a nice find. Our final new species for the first two weeks was Slaty-backed Gull, two distant adults far out on the water from Goose Rock. After dinner we greeted Art Bergey and bid farewell to Bob Schutsky and Jim Hailey. Upon Art's arrival we headed out to see some of the nearby specialties such as Eurasian Wigeon and Tufted Duck before settling in for the night.

Mon, May 26 Art and Jason joined two other birders for a pelagic trip on the Bering Sea. It was a beautifully calm day and the birding was fantastic. Thanks to our Captain Al Giddings' ability to maneuver the boat, we had excellent views of every species we encountered. We had close views of large numbers of alcids that included Horned Puffin, Tufted Puffin, Common Murre, Ancient Murrelet, and Whiskered Auklet. Many of these birds were so close to the boat that we did not even need binoculars to enjoy them. Of all of the alcids, the Whiskered Auklet was by far the most numerous with approximately 10,000 seen. They formed large rafts and allowed us to approach very closely. It was an incredible experience to see and hear these fantastic little birds so well. After viewing the alcids on the water, we visited a nearby puffin colony where we had excellent views of Tufted and Horned Puffins, Red-faced Cormorant, and Steller's Sea Lions. We then proceeded to deeper waters and, with the help of some chum, attracted 20 Laysan Albatross, a single Black-footed Albatross, three Northern Fulmar, and two Short-tailed Shearwaters. We spent quite some time with these birds as they swam and fed around the boat. It was a great photographic opportunity for albatross close-ups. After this incredible voyage on the Bering Sea we headed back to do some land birding. Because of the beautifully calm conditions on the island, viewing was spectacular throughout the day and birds were easy to locate. As a result we found the first Yellow-billed Loon of the season.

Tue, May 27 We started the day at the airport with Eurasian Wigeon, Tufted Duck, and both Common and Wilson's Snipe displaying overhead. At Contractor's Camp Marsh we found a Pectoral Sandpiper in alternate plumage, a rare spring bird on Adak. At Clam Lagoon we found two Pacific Golden-Plovers and relocated Yellow-billed Loon, Long-tailed Duck, and Mew Gull. Birding was soon interrupted by a call requesting our presence at Lake Andrew. Every time the call came through and the bird's name was broadcast there was too much static to hear the species. We decided to make haste to see this mystery bird. Upon arrival we learned that the bird was a Wood Sandpiper, but unfortunately it had flown over the hill just two minutes before we arrived. We birded in the direction where it had flown with no luck, so we returned to the original location of the sighting. No sign of the bird upon our return so I tried playback. Almost immediately it flew in, spotted by Mymm. In the end, everybody had excellent scope views of this Asian rarity.

Wed, May 28 Today we birded the Finger Bay area where we were happy to hear and see the resident race of Winter Wren. While scanning for ducks and alcids, we watched a Caribou swimming across the bay. After reaching the other side, it shot up the hillside at a full gallop – an incredible sight! Upon request we headed to Clam Lagoon for more looks at Pacific Golden-Plover, Harlequin Duck, Kittlitz's and Marbled Murrelets, and Sea Otters. Around the lagoon we were able to find a nice Wandering Tattler in alternate plumage. A trip to Lake Andrew produced a light-phase Parasitic Jaeger and close views of Red-necked Phalarope. After everyone retired for the evening, I went out and found nine Whiskered Auklets and a newly arrived Bar-tailed Godwit.

Thu, May 29 We began the day at Clam Lagoon and quickly relocated the Bar-tailed Godwit. On the way back we stopped at the National Forest and had brief views of a Hoary Redpoll before it flew out of sight. After lunch we greeted Ginger at the airport and said farewell to Mymm. We then set off to find some of the great birds of Adak. Since Ginger was a beginning birder it made my job easy and very satisfying. We found the Bar-tailed Godwit and made stops for the common resident birds as well. By dinner Ginger had eight life birds, a great start to her trip.

Fri, May 30 The ponds and wetlands near the airport yielded Eurasian Wigeon and both snipe in full display. On the grassy section of the runway we had ten Cackling Geese. In Kuluk Bay we watched White-winged and Black Scoters, Arctic Loon, and many alcids. Off to Clam Lagoon to look for new arrivals and to get Ginger caught up for the trip. Our best find was TWO Yellow-billed Loons. Later that day we learned there was a Wandering Tattler at Lake Andrew that we were able to relocate, much to everyone's satisfaction.

Sat, May 31 While Ginger and I were heading to the dock for the pelagic trip, a call came in from Frank and Barbara Haas who told us of a Common Greenshank that had just arrived at Sweeper Creek. As the birders were assembling, I returned to get Art and Rick so that they could also see the Greenshank. Ginger and I went out on the boat while Art and Rick birded with Frank and Barbara. On the way out on the pelagic the water was a bit rough, but Al's boat handled it well. When we arrived at the strait the water became relatively calm and birds started to appear everywhere! We were pleased to see large numbers of Whiskered Auklets, approximately 15,000 in total. When a group of 2000 flew from the water, three Cassin's Auklets remained. We slowly followed these Cassin's Auklets for about 15 minutes. We also saw good numbers of Crested and Parakeet Auklets. After leaving the strait we headed for several small islands. Here we had multitudes of Common Eiders and three Peregrine Falcons. We watched as one of the falcons attacked a Bald Eagle in a territorial dispute. The eagle landed on a sea cliff near to where its mate was sitting on a nest. The Peregrine came in a full stoop and punched the perched eagle in the back of the head with its feet. Shortly after impact the eagle fell backward over the cliff, appearing to be knocked senseless as it fell out of sight. About a minute later, the eagle that had been struck was flying out to sea, giving a loud scream. Several minutes later this same eagle returned to perch near its nest with its mate. Both birds threw their heads back and yelped in response to this experience. Once the eagle took flight again, it was quickly harassed by the falcon, resembling an aerial dogfight. After several passes at the eagle the falcon appeared to strike the eagle once more, which infuriated the eagle. This prompted it to attempt to grab the falcon in its talons. All of this was a simply spectacular show and it seems possible that this happens often, with these two species nesting in such close proximity. Back on land we learned that a Brambling had been seen earlier in the day near Sweeper Creek. We had a quick lunch and headed out to find it. Unfortunately the Brambling eluded us for the time being. After a long day the group was tired and we pinned our hopes on the following morning. I decided to go out by myself to look for this rarity, and at 10:00 PM it returned to the same small tree where it was first located. It settled into the grass, apparently to roost for the night.

Sun, 01 Jun We headed straight back to the small tree where the Brambling had been seen and were rewarded with close views. We checked beyond Sweeper Creek and everyone had close looks at the Common Greenshank. Working our way toward Contractor's Camp Marsh, we found a Bank Swallow and, while watching it, we noticed what appeared to be two small peeps fly by along with a small brown passerine. Unfortunately we could not locate these birds, again leaving their identification to our imagination. A close Hoary Redpoll was our last sighting before our departure to Anchorage, the end of three great weeks on Adak Island.

ADAK ISLAND ALASKA:
20-27 May 2007

ADAK ISLAND: Week # 1
14-21 May 2006

ADAK ISLAND, ALASKA TOUR:
22-29 May 2005

ADAK ISLAND, ALASKA
May 22-29, 2005
Trip report by John Puschock, Tour Leader

No time to drop off the luggage. We started birding as soon as we left the airport. I had arrived several days earlier to scout, so I knew there was an Emperor Goose just offshore near Clam Lagoon. They usually don't stay this late in spring, and I didn't want the group to miss it. A breeding-plumaged Yellow-billed Loon at the same location was another must-see bird, so we headed out to Clam Lagoon straight from the airport. Well, we didn't head straight there. I took a short detour to take a look at some Tufted Ducks first. We were also momentarily distracted by a Hoary Redpoll, a bird I had found several days earlier. The goose and the loon were still there when we arrived. We also saw them the next day, so I guess there was no need to rush.

As we drove back to town to unpack and have dinner, a call came over the radio from another group of birders. (There were two other private groups on the island. One group included several birders who had accompanied me during last fall's scouting trip.) Some shorebirds had been seen in flight on the north side of the airport. Two of them were Ruffs. The others were probably Wood Sandpipers, so I took my group to a marsh near the airport where that species had been seen in previous years. It was the right decision, as we flushed a group of five Wood Sandpipers. They landed nearby in some tall grass. We got looks at several of them as they stuck their heads above the vegetation. The Ruffs would have to wait for another day.

After dinner, we went back to Clam Lagoon and added a few other great birds to the trip list: Kittlitz's Murrelets, several Arctic Loons, Red-faced Cormorant, and Gyrfalcon. As we drove back to town at sunset (approximately 10:30 this time of year), we found a Short-eared Owl sitting on a post.

We started the next day at the marsh to look for the Wood Sandpipers. We quickly found one cooperative bird. It stood in the open for several minutes only 40 feet away, giving everyone scope-filling views. We then found several others that also allowed a close approach. Altogether, we saw six. We spent the rest of the day getting acquainted with some of the island's breeding birds: the Aleutian race of Green-winged Teal (a potential split from the American subspecies), the subspecies of Rock Ptarmigan endemic to Adak and a few nearby islands, Rock Sandpiper, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, the large Aleutian subspecies of Song Sparrow, Lapland Longspur, and Snow Bunting. We also had fantastic looks at Sea Otters, including a few with pups.

There was a bit of rain on the third day of the tour. There's usually at least some drizzle on most days, but this was a little more than usual. The winds were still out of the southwest as they had been over the past several days, so we had good conditions for Asian vagrants. We were at Clam Lagoon in the morning. We had already ticked off Aleutian Tern and were driving around the lagoon, searching for something new when a call came over the radio, "We have one of the curlews over here..." I immediately pushed the accelerator down. It was definitely going to be something good. "...it's a Far Eastern." We were there and had it in the scope in minutes. It's lucky we got there quickly because the curlew only stayed for about 10 minutes before flying off.

We had luck with a few other shorebirds later that day. We finally caught up with the two Ruffs, one male and one female, both in breeding plumage. We also had more close encounters with several Wood Sandpipers. But another big highlight of the trip happened just as we were finishing dinner. I heard some radio traffic, but it was broken up, so I walked outside for better reception. I asked what was going on, and it was big news. A Hawfinch had just been found in town. I ran back inside to get my group. We ran out and got there in minutes. After studying it in the scope, we walked back to our rooms. It was only a couple of hundred yards from where we were staying. Much to our surprise, the Hawfinch stuck around until the end of the tour, and we saw it everyday after the initial sighting. On one occasion I even saw it from our yard.

The southwest winds continued. On the fourth day, we were hiking along a stream south of town when Greg Steffen said, "There's something bobbing its tail." I saw the bird just ahead of us. I put the binoculars up just for confirmation before shouting "Common Sandpiper!" After enjoying the bird through the scope, we drove partway back to town to establish radio contact with the other birders. Then we went back to show them the bird and watched it some more.

We went out on a fishing boat the next day to look for Whiskered Auklet. Sailing out of Kulik Bay, we came across a good number of Horned and Tufted Puffins near shore. We then continued on, and as we emerged from a strait into the Pacific Ocean, we were greeted by a pod of Orcas and several Laysan Albatrosses. One albatross followed our boat for about 10 minutes. We began to see our first Whiskered Auklets. They were flushing from alongside the boat. We could see their light eyes and distinctive white bellies, but the seas were rough here, so we couldn't get lengthy views of these birds. But then as we headed into calmer waters on our way back to Kulik Bay, we came across more. In total we saw more than 50 birds. Some were in groups of ten or more. They were diving often, and some quickly flushed at our approach, but a few surfaced only about 40 to 50 feet from our boat, allowing us to see their white "whiskers" and thin head plumes. We also saw hundreds of Ancient Murrelets. As we started back to port, the captain spotted a few birds right off our bow -- Parakeet Auklets. I ran from the wheelhouse to the back of the boat to get the others. Unfortunately, the birds had flushed, and only one member of the group was able to see an auklet as it flew away.

The final three days of the tour were relatively uneventful compared to how it started. A low-pressure system to our east brought rain and north-northwest winds to Adak. The winds weren't favorable for finding more Asian vagrants, so we had to be content with some of the more "usual" birds: Eurasian Wigeon, Tufted and Harlequin Ducks, Gyrfalcon, Black Oystercatcher, Bar-tailed Godwit, Red-necked Phalarope, Arctic and Aleutian Terns, Marbled, Kittlitz's, and Ancient Murrelets, and of course Wood Sandpiper and Hawfinch. With a line-up like that, there were no complaints!

ADAK, ALASKA
12-26 September 2004
John Puschock, Leader
Trip Report by John Puschock

Adak is located in the central Aleutian Islands, 1300 miles southwest of Anchorage and only 400 miles east of Attu. The US military established several bases here during WWII to stage for the battles against the Japanese on Kiska and Attu. Following the war, the military presence continued on the island until the late 1990s when the US Navy closed its base. Access to the island was restricted while the base was active. It has been opened to the general public for only the past few years.

With the end of regular scheduled birding trips to Attu and the opening of Adak, Bird Treks decided to do a scouting trip to this island to explore its birding potential. While spring migration through the Aleutians – at least in the westernmost islands – is fairly well documented from more than 20 spring trips to Attu, the characteristics of fall migration aren't known as well. Only recently have trips to Gambell and St. Paul revealed the potential for Asian vagrants during this time of year. We thought that there was a good chance of finding some great birds on Adak as well, considering that it is further west than both of these locations. In fact, despite a limited amount of birding activity in the past, North America's first Broad-billed Sandpiper (Aug 1977) and second Marsh Sandpiper (Sep 1998) were found there.

We went to Adak Sep 12-26, 2004. I was the leader of this scouting trip, and was joined by Devich Farbotnik, Mitchell Hait, Jason Horn, Dorothy Poole, and Dotty Robbins. No one knew what to expect. I was thinking that if we could get 3 or 4 Asian vagrants, the trip would be a success. We were all happily surprised by what we found...

Leaving Anchorage, we all were excited to start our first Aleutian birding experience, and the 2.5-hour flight seemed longer than it actually was. The hour-long layover in King Salmon didn't help. Sightseeing from the air was limited once we reached the Bering Sea as most of the islands were covered by clouds, but some of the higher mountains were peeking above the cloud tops, most notably a volcano that was emitting some steam. About 2 hours after leaving King Salmon we were finally on our approach to Adak. We all started birding even before the plane landed – my first Adak bird was a Glaucous-winged Gull that I saw soon after we broke through the clouds. As the plane was touching down, others got a Bald Eagle sitting on a runway marker, followed soon after by a flock of Lapland Longspurs in flight.

We all wanted to start birding immediately, but first we had to figure out who in the crowd greeting the flight was the "hotel" manager and who was the car rental agent. Things are a little less formal in these places on the outskirts of civilization. There are no counters at the airport for car rentals, and the hotel is actually just a group of townhouses that had been housing for naval officers when the base was open. These are the same townhouses that most Adak residents also live in. We succeeded in finding the people we needed to find, filled out the paperwork, and were on our way to our home for the next couple of weeks.

We quickly got settled in to the townhouses and headed back out to start some serious birding. First stop was the Kulik Bay shoreline. Immediately, a Song Sparrow popped up to greet us. This isn't your normal everyday Song Sparrow. The subspecies on the Aleutians look unlike any other you have seen – it is large and dark, and in flight it reminded me of a huge Seaside Sparrow – a chunky bird desperately beating the air trying to stay aloft. A quick scan of the shoreline and bay started turning up lifers for everyone. A few Rock Sandpipers were working the water's edge, and Ancient and Marbled Murrelets, Common Murres, and Red-faced Cormorants were just offshore.

Next, we drove out to Clam Lagoon, the hotspot on the island. On the drive, we were continuously flushing flocks of Lapland Longspurs from the roadside. The first scan of the lagoon produced two dark morph Parasitic Jaegers and Green-winged Teal of the nimia subspecies. This form is a potential split. In fact, the British Ornithological Union has already split the Old World forms of Green-winged Teal (including nimia) from the American subspecies. Most of the ducks were in eclipse plumage during our stay, but the broad white borders of the speculum of these ducks showed that they were "Eurasian" Teal. There were also good numbers of Sea Otters and Harbor Seals to watch.

As we continued driving around Clam Lagoon, we found a flock of Rock Ptarmigan on the road in front of us. We had great looks as they ran down the road before finally taking flight. This scene was repeated several times a day throughout the rest of the trip.

We looked over Sitkin Sound just to the east of the lagoon and found a flock of about 10 Common Eiders, a larger flock of Harlequin Ducks, and more Red-faced and Pelagic Cormorants. It was starting to get late, so we turned around to return to town, but of course, we stopped to scan the lagoon again. Jason found our first Asian vagrant of the trip – a Common Tern of the longipennis subspecies from Siberia, another potential split.

Before heading to dinner, we made a quick drive through the south side of town and nearby areas. A stop at Sweeper Cove produced a Black Turnstone and Pigeon Guillemots, and I found the first Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches of the trip at an abandoned building overlooking Finger Bay. It was getting dark as we drove back to town, and the last bird of the day was a Short-eared Owl hunting near the airport.

Day 2 - Sep 13

I started the day by driving to the "gas station" to fill up our van. You can only get gas on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and then only for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. While waiting my turn (there's only one pump), I listened to a Winter Wren singing. But the first bird of the day for the rest of the crew was a gray morph Gyrfalcon sitting on a utility pole on the edge of town. Nice start!

Next, we headed back to Clam Lagoon. The usual flocks of longspurs were seen on the drive. I don't think we ever drove anywhere without seeing some. We quickly relocated the two Parasitic Jaegers. The Common Tern was gone, but there was more than enough to make us forget its absence. As we drove around the lagoon, I noticed a bird disappear over the grasses between the road and the water. I didn't think much of it. While it looked fairly big, I just thought that maybe it was a Song Sparrow. But then it flushed again, and after about one second to process what we were seeing, both Jason and I were shouting "Cuckoo!" I slammed on the brakes and everyone was out of the van in no time. We were able to watch it fly for about 10 seconds before it disappeared behind a hill.

We didn't see it well enough to know if it was a Common or an Oriental Cuckoo, and though we weren't sure where it had gone, we quickly came up with a plan to track it down. While Jason, Dotty, and I hiked up the hill to try to flush it, the rest of the group was looking down by the road in case it had doubled-back.

While hiking out to the spot where we last saw it, Jason and I flushed a small bird that was obviously something good, i.e., another Asian vagrant. It gave a call that neither of us recognized. It took us by surprise and flew away very fast, but we were able to follow it in flight and noted where it landed. We'd get back to it as soon as the cuckoo hunt was over.

Well, we never managed to figure out where the cuckoo had gone, so we focused our attention on the new mystery bird. We flushed it several times, but every time it would quickly fly and drop back into thick grass. Once it flew up high and joined a flock of longspurs. We could see that it was slightly smaller than the longspurs, but we didn't get much else. Another time, Jason noted white outer tail feathers. We had a chance when it landed near a bare area on a hillside along a stream. Devich and Jason saw it pop up in this spot, but it flew before either one could get binoculars on it. Eventually, we lost track of it, so we had to accept that we just had seen two very good birds but that we wouldn't be able to count either one of them. We had to console ourselves over the next several hours with a female Tufted Duck, an immature "Peale's" Peregrine Falcon, and an Arctic Loon.

After exploring some other areas, we were back at Clam Lagoon near the end of the day. Earlier, Jason had spotted a small gray sandpiper, but it was too far away for a positive ID. Now we were walking around the lagoon but weren't finding anything new. As Mitchell and I were returning to the van, a small sandpiper flushed from the edge of the grass. It was probably the same bird Jason had found earlier, but at close range, the now obvious white outer tail feathers made the ID a snap – it was a Temminck's Stint.

After everyone got killer looks at it from only about 50 feet away, we decided to drive around the lagoon some more. A rainstorm was moving in (typical weather on Adak is rain showers then sun followed by clouds – this pattern generally repeats every 20 minutes) just as Jason found a group of 3 Long-billed Dowitchers and a bird he first thought was a Marsh Sandpiper. Initially, I was reluctant to believe that's what it was. It just didn't look quite like the photos of Marsh Sandpipers that I'd seen. We went closer for better looks and to videotape it. But the rain was making viewing conditions difficult, and the birds flew. We really weren't sure what it was – maybe a Wilson's Phalarope (which would also be very rare for the island) – but something didn't seem quite right about it. Just as I was starting to think it actually was a Marsh Sandpiper, Jason was beginning to doubt his initial ID. We were all very tired after that first full day of birding and neglected to look at the video once we got home...

We started the day again by driving up to Clam Lagoon. Most of the birds from the previous day were still around – Tufted Duck and Peregrine at Clam Lagoon, two Gyrfalcons flying around north of the airport. We went back to the area where we flushed the cuckoo and the "mystery bird" on the previous day. As we worked the area, we ended up spread out over several hundred yards. Soon I heard Jason yelling and waving his arms. Running back, I learned that he saw a Fork-tailed Swift as he was watching a flock of Longspurs fly past. He mentioned that there may have been more than one.

The bird had flown west, more or less back to the area I had been searching. I went back to this spot, but now I started scanning the sky uphill from my location. Soon I spotted a swift...then another...and another...my first count was at least 9 or 10! Everyone else got on some of these birds, and we decided to drive up to the top of the hill for better looks. We found the flock, and now some of the birds were flying right over our heads. My conservative count was 13, but Jason was guessing as high as 30. A little later in the morning about a mile away at the bluffs near Lake Andrew, Devich's minimum count was 17. While counting the swifts, he also noticed a bird sitting on a wire near him. Unfortunately, it flew down into a restricted canyon while everyone else was trying to get to his location, but luckily he was able to get some video of it. The video showed that it was a Gray-streaked Flycatcher.

We went back to Lake Andrew to try to find the flycatcher. It was not seen again, but the swifts were back, and Devich and I separately counted a minimum of 23! There were probably even more than that. A flock of Black-legged Kittiwakes was in the middle of Lake Andrew, and we had a probable immature Red-legged Kittiwake with them, but it was too far for me to comfortably count it.

During our midday check of Clam Lagoon, the "mystery" sandpiper from two days earlier was refound, and this time there was no question about its identity. It was a Marsh Sandpiper. A white edge up the middle of its back was seen well when it flew, and we could now see it's thin bill, yellowish legs, and overall slim body shape as it fed close to us. We were able to get video of the bird, and assuming it's accepted, this will be only the third record for North America; the second record was also from Adak in September 1998. The Temminck's Stint was still in the lagoon, but now with the excitement of seeing the Marsh Sandpiper, this bird that had been one of the stars of the trip was barely looked at. Later, we also found another great rarity for the island, but one that was difficult to appreciate due to our North American bias: Yellow Warbler. Jason and Devich went out later after dinner and found a small lake that held one, maybe two Eurasian Wigeon.

We started the day at the lake with the wigeon. Mitchell needed it for an ABA lifer, but we planned our approach to the lake poorly and accidentally flushed the birds before most of us could get a look. But just before the flock flew, I noticed at least one Eurasian Wigeon, so we knew the birds were still around.

We then hiked through a wet area near the airport and flushed several snipe, at least one of which was a Common, a Eurasian species recently split from the North American Wilson's Snipe. The Marsh Sandpiper was still at Clam Lagoon and we also found a Lesser Sand Plover (until recently known as Mongolian Plover) in basic plumage, which was a lifer for some. This bird was very cooperative, giving everyone great looks and allowing us to see the diagnostic lack of a collar around the nape and its long legs. It was in a small flock with a Baird's Sandpiper and the Temminck's Stint. All three were often in the same scope view. You don't get to see that too often.

By this point, we came to expect at least three or more Asian birds everyday. Yes, we were getting spoiled, and we were going to be spoiled some more. We had talked to Jeff Williams, a USFWS biologist who lives on Adak, and he pointed out a stream near town that he said was good for wagtails and reed buntings during spring, so we decided to check it out that afternoon.

We parked the van and got out to take a look. As soon as we got there, a large brown bird flew off the right embankment and Jason and I were both immediately shouting "Cuckoo!" again. The bird continued up over the left embankment into a small residential area. Everyone spread out again, but we couldn't find it. We were all starting to think that we'd be leaving the island with only "cuckoo sp." on the trip list, but in about 15 minutes, a call came over the radio from Dotty that the cuckoo was right in front of her in a gravel parking lot. We quickly tracked her down (well, everyone except Jason who had disappeared up-canyon), and got scope-filling views of the bird as it fed in the parking lot. The only problem was that we couldn't decide if it was a Common or Oriental Cuckoo. It didn't seem to match up well with either species, despite the great looks we were getting. Dorothy eventually tracked Jason down, and everyone got the bird. Dorothy also settled the ID issue, determining that it was an immature Oriental Cuckoo with the help of "Birds of Europe" and, to a lesser extent, "Birds of Korea". The fact that the North American field guides only show the adult plumages of Old World cuckoos is another sign of how little birding has been done in western Alaska during fall.

Not much happened today other than a flat tire and more looks at Oriental Cuckoo, Temminck's Stint, Lesser Sand Plover – the usual stuff. However, the Marsh Sandpiper was not refound. My first day on the island without a lifer! But we did get to see some Snow Buntings, including some birds in juvenal plumage, as a consolation.

During our morning rounds of Clam Lagoon, we discovered a large movement of Short-tailed Shearwaters on Sitkin Sound. Jason also spotted an albatross that was almost certainly a Laysan. We all jumped into the van and headed up to the abandoned Loran Station at the north end of the island, perhaps the best sea watching spot on Adak. The shearwaters were moving past the point by the hundreds, if not thousands, though they were fairly far from shore. We didn't find the Laysan Albatross, but several Black-footed Albatrosses were seen among the shearwaters. A pod of Orcas was also visible far offshore.

We desperately tried to get some new trip birds for Mitchell and Dorothy who were leaving on the flight back to Anchorage that afternoon. We couldn't get them anything new before they had to head to the airport, but within 30 minutes of there departure, we found two more Fork-tailed Swifts near town, followed by our first Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Clam Lagoon about an hour later, thereby continuing the superstition of The Sacrifice – the belief that the departure of someone will soon be followed by great birds for those who remain.

For the most part, the second week didn't produce as much as the first week – or maybe we had become jaded to all the birds we were seeing – and the migration seemed to be winding down. Shorebirds numbers were dropping, and some of the alcids that had been easy to find at the beginning of our stay were dispersing offshore now that the breeding season was over. Even longspurs were starting to thin out. Sure, we still saw them everyday, but just not in the massive hordes that we had grown accustomed to.

We started exploring some other areas of the island this week, looking for possible hotspots we might have missed. One interesting location was the stream that empties into Finger Bay. It was choked with spawning salmon. Some parts of the stream were totally full of fish, their dorsal fins poking out above the water from bank to bank. This aggregation of course attracted a big flock of Glaucous-winged Gulls and some Bald Eagles.

With things slowing down somewhat on land, we took more time to scan Kulik Bay for alcids. On several days, Jason and Devich found Parakeet and Least Auklets. Crested and Cassin's Auklets were also seen once. The waters of the bay were clear and, from a cliff, I enjoyed watching a Red-faced Cormorant as it dove in search of fish close to shore. During one scanning session, we had a flock of 50-100 Cackling Geese (just split from Canada Goose several months ago) fly overhead. I was expecting to see more of these birds. Apparently, they're easier to see in spring.

Here are some other highlights from the second week:

– The Oriental Cuckoo was last seen on Sep 21. We were able to watch it for about 30 minutes on that day, and I got several photographs from as close as 30 feet. [See the photo in our 2005 Bird Treks catalog.]

– Several more Sharp-tailed Sandpiper sightings. After flushing one bird, Jason imitated its call as it flew overhead, and it quickly came down, looking like it was headed straight for him. It peeled off at the last second.

– On our first drive around Clam Lagoon on the morning of Sep 22, Jason noticed a bird flush from beside the road. It had a large amount of yellow on it, and Jason was guessing it was a wagtail, probably a Gray Wagtail. We started looking for it and flushed it again, only to lose track of it. It was raining at the time and pretty windy, so we decided to back off and give it time to return to where we had seen it – Jason had noticed a large number of insects in the area, so it seemed like a good bet that it would come back. After the weather cleared in an hour, we went back. Again, we flushed it several times, but it wasn't being very cooperative and we lost it again before getting a good look. However, it did fly overhead once, revealing that its tail was the same length as its body, supporting Jason's impression that it was a Gray Wagtail. Since it had returned once, we figured it would come back again. After waiting another hour or two, we came back for a third try. This time we had a strategy, and when we relocated it, we didn't rush it, knowing that it was very flighty. It flushed a couple of times, but each time it just moved further down along the shore of the lagoon, and when it flew, we were able to see the diagnostic white stripe on the wing confirming that it was a Gray Wagtail. With patience, we were able to get some looks at it through the scope as it foraged on rocks along the water's edge.

– Sep 22 was also Gyrfalcon day. We watched 3 Gyrfalcons playing and diving at each other over a cliff just two blocks from our apartment. We saw 6 overall that day.

– Emperor Geese were seen at several locations on Sep 23. Three were just offshore at Sitkin Sound in the morning, and they later came to roost on Clam Lagoon at sunset. We also saw two others on the shore of Kulik Bay.

– A Pacific Golden-Plover was on the road between Sitkin Sound and Clam Lagoon on Sep 23. We were able to approach as close as 20 feet in the van.

– We had several more sightings of Eurasian Wigeon. The highlight was 4-5 on Sep 24, including a male mostly out of eclipse plumage on Sep 24. The Green-winged Teal were also losing their eclipse plumage near the end of our stay, and we were able to observe several males.

– A hike to Shagdak Bay on the 24^th turned up an apparent Glaucous-winged X Slaty-backed Gull hybrid. Devich also saw an alternate-plumaged Yellow-billed Loon flying toward the ocean.

– On our last morning on the island, we drove out to the Loran Station to try our luck with some sea watching. The winds was coming out of the north, so I thought that maybe some seabirds would be pushed closer to shore. Well, it took a little longer than expected to get out to the station as we flushed something from the side of the road along the way. It was definitely an Asiatic. We just had to figure out what exactly it was. The second time we flushed it, it called just like the bird that we had flushed almost two weeks before while looking for the first cuckoo. But just like that bird, we couldn't get a good look at it, and we soon lost it as it flew out of sight.

We then went back to the sea watch and I quickly spotted a Laysan Albatross. Then Devich spotted one and then another one. It soon became apparent that there was a pretty good movement of albatrosses, along with thousands of Short-tailed Shearwaters, but unlike our last sea watch from this spot, most of them were Laysans. In 30 minutes we spotted at least 30, with a few Black-footeds mixed in. Devich also saw another Yellow-billed Loon fly past.

On the drive back to town to get ready for our trip home, we again flushed a bird from alongside the road, most likely the one we were trying to track down earlier that morning. Again, we had trouble getting a decent look at it, but at one point, it landed on a bare area uphill from the road. The sun was just above the hill, making viewing conditions difficult. The bird soon flew off, but Devich and I were able to see enough that I finally determined it was an Olive-backed Pipit, but only after lots of research when I got home to eliminate Red-throated, Pechora, and Tree Pipits as possibilities. After a morning like that, it was difficult to get on the plane to leave, but we began our journey home.