ITINERARY

Day

Agenda

You'll depart Anchorage and arrive in Adak, with some pretty impressive scenery along the way. From the airport we'll make the short drive to our lodging facilities, comfortable two-bedroom apartments that formerly housed naval officers when the base was active. They are all equipped with cable TV, telephone, a kitchen, and washer and dryer. As soon as everyone is settled, we'll begin birding. Our first stop is an overlook of Kulik Bay to look for alcids and cormorants. From there, we'll continue to Clam Lagoon, THE hotspot on Adak. This location has yielded North America's first Spot-billed Duck and Broad-billed Sandpiper. On recent fall tours we found Marsh Sandpiper, Temminck's Stint, Little Stint, Lesser Sand-Plover, Gray Wagtail, and other good birds at the lagoon.

Clam Lagoon is one of the prime birding areas on Adak Island.

--John Puschock

2-7

We'll spend most of our days looking for seabirds, shorebirds, Asian vagrants, other migrants, and some of the island's resident species such as Lapland Longspur, Snow Bunting, and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. We'll check Clam Lagoon once or twice daily, plus other areas such as the old Loran station at the north end of the island to look for seabirds that may include Black-footed and Laysan Albatrosses. We'll visit Lake Andrew where we saw Gray-streaked Flycatcher on a past tour, and the town itself where we found an Oriental Cuckoo. Part of the excitement of birding on Adak Island is that you never know what may show up where or when.

One of the Asian vagrants found on a recent scouting trip was this immature Oriental Cuckoo.

--John Puschock

An offshore boat trip is a possibility, depending upon the interest of the participants, the weather, and availability of the boat and captain. If the boat can go out we will be in search of Whiskered Auklet and other seabirds such as albatrosses, Short-tailed Shearwater, Northern Fulmar, and a variety of alcids. We will try to schedule this trip early in the week so that we have a back-up date in case of bad weather. We will make every effort to take the boat trip as we feel that it will be productive. If for any reason it does not go, you will receive a refund for the boat portion of the tour fee. The status of Whiskered Auklet in the fall near Adak is relatively unknown. We will make every reasonable attempt to find this rarity using all of the information at hand, including the experience of our local boat captains.

We'll take one more look at Clam Lagoon and perhaps a few other sites, then return to town to prepare for the return flight to Anchorage.

A Garganey, coming in for a landing.

--John Puschock, Clam Lagoon, Sep 2007

Leader:

This tour will be led by John Puschock, author of the Adak Island chapter in the upcoming revision of the Birder's Guide to Alaska, and a chapter of the current edition. John formerly operated four bird-banding stations in northwestern Alaska. He has conducted numerous, highly successful tours to Adak Island and other portions of our 49^th state.

Price:

$3495 per person for one week. Price may go up or down slightly due to factors beyond our control. We will do our best to hold to the quoted price. If you stay on Adak for additional time past the one week, which we STRONGLY ADVISE, the fee for the extra days will be pro-rated accordingly. Also, dependent upon the rooming arrangements, we may be able to offer a discount for any couple sharing a bed.

Includes:

Expert guide service, lodging for every night on Adak, ALL meals, entrance fees and permits, all ground transportation on Adak. ALL tips are also included in the tour fee, except for anything that you may wish to give to your tour leader(s) and boat captain.
Does not include the cost of airfare to and from Anchorage and Adak. BIRD TREKS will, upon request, help you obtain the best airfare. Please consider using American Airlines frequent flyer miles that are also applicable to AlaskaAir, the only airline that flies to Adak. Also not included are the cost of alcoholic beverages and items of a personal nature.

Deposit:

A $900 deposit will assure your reservation on the tour. The balance is payable 10 June 2008. Adak is a spectacular birding destination that has only recently become accessible to the birding public. We expect these tours to fill quickly. Send your deposit soon to insure your reservation and to obtain the best possible airfare to Anchorage.

Extra
Services:

We offer the services of our exclusive BIRD TREKS travel agent, Lori Heathcote, in arranging your air travel. Lori has 22 years of experience in the travel industry and is a veteran birder. Contact her through Bailey Travel at 1-800-224-5399, or you can e-mail lori@baileytravel.com. By dealing with Lori you have the security of a 24-hour toll-free telephone number in case of any travel emergency. She can also assist you with all pre- and post-tour travel plans.

Refund &
Cancellation
Policy:

With written notice more than 90 days prior to the first day of the tour, 100% of your deposit will be refunded, minus a $100 service fee. With 30-90 days notice, you will receive a 50% refund of the full cost of the tour. No refund can be made with less than 30 days notice. You will receive a full refund if you provide a replacement for your spot on the tour. No partial refund can be given once a tour begins. We strongly recommend that you purchase trip cancellation insurance to protect your investment in case of injury or illness to you or your family prior to or during a tour. Click on the following link to Access America or contact BIRD TREKS for information on obtaining this coverage.

Robert M. Schutsky
216 Spring Lane
Peach Bottom, PA 17563
Phone: 717-548-3303
Fax: 717-548-3327
e-mail: info@birdtreks.com

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