Monday 20 August 2018

Saint Paul Island - Alaskan birding at its best

Alaska’s a massively wildlife rich place, but for the last few years there has been one place that has been the aim above any other. Remote, lying midway in the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia, St. Paul Island was essentially the reason for my trip here. Probably best known to most for being one of the main harbours in the TV show The Deadliest Catch (and its associated King Crabs), it is also one of the real jewels when it comes to seabirds. Spring and autumn time, it functions (along with Gambell) as North America’s equivalent to Corvo where Asian mega vagrants are what the hardcore ABA listers go there for. St. Paul is essentially a rock of 22 square miles with just a couple of flights a week from Anchorage that are weather dependent, one hotel that is attached to the airport (or is the airport attached to the hotel?), meals served in the canteen of the Trident Fish Factory… you get the idea.

However, my main aim of this summer's trip to Alaska was to see Red-legged Kittiwake on St. Paul Island and that I certainly did. It is probably the most accessible place to reliably see this species, and so due to flight schedules I was able to spend four fantastic days on this rock. Though still outnumbered by Black-legged Kittiwakes quite considerably, there are good breeding populations on the cliffs and they come into the harbour at times, sitting nicely on the jetties. I saw them in several spots, often flying by among the Black-legged Kittiwakes, but also in the town harbour and cliffs at Ridge Wall and Reef Point. Proper quality birds, with that big eye allowing them to feed nocturnally (similar to Swallow-tailed Gulls!): -


Red-legged Kittwake St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018
Shortly behind Red-legged Kittiwake, St Paul is a mecca for some crippling alcids. And they show exceptionally well too. Most of the cliffs are loaded mostly with Brunnich’s Guillemots and lesser numbers of Guillemot (nice to write these Anglicised having had to call them Thick-billed and Common Murres out in the field!). Plus the two clowns of the Pacific in abundance too, Horned and Tufted Puffins: -

Tufted Puffin St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018


Horned Puffin St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018
Brunnich's Guillemot St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018
One of the reasons a lot of birders come to St. Paul though is the views of breeding auklets, where elsewhere they’re often distant lumps on the sea, here they are up close and in your face. Parakeet Auklets and the much scarcer Crested Auklets chill out on rock ledges before heading into their nests in deep rock crevices, while the gremlinesque Least Auklets seemed to prefer the boulder beaches to breed. All such good birds, and a massive thrill to see in such good numbers: -
Parakeet Auklet St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018

Crested Auklet St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018


Least Auklet St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018
Red-faced Cormorants were the commonest breeding cormorant on the cliffs, and having only seen them at relative distance in Japan previously, the views on St. Paul of this range restricted species were rather better: -

Red-faced Cormorant St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018
St. Paul though has other birds too, and where the four most common species are Grey-crowned Rosy Finch, Rock Sandpiper, Lapland Bunting and Snow Bunting then you know you’re in for a decent haul. Habitat wise, a lot of the island was grassland with nearly fledged Rock Sandpipers hopping about pretty regularly – so you get a bit blasé given elsewhere they’re a target bird: -
young Rock Sandpiper St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018

Grey-crowned Rosy Finch St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018

juvenile Snow Bunting St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018


Lapland Bunting St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018
A lot of the Rock Sandpipers could be found foraging in flocks at Salt Lagoon just outside of town while walking around other lagoons such as Antone Lake and Pumphouse Lagoon provided some pretty mega views too: -
Rock Sandpiper St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018
Dreamland if you’re into your Arctic waders. There were several Wandering Tattlers seen along the coast – probably about a dozen in total – while Semipalmated Plovers and Red-necked Phalaropes evidently bred on the islands: -
Red-necked Phalarope St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018
I also located a flock of seven Pacific Golden Plovers at High Bluffs, on the west side of the island, one afternoon while a Grey Phalarope flew in off the sea there too (as well as there being a big flock of them out to sea from Reef Point too one morning).
adult Pacific Golden Plover St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018
There were lots of Harlequin Ducks around the coast, as well as Long-tailed Ducks as well as a couple of White-winged Scoters from Northeast Point one afternoon. Across the island, I saw about 15 King Eiders – including twelve together at Northeast Point – while this one in town on Salt Lagoon was the showiest of the crew: -
King Eider St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018
I spotted a couple of Vega Gulls during the trip, a third-summer and first-summer, but both birds were a bit distant among the Glaucous-winged Gulls. An Arctic Skua ditched down on Antone Lake on my last morning, a handful of Short-tailed Shearwaters cruised by offshore while this Short-eared Owl quartered the grassland on the first evening on the island: -
Short-eared Owl St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018
Other than the birds, the island is packed full of Northern Fur Seal rookeries which meant a good number of the beaches were off limits during my trip. But they showed nice enough, and it was obvious too it was pupping season, particularly at Zapatni Bay. There were also some Harbour Seals and one afternoon while seawatching from Webster, in the northeast of the island, a couple of Fin Whales breached a few times albeit distantly.
Northern Fur Seal St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018
The only land mammal that was about, and quite abundant, were the Arctic Foxes. It’s a blue morph that occurs on St. Paul, and there were quite a few family groups about during the trip, particularly in the town as well as a den near our hotel at the airport.

Arctic Fox St. Paul Island, Alaska July 2018
Doing St. Paul as an independent traveller is tricky, and you do have to go through St. Paul Island Tours. It’s not cheap but, as with everything in life, you get what you pay for. I lucked out with a decent group of five of us (two Belgians and two Americans), all of us happy to just keep on going and lap up as much as possible on the island during our four days and three nights. Much appreciation too to the two resident guides there, Claudia and Sulli, who were chilled out, accommodating and showed us the place nicely. It’ll be a trip I remember for as long as I live – such a decent place, and full of birds and remoteness. Thoroughly recommend it above most of the places I’ve ever visited.

5 comments:

  1. Hello Everybody,
    My name is Mrs Sharon Sim. I live in Singapore and i am a happy woman today? and i told my self that any lender that rescue my family from our poor situation, i will refer any person that is looking for loan to him, he gave me happiness to me and my family, i was in need of a loan of $250,000.00 to start my life all over as i am a single mother with 3 kids I met this honest and GOD fearing man loan lender that help me with a loan of $250,000.00 SG. Dollar, he is a GOD fearing man, if you are in need of loan and you will pay back the loan please contact him tell him that is Mrs Sharon, that refer you to him. contact Dr Purva Pius, call/whats-App Contact Number +918929509036 via email:(urgentloan22@gmail.com) Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MACAW PARROt
    Macaw Parrots For Sale Text or call +1(512) 598-8125
    Hello, and welcome to our website for the best hand raised macaw parrots for sale.
    We pride ourselves in the best taming practices of macaws among aviaries.
    All of our macaws are bred in a disease-free Biosecure breeding sanctuary.
    They are well socialized, having been raised in our home as members of our
    own family in order for them to become ready to be a member of yours.
    They are quite comfortable around all ages, including the elderly and young children.
    When you purchase a bird from Us, we are committed to offering lifetime support and guidance to you and your family.

    Hand Raised Parrots for Sale, Macaw Parrots for Sale
    Macaws are playful and active and they have excited personalities to go along with their sizes.
    But this also makes them very challenging pets. They do have the ability to say words and mimic
    our speech but it is not as clear as some other pet bird species.
    Because they are so intelligent, macaws can be trained. You can start when your pet bird is young,
    and work on hand-feeding, teaching your bird to talk or sing, and training your macaw not to nip, bite, or scream.
    Text or call +1(512) 643-7439


    MACAW PARROTS
    Macaw Parrots For Sale

    blue macaw for sale

    blue and gold macaw breeder

    Scarlet Macaw

    defferent types of macaw available for sale

    blue headed macaw for sale

    parrots for sale

    macaw for sale near me

    red bellied macaw

    Text or call +1(512) 598-8125

    ReplyDelete
  3. Real testimony and Good news !!!

    My name is mohammad, I just received my loan and it has been transferred to my bank account, a few days ago I applied to Dangote Loan Company through Lady Jane (Ladyjanealice@gmail.com), I asked Lady jane about the Dangote Loan Company's requirements and Jane told me that if I had all the terms my loan would be transferred to me without delay

    And believe me now as my Rp11bn loan with 2% interest rate for my Coal Mining business has just been approved and transferred to my account this is a dream to come, I promise Lady jane that I will tell the world if this is true? and I'm going to tell the world right now because it's true

    You don't have to pay registration fees, license fees, comply with the Dangote Loan Company and you will get your loan

    for more details contact me via email: mahammadismali234@gmail.com and contact the Dangote Loan Company for your loan now via email Dangotegrouploandepartment@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. One of the most popular shells here is the leather back which is around 25 feet long and a quarter of an inch in diameter. It makes a great clam shell with its rounded shape and large eye. You also may find your ideal details/information about marco island boat tours on Junonia shell.

    ReplyDelete
  5. QUALITY SSN DOB DL HIGH CREDIT SCORES Leads
    Tutorials & E-Books For Ethical Hacking
    Tools For Everything You Need

    I'm On Telegram = @killhacks & I C Q = 752822040

    Stuff for Learning purpose
    (Spamming, Ethical Hacking, LINUX, Programming, etc. )

    Deals in all kind of Tools, Tutorials, E-books, Leads/Fullz/Pros
    Availability 24/7
    FASTEST DELIVERY

    Build Your Own Business with proper guide
    Always glad to serve

    GOOD LUCK
    Here I'm:
    I C Q = 752822040
    Tele-gram = @leadsupplier

    ReplyDelete