Extreme Birder: One Woman's Big Year

June: Alaskan Adventures

J u n e Alaskan Adventures new bird species seen this month: 24 totaL bird species by the end of the month: 604 pLaces birded: Alaska,Texas June 2 Yesterday I drove up toward Denali, getting as far as the road that goes to Denali State Park before Sheridan called me on my cell phone to tell of a reported Boreal Owl about 80 miles up the Glenn Highway near Sheep Mountain Lodge (about 160 miles from me). Since it was raining and I wasn’t finding much, I turned around and drove toward them. A chance at a Boreal Owl could not be passed up, but we found no owls. About 4:30 p.m. I gave up and headed back to Anchorage to pack up for the next leg of my Alaska travels. I am eagerly hoping for an influx of goodies at Gambell on St. Lawrence Island. This morning I waited for the Wilderness Birding Adventures group to gather at the Anchorage airport. We are supposed to have only 40 pounds each of luggage, including binoculars, camera and lens, scope and tripod, and carry-on. I know my belongings spread all around me are overweight. I have briefly met the tour participants for the Gambell trip. Bert Frenz, a Texas birder and caravaner, and some of his group are the other Texans on the participant list. We are now coming down in Kotzebue. There is still ice on huge areas of the water here. I assume there will be open water around St. Lawrence Island since it is out in the ocean currents. June 3 I am sitting in the living room on Gambell, nearly every bone aching, eyes bloodshot from the wind. After we arrived here, we almost immediately did a sea watch, because an Ivory Gull had been seen. We watched icebergs and januarY 105 a Little Bunting hiding in the boneyards at Gambell, alaska, was a welcome treat (june 3). Finally a nonhybrid McKay’s Bunting was seen at Gambell (june 3). junE extreme birder 106 alcids drift by, and I added White Wagtail, Black Guillemot, Steller’s Eider, Little Bunting, Bluethroat, and a true well-seen McKay’s Bunting on the first day. Finally, the McKay’s Bunting is a full bird species on my year list, and no longer three-fourths of a bird. I got pictures of the bunting, so white. The boneyards, where much birding is done, are essentially dumping areas for the leftover remains of slaughtered sea animals such as walruses. Old dried rib cages and other bones are piled and scattered about, with weedy vegetation protruding through, and dug-out holes where villagers have sought bones for their carving endeavors. Little birds straying to Gambell from Asia use these boneyards to hide from the wind (and from birders) in a landscape devoid of trees. Most of the rarities found at Gambell are found in one of the boneyards, named for their location or shape (e.g., “far boneyard,” “circular boneyard”). Today was a marathon. After the sea watch and an Ivory Gull, we walked around the lake clockwise. When we got to the south end of the lake, we saw two Common Ringed Plovers, which I understand nest here, and a beautiful Yellow Wagtail. One of the other women and I slogged the whole way around the lake. That was when I nearly collapsed of tiredness, but when the call came in for a Red-throated Pipit, I went out to see it. I’m so sore from walking—hips, head, all. I’m at 590 species. Common ringed Plovers nest on St. Lawrence Island, alaska (june 3). januarY 107 junE June 4 Again I’m recovering from being out at the sea watch earlier where the sleet was blowing at 20–30 miles per hour horizontally. I added one bird today, so far—Sabine’s Gull, of which there were at least two in breeding plumage and one immature that flew by the sea watch. Plus, we had an Ivory Gull, or more than one, coasting by multiple times, and once actually briefly landing on and pecking at the water. All of this was just a couple of hundred feet or less off the beach. June 6 We are in a nine-seater plane from Gambell to Nome, and it’s a beautiful sunny day. At the sea watch this morning, the wind was a...