Alaska Bird Tours - Unrivalled Experience Finds More Birds
Planning Your Alaska Experience
High Lonesome BirdTours offer the most comprehensive schedule of any birding company visiting Alaska, allowing you to combine trips in a convenient, cost-effective manner.
Frommer's “Alaska” says of us: “Among the largest and most reputable operators coming to Alaska is Arizona-based High Lonesome BirdTours (1-800-743-2668 or (520) 458-9446; www.hilonesometours.com), priding itself on relaxed trips for small groups. All-inclusive tours visit Kenai, Denali, Nome, Gambell, Barrow, Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, Adak and the Pribilof Islands.”
In 2010, we are offering combinations with built-in discounts to simplify your planning. Check out the heading "Discounted Combination Tours" under tours currently available for multiple-trip discounts. Participants taking more than one consecutive trip will get the “overnights” between trips free (up to three consecutive nights). “Frequent flyer” discounts apply as well.
If you are interested in a combination of tours not listed here, please call us and we will do our best to organize what you require.
Please note that prices are best estimates for 2010. As all of you know, fuel costs have escalated dramatically. Alaska is especially vulnerable to price increases due to shipping cost increases. We try to hold the line on these prices, but we may have to make some adjustments if airfares and lodging costs go up dramatically.
A GOOD YEAR IN ALASKA 2009
We had an excellent spring in Alaska in 2009. Below is a partial list of birds seen with emphasis on rarities and Alaska Specialties. This might be helpful in making a decision about which trips to take.
| SPECIES | LOCATION |
|
TAIGA BEAN GOOSE Emperor Goose CACKLING GOOSE EURASIAN WIGEON Common Teal A.c. crecca TUFTED DUCK Steller’s Eider Spectacled Eider Willow Ptarmigan Rock Ptarmigan Laysan Albatross Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel SMEW ARCTIC LOON YELLOW-BILLED LOON Red-faced Cormorant Rough-legged Hawk Gyrfalcon COMMON RINGED PLOVER COMMON SANDPIPER GREEN SANDPIPER COMMON GREENSHANK WOOD SANDPIPER WHIMBREL N.p. variegates Bristle-thighed Curlew Bar-tailed Godwit BLACK-TAILED GODWIT Black Turnstone RED-NECKED STINT LONG-TOED STINT Baird’s Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Rock Sandpiper (all 3 AK races) CURLEW SANDPIPER Buff-breasted Sandpiper Ruff COMMON SNIPE Red Phalarope BLACK-HEADED GULL Slaty-backed Gull Red-legged Kittiwake Sabine’s Gull Ivory Gull Pomarine Jaeger Parasitic Jaeger Long-tailed Jaeger Common Tern S.h. longipennis Dovekie Black Guillemot Pigeon Guillemot Marbled Murrelet Kittlitz’s Murrelet Ancient Murrelet Least Auklet Whiskered Auklet Crested Auklet Horned Puffin Tufted Puffin Snowy Owl Short-eared Owl Arctic Warbler SKYLARK Bluethroat Northern Wheatear EYEBROWED THRUSH DUSKY THRUSH Yellow Wagtail WHITE WAGTAIL RED-THROATED PIPIT RUSTIC BUNTING BRAMBLING |
(Adak; 2nd documented record in North America) Gambell 1, Nome 2 Adak, Pribilofs 1 Adak, Pribilofs Adak, Pribilofs 1 & 2 Adak, Nome 1 Gambell 1 & 2, Barrow Gambell 1, Barrow Nome 1,2,3 Adak (subspecies), Nome 1,2,3 Adak Adak, Pribilofs 1 Gambell 1 (male & female) Adak, Gambell 1 & 2, Nome 2 & 3 Gambell 1 & 2, Barrow Adak, Pribilofs 1 & 2 Nome 1,2 & 3; Gambell 2 Nome 2 & 3 Gambell 2 Pribilofs 1, Gambell 1 Gambell 1 (only 2nd record outside far Aleutians since 1982) Pribilofs 1, Gambell 2 Adak, Pribilofs 1, Gambell 1, 2 Gambell 1 (Siberian race and possible split) Gambell 1, Nome 1, 2 & 3 Adak, Nome 1,2 & 3 Adak, Pribilofs 1, Gambell 1 Nome 1, 2 & 3 Adak, Gambell, Nome Adak Barrow Barrow Adak, Pribilofs 1 & 2; Gambell 1 & 2 Seen at Nome between our 2 trips by Swedish group Barrow Gambell 1; Barrow (2 males, breeding plumage) Adak, Pribilofs 1, Gambell 1, 2 Gambell 1, Nome 1 Gambell 1 Pribilofs 1; Gambell 1 & 2; Nome 3 Pribilofs 1 & 2 Nome 1, 2, 3; Barrow Gambell 1 Gambell 1 & 2, Barrow Adak, Pribilofs 1, Gambell 1 & 2, Barrow Gambell 2; Nome 1, 2, 3; Barrow Pribilofs 1 Gambell 1 & 2 Gambell 1 & 2, Nome 1 Widespread Adak Adak Adak, Pribilofs 1 Pribilofs 1, Gambell 1 & 2 Adak Pribilofs 1 & 2; Gambell 1 & 2 Adak, Pribilofs 1 & 2; Gambell 1 & 2 Adak,Pribilofs 1 & 2,Gambell 1 & 2, Nome 1 Barrow Adak, Pribilofs1 & 2; Gambell 1; Nome 1, 2 & 3, Barrow Nome 2 & 3 Gambell 1 Gambell 1, Nome 1, 2 & 3 Gambell 1, 2, Nome 1 ,2 & 3 Pribilofs 1, Gambell 2 Pribilofs 1 Gambell 2, Nome 1, 2 & 3 Gambell 1, 2 Gambell 2 Pribilofs 1 & 2, Gambell 1 & 2 Pribilofs 1, Gambell 1 & 2 |
Of course, we had the usual assortment of breeding shorebirds and passerines as well. It was an excellent year for birding in Alaska, and we hope you all can join us next year!
Detailed descriptions of our current tours to Alaska are listed to the left or can be found by using the regular navigation menu.
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