Alaska: Birding on a Budget
The following discounted Tour Combinations are available for Alaksa in 2010:
The Bering Sea Islands & Western Alaska: Pribilofs 1, Gambell 2 and Nome 2
The Bering Sea Islands: Pribilofs 1 and Gambell 2
Gambell 1 and Nome or Gambell 2 and Nome 2
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMBINATION TOURS REQUIRE A $1000 DEPOSIT.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Bering Sea Islands & Western Alaska: Pribilofs, Gambell and Nome
May 21 – June 5, 2011
Double: $9500. Single: $10,250. (single may not available on Gambell; if not, subtract $350)
The Pribilof Islands lie in the middle of the Bering Sea about 600 miles from landfall. St. Paul Island, where we stay, hosts many of the largest colonies of alcids (auklets and other seabirds) in the world as well as the largest Northern Fur Seal colony in the world. St. Paul is an isolated and charming island with a small Aleut population. Asian vagrants regularly visit St. Paul in late May, and we expect to see a number of them along with the resident species. We spend the first night in Anchorage. The Pribilofs record many Asiatic vagrants and accidentals every year during late May including regular occurrences of Bean Goose, Smew, Tufted Duck, Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Siberian Rubythroat, Eye-browed Thrush, and Brambling. Other rarities, e.g., Far Eastern Curlew, McKay's Bunting, Dusky Thrush, Olive-backed Pipit, Hawfinch and many others are recorded less frequently. We will also see large colonies of seabirds, such as the Parakeet, Least and Crested Auklets; Horned & Tufted Puffins; Common and Thick-billed Murres; Red-legged and Black-legged Kittiwakes; Northern Fulmar and many others.
Gambell is a small, timeless Eskimo village subsisting much as it has for thousands of years. On most days, Siberia can be seen clearly 35 miles in the distance. Whale, walrus, seal, polar bear and birds account for most of the native diet. High Arctic and Asian vagrants are the draw at Gambell. Most of the Asian species recorded in North America have been seen
in Gambell and its environs, and we will be there during the most productive periods. We will spend much of our time within a couple of miles of the village. There are huge colonies of Parakeet, Least and Crested Auklets on the cliffs within walking distance. Northwest Point provides a "super-highway" for seabirds passing very close by the island in migration and usually yields Arctic Loon, Yellow-billed Loon , Emperor Goose, Spectacled & Steller's Eider, Ivory Gull and Dovekie as well as many other seabirds and ducks. The centuries old bone yards often hide vagrant passerines, e.g., Eurasian Bullfinch, Hawfinch & Common Cuckoo. The marsh about two miles from town is superb for shorebirds and typically yields several of the Asiatic shorebirds. The fall trip provides an opportunity to see some of the birds above as well as some never seen before in North America (at least seven 1st North American records since 1999).
Nome lies on the Seward Peninsula, jutting into the Bering Sea. It's a frontier town in a world where few such curiosities remain. Accessible only by boat and airplane, bordered on the West and South by the Bering Sea, and the North and East by miles of trackless wilderness, Nome is a fascinating and challenging destination. During June the Midnight Sun is at its brightest, the tundra is in full bloom, and the birds and mammals are breeding.
Our company spends more time in Nome than any other group because it is such a productive and interesting destination. Our tours will cover the prime birding areas along the seacoast, the tundra, and the only boreal forest on the Seward Peninsula. Most of the birds are in their resplendent breeding plumages--rarely if ever seen in the "lower 48". We’ll make an extra effort to locate some of the Asian species that regularly occur at Nome. The road system of Nome provides the best access to the Alaska bush without an airplane, and we will drive it extensively.
The Bering Sea Islands: Pribilofs and Gambell
May 21 – June 1, 2011
Double: $7300; Single: $8025 (single may not be available at Gambell; if not, subtract $350)
May 21 – May 31, 2011
May 26 – June 5, 2011
Double: $5975; Single: $6775 (single may not be available on Gambell; if not, subtract $350)
Previous page: Alaska Bird Tours - Unrivalled Experience Finds More Birds
Next page: Arizona Bird Tours - Best Birding in the Southwest