Dutch Harbor: The Whiskered Auklet Plus
DATES
JUNE 16 - 20, 2010
JUNE 21 - 25, 2011
COST (PER PERSON 2010)
DOUBLE: $3850 SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $375
DEPOSIT: $500
INCLUDES
From Anchorage, 4 nights lodging, all meals from 1st night dinner through final day’s lunch, pelagic boat trip, transport, guides, taxes, tips.
Not Included: alcohol, personal calls, laundry, other personal expenses
PARTICIPANTS
Limited to six participants with one leader, twelve with two leaders
LEADERS
Forrest Davis.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL
Easy with minimal walking per day; most birding by vehicle or boat.
SLIDESHOW
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OVERVIEW
Dutch Harbor, in the Aleutian Islands, is one of only two accessible locations (Adak is the other) where the Whiskered Auklet can easily be found. The town has relied on fishing for centuries and continues to do so. The weather is most suitable in mid to late June for our boat trip out to the Baby Islands to see the auklet. We expect to see Short-tailed Shearwater, Laysan and Black-footed Albatross, Cassin's Auklet and Ancient Murrelet. We hope to see Mottled Petrel, a rare species in the Bering Sea now. We hope for a glimpse at a the endangered Short-tailed Albatross as well.
We will be scheduling two boat trips per person to give everyone an opportunity to both see the Whiskered Auklet as well as the deep-water pelagic species. We'll spend some time driving and walking around the tundra and seaside looking for other species that might be in residence or moving through. Tufted Duck was seen this past year. Gray-crowned Rosey-Finch (Aleu-tian race) is common as well as Snow Bunting. Gyrfalcon is often seen. Dutch Harbor has the highest concentration of Bald Eagles in the Aleutians because of the fish processing plants.
Accommodations in Dutch Harbor are at the deluxe Grand Aleutian Hotel, and meals will take advantage of the wealth of excellent seafood available in Dutch Harbor.
ITINERARY
DAY ONE: We’ll meet at Anchorage Airport for our flight to Dutch Harbor which usually departs about 1:00 PM arriving in Dutch Harbor about 3:30 PM. Depending upon sea conditions, we may go out on the boat immediately following check in. We can only take six participants at a time so, if we have more than that, we’ll split into two groups. The group staying ashore will do some birding around the hotel area. Dinner at the hotel.
LODGING: Grand Aleutian Hotel
DAY TWO: We’ll be concentrating today on making it out on the boast. Our main objective is, of course, the Baby Island for the Whiskered Auklet. For our second trip, we will go to the Chelan Banks in the Bering Sea to look for shearwaters, Mottled Petrel, and albatross. Box lunch on board. For those staying ashore, we’ll explore the island by van. It’s quite beautiful, and there are many wildflowers in bloom. Rock & Willow Ptarmigan, Gyrfalcon and Peregrine Falcon, Black Oystercatcher, Winter Wren, Bald Eagle, Aleutian race of the Song Sparrow are among the birds we should find. The birding is somewhat limited on the island, but it’s a very scenic place.
DAY THREE: We’ll continue to make sure everyone gets out on the boat twice. Today will also offer an opportunity to visit the fine Museum of the Aleutians and the interesting World War II museum (Dutch Harbor was bombed by the Japanese in WW-II with considerable loss of life).
DAY FOUR: Hopefully, the boat trips will be complete, and we’ll have time for some more exploring and birding on the island. Our plane departs for Anchorage about 4:00 PM, arriving at about 7:00 pm.
CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT
Details provided closer to departure date.
SOME RECOMMENDED FIELD GUIDES AND BOOKS
North American Field Guides & Bird Finding Guides:
- Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fifth Edition. 2006, Jon Dunn, et al., National Geographic Society
- Shorebirds of the North America, Europe, and Asia, 1993,
- Shorebirds of North America: The Photographic Guide. Dennis Paulson, 2005.
- The Sibley Guide to Birds, David A. Sibley; Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.
- Seabirds of the World, Peter Harrison, 1997. (available soon again from ABA Sales)
Asian Field Guides:
- A Field Guide to the Birds of Japan, Wild Bird Society of Japan, 1982, Wild Bird Society of Japan
- A Field Guide to the Waterbirds of Asia, Bharat Bhushan, et al., 1993, Wild Bird Society of Japan
- Birds of Russia and Adjacent Territories, V. E. Flint, et al., 1984, Princeton University Press
- A Field Guide to the Birds of China, John MacKinnon & Karen Phillipps, 2000, Oxford University Press
European Field Guides:
- Birds of Europe, Killian Mullarney, et al., 1999, Princeton University Press
- Birds of Europe with North Africa and the Middle East, Lars Jonsson, 1992, Princeton University Press
- The Handbook of Bird Identification for Europe and the Western Palearctic, Princeton University Press, 1998, Mark Beaman and Steve Madge
- A Field Guide to the Rare Birds of Britain and Europe, Ian Lewington, et al., 1991, Domino Books, Ltd.
- New Generation Guide Birds of Britain and Europe, Christopher Perrins, 1987, University of Texas Press
The Alaska Experience:
- Living on the Edge, Spike Walker. Wonderfully descriptive book about Dutch Harbor and crabbing in the Bering Sea.
- Arctic Dreams, Barry Lopez. Pulitzer Prize-winning non-fiction about the High Arctic. Beautifully written!
- Any book by Dana Stabenow, an Alaska mystery writer whose books are enjoyable a very informative about Alaska native life.
During your free time in Anchorage, don’t miss going to Wave Bookstores on Northern Lights or downtown on 5th Avenue. They have a great selection of Alaska fiction and non-fiction! In addition, there are some excellent restaurants downtown, including Orso, Glacier Brew House, Simon & Seafort’s, and Marx Brothers.
Above birding books can be obtained from Madison Audubon Shoppe, (888) 505-9056, with a 10% discount by mentioning High Lonesome BirdTours. ABA Sales and the various web book dealers are also sources.
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