Alaska in June

Alaska is a spectacular state, with stunning snow-covered peaks rising out of flower-laden tundra and vast glaciers flowing into forest-lined fjords. For the birdwatcher Alaska is equally spectacular and June is a wonderful month to search for the state's special breeding birds. We'll begin in Nome, where rolling tundra alive with Ptarmigans, skuas and waders merges with rugged mountains and rushing streams, home to nesting Gyrfalcons and singing Bluethroats. There will be different tundra in Denali National Park, and the breathtaking immensity of Mount McKinley and the Alaska Range will provide an even more spectacular backdrop as we look for Grizzly Bears and Smith's Longspurs. We'll end the tour around the Kenai Peninsula and Resurrection Bay with yet more magnificent scenery and impressive displays of marine birds and mammals.

For those who wish, there will be a three-day pre-tour extension to visit the Pribilof Islands, home to vast colonies of seabirds, several of which won't be seen on the main tour, and marine mammals.

Wednesday 11 June to Tuesday 24 June

with Gary Rosenberg as leader.

Pribilofs pre-tour extension from Sunday 8 June

with Jon Dunn as leader.

Alaska bird list
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Pribilofs pre-tour extension:

Day P1: The tour begins in London with a morning flight to Alaska, via Seattle. Night in Anchorage.

Days P2-3: Our morning flight on day 2 will take us to the village of St. Paul in the Pribilof Islands. Here we'll discover the full richness of a Bering Sea seabird colony. The auk family is thought to have evolved in this region, and looking at the thousands of Common and Brünnich's Guillemots, Parakeet, Crested and Least Auklets, and Horned and Tufted Puffins, one has little trouble believing the theory. Add to these Red-faced Cormorant and Red-legged Kittiwake and the sum is an extraordinary display of birds. Although skies are often cloudy, photographic opportunities are excellent. Our visit to St. Paul will concentrate on nesting species, but early June can still be a good time for Asian rarities and recent visits at this time have recorded Red-necked Stint, Eyebrowed Thrush, Olive-backed Pipit, and Common Rosefinch hinting at the islands' potential for Asiatic vagrants. In addition to the birds there are herds of Northern Fur Seals, easily viewed from hides, and we may find a few newborn pups among the recently arrived females. Nights in St. Paul.

Day P4: After a final morning of birding on St. Paul we'll fly back to Anchorage arriving in the early evening. Night in Anchorage.

Main tour:

Day 1: The tour begins with a flight from London to Alaska via Seattle. Night in Anchorage.

Days 2-4: This morning we'll fly to the Bering Sea town of Nome, where we'll have four full days to explore the many exciting birding areas around town and elsewhere on the Seward Peninsula. At Safety Lagoon, where Red-throated and Pacific Divers breed and Arctic Skuas harass nesting Aleutian Terns, migration will still be in progress. We'll hope to see a number of waterbirds, possibly including Emperor Goose or a rarity such as Red-necked Stint. Both the main roads out of Nome, to Teller and Taylor respectively, pass through tundra, rich in breeding waders, including American and Pacific Golden-Plovers, and in the surrounding hills and along willow-lined rivers we may find Gyrfalcon, Willow and Rock Ptarmigans, Bluethroat, and Arctic Warbler. We'll search especially for Bristle-thighed Curlew, a few pairs of which nest in the wild mountainous landscapes north of Nome. Nights in Nome.

Day 5: After a final day in the Nome area we'll take an early evening flight back to Anchorage. Night in Anchorage.

Day 6: We'll begin this morning with a visit to Westchester Lagoon, right in Anchorage, where we'll see nesting Red-necked Grebes and with luck a variety of migrating waders, including Hudsonian Godwit and Short-billed Dowitcher. Later we'll begin our 250-mile drive north to Denali National Park, a spectacular trip that often offers some of our best views of Mount McKinley. Once north of Talkeetna we'll enter vast areas of black spruce and willow, and we'll keep a keen eye out for Spruce Grouse along the road and Bohemian Waxwings perched atop the trees. We'll arrive at Denali around dinnertime. Night at Denali National Park.

Day 7: Denali National Park is closed to most vehicle traffic. A series of shuttle buses run about every 30 minutes to points within the park, a complete round trip taking about eight hours. We'll use these buses to visit areas that interest us. Our main objectives here are scenery and large mammals such as Grizzly Bear, Dall's Sheep and Moose. Many of the birds will be familiar from Nome, but we'll watch for Willow and Rock Ptarmigans, Gyrfalcon and Golden Eagle. It should be said that we probably won't see the mountain from the park. Mount McKinley is so colossal that it creates its own weather, usually bad, and clouds typically obscure all but the lowest slopes. Our best views may come as we drive up from Anchorage or, strangely enough, on our flights to and from Nome. Night in Denali National Park.

Day 8: We'll leave Denali early and spend the entire day birding the splendid Denali Highway, a well-graded dirt road that runs 130 miles through near-wilderness. Here we'll look for a variety of birds including Trumpeter Swan, Upland Sandpiper, and Northern Hawk-Owl. The scenery along this highway is magnificent as the road passes from boreal forest to tundra against the backdrop of the Alaska Range. The rolling tundra at the eastern end of the highway is perhaps the best area for Smith's Longspur, and we'll fall asleep to the sounds of Great Northern Divers calling from a lake next to our cabins. Night at Tangle Lakes Lodge.

Day 9: After an early morning walk along the willows near Tangle Lakes in search of nesting species such as Gray-cheeked Thrush and Fox Sparrow, we'll return to the lodge for a hearty breakfast. We'll then work our way back to Anchorage via Glenallen and miles and miles of black spruce. If we haven't already seen Northern Hawk-Owl this will be our best chance, and we'll break up the drive with stops for any birds we might have missed, as well as for dramatic views of the Wrangell Mountains. We'll arrive in Anchorage in time for dinner. Night in Anchorage.

Day 10: After a morning at leisure or, for those who wish, birdwatching around Anchorage, where we should see Boreal Chickadee, White-winged Crossbill and possibly Three-toed and Black-backed Woodpeckers, we'll drive to Seward through the superb mountain scenery of the Kenai Peninsula. We'll spend the late afternoon around Seward, whose forest of huge sitka spruce holds many species found in the Pacific Northwest that just get into southeastern Alaska. Some of the specialties we'll search for are Rufous Hummingbird, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Varied Thrush, Townsend's Warbler, and Pine Grosbeak. The Fox Sparrow we'll see here along the coast is likely to become a different species, the 'Sooty' Fox Sparrow. One of the highlights of the trip will be a dinner of fresh seafood at a restaurant right on the wharf at Seward. Night in Seward.

Day 11: We'll spend the day on Resurrection Bay and Blying Sound south of Seward. If the weather is clear the scenery is awesome and we'll see at least one spectacular glacier. We'll visit several large seabird colonies where we should find Tufted and Horned Puffins, Brünnich's and Common Guillemots and thousands of Black-legged Kittiwakes. Rhinoceros Auklet and Ancient Murrelet are both possible and near one of the glaciers we'll search through hundreds of Marbled Murrelets for the occasional Kittlitz's. At the farthest extent of our boat trip we're in deep water, where we could see Short-tailed Shearwater. Marine mammals are also numerous and we can expect Steller's Sea Lion, Sea Otter, and several whales, possibly including the magnificent Orca. Night in Seward.

Day 12: After a final morning in Seward, where we'll drive along the edge of Resurrection Bay to look for Harlequin Duck and Wandering Tattler, we'll return to Anchorage. We'll make a quick stop at Potter's Marsh to check for any interesting waterfowl such as breeding Canvasback, and we'll revisit Westchester Lagoon in search of migrating waders. Night in Anchorage.

Day 13: After a final morning in Anchorage, we'll catch an overnight flight, via Seattle, back to London where the tour concludes on day 14.

Cost £3490

Single Room Supplement £570

With Pribilofs extension £4840

Single Room Supplement £620

Maximum group size: 16 participants and 2 leaders.

The ground arrangements for this tour are organised by our American associates WINGS.

Alaska bird list
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