Part 2 Alaska 2022

Our flight left O’Hare just after 4:00 pm. During the two hours at the airport I couldn’t help thinking about the birds we were going to miss in Lake County. We had one last look at Waukegan Beach from the air.

It was a nice flight. The flight attendant kept bringing us glasses of sparkling wine. We had a nice view at 9:07 CDT.

We spent the first night in a hotel near the airport. The target bird at this point were the American Three-toed Woodpecker and the Black-backed Woodpecker. They were seen at Hillside City Park, which I imagined to be a tot-lot style spot. I forgot that the city parks in Anchorage are more like Wisconsin State parks. It was beautiful and we had a lot of ground to cover. Anchorage residents were there in numbers, cycling, jogging, hiking and just taking the kids, or dogs, (I think owning a dog is a legal requirement to live in Alaska) for a walk. We did our best but only came up nine species, including a Canada Jay and a Fox Sparrow.

Finally, we headed south to our B & B in Girdwood. The drive was beautiful, following the Turnagain Arm from southern Anchorage to Girdwood, which is indicated on the map by the arrow.

We felt at home in the B & B mainly because we had stayed there last time we were in Alaska. Anchorage had a great grocery store so we stocked up on a few things and settled in. Around the B & B the birding was mostly by ear. The Orange-crowned Warbler sang incessantly.

Where to eat?? You might think salmon would be the go to menu item or even reindeer. But Cajun food?? In Alaska? Right here at the Double Musky Inn.

This was supper club to the max, crazy Mardi Gras stuff everywhere and a gigantic wine cellar. We ate there on the first night, ate the leftovers the second night and went back the third night. You’ll see the cookbook when you come to visit. I am practicing the Double Musky Pie.

We birded along the coast and into the mountains where trails permitted. There was still snow on the trails as we gained elevation so we could only go so far. We returned to Anchorage and finally did get the American Three-toed Woodpecker. It was such a brief view that we didn’t even get a photo. We saw some nice shorebirds, terns, gulls and waterfowl. We had 39 species in all for the Anchorage area, but only one lifer.

It was time to go to Nome. The plane was surprisingly big and full. I realized that there was really no other practical way to get to Nome. The trip was an hour and a half. The Nome airport was a bit like a bus station. When we got in to pick up our luggage, the small area was full of birders and bird guides. Ours was the guy in the yellow hat.

We piled into a passenger van and our guide, Rich, started the birding on the way from the airport to the hotel. We checked in to our hotel and after having dinner at a pizza place, we went out and birded some more. Finally we got to go to bed.

The Nome area does not have a lot of roads. Once you are out of town they are all gravel. At Teller Highway the first road sign is a warning. A more compelling warning was the sight of abandoned vehicles on the roadside at intervals along this highway. Apparently the vehicles had less value than the cost of towing and repair. At breakfast our guide talked to the tow truck driver to find out how far we could go on Teller Highway. We only needed to go 72 miles on that particular road (day 3).

On our first full day, May 28, we took the Council Highway, traveling east along the coast, then heading northeast toward Council. On the coastline we had good looks at waterfowl that are scarce and fleeting in Lake County. We saw Red-throated Loons, Long-tailed Ducks, Mergansers, Scoters, Phalaropes, many gulls, terns and other birds. A lot of waterfowl were distant but we were still able to identify most of them. This is where we realized that maybe the guide didn’t have his bird IDs 100%. We would have to be responsible for our own IDs. Photos are a BIG help.

Speaking of using photos for identification, I got a big surprise when I got home and started editing my photos. In a photo of a group of Long-tailed Ducks, I found a pair of Steller’s Eiders!! A lifer!

Along the road we saw a herd of Musk Ox. They were grazing with their young.

One of the species we looked forward to seeing was the Lapland Longspur. They migrate through Waukegan, at the beach and in farmers’ fields, but they are rarely seen in breeding plumage. It was a treat to see them here. Their hind toe actually has a long claw or “spur”.

After leaving the shore of the Bering Sea and driving inland we got one the the first Alaska specialties- the Eastern Yellow Wagtail. It was near a snow bank and the less exciting American Pipit was in the same vicinity. I kept finding the Pipit and not the Wagtail. But I did finally get a look at it although no photo. Dad got a photo.

We didn’t go into the village of Council. There is a river between the end of the highway and the village roads. The locals cross by boat when the river is high. They just drive through when the river is low and I imagine it is pretty well frozen for a good part of the year. We were heading back to Nome when Rich slammed on the brakes. There was a rocky area next to the highway and at just about eye level from the van was a nest . It was a Golden Eagle sitting on it’s nest!

We had an uneventful drive back to Nome for dinner and another short outing. We all went to bed exhausted.

More to follow.