The next morning came all too soon as we were up for a 7:00 breakfast and a quick run to Safety Lagoon: the guys had snuck out the night before to do some scouting and had found a male Ruff, so we were eager, despite the lousy weather! There were lots of things out there, and we saw the usual suspects on the way out, including the nesting Red-throated Loons, a young Vega Gull in with some more Sabine's that had us guessing, Red-breasted Mergansers in the road, and beautiful Tundra Swans! Marshall's van had spotted a Eurasian Wigeon that booked when we got out, but the consolation prize was a Hudsonian Godwit in with the Bartails that Marshall also found. (We scared up the same Short-eared Owl going out, too...) But the prize was at a pond stuffed with mainly Pecs, and a smattering of Westerns, Semipals, Dunlin, and dowitchers: an independent couple found the Ruff in an adjacent pond with his back to us, and he had beautiful rusty plumes on the side of his neck! That was great!
Male Ruff,
an Asiatic vagrant--his back is turned towards the camera so he's hard to see
well (to say nothing of the lousy lighting), but the big rufous ruffs on the
sides of his neck are evident!
Tundra Swans
The Gambell crowd prepares to leave for home!
The weather was pretty miserable and we had to allow time for the departing group to get ready, so I said goodbye, took a shower, and caught up on the journal while the guys took the Gambell folks over to the airport to drop them off and pick up the Grand Alaska folks. Ruth and Ray were continuing on along with me, so they used the time to shop, and at the appointed time we all reconvened in the lobby to meet the new folks and go to lunch. Actually, aside from Jeanie and Nancy (who were leaving us anyway after Nome), I was the only single; everyone else was a couple! John and Nancy Griffin rode with us in Kevin's van during our first outing (I'm ashamed to say I was avoiding "the stinky van") and were a nice, even-tempered couple (although John lost it when I called attention to Kevin's draining of the cooler...). Jim and Judy Cinquina were both from New Jersey; Judy was a very active birder and even taught birding classes where she lived! And she had one of those great senses of humor that is delivered with a totally deadpan face; she sure had me in stitches! Jim was a non-birder but sure enjoyed the activity, and since we happened to be pretty much on the same bandwagon politically we had some good talks, and he had me in stitches with his sardonic comments about certain things that won't be publicized here! Alan and Carol Pohl were both doctors from Wisconsin; Alan's expertise came in particularly handy in Seward when Jim banged his head on the van door! And lastly there was Pat and Sue Vitek, with whom I really bonded, which was good since they were continuing on to Barrow!
After lunch we went down the Teller Road, where we had several Musk Ox (Jeanie was taking a "bush break" at one point and we were a little concerned cuz an ox was looking her way), and stopped at a couple of creek crossings to try for Siberian Rubythroat, since past trips had had them there (got a nice Tree Sparrow instead). We also had great looks at both Parasitic and Long-tailed Jaegers, and a Yellow Wagtail at another creek crossing. Kevin took us on this side road that was supposed to be good for Wheatear, but we got a great Rock Sandpiper instead, plus both Rock and Willow Ptarmigan. A Snow Bunting also popped up, and Texas Nancy was happy about that, as it was lifer #50 for her! Going down the road to Woolley Lagoon we enjoyed Nome's only Black-bellied Plovers, comparing them nicely to the two types of Golden Plovers we had seen previously (and the Pacific was displaying, uttering that cool pee-oo-WHEE! call). We also had American Pipit and Ruddy Turnstone, as well as a pair of Red Foxes who crouched hoping we wouldn't see them, but then eventually took off. We weren't allowed to get out of the car at the end of the road, so we headed back out and went further down towards Teller for one last ditch effort for the Wheatear, and eagle-eye Texas Nancy spotted one against the rocks! It didn't stay put long, and unfortunately the other van didn't see it, but we were thrilled (especially since I hadn't seen one on Gambell)! We headed back after that, and almost ran over a Bar-tailed Godwit right alongside the road! Then not too long after that a big mama Grizzly went lumbering across the road followed by her cub! How exciting!
Part of the Grand Alaska crew on the Teller Road Penny River
(L-R: Alan Pohl, Judy and Jim Cinquina, Carol
Pohl, Jeanie, Kevin, and Nancy Griffin--who's
obviously happy to be here!)
American Tree Sparrow (You can tell Judy's a serious birder cuz she brought
her own scope! ☺)
Sue and Pat Vitek (on the left) are also new to the group. A Siberian Rubythroat showed up here one year, so
Marshall plays a tape of its song in hopes that it may
have come back...
Musk Ox Jeanie discovers she was being watched
during her trip to the "ladies' bush"...
Reindeer
Looking for more birdies...
Long-tailed Jaegers hunting
Willow Ptarmigan Rock Ptarmigan
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Semipalmated Plover All three Pluvialis plovers nest here; Both Golden Plovers are truly golden on the back, but
the Pacific Golden Plover's side stripe (photos 1-3) extends all the way to the belly, whereas
the American Golden Plover's (photo 4) stripe flares at the chest and stops right there! The
Black-bellied Plover (photo 5, more appropriately called "Gray Plover" by the Brits) is mottled
gray above, not golden, and has a white crown.
Lapland Longspurs American Pipit
"Nuts--no Red-throated Pipits!" Tundra habitat
A big surprise was this Rock Sandpiper; once he's off the snow he blends right in!
Another Long-tailed Jaeger
Red Foxes
Mama Grizzly and her cub run across the road! Bar-tailed Godwit
on the way back
After that we went straight to the Japanese/Italian place for dinner, said goodbye to Jeanie and Nancy, exchanged e-mails, and hit the sack (as we were gonna be up long before they were)!
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