Alaska 2023: Dutch Harbor & The Whiskered Auklet
Dutch Harbor & The Whiskered Auklet
June 19 – 22, 2023
Tour Length: 4 days
Est. Spaces Left: Available
Tour Leaders
Focus
Birds, Pelagic, Photography, Marine Mammals
Price
Double Accommodation: $4,050/person
Single Supplement: + $275
Deposit: $1,000
Max Group Size
6 (+1 leader) up to 12 w/2 leaders
Pace
Easy ; minimal walking per day, most birding by vehicle or boat.
Future Departures
Tour Descriptions
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, and Ancient Murrelet. We hope to see Mottled Petrel, a rare species in the Bering Sea now. We have seen Short-tailed Albatross a several times as well.
For our 8 – 10 hour boat trip, we will motor out to the Baby Islands for the Whiskered Auklet, then out to the Chelan Banks for other pelagic species. On the day we’re not on the boat, 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 recently. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Aleutian 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 very comfortable Grand Aleutian Hotel, and meals will take advantage of the wealth of excellent seafood available in Dutch Harbor.
More Details
Trip Highlights
Top Birds
Whiskered Auklet; Laysan & Black-footed Albatross, Short-tailed Albatross (seen rarely on a couple of our trips); Short-tailed & Sooty Shearwater; Red-faced Cormorant; Horned & Tufted Puffin; Kittlitz’s, Ancient & Marbled Murrelet; Rock Ptarmigan; American Dipper; Aleutian Song Sparrow; Pacific Wren; Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch; Lapland Longspur; Snow Bunting
Top Mammals
Sea Otter; Steller’s Sea Lion; Harbor Seal; several species of whales
Other Attractions
If you have some 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.
Extensions
- Alaska 2022 Classic Birding I. Nome & Denali: Alaska Gold Rush
- Alaska 2022. Classic Birding II. Kenai & Barrow: The Fjords & the Arctic Circle
- Alaska 2022. Denali & Kenai: Spectacular Vistas, Mammals, & Seabirds!
- Alaska 2022: Barrow. The High Arctic
- Alaska 2022: Nome & The Seward Peninsula II
- Alaska 2022: Pribilofs II (St. Paul Island)
- Alaska 2022: Spring Migration in Gambell. “The Siberian Express”
Planning for the Trip
Meeting Location
Anchorage international Airport, PenAir ticket counter
Accommodations
Very comfortable hotels with excellent restaurants.
Included
From Anchorage, 3 nights lodging, all meals from 1st night dinner through final day’s lunch, pelagic boat trip, transport, guides, taxes, tips. (Tips to boat captain & birding guides are optional)
Excluded
Alcohol, personal calls, laundry, other personal expenses.
Habitats Covered
High tundra; pelagic
Expected Climate
Cool and sometimes wet; 40 to 60 degrees fahrenheit.
Suggested Clothing and Gear
Recommended Reading
- Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 6th Edition Jon Dunn, et al. (2011), National Geographic Society
- Shorebirds of North America, Europe, & Asia: A Guide to Field Identification Don Taylor; illustrated by Stephen Message (2006), Princeton University Press
- Shorebirds of North America: The Photographic Guide Dennis Paulson (2005), Princeton University Press
- The Sibley Guide to Birds David A. Sibley (2000), Knopf
- Seabirds of the World Peter Harrison (1997), Princeton University Press
- A Field Guide to the Birds 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 & 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
- Birds of Europe Killian Mullarney, et al. (1999), Princeton University Press
- Birds of Europe with North Africa & the Middle East Lars Jonsson (1992), Princeton University Press
- The Handbook of Bird Identification for Europe & the Western Palearctic Mark Beaman and Steve Madge (1998), Princeton University Press
- A Field Guide to the Rare Birds of Britain & Europe Ian Lewington, et al. (1991), Domino Books, Ltd.
- New Generation to the Guide Birds of Britain & Europe Christopher Perrins (1987), University of Texas Press