Alaska bird watching

State Checklists:
Thayer Birding Software
NPWRC Bird Checklists - Alaska

Species Seen in Alaska: 445

State Ornithological Society:
None

Rare Bird Alerts:
(907) 338-2473   Upper Cook Inlet
(907) 451-9213   Fairbanks
(907) 235-7337   Kachemak Bay
(907) 224-2325   Seward
Transcripts

Maps:
Alaska
Alaska Maps
St. Paul Island Map
Map of Counties

Retail Birding Stores
Travel Guide by City

Alaska Organizations:
Audubon Chapters in Alaska
   Arctic Audubon Society   Fairbanks
   Juneau Audubon Society   Juneau
Boreal Partners in Flight
The Nature Conservancy - Alaska
Alaska SeaLife Center

Important Birding Locations in Alaska:
Hot Spots
Birding Sites   Very Helpful
State of Alaska Refuges
Birding on the Denali Highway
Denali
Denali National Park Official Site
Haines - Bald Eagles
Kenai NWR
Birdwatching in Nome
St. Paul Island
Prince William Sound
Barrow Birding
US Fish & Wildlife Service Refuges - Alaska

Pete Thayer's Favorite Hot Spots:
Attu Island
53.00 N   173.60 E
You can see the end of the world from here. Rare migrants for those trying to see 700 birds in North America. Outward bound type conditions -- for the truly possessed birder only!

Barrow
71.20 N   156.60 W
Not much diversity, but what is here is spectacular. All four Eiders including Spectacled Eider and Steller's Eider. Breeding plumaged Sandpipers and Phalaropes are here, too.

Chilkat River
59.30 N   135.00 W
See thousands of Bald Eagles near Skagway from October through January as they assemble here to feast on salmon.

Copper River Delta
60.50 N   144.90 W
Would you believe 20 million shorebirds and waterfowl a month moving through during spring migration!! Be there at the end of April and the beginning of May.

Denali National Park (Mt. McKinley)
62.48 N   150.15 W
Arctic Warbler, Ptarmigans, Northern Goshawk, Gyrfalcon, and Northern Wheatear are all possible. Good birding between Talkeetna and the park. Inside Denali, travel is by shuttle-bus. You will see lots of mammals, too.

Kenai Peninsula (Anchorage-Homer)
59.39 N   151.33 W
A 240 mile drive full of northern specialties. Watch for Boreal Chickadee, Bohemian Waxwing and Spruce Grouse in Chugach National Forest. Red-faced Cormorants, all 3 Scoters, and Wandering Tattler at Kachemak Bay.

Nome
64.40 N   165.20 W
Fly into Nome in early June. You will have 22 hours of daylight for birding! Look for Glaucous Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake and Arctic Tern along the waterfront. Try Taylor Road (beyond Mile 73) for Bluethroat and Bristle-thighed Curlew.

Pribilof Islands
57.10 N   170.30 W
St. Paul Island is your destination. You are almost sure to find a fantastic Asian migrant plus Parakeet, Crested and Least Auklets. Watch for McKay's Bunting, Bar-tailed Godwit, and Rock Sandpiper.

St. Lawrence Island (Gambell)
63.70 N   171.70 W
Perpetual inclement weather. Many Asian strays and semi-regular migrants. Perhaps you will see Yellow-billed and Arctic Loon; Spectacled Eider; Wagtails; Ross's and Ivory Gull; or a Red-throated Pipit.