- RBA
*ALASKA
*St. Paul Island; Pribilofs
*5/17/03
*AKSP030517

- Birds Mentioned
Red-necked Grebe
Northern Fulmar
Red-faced Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
"Aleutian" Canada Goose
EURASIAN WIGEON
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal ("American," "Eurasian," and hybrids)
TUFTED DUCK
Greater Scaup
King Eider
Harlequin Duck
White-winged Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Pacific Golden-Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Lesser Yellowlegs
WOOD SANDPIPER
Wandering Tattler
Ruddy Turnstone
Least Sandpiper
Rock Sandpiper
Dunlin
RUFF (REEVE)
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER
COMMON SNIPE
Wilson's Snipe
Red-necked Phalarope
Parasitic Jaeger
COMMON BLACK-HEADED GULL
"Vega" Herring Gull
SLATY-BACKED GULL
Glaucous-winged Gull
Glaucous Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
Red-legged Kittiwake
Common Murre
Thick-billed Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
Ancient Murrelet
Parakeet Auklet
Least Auklet
Crested Auklet
Tufted Puffin
Snowy Owl
Winter Wren
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting
Gray-crowned Rosy Finch



-transcript
hotline: St. Paul Island, Pribilofs, Alaska (internet only)
date: May 17, 2003
coverage: St. Paul Island
compiled: 12:00am ADT,  May 16, 2003
compiler and transcriber: Derek Lovitch (waxwing7000@yahoo.com)

This is the St. Paul Island birding update for May --, 2003 sponsored by St. Paul Island Tour. For tour information or to make travel arrangements see www.stpaulislandtour.com or call 1-877-424-5637. All sightings by St. Paul Island Tour Guides: Derek Lovitch, Gavin Beiber, and Marfa Rukovishnikof and guests of St. Paul Island Tour, unless otherwise noted.

After arriving on the island May 14th, we have been experiencing very un-St. Paul weather. Only a trace of precipitation, and partly sunny skies. Light winds (mostly westerly), no fog, and temperatures have already hit the upper 40's. The weather is great - but it really is TOO NICE - we need some strong winds to blow stuff in. Nevertheless, birds are moving in and through.

A few RED-NECKED GREBES have been lingering offshore.

NORTHERN FULMERS are back, while RED-FACED CORMORANTS are beginning to build nests and PELAGIC CORMORANTS are being seen regularly.

Waterfowl seemed to have left early this year, likely due to the mild winter. A pair of TUFTED DUCKS on May 15 picked up an additional drake the next day. 3 EURASIAN WIGEON were seen on the 14th, increasing to 7 by 5/16. One pair of AMERICAN WIGEON, 5 NORTHERN SHOVELER, 2 BUFFLEHEAD, 7 GREATER SCAUP are lingering, along with a few KING EIDER and many HARLEQUIN DUCKS. Breeding waterfowl are on our lakes and ponds: NORTHERN PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL ("AMERICAN," EURASIAN," and hybrids) and LONG-TAILED DUCKS. Other migrant waterfowl highlights for the week include 2 "ALEUTIAN" CANADA GEESE and 1 MALLARD on 5/14, along with one lingering female WHITE-WINGED SCOTER.

With the exception of territorial ROCK SANDPIPERS, shorebirds began to trickle in by the end of the week. Breeders arriving include SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, LEAST SANDPIPER and RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. Our first two PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVERS flew by on the 16th. A lone LESSER YELLOWLEGS was found on the 16th, a rarity in spring here. 2 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER were present on the 15th, along with great side-by-side studies of 1 COMMON SNIPE with 2 WILSON'S SNIPE. First arrivals on the 16th include lone WOOD SANDPIPER, WANDERING TATTLER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, 2 DUNLIN, and 1 female RUFF (REEVE). Another COMMON SNIPE was flushed on the 16th. A testament to the early onset of "summer" here was the discovery of a ROCK SANDPIPER nest already complete with 4 eggs on 5/16.

Three adult PARASITIC JAEGERS were fly-bys on 5/15. Our first Asian species of the summer was an adult COMMON BLACK-HEADED GULL on the 14th that has been seen daily since. Two "VEGA" HERRING GULLS were noted on the 14th, along with on adult SLATY-BACKED GULL. A 1st year SLATY BACKED was seen on the 16th. While GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS are relatively numerous, only one 1st year GLAUCOUS GULL has lingered. Both BLACK and RED-LEGGED KITTIWAKES are back at their cliff nesting sites.

Also on the cliffs are building numbers of THICK-BILLED and COMMON MURRES, PARAKEET, CRESTED, and LEAST AUKLETS, along with TUFTED PUFFINS. A handful of PIGEON GUILLEMOTS can be seen scattered offshore, while a lone ANCIENT MURRELET flew by on the 15th.

SNOWY OWLS have been on the move this week. 2 of the 5 noted on 5/15 were observed as they left the island, flying north to head out over hundreds of miles of open ocean. 3 SNOWIES (possibly the reaming three from 5/15, were noted on 5/16).

In addition to the resident WINTER WRENS and GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES, numbers of breeding LAPLAND LONGSPURS and SNOW BUNTINGS are increasing daily.

This is Derek Lovitch for Gavin Beiber and Marfa Rukovishnikof of St. Paul Island Tour. Hope you enjoyed reading about our sightings . . . maybe we'll see you out here! Until next time, Derek