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Bird Alert
August 16, 2003
Most Recent Alert View the alert for August 23, 2003 - RBA * ALASKA * St. Paul Island; Pribilofs * 8/16/03 * AKSPO308.16 -Birds Mentioned: Short-tailed Shearwater Fork-tailed Storm Petrel King Eider Peregrine Falcon (ssp. pealei) Pacific Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Wandering Tattler GRAY-TAILED TATTLER Ruddy Turnstone Bar-tailed Godwit Western Sandpiper LITTLE STINT Least Sandpiper Baird’s Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER Rock Sandpiper (ssp. tschuktschorum) RUFF Red-necked Phalarope Red Phalarope Pomarine Jaeger Herring Gull (ssp. smithsonianus and vegae) Herring X Glaucous-winged Gull hybrid SLATY-BACKED GULL Least Auklet BELTED KINGFISHER Bank Swallow Common Redpoll -transcript hotline: St. Paul Island, Pribilofs, Alaska (internet only) date: August 16, 2003 coverage: St. Paul Island compiled: 12:00am ADT, August 16, 2003 compiler and transcriber: Derek Lovitch (waxwing7000@yahoo.com) |
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This is the St. Paul Island birding update for August 9 - 16, 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. We had a variety of winds this week, with strong Easterlies to start, moderate South in the middle, and by week’s end - light Northwest. New arrivals were few with southerly winds, but new birds began arriving by week’s end as the front passed and the winds shifted. The high count for SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATERS this week was a tally of 3,600 on the 11th, passing at the rate of 40 per minute for over 90 minutes. One FORK-TAILED STORM PETREL was spotted on 8/11. Another female KING EIDER appeared on 8/9, bringing the total of 3 female and 5 subadult males that are being seen around the island. A "PEALE’S" PEREGRINE FALCON was chasing turnstones on 8/15. A juvenile BAR-TAILED GODWIT stopped by on the 15th. RUDDY TURNSTONE numbers were slightly down by week’s end, but many juveniles began to arrive. The high count this week was 938 on the 9th. The juvenile LITTLE STINT found last week was seen through the 12th, while the lingering adult SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was last noted on the 10th. Single ROCK SANDPIPERS of the mainland subspecies tschuktschorum were noted 8/12 and 8/14, while two "tschuks" were found on the 15th. Our first juvenile RUFF of the season arrived on the 15th. Other high counts for shorebirds this week: An adult POMARINE JAEGER blew through on the 12th. Both subspecies of HERRING GULLS were seen this week. 2 adult "Vega" Gulls were noted on the 11th, and one of those adults continued through week’s end. Meanwhile, an adult smithsonianus was found on the 13th. Likely a hybrid HERRING X GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL has been studied since the 13th. Two SLATY-BACKED GULLS in pre-definitive basic molt joined a continuing 2nd summer bird this week. An adult was also noted on the 13th. LEAST AUKLETS have left their breeding colonies here; only one was noted this week, a flyby on the 11th. The bird of the week was a very unexpected BELTED KINGFISHER calling as it flew over on 8/10. This furnished a 2nd St. Paul and 3rd Pribilof record. BANK SWALLOW numbers increased to 20 by 8/11, then slowly trickled out with only 1 noted on the 15th. The family group of 4 juvenile and 2 adult COMMON REDPOLLS were seen multiple times this week, with a few scattered Redpoll sightings elsewhere. REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: As I prepare for the first ever fall bird survey on St. Paul (beginning August 25th), I am trying to compile notes and records from prior visits. If anyone has visited the Pribilofs in the fall, I would be interested in hearing from you. I can be reached via email at waxwing7000@yahoo.com. This is Derek Lovitch for Gavin Bieber, 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 -end transcriptTo Top or Previous Alert |