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2003 Fall Survey Information
2003 Survey INTRODUCTION Located in the central Bering Sea, approximately 300 miles off the west coast of Alaska, roughly 250 miles north of the east-central Aleutians, and only about 500 miles from Siberia, St. Paul Island is geographically centered to provide fascinating rarities from both sides of the Bering Sea. Birders know St. Paul well, either from first hand travels, or by the many published articles and sightings of the birds found there. Almost all birders visit the island through St. Paul Island Tours, which runs organized tours from late May through the end of August. However, few birders have birded Western Alaska outposts in the fall. A more protracted migration in the fall means fewer birds are moving at any one time. Therefore, chances of seeing a vagrant (what many birders seek) on a given day in the fall are lower than in the spring. Furthermore, many of the famous breeding seabirds have vacated the islands by the time most birds begin heading south (Smith, 2002). Due to these two reasons, birders, for the most part, have neglected to visit Western Alaska in the fall. This is changing however. Thanks in large part to Paul Lehman’s findings during his extensive field work in the fall at Gambell, St. Lawrence Island birders have become interested in exploring the possibilities of birding Western Alaska in the fall (see Lehman 2003b). Many of the birding groups that visit Gambell in the spring combine their trips with a visit to St. Paul. With the increasing popularity of travel to Gambell in the fall, the number of tour groups visiting there is also increasing. If those groups, as well as “independent” travelers, can be enticed to add extensions to St. Paul for those tours (as they do in the spring), then St. Paul Island Tours can expand its tour season and increase its visitation. In order to entice visitors to the island, one must first know what birds are found on the island in the fall. Handfuls of usually brief visits by a small number of birders, especially former St. Paul Island Tours’ Tour Director, Sean Smith, have resulted in a number of intriguing sightings. What else could be out there? This fall, we decided to find out. Thanks to the generous support of St. Paul Island Tours and its parent company Tanadgusix (TDX) I remained on the island following the conclusion of the summer tour season. On 22 August 2003, I was joined by Peter Ginsburg and Brad Murphy. The three of us remained on the island until 8 October, 2003. To read the complete 2003 Fall Survey click here. Bird List
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