R.B.A. October 6, 2007
RBA
* Alaska
* St. Paul Island, Pribilofs
* October 6, 2007
* AKSPI 0610.07
Hello Birders, this is the St. Paul Island rare bird alert for the week of September 30- October 6, 2007 sponsored by St. Paul Island Tour. The following sequence of sightings is in taxonomic order; an asterisk denotes a species of less than annual occurrence or one of particular note.
Our series of low pressure systems continued this week, with a heavy SW and W flow for 5 of the 7 days. A very strong low passed to our NW on the 2nd, bring us a strong SE/S wind for about 12 hours and then incredibly strong (gusts up to 62mph) SW winds for a full day. This brief push of Easterly winds is likely responsible for the small influx of North American passerines. We also enjoyed rain/snow or hail on most of the days this week, often making birding nearly impossible for the survey team.
Birds Mentioned:
EMPEROR GOOSE
Eurasian Wigeon
Greater Scaup
Pacific Loon
COMMON LOON
Yellow-billed Loon
Horned Grebe
Short-tailed Shearwater
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel
***GRAY HERON
*NORTHERN HARRIER
Peregrine Falcon (ssp. tundrius, pealei) GRAY-TAILED TATTLER Sanderling Western Sandpiper SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER Rock Sandpiper (ssp. tschuktschorum) Parasitic Jaeger Black-headed Gull *THAYER’S GULL Slaty-backed Gull Glaucous Gull Ancient Murrelet Parakeet Auklet Least Auklet Short-eared Owl *EURASIAN SKYLARK RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET ***YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER *GRAY-STREAKED FLYCATCHER *EYEBROWED THRUSH *VARIED THRUSH American Pipit (ssp. japonicus) Yellow Warbler *TOWNSEND’S WARBLER Fox Sparrow (ssp. unalaschensis) *SONG SPARROW (ssp. maxima) Golden-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco (ssp. hyemalis group) ***LITTLE BUNTING BRAMBLING Common Redpoll Hoary Redpoll
WATERFOWL
The waterfowl story for the week involves largely holdover individuals from last week. The Emperor Goose on Antone Lake remained until at least the 5th of October, loafing with a flock of gulls and Pintails along the lake’s western shore. Eurasian Wigeon numbers held relatively steady through the week, with up to 5 birds daily between Webster and Antone Lakes. Three Greater Scaup remain in Webster Lake, with a lone female in Weather Bureau Lake rounding out the week’s total of four. White-winged and Black Scoters continue to build on the island’s north shore and in sheltered bays around the south shore.
SEABIRDS & GULLS
Loons and grebes are becoming more regular around the island. Yellow-billed Loons were noted on nearly half the days, and a single Common Loon was found in English bay on the 3rd. Pacific Loon numbers are on the steep increase with an amazing concentration of 94 birds seen together feeding off East Landing on the 5th, and at least a few individuals seen daily. Two Horned Grebes loafed around Webster Lake mid-week, and numbers of Red-necked Grebes continue to climb in the island’s more sheltered bays. An influx of winter plumaged Common and Thick-billed Murres, with a few male birds with chicks in tow was evident this week, as was an increase in numbers of feeding Horned Puffins. Ancient Murrelets continue to be seen in low numbers around the island. A very few Parakeet and Least Auklets were noted flying by Northeast Point mid-week during the storm. By weeks end finding a Red-legged Kittiwake among the continuing hordes of Black-legged has become an arduous task as virtually all the Red-legs have seemingly departed for the open ocean. A single Parasitic Jaeger was seen harassing a feeding flock of kittiwakes on the 5th from Hutchinson Hill. Our long-staying Black-headed Gull remains in the mixed gull flock at Big Lake. Small numbers of both subspecies of Herring Gulls, Slaty-backed Gull and Glaucous Gulls remain on the island. The larid highlight of the week was furnished by a nice adult Thayer’s Gull (casual in the Bering Sea) on Weather Bureau Lake on the 4th. This bird was found the next day on the Salt Lagoon.
SHOREBIRDS
The regularly occurring fall migrant shorebirds were all accounted for this week, with the following high daily counts:
Pacific Golden-Plover 60
GRAY-TAILED TATTLER 1
Wandering Tattler 3
Ruddy Turnstone 100
Pectoral Sandpiper 6
SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER 8
Long-billed Dowitcher 4
Red Phalarope 500
A push of Pacific Golden-Plovers was noteworthy on the 6th, other daily counts for the week were around 10 birds per day. Pribilof Rock Sandpiper and Ruddy Turnstone numbers continue to decline, with a mere 20 Rocks and 75 Ruddies by week’s end.
Mainland (tschuktschorum) Rock Sandpipers continue to pass through this week, with up to 2 in a day, these dark breasted and smaller migrants easily stand out amidst the larger and pale breasted Pribilof Rock Sandpipers. A few noteworthy shorebirds included a single Sanderling at Webster Beach on the 1st, and a very late Western on the Salt Lagoon on the 6th.
PASSERINES AND LANDBIRDS
The mid-week storm shifted most of the lingering birds off the island, but also brought a few additional individuals to our shores. The following totals are estimates of the week’s (and seasons) total for each species:
Eurasian Skylark 3 (9)
Gray-streaked Flycatcher 9 (11)
Eyebrowed Thrush 7 (16)
Japonicus American Pipit 2 (8)
Little Bunting (arrived on last weeks front) 1 (2) last seen on Oct 1
Brambling 3 (12)
The strong mid-week West brought us two high-quality strays early in the week. A small and very furtive bird first found on the 31st and subsequently refound the next day proved to be the season’s second Yellow-browed Warbler. This bird was heard to give a call reminiscent of a Pacific-slope Flycatcher on several occasions. It would flush rapidly, and stay low in the celery patches around Webster Lake, never giving lengthy views. The second stellar find was of North America’s first photo-documented live GRAY HERON on October 1. Found circling over the Salt Lagoon by a local birder, Dustin Jones, the bird was well seen and studied over the course of the next few hours, and was also seen briefly the next day. The short legs, overall gray tone, lack of rufous in the wings or thighs and very obvious white leading edge to the wing were all noted. There is a previous sight record of this widespread Eurasian heron from Saint Paul, from the first week in August in 1999.
North American passerines were few this week, but the overall diversity continues to be good. The following totals are estimates of the week’s total for each species:
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 Oct 1
Varied Thrush 1 Oct 5
Yellow Warbler 1 Oct 1
Townsend’s Warbler (2nd this fall) 1 last seen Oct 2
Fox Sparrow 1 last seen Oct 2
Song Sparrow 1 through the week
Golden-crowned Sparrow 1 Oct 5
Dark-eyed Junco 1 Oct 5
Common Redpoll 5
Hoary Redpoll 3
The island’s fall raptor show is still on, with the continuing Northern Harrier seen on the 1st and 5th, and the local Bald Eagle on the 5th. A male tundrius and a female pealei Peregrine were seen harassing the local birds through the week, as was the fall’s first Short-eared Owl, which was resting around Webster Lake (possibly eating turnstones) from the 2nd to the 5th.
Regularly Occurring Species currently on the island
Northern Pintail
Green-winged (and Common) Teal
King Eider
Harlequin Duck
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Red-necked Grebe
Black Scoter
Northern Fulmar
Red-faced Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Bald Eagle
Pacific Golden-Plover
Wandering Tattler
Ruddy Turnstone
Pectoral Sandpiper
Rock Sandpiper (ssp. ptilocnemis)
Long-billed Dowitcher
Red Phalarope
Glaucous-winged Gull
Herring Gull (ssp. smithsonianus)
Herring Gull (ssp. vegae)
Black-legged Kittiwake
Common Murre
Thick-billed Murre
Horned Puffin
Common Raven
Winter Wren (ssp. alascensis)
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (ssp. umbrina)
For tour information or to make travel arrangements visit our website http://www.alaskabirding.com or call 1-877-424-5637. This is Gavin Bieber (kingbird77@hotmail.com), Jake Mohlmann, Dylan Radin, and Rich Hoyer, the 2007 St. Paul Island Tour guides, wishing you good birding.