Alaska Wildlife

Tufted Puffin:




Red-necked Phalaropes:


Bald Eagle:










The caribou of St Paul Island:




American Wigeon:


Greater Scaup:


Golden-crowned Sparrow:


Northern Fur Seal:




Parakeet Auklet:




Moose family:

Saint Paul Island wildlife - fur seals, blue foxes, and more

One of the specialties of St Paul Island is the Northern Fur Seals. This is actually what attracted those first Russian settlers there back in 1700's. When we were there, the male seals were just returning back, claiming choice beach spots for their harems. They are the beachmasters:





Notice the wounds on this seal. Their life is not easy.




This is the reason we were there. These cute seabirds are Parakeet Auklets:






Another cute wild resident is the Arctic Fox. But wait, aren't arctic foxes supposed to be white? Well, these are of a rare "blue morph", except that on St Paul Island it is not rare but rather prevalent.






Another rarity is the endangered Red-legged Kittawake. It is a type of a gull, but found only on a few islands in the Bering Sea. Love those red legs!


A snow bunting is not rare, and you can even see them in the NY area in the winter. But it is rare to see them in the summer, and in their full breeding colors!


Another seabird resident - Thick-billed Murre:




More cute fur seals:






Parting shot: the arctic lupine (just coming into bloom in May):

Bald Eagles of Alaska

Anchor Point is a place not far from Homer that's positively overrun with bald eagles. I am not sure what attracts them, but they are absolutely everywhere on the beach there. This is the typical sight when you pull up to boat launch there:



There were at least a dozen different birds hanging around when we were there, and a local told me he's seen as many as 50.


















The main birding spot is the boat launch, which has these huge tractors to help pull the boat up the steep ocean banks during the low tides: