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Alaska - Adak: Aleutian Specialties & Asian Vagrants

© Pigeon Guillemot by Adam Riley
Alaska - Adak: Aleutian Specialties & Asian Vagrants

USD4,950 - No Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Local Leader

Pricing notes : Please see BirdingDirect link for spaces and pricing.

Tour price (Per person): USD4,950 * GBP3,729 * EUR4,380 * AUD7,679

For enquiries & bookings, please following this link:  Birding Direct - United States

This tour is operated by High Lonesome BirdTours in partnership with BirdingDirect.
These are large group tours (up to 16 guests with multiple tour leaders), and will have guests from both Highlonesome as well as BirdingDirect.

Adak Island is a remote outpost in the central Aleutian Islands, but readily accessible from Anchorage which lies nearly 1,200 miles northeast of Adak. This relatively large Aleutian island, roughly 274 square miles in size, has been accessible to birders since the early 2000s after the closure of a sizeable naval base. Taking advantage of the extensive remaining infrastructure, which includes miles of good roads and comfortable accommodations, we can now explore this rugged and wild island easily. The island sits amidst the productive confluence of the Bering Sea to the north and the Pacific to the south and this rich pelagic environment supports millions of seabirds most notably the range-restricted Whiskered Auklet which we will seek via a short pelagic boat trip. Other marine birds easily seen on Adak include Ancient, Marbled and Kittlitz’s Murrelets, Laysan Albatross, Short-tailed Shearwater, and a smattering of other alcids. During the spring, Adak Island is also a fantastic place to find migrating Arctic and Yellow-billed Loons, Gyrfalcon, Aleutian Tern, and Common Eiders. The island also hosts an endemic subspecies of Rock Ptarmigan, Rock Sandpiper, Black Oystercatcher, Pacific Wren, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Snow Bunting, and Lapland Longspur. Due to its far-flung westerly location (roughly 445 miles east of Attu Island), Adak Island receives a healthy dose of Eurasian migrants and vagrants with early spring being an ideal time to find scarce shorebirds and waterfowl. In recent years, we have seen a variety of rare visitors to the ABA area during our tours, including Whooper Swan, Taiga and Tundra Bean-Geese, Smew, Tufted Duck, Eurasian Wigeon, Eastern Spot-billed Duck, Long-billed Murrelet, Lesser Sand-Plover, Ruff, Terek Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Temminck’s Stint, Common Snipe (likely breeds), Eyebrowed Thrush, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Hawfinch, Rustic Bunting, Brambling and many other Asiatic vagrants are possible. Of course, the number and variety of rare and vagrant species are highly weather dependent, and even a handful of these species would be an exceptional trip, but the potential and unpredictability make for adventurous and exciting daily outings.

Single Rooming is highly improbable on this tour.

 

 

Top Birds

Taiga & Tundra Bean Geese (rare); Smew (nearly annual); Laysan Albatross; Northern Fulmar; Short-tailed Shearwater; Whiskered Auklet; Kittlitz’s, Ancient & Marbled Murrelets; Pigeon Guillemot; Rock Sandpiper; Gyrfalcon; Arctic, Pacific & Yellow-billed Loons; Red-faced & Pelagic Cormorants; Black Oystercatcher; Aleutian Tern; Parasitic Jaeger; Rock Ptarmigan; Gray-crowned Rosy-finch; Hawfinch (nearly annual); Brambling; many other possible Asian vagrants

Top Mammals

Sea Otters, Harbour Seals, Steller’s Sea Lions

Habitats Covered

maritime tundra, lakes, wetlands, coastline, pelagic

Expected Climate

cool, sometimes wet and windy, temps 35 – 50 degrees Fahrenheit

Max Group Size

12 with 2 HL Tour Leaders

Tour Pace & Walking

easy to moderate; some hiking through marshes every day

Accommodation

comfortable and fully equipped townhouses

Ease of Birding

easy

Number of Species Expected

170 -180

Other Attractions

remote volcanic landscapes of the Aleutian Islands, history

Photographic Opportunities

excellent photographic opportunities

What our clients say about us

Stephan Lorenz
KE, Alaska 2022

The weather adversely affected the Gambell visit such that hoped for vagrants were minimal during our stay. The Siberian Express mostly failed to stop there. That was beyond anyone’s control and, thanks to the efforts of the guides, the birding experience was still very good. Stephan Lorenz did an exceptional job. Between Covid and the weather his job seemed unusually difficult but he handled things extremely well. I would definitely go on another tour with Mr. Lorenz as guide.

Stephan Lorenz
RS, Alaska 2018

Stephan Lorenz was great. He knew every bird and plant and was helpful to me in getting the photos that I wanted.

Stephan Lorenz
JG, Alaska 2023

Our trip to Alaska was great. Our guide, Stephan Lorenz, was greatly appreciated for his knowledge of the birds, of the sites, and his leader qualities. Thanks to Stephans sharp eyes we observed Grey-crowned Rosy Finch, my objective, which was less than zero chance according to Stephan :-). It was a very exciting moment for us ! Apart from seeing all the covoted birds we saw a great deal of animals including 11 grizzli bears, several orcas and a few polar bears which was the cherry on the cake ! What a great thrill ! Having our list done on eBird was also greatly appreciated.

Stephan Lorenz
RJ - Alaska 2021

Stephan Lorenz is an outstanding guide. His knowledge of birds - including their identification, behaviours and biology - is exceptional. He and his partner Claudia provided excellent service to the clients. They made sure all our interests and needs were attended to, and they actively engaged in making the trip both educational and fun.

Stephan Lorenz
RJ - Alaska 2021

Stephan was an outstanding guide, as usual, and Claudia was a great spotter and helper. The lodging in Barrow was better than expected, as was the food there.

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