Dutch Harbor, in the Aleutian Islands, is one of only two accessible locations (Adak is the other) where the Whiskered Auklet can easily be found. The town has relied on fishing for centuries and continues to do so. The weather is most suitable in mid to late June for our boat trip out to the Baby Islands to see the auklet. We expect to see Short-tailed Shearwater, Laysan and Black-footed Albatross, and Ancient Murrelet. We hope to see Mottled Petrel, a rare species in the Bering Sea now. We have seen Short-tailed Albatross a several times as well.

For our 8 – 10 hour boat trip, we will motor out to the Baby Islands for the Whiskered Auklet, then out to the Chelan Banks for other pelagic species. On the day we’re not on the boat, we’ll spend some time driving and walking around the tundra and seaside looking for other species that might be in residence or moving through. Tufted Duck was seen recently. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Aleutian race) is common as well as Snow Bunting. Gyrfalcon is often seen. Dutch Harbor has the highest concentration of Bald Eagles in the Aleutians because of the fish processing plants.

Accommodations in Dutch Harbor are at the very comfortable Grand Aleutian Hotel, and meals will take advantage of the wealth of excellent seafood available in Dutch Harbor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLLaDwz5CNo

This tour is operated by High Lonesome BirdTours in partnership with Rockjumper Birding Tours.

These are large group tours (up to 16 guests with multiple leaders), and will have guests from both Highlonesome and Rockjumper.

For any queries not related to a tour booking, please fee free to contact High Lonesome BirdTours directly Stephan Lorenz (Tour Director)

Top Birds

Whiskered Auklet; Laysan & Black-footed Albatross, Short-tailed Albatross (seen rarely on a couple of our trips); Short-tailed & Sooty Shearwater; Red-faced Cormorant; Horned & Tufted Puffin; Kittlitz’s, Ancient & Marbled Murrelet; Rock Ptarmigan; American Dipper; Aleutian Song Sparrow; Pacific Wren; Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch; Lapland Longspur; Snow Bunting

Top Mammals

Sea Otter; Steller’s Sea Lion; Harbor Seal; several species of whales

Habitats Covered

high tundra, pelagic

Expected Climate

cool and sometimes wet; 40 to 60°F (5 - 16°C)

Max Group Size

14 with 2 Tour Leaders

Tour Pace & Walking

easy; minimal walking per day, most birding by vehicle or boat.

Accommodation

very comfortable hotels with excellent restaurants

Ease of Birding

fairly easy

Photographic Opportunities

good to excellent

What our clients say about us

Stephan Lorenz
CM & JM, Alaska 2018

The tour was very well organised and run. The guides, Stephan Lorenz and Dave Krueper, were excellent. They went out of their way to ensure that all the group members had a chance to see and identify the birds, especially concentrating on those they knew were life birds. Having two guides for 10 tour members was great and being in two vans for travel ensured that we all had sufficient space and window area to spread out and see everything. Even the weather was pretty good. Great tour!

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
JW, Alaska 2022

Stephan as lead guide was one of the best guides I have ever had the privilege of working with. Wonderful at finding birds, making sure participants saw them, managing the challenging logistics, and a truly excellent group leader. Dave was an excellent partner guide. I will definitely seek them out to travel with again. Thanks to both of them.

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
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.

Alaska - The Aleutian Islands; Dutch Harbour & Whiskered Aucklet 2024

20 Jun 2024 - 23 Jun 2024 (4 days)

USD4,750 - No Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Claudia Cavazos

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Tour Leader: Stephan Lorenz

Tour price (Per person): USD4,750 * GBP3,840 * EUR4,455 * AUD7,403

Single Supplement: USD450 * GBP364 * EUR422 * AUD701

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