The port of Dutch Harbor and Unalaska Island offer some of the best birding in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Lying on the far eastern end of the island chain, Unalaska and nearby Amaknak Island have a well-developed infrastructure supporting one of the busiest harbors in the United States. This allows for relatively easy access and a comfortable stay in the otherwise wild and rugged Aleutian Islands. While the Whiskered Auklet is the top target species of the tour there is a lot more to see. In fact, we record more species of alcids and seabirds during our Dutch Harbor Tour than on any other Alaska tour, and during our pelagic boat tour, we can see Common and Thick-billed Murres, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled, Kittlitz’s and Ancient Murrelets, Cassin’s, Crested, Parakeet and Least (rare) Auklets, Horned and Tufted Puffins, Layson and Black-footed Albatross, Short-tailed Shearwater, Northern Fumar, Black-legged Kittiwake, Pelagic and Red-faced Cormorants, scoters, loons, and Common Eider. In recent years, Red-legged Kittiwake has been frequently seen in small numbers and we have also recorded the endangered Short-tailed Albatross several times. The time we spend on land, exploring the wetlands, tundra, bays, and coastline, will also be filled with birds and Unalaska harbors such notable species as Harlequin Duck, Rock Ptarmigan (nelsoni ssp.), Black Oystercatcher, Rock Sandpiper, Pacific Wren, American Dipper, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Common Redpoll, Lapland Longspur, Snow Bunting, and the unalaschcensis subspecies of “Sooty” Fox Sparrow. The islands and surrounding pelagic waters are home to many mammals with Sea Otters abundant and Humpback and Minke Whales, Harbor Porpoises, Harbor Seals, and Steller’s Sea Lion all frequent. Back on land Red Foxes prowl the tundra and Arctic Ground Squirrels are common. The quaint town of Unalaska also offers two museums, and a historic Russian Orthodox church all with a backdrop of dramatic volcanic mountains clad in verdant maritime tundra vegetation – let’s not forget the abundant wildflowers. This diversity of birds, the potential for rarities, and unique scenery make this an ideal tour for first-time visitors or seasoned Alaska birders.
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)
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
Sea Otter; Steller’s Sea Lion; Harbor Seal; several species of whales
high tundra, pelagic
cool and sometimes wet; 40 to 60°F (5 - 16°C)
12 with 2 HL Tour Leaders
easy; minimal walking per day, most birding by vehicle or boat.
very comfortable hotels with excellent restaurants
fairly easy
good to excellent
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 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.
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.
As always, Stephan Lorenz was considerate, organized and adaptable, as well as being a fabulous birder and good teacher. This is a very well-organized and well thought-out tour and we were successful in seeing all target species and also having an enjoyable tour. Thank you. Looking forward to traveling with Stephan again.
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.
20 Jun 2024 - 23 Jun 2024 (4 days)
USD4,750 - No Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Claudia Cavazos
Tour Leader: Stephan Lorenz
Tour price (Per person): USD4,750 * GBP3,763 * EUR4,403 * AUD7,287
Single Supplement: USD450 * GBP357 * EUR417 * AUD690
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