Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska - Part 4 (Oct 13-14, 2025)

Oct 13

Dan and I were set to leave Barrow on this morning's flight, but that ended up being canceled due to an icy runway. There was no room on that afternoon's flight out (all three tour groups were on that flight), so the soonest we could leave would be the next afternoon. Unfortunately, we had already returned the rental car, and the office was closed for the remainder of the day. So we found ourselves stuck without transport! Luckily the King Eider Inn let us keep our room for another night. Upon hearing of our predicament, Andy B. offered for us to join his small group for the rest of their day's birding, which was super generous.

By the time we got sorted and into the field, it was late morning, and we met Andy's group at NARL. We were pleased to hear that the SONG THRUSH persisted, though there seemed to be no sign of the Varied Thrush.

White-crowned Sparrow persists; this hardy species can handle some snow

Andy's group was interested in looking for WILLOW PTARMIGAN in the same area we'd had them on the 11th. Sure enough, we found them, this time counting upwards of 50 in one loose flock! On the way out there, we stumbled across a MALLARD, a good bird for the area.

Mallard





We went back to the coast and checked the lagoon at Dewline Road, where we had great views of another juv POMARINE JAEGER, a female GREATER SCAUP, and a lone LAPLAND LONGSPUR. We were happy to still be adding trip birds nearly a week into our stay.

LALO record shot

Soon it was time for Andy's group to catch their afternoon flight. In the meantime, we were able to arrange for an unofficial vehicle "rental" with one of the locals in town, for which we were very grateful, as we wanted to make the most of our unexpected trip extension.

After we bid adieu to Andy's crew, we went back up the coast to the end of Stevenson Street before it got dark. Dan continued his run of large gull spotting and picked out a distant adult VEGA GULL amongst the Glaucs. Very cool and definitely a species we were hoping to see before we left. Otherwise, a RED-BREASTED MERGANSER was the only bird of interest out there.

This Caribou has had better days


Oct 14

One last morning, one last seawatch. Winds were SSW at 10-12mph, far from ideal, so we were not surprised to find the sea quiet. Still, we kept at it, and were rewarded for our efforts with a basic adult SABINE'S GULL milling offshore. Clearly we weren't done yet!

Yellow-billed Loon

Glaucous Gull

Back out to the end of Stevenson Street, the VEGA GULL continued and, to our surprise, a flock of 18 ROSS'S GULLS were flying SSW over the lagoon. Not sure what they were up to, but goes to show that you don't necessarily need classic conditions to see this species here in October.

adult Vega Gull among Glaucous Gulls

distant Ross's Gull flock over Elson Lagoon

boat heading out, perhaps part of the whaling fleet

We returned to NARL for our midday ritual of landbird searching. For the first time all week, it was birdless. Not a sign of anything. Our run of luck had to come to an end sometime!

Back to the coast, which remained quiet, we kept plugging along. As it turned out, we had one more left in the tank. A single RED PHALAROPE, one of Dan's few remaining targets, was conveniently foraging not far off the beach on this beautiful afternoon.

Red Phalarope (photo courtesy Dan Errichetti)

And with that, it was time to repack and head to the airport for our journey home.

What a week! This trip exceeded all personal expectations. We got our Ross's Gull fallout, found a continental mega, saw many very high-quality birds & mammals, and enjoyed a fascinating cultural experience. We ended up seeing 35 bird species, certainly more than we were expecting. As always, we left a few on the table. Ivory Gull, more likely later in the month, would have been sweet. A Snowy Owl or two would've been nice, as would have a better view of Spectacled Eider. Still, uber successful and an exceptionally fun time with stellar company!


eBird trip report:


Mammal list, in no particular order:

Polar Bear (4)
Arctic Fox (many)
Nearctic Brown Lemming (a few)
Ermine/Short-tailed Weasel (1)
Gray Whale (2; NB only)
[Bowhead Whale - 1 deceased]
seal sp. (3; Ringed vs Spotted)

- NB

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