http://www.martin-eccles-artist.co.uk/index.php en Copyright 2007 2007-07-29T17:59:03+00:00 http://www.martin-eccles-artist.co.uk/index.php/text/blog/aleutian_terns_nome_alaska_june_2007/ http://www.martin-eccles-artist.co.uk/index.php/text/blog/aleutian_terns_nome_alaska_june_2007/#When:17:59:03Z An Alaskan gold rush town, Nome has three roads out of town. Each about 70 km long the Teller Road to the northwest, the Kougerak Road inland and Council Road that runs south east along the coast past Safety Lagoon. Nome’s proximity to the Palaearctic makes it the place that North American birders come to see Arctic Warbler, Bluethroat and Yellow Wagtail. However, it was one of the residents that I was particularly after – Aleutian Tern. Apart from a general love of terns, the fact that the only western Palaearctic record was from the Farne Islands 40 miles from my home, made it more alluring. The roadside pools at the top of Safety Lagoon had pairs of Red-throated and Pacific Loons but the Aleutian Tern colony was at the very south of Safety Lagoon. They were on the shingle on both the mainland and the island. 2007-07-29T17:59:03+00:00 http://www.martin-eccles-artist.co.uk/index.php/text/blog/spectacled_eider_barrow_alaska_june_2007/ http://www.martin-eccles-artist.co.uk/index.php/text/blog/spectacled_eider_barrow_alaska_june_2007/#When:17:58:00Z Arriving on the morning flight and leaving the next evening we had 36 hours in Barrow. A small community at the very top of North America we had times our arrival to coincide with the melting of the ice on the tundra pools; soon enough for there to be open water but before the insects start to hatch. There would be skuas, phalaropes and Snowy Owls but I the bird I most wanted to see was Spectacled Eider. With a range off the coasts of Siberia and Alaska, Barrow is the place they are most accessible. We knew that they were around as departing birders had had up to three pairs on pools at the end of one of the roads. The first day produced great views of a female King Eider and frustrating views of something unidentifiable due to a combination of cold, wind and distance. Back out the next morning (having been up till 1 a.m. looking at Polar Bear) we were again scanning the same set of pools. Tucked in against the truck was the only way to use a scope; the wind was 20-30 mph and the temperature below freezing. One minute the pools were empty and the next, from out of nowhere, there was a pair of Spectacled Eider. They swam along the back of the pool and then flew towards us, pitching in about 200m from us. They stayed for about 10 minutes before they flew off inland. 2007-07-29T17:58:00+00:00 http://www.martin-eccles-artist.co.uk/index.php/text/blog/red_legged_kittiwake_st_paul_island_alaska_june_2007/ http://www.martin-eccles-artist.co.uk/index.php/text/blog/red_legged_kittiwake_st_paul_island_alaska_june_2007/#When:17:56:00Z St Paul, one of the Pribilof Islands, is the place to go to see Red-legged Kittiwake. Whilst we knew we were likely to see a whole range of alcids – Least Auklet, Parakeet Auklet, Crested Auklet, Tufted Puffin and Horned Puffin, Thick-billed Murre – it was the prospect of the Red-legs that took us there. The resident birders assured us that there were occasions when the weather was good; sunny and warm. Unfortunately the three days we spent on the island were windy, cold and occasionally wet. The first Red-legs we saw were flying out of the rain at Southwest Point. The largest colonies were less accessible in the poor weather and so we watched them on the cliffs at Zapadni Point. They were roosting in with Black-legged Kittiwakes – the larger head and shorter bill were obvious in direct comparison. The two species came in to bathe at one of the freshwater pools by the airstrip – here it was the darker mantle and red legs that stood out. An unexpected bonus was Ancient Murrelet. Over the past few years they have bred in amongst the boulders of the piers around the harbour. When I arrived at the quay there were four close in; they drifted out and were joined by others till there was a small raft of 16. 2007-07-29T17:56:00+00:00 http://www.martin-eccles-artist.co.uk/index.php/text/blog/alberta_may_2007/ http://www.martin-eccles-artist.co.uk/index.php/text/blog/alberta_may_2007/#When:14:15:00Z A working trip to Edmonton, Alberta gave me a free Sunday to explore. As I didn't want to spend a lot of time driving I headed for Elk Island National Park - the closest reserve to Edmonton. Having driven the Bison loop (seeing about 30 Plains Bison) I set out to walk the Shirley Lake Trail. During the 12 Km walk I met no one else apart from 2 Porcupines, 1 Beaver and a lone bull Bison. The birding was steady - Yellow-rumped Warblers were far and away the commonest warbler. I only saw one other species - a lone Tenessee Warbler. There were good numbers of waterfowl - Lesser Scaup, Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal, Ruddy Duck, Bufflehead, American Wigeon, Goldeneye and a couple of small groups of Canvasback. A flock of White Pelicans circled over the east of the park as I arrived and a flock of Sandhill Cranes flew through. Best bird was probably a Clay-coloured Sparrow which I flushed while trying to avoid a flooded section of the trail. Just before I left I drove up to the top of the park and spent half an hour drawing a pair of Red-necked Grebes as they drifted around a lake side bay.  2007-05-12T14:15:00+00:00 http://www.martin-eccles-artist.co.uk/index.php/text/blog/pelee_island_may_2005/ http://www.martin-eccles-artist.co.uk/index.php/text/blog/pelee_island_may_2005/#When:11:40:01Z Pelee birding - with a difference. Pelee Island is the largest and most northerly island in the Lake Eire archipelago; it is also about 10 miles south west of Point Pelee.  At 10km by 3km and a point on either end it has much the same potential to attract birds as the Canadian mainland reserve.  However, it has the huge advantage of being a one and a half hour ferry ride away and so it has far fewer birders. The first week in May is the start of the migration season and as the weekend rain cleared away we got a feel for the island, scouting out Fish Point and Lighthouse Point. The start of the week was quiet. We mistakenly thought that the four Belted Kingfishers were island residents – after Wednesday we never saw them again as they continued their migration north. Thursday and Saturday were the two days when there were falls of birds.  Yellow-rumped and Yellow Warblers were by far the commonest warblers – we counted 150 of them along the 1km stretch of beach on Fish Point on Thursday evening. During that day, in amongst the commoner warblers we also had 24 Hermit Thrushes, one Blackburnian and one Prothonetory. 2006-10-08T11:40:01+00:00