A juvenile White Wagtail at Gambell, Alaska

Gambell: Fall 2023 Trip Report

October 5, 2023

It’s been a great fall season for Wilderness Birding Adventures with exciting and productive trips to Adak, Gambell, and the Pribilofs! Here’s a brief update from our September 1-11 trip to Gambell.

Gambell, situated on the northwest point of St. Lawrence Island in the northern Bering Sea, is the perfect place to bird during migration in the hopes of scooping up any treasures a west wind might provide. This, our 18th fall tour to the island since 2004, was one of our best. We had an incredible run of nine Asian species in the first eight days of the trip–Pechora Pipit, Little Bunting, Willow Warbler, Common Rosefinch, Common Sandpiper, Siberian Accentor, Gray-tailed Tattler, Dark-sided Flycatcher, Olive-backed Pipit. Other birders on the island also found a Garganey, which unfortunately flew off before our group could connect with it. All in all, it was a remarkable 11 days of birding and one spectacular list of rarities!

Here are a few photo highlights from the trip.

We had excellent views of this Gray-tailed Tattler along the shore of Troutman Lake.

Dark-sided Flycatcher, Gambell, Alaska — This Dark-sided Flycatcher, a first-island record, was the rarest bird of the trip!

Pechora Pipit, Gambell, Alaska — An uncommonly cooperative Pechora Pipit.

Arctic Warbler, Gambell, Alaska — Arctic Warblers are regular migrants at Gambell. Study the Arctic Warbler, and you’ll be ready for to identify the rare phylloscopus warblers.

Olive-backed Pipit, Gambell, Alaska — This is a terrible picture of a great bird–Olive-backed Pipit.

Little Bunting, Gambell, Alaska — Little Bunting. Pandemonium ensued when Little Bunting, Siberian Accentor, and Common Rosefinch were palling around in the fall boneyard.

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