Ross’s Gull Migration 2021!

With the completion of our fall tour to Utqiagvik for the Ross’s Gull migration, our abbreviated 2021 Alaska birding tour season has just come to an end. This short tour was a frigid and successful end to our season. It’s a special kind of trip when your main focus is on seeing on species. And it’s a special kind of birder who will fly to Alaska’s northernmost city in October, bundle up to brave freezing temperatures, 30-knot winds, and freezing surf, and spend four days sea watching with the hope that one of these pink beauties will fly by.

The bird that we sought is the graceful Ross’s Gull. This is a dream species for most birders. It requires a special effort to find and is one of the most difficult bird species to find in North America. Each year in October, they pass the coast of Utqiagvik, giving birders a chance to catch a glimpse of this beautiful bird. Away from Utqiagvik in October, there really is no reliable way to see Ross’s Gulls.

This was our eighth trip since 2010, and we again found Ross’s Gulls. (We’ve now seen Ross’s Gull on seven out of eight trips.) While we didn’t catch a major push of Ross’s past the point as we have in some years, we did tally 53 Ross’s Gulls and saw the species on three out of four days. This included a couple of stunning birds flying right over us at our sea watch! We also enjoyed views of Yellow-billed Loon, Spectacled, Common and King Eider, Short-tailed Shearwater. And finally on our last morning we caught up with Snowy Owl! A full trip report is available here.

We are excited about a return trip in October 2022. If you’re interested in joining us, you can check out all of the details and trip reports from past trips here.