The Bering Sea region of western Alaska is a vast, ecologically diverse, and sparsely populated section of Alaska. It’s here that some of North America’s most exciting birds are found and a few hardy birders explore this rugged region to search for these treasures. Alaska has a nice list of locations from which to explore this expansive region and each of western Alaska’s birding “outposts” offers a different flavor and style of birding. Adak Island, in the central Aleutian Islands, offers birders the rare opportunity to bird this western outpost with a level of comfort not possible on other Aleutian Islands. One can bird by exploring numerous wetlands, beaches, mudflats, and migrant traps throughout the day and return each night to comfortable accommodations and home-cooked meals. What could be better?
We’ve been leading trips to Adak Island in the spring since 2008 and began our September trips to Adak Island in 2022. We were more than pleased with what we found on these fall forays. Our week-long scouting trip in 2022 produced a nice list of shorebirds, including Pacific Golden-Plover, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Gray-tailed Tattler, Wood Sandpiper, and TWO Little Stints! Tufted Duck, “Eurasian” Barn Swallow, and several Brambling were also highlights. But it was a thrilling Asian songbird that raised the excitement level to 11—the rare Naumann’s Thrush, only the fifth for North America, put on a show in the final hour of the trip! Our 2023 fall tour to Adak was just as bird-filled as the scouting trip and the excitement was punctuated by Garganey, Baikal Teal, Eurasian Skylark, Brambling, and Tufted Duck. In 2024, our trip was highlighted by four Garganey, Alaska’s fourth Song Thrush, and an exciting seawatch with Mottled Petrels and a Short-tailed Albatross.
Even when rarities aren’t present, the island’s rich and expansive habitat harbors some excellent regular species, like Eurasian Wigeon, Common Eider, Short-tailed Shearwater, Laysan Albatross, Emperor Goose, Red-faced Cormorant, Ancient, Marbled and Kittlitz’s Murrelet, Common Snipe, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Pacific Golden-Plover, Gyrfalcon, Snow Bunting, and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. With the results of these two trips, we’re more than thrilled to add Adak Island in the fall to our regular line-up of Alaskan tours.
At Adak, we stay in comfortable, well-maintained duplexes that once housed naval officers and their families. We prepare our meals in the duplex kitchens and travel the island in four-wheel drive, four-door pick-ups. Much of the birding is from on or near the roads, including lengthy sea watches, but we do make daily walks out onto mudflats, beaches, and through wetlands. Alaska Airlines serves Adak Island with regular flights from Anchorage twice a week.
Notes: The trip price includes: a round trip flight from Anchorage to Adak; ground transportation, lodging, and meals in Adak; WBA guide(s); permits. You are responsible for your Anchorage lodging, meals, and other Anchorage arrangements. The trip begins and ends at the Anchorage airport. The flight to Adak departs at approximately 12 PM on Day 1 and gets back to Anchorage on Day 8 around 7:30 PM. Depending on the group configuration, single occupancy may or may not be available at Adak.
