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Wilderness Birding Adventures 2013 |
1-907-694-7442
Site Map
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1-907-694-7442 |
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Alaska Birding and Wildlife Adventures Since 1986 |
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Why WBA
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GAMBELL I GAMBELL II If you are a birder, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Gambell’s renowned birding and probably its notorious pea gravel. Last year the village built a road system vastly improving the walking conditions and we are excited to become the first birding group to offer bicycles as an option to enhance birding the area. A spring visit to this Alaska birding hotspot is a must for any birder working on their North American list. Gambell, in the middle of the Bering Sea, is a nesting habitat for many difficult-to-see alcids and other specialties, a great perch to conduct a sea-watch as the northern migration in the Bering Sea passes close by, and is a famous stopover (migrant trap) for Siberian migrants somewhat off course. We travel as a small group to maximize our birding agility in this great birding hotspot. Birding at St. Lawrence Island is a unique experience, from the birds to the location (you can see Siberia on a clear day) to the Siberian Yup’ik Eskimo people who have made their living from the Bering Sea for thousands of years on this spot. We stay in a home rented from a village family. Gambell is famous also for its ivory carvers; we invite carvers to visit and show their artwork. It provides an excellent opportunity to meet and learn from these people whose lifestyle and culture are so different from most of us. Their stories have always been a highlight for our groups. Consider bringing some extra cash for gift shopping and stimulating the local economy. We generally start each day at the "sea watch" where huge numbers of birds stream by: Least, Crested & Parakeet Auklets, Horned & Tufted Puffins, Common & Thick-billed Murres, Pigeon & Black Guillemots, Dovekie, King, Common, Steller’s & maybe Spectacled Eiders, Arctic, Pacific, Red-throated & Yellow-billed Loons, Red & Red-necked Phalaropes, Pomarine, Parasitic & Long-tailed Jaegers, Northern Fulmars and Black-legged Kittiwakes...to name just some! The rest of the day is spent combing the boneyards, boatyard, marshes and ponds for passerines, shorebirds and whatever else drops in. On any given day, we may hike/bike around the lake; visit the rookeries for close-up looks at auklets or repeatedly scour the boneyards for new arrivals. We typically spend most of the day in the field searching this amazing place for big birding rewards. Gambell is renowned for birding rarities. In addition to the birds mentioned, we may see Emperor Goose, Ivory Gull, Ross’ Gull, Common Ringed Plover, various Stints, Ruff, Common Cuckoo, Brambling, Bluethroat, Red-throated Pipit, Yellow & White Wagtails, McKay’s Bunting; check out the bird lists below. Wilderness Birding Adventures considers itself to be an ecotourism company and is proud of its efforts over the years to continue birding on foot at Gambell while our competitors gravitated to the use of All Terrain Vehicles. We have used ATVs on occasion to aid participants who were unable to walk through the gravel, and that will still be an option in the future, but between improved walking and the option of using bicycles we can stay true to our principles. We can continue to bird the old way, under our own power without the constant motor sounds drowning out the calls and songs. Birding will continue to be an activity involving some exercise without the guilt of burning oil needlessly. Notes. The trip price includes: all flights from Anchorage to Gambell and back; lodging in Gambell in shared accommodations; all meals (home-cooked) in Gambell; bicycles with racks and helmets; WBA guides; permits. The trip begins and ends at the Anchorage airport; you are responsible for your Anchorage lodging, meals and other Anchorage arrangments. The Gambell I trip departs Anchorage for Nome on an 11 AM flight, connecting in Nome to the flight to Gambell. The Gambell II trip departs Anchorage on a 6 AM flight. All trips return to Anchorage on a flight that arrives around 10:30 PM. Single occupancy is not available on our Gambell trips. GAMBELL I - II Combined Do you want a longer Gambell trip? You never know what may drop in from Siberia, or when. Vagrants are more weather-driven than calendar-driven. Combining Gambell I and Gambell II increases your odds of seeing the spring migration’s exciting highlights. Spring Gambell Combination Packages:
Combine Gambell I and Nome I or combine Gambell II and Nome II in one trip! If you are a birder, you’ve probably heard about the magnificent birding at both Gambell on St. Lawrence Island and Nome on the Seward Peninsula. A spring visit to these two Alaska birding hotspots is a must for any birder working on their North American list. Gambell, in the middle of the Bering Sea, is a nesting habitat for many difficult-to-see alcids and other specialties, a great perch to conduct a sea-watch as the northern migration in the Bering Sea passes close-by, and is a famous stopover (migrant trap) for Siberian migrants blown off course. Nome, along the western shore of Alaska just south of the Arctic Circle, also gets many off-course migrants rare to North America and is perfectly situated to bird the nice variety of breeding resident birds of far northern Alaska. We travel as a small group to maximize our birding agility in these great birding spots.
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Gambell III & IV - Fall Birding Gambell III Gambell IV Gambell III & IV Combined This trip is for the hardcore birder. You’ve probably heard about the magnificent birding at Gambell, Alaska on St Lawrence Island. Gambell during the fall migration has become famous in recent years as a source for new North American first records as well as for great sightings in general of Asiatic birds which rarely get to North America. Birding Gambell in the fall is different than the spring. Although still impressive, the “sea watch” has many fewer alcids, many of the residents are gone, so there are fewer birds. We are much more at the mercy of the weather to produce birds, but the rewards are great. The excitement of birding Gambell in the fall is the unknown of what could fall out. If a first North American record drops from the sky, the only way to see it is to be there. Highlights from our past fall trips include: Gray-tailed Tattler, Lesser Sand-Plover, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Red-throated Pipit, White Wagtail, Dusky Warbler, Willow Warbler, Middendorf’s Grasshopper-Warbler, Siberian Accentor, Pechora Pipit, Stonechat, Common Snipe, Brown Shrike, Rustic Bunting, Little Bunting, Pallas's Bunting, Yellow-breasted Bunting, Common Rosefinch and Brambling. In addition to our successes, some of the “megas” that have been found over the years at Gambell in the fall include: Oriental Turtle-Dove, Dusky Thrush, Lesser Whitethroat, Yellow-browed Warbler, Pallas's Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Tree Pipit, Eurasian Wryneck, Taiga Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, and Yellow-browed Bunting. We travel as a small group to maximize our birding agility in this great birding hotspot. We generally spend each day at the sea watch, combing the boneyards, boatyard, marshes and ponds for passerines, shorebirds and whatever else drops in. On any given day, we may hike around the lake. All birding is on foot in Gambell’s famous pea gravel. We walk a lot and your enjoyment of this amazing place will be augmented by your readiness to pound the pea gravel for big birding rewards. Birding at St. Lawrence Island is a unique experience, from the birds to the location (you can see Siberia on a clear day) to the Siberian Y’upik Eskimo people who have made their living from the Bering Sea for thousands of years. We stay in a private home in the village. If you think you'd like birding on the edge, this is the trip for you. Gambell, in the middle of the Bering Sea, is habitat for many difficult-to-see alcids and other specialties, a great perch to conduct a sea-watch as the migration in the Bering Sea passes close-by, and is a famous stopover (migrant trap) for Siberian migrants blown off course. GETTING AROUND IN GAMBELL: We have resolved the age-old dilemma of whether to walk or use 4-wheelers by bringing bicycles to Gambell to use on our birding trips, now that the paved roads make this approach feasible. We also use a personnel carrier towed behind an ATV to carry tired bikers and bicycles. We now have great flexibility and freedom while birding. Notes. The trip price includes: all flights from Anchorage to Gambell and back; lodging in Gambell in shared accommodations; all meals (home-cooked) in Gambell; bicycles with racks and helmets; WBA guides; permits. The trip begins and ends at the Anchorage airport; you are responsible for your Anchorage lodging, meals and other Anchorage arrangments. The Gambell I trip departs Anchorage for Nome on an 11 AM flight, connecting in Nome to the flight to Gambell. The Gambell II trip departs Anchorage on a 6 AM flight. All trips return to Anchorage on a flight that arrives around 10:30 PM. Single occupancy is not available on our Gambell trips.
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BIRDING FOCUSED
WILDERNESS WILDLIFE & BIRDING
INTERNATIONAL
Birding Focused 
