Adak: Fall 2023 Trip Report

Adak Island, Fall Migration September 20-27, 2023

We had so much fun birding Adak Island in September of 2022 that we just had to make another trip out this year. Every season is different when birding the edge of Alaska. Last September, there were scads of shorebirds migrating through the island during our visit, including the rarities Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper, and Gray-tailed Tattler. This year we saw very few shorebirds. But what we lacked in shorebirds, we made up for in waterfowl and a couple of great songbirds. Everything was just ducky!

After getting settled at our rental house on the first afternoon, we headed out toward Clam Lagoon. On the way, we couldn’t resist a stop at Contractor’s Marsh where we got our first of many looks of COMMON SNIPE. Common Snipe aren’t displaying overhead in September like they are during our spring tours, but there are still enough of them around that with patience and persistence it’s possible to get looks at important marks to separate one from a Wilson’s Snipe. Wilson’s Snipe also occurs on Adak but seems to be in smaller numbers during September.

Clam Lagoon is the largest brackish lagoon in the Aleutians and perhaps the best birding spot on Adak Island. The south end of the lagoon is a mix of shallow waters, mudflats, and marshy vegetation. Here, anything is possible. On our first afternoon at the lagoon, a large flock of Eurasian Green-winged Teal was feeding in the shallows in the southwest corner. We spent hours last September picking through these flocks hoping to tease out a rare duck. It didn’t happen last year, but this year, lurking in the flock, was a GARGANEY! It tried to blend it, but the keen eyes of our group quickly separated it from the flock and we all got great views and decent photos!

The next day we found two more GARGANEY at Contractor’s Marsh and two TUFTED DUCKS at Clam Lagoon. The two Garganey in the marsh gave us great looks and an excellent study opportunity. This would be the only day we would see these two Garganey, but the Clam Lagoon Garganey stayed throughout our entire trip. On the 23^rd, we found a STELLER’S EIDER on Clam Lagoon. This species is only casual on Adak and the earliest previous records were in October! We had a small flock of EMPEROR GEESE on the first two days of the trip and a steady stream of Aleutian CACKLING GEESE throughout the week. The rarest bird of the trip was another vagrant duck–a BAIKAL TEAL that we found in Sweeper Creek on the 25^th. This was only the second Baikal Teal for Adak and the central Aleutians! It showed very well and flashed us all of its field marks as it fed side-by-side with the similar Eurasian Green-winged Teal. After the studies that we had of three Garganey and the many great looks of Green-winged Teal, the subtle field marks of this Baikal Teal jumped right out to us.

In addition to the waterfowl, which were the clear standout birds of the trip, we also found a very cooperative EURASIAN SKYLARK flaunting its understated beauty along the side of the road and a total of six BRAMBLING seen on four different days. However, it was the YELLOW WARBLER in the “Adak National Forest” that was the rarest songbird of the trip—only the second for Adak and the central Aleutians.

Even without the rarities, Adak Island is just a great birding destination, with a long list of quality birds that filled our days while we searched for the rare. These included RED-FACED CORMORANT, LAYSAN ALBATROSS, SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATER, ROCK SANDPIPER, ROCK PTARMIGAN, GRAY-CROWNED ROSYFINCH, GYRFALCON, COMMON EIDER, EURASIAN WIGEON, SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER, ANCIENT MURRELET and MARBLED MURRELET. We were also excited to find a KITTLITZ’S MURRELET. This species is common on our spring tours, but we didn’t see it last year in September.

Great birding, a wonderful group of people, remarkably good weather, and exceptionally rare birds. It’s difficult to wear out the superlatives on this adventure! I’m already looking forward to next year’s fall trip to Adak Island!