Kodiak Island is Incredible!

Early Spring in Kodiak and Nome: 2026

We had another extremely successful early-spring trip to Kodiak Island, with a quick add-on to Nome. The goals of this trip are simple: to explore a little-visited Alaskan birding location, enjoy large flocks of wintering Emperor Geese, find a few stunning Steller’s Eiders, catch a glimpse of a Boreal Owl, and generally have a great time out birding! This year, we gave that to-do list a hearty “CHECK!” We also managed to find a couple of Red-faced Cormorants and an American Three-toed Woodpecker in Kodiak. Our brief time in Anchorage provided great views of Bohemian Waxwings, Boreal Chickadees, and a Northern Saw-whet Owl after dark.

On our quick extension to Nome, the McKay’s Bunting show was as good as it’s ever been! A flock of about 40 McKay’s Buntings was very cooperative for us on the edge of town. We also picked up a stunning Gyrfalcon, scads of Willow Ptarmigan, and a surprise Canada Jay in Nome!

You can read more about the details on our eBird trip report here.

This trip is a relaxing and laid-back way to find these very special birds on fascinating Kodiak Island. We’ll never get tire of birding on Kodiak and are already excited for next year’s trip!

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