A vagrant goose which is not expected, though somewhat regular during the spring. It has occurred in the islands every few years since the 1990s, with nearly all of the known records being from the second half of May. This is considered to be the more expected bean-goose within Alaska and does outnumber its congener […]
Category: Ducks, Geese, and Swans (Anatidae)
Brant
The second most common goose species during the spring, this species becomes the most regular migrant goose species during fall migration in the Pribilofs. It is most common in the spring from May 15th to June 10th with a peak of occurrence around June 1st. Fall migrants are usually first found during early September and […]
Cackling Goose
This species has skyrocketed in abundance during recent years thanks to the very successful recovery of the Aleutian-breeding subspecies since the 1990s. It is a common migrant in the spring and into the summer in most years, though there remain distinctly fewer fall records, which are on the increase as well. The other Alaskan-breeding subspecies […]
Canada Goose
This species has only been reported five times from the islands with all records being of individuals that arrived between mid-May and mid-June. The identification of “Lesser” Canada Goose from Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii), especially ssp. taverneri, can be quite difficult and is not well understood by many. Caution should be used when identifying unusual […]
Trumpeter Swan
There are two Pribilof records of this species, an early northbound individual during late April in the winter season and a hypothetical record during the spring in early May. This is one of the earliest migrants to return to Alaska each spring and as such it is likely to be a very early migrant when […]
Tundra Swan
This species is a rare, nearly annual spring migrant with most birds arriving during the second half of May. As with all waterfowl, swans will occasionally linger for long periods (up to five months in one case) with all but one of the summer and early fall (pre-October) records being accounted for by lingering birds […]
Whooper Swan
This species has shown no obvious pattern of occurrence during the traditional season (May-September) of bird observations in the Pribilofs. It is quite likely that this species is most commonly found on the islands in the very early spring or late fall/early winter, which is in line with their occurrence in the Aleutian Islands to […]
Baikal Teal
This species has only been recorded three times within the Pribilofs, all from September with two records on St. Paul Island and one from St. George Island. Despite the few records, this species’ population has increased dramatically since the 1990s and an increase in sightings from the Pribilofs would not be unexpected; it is most […]
Garganey
The 11 records of this species in the Pribilofs suggest two peak times of occurrence: mid-May and from late August to early September. Similar in pattern to this species’ American counterpart (Blue-winged Teal Anas discors) it should be expected towards the late end of the spring waterfowl migration and on the early end of the […]
Northern Shoveler
This species is found regularly in the spring and fall. They are most often seen between May 10th and June 1st, with scattered records from before and after that period in the spring. It has lingered into the early-mid summer as well as occasionally arriving as a summer wanderer in June and July. It is […]