This species has been recorded a few times in the Pribilofs, in spring and in the fall. While the records are undocumented, this species is undoubtedly annual around the Pribilofs considering that it breeds to the south and winters to the north along the Bering Sea ice pack and further records should occur, mostly likely […]
Category: Birds of St. Paul Island
Ancient Murrelet
This species can be found year-round in the Pribilofs (when open water exists), though it is most reliable in early spring from May to early June. After mid-June this species begins nesting and sightings become much less regular as they are rarely found in near shore waters during daylight hours. By mid-late summer sightings are […]
Cassin’s Auklet
A very rare alcid in the central and northern Bering Sea, this species does not range north of the Aleutians regularly and as such is extremely rare around the Pribilofs. This species prefers warmer water and therefore is best looked for in summer and fall, particularly in years with above average sea temperatures, which may […]
Parakeet Auklet
An abundant breeding species that is easily found from May through much of August, this species becomes much more difficult to see locally in fall and winter. Large numbers typically begin to return to the islands in late April with the full breeding population present by late May and early June. Nesting occurs in June […]
Least Auklet
The most common breeding auklet in the Pribilofs, this species typically arrives at the islands cliffs in mid-late April. They often arrive en masse and are present in the thousands by May, with the peak breeding numbers occurring from late May to early July. The estimated breeding population for St. George Island is 125,000 pairs, […]
Whiskered Auklet
A recent arrival to the Pribilofs, there have been a few recent records of individuals arriving to St. George Island in the spring with other alcids (namely Least Auklet Aethia pusilla) and continuing into the summer period in some cases. The other record is an early summer individual on St. Paul Island that appeared to […]
Western Sandpiper
A regular spring migrant best seen during that season from May 20th-31st, individuals are occasionally noted, and very rarely arrive, during early June with perhaps a record per year during the summer months from late June to late July. This species becomes much more common in the fall when larger numbers are noted regularly starting […]
Short-billed Dowitcher
A regular, though uncommon, species that regularly overshoots during spring migration ending up in the Pribilofs. It is best found during the final 10 days of May. This species is only rarely found earlier in May or into June, with a handful of late June and early July records being the only early summer sightings, […]
Long-billed Dowitcher
This is a rare, but potentially overlooked, spring migrant with records scattered across much of the period from mid-May to mid-June during that period where the peak of sightings are mostly clustered between May 25th and June 5th. In the Pribilofs, this is predominantly a southbound migrant with a few late June and early July […]
Jack Snipe
The records from St. Paul Island account for well over half of all North American records with this species appearing nearly annually in the 2010s during September. The lone spring record and the unknown date record remain outliers, while the vast majority of records have been found in recent years during the first half of […]