A regular migrant during the spring, this species is less likely to be noted during the summer or fall. Individuals often arrive prior to most other migrant species in the islands, with regular sightings starting on May 10th and a peak of occurrence during the second half of May. Sightings are no longer reliable after […]
Category: Birds of St. Paul Island
Black-tailed Godwit
The 14 records of this species in the Pribilofs, about half from the mid-90s on, are mostly centered on mid-spring, which is the period when this species is most likely to be found. Late May and early June are the peak of vagrancy and the best time to look. All summer records are from the […]
Ruddy Turnstone
This is an abundant fall migrant, which is found regularly in much smaller numbers, during spring migration. The earliest spring migrants usually arrive around May 15th and are present intermittently through the first week of June, though counts rarely exceed ten at this time. Few are found after June 10th, with the earliest southbound adults […]
Black Turnstone
The very few records for this species have occurred during spring migration in May and June and as early southbound migrants in late summer. The lack of records for a species which nests along the entire Bering Sea coast of Alaska and similarly migrates/winters along the coast is surprising, however the lack of records clearly […]
Great Knot
This is one of the rarest shorebirds to appear with some regularity in the Pribilofs with sightings every 5-10 years on average, though at times sightings may be more closely grouped. Nearly all sightings are from late May or very early June when this species should be looked for most intensely. The fall record is […]
Red Knot
This is a very rare migrant in the Pribilofs, which is found almost exclusively during the late summer and fall. The two spring records from late May likely point to the best time for this species to occur at that season, which also coincides with most records of the closely related Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris). […]
Common Goldeneye
This is a normal, albeit uncommon, winter resident that is regularly found in the Pribilofs through early spring. They become less common by the end of May and are rarely encountered after early June with only sparing reports after June 5th. There are just four records of individuals lingering into summer and even fewer records […]
Barrow’s Goldeneye
A rare and possibly overlooked vagrant, this species is often found with the closely related Common Goldeneye. Occurrence patterns for this species likely mirror that of the Common Goldeneye, with nearly all of the 11 known records arriving in May, while there are a couple early June records and a single summer arrival record. It […]
Smew
This species is recorded on a semi-annual basis with a record every three years on average since 1995. They are most commonly found during the spring from May 15th-31st, with many records of birds lingering for days or of multiple individuals arriving together. There are three early summer records in late June and early July, […]
Hooded Merganser
This species has been recorded once in the Pribilofs during late fall. It is a rare late fall migrant in south-coastal Alaska from its breeding range in the southeastern part of the state, which coincides well with this occurrence in late October. It is also in line with normal freeze over in these areas, which […]