The most common swift species in western Alaska, though still a very rare vagrant, it has been found across a much larger time frame from mid-June to mid-September. The best times to look for this species are during mid-late June in the spring/early summer and during late August on their fall migration. […]
Category: Birds of St. Paul Island
Rufous Hummingbird
The only hummingbird species to breed in Alaska, the two records constitute the only Bering Sea records for this species, which breeds no closer than south-coastal Alaska. The timing of records fit well with the pattern of dispersal in hummingbirds and late summer or very early fall remain the most likely time for a vagrant […]
Eurasian Coot
The first Pribilof, Alaska, and North American record was found in late October, which matches the pattern of vagrant coots and gallinules in Alaska, and specifically in the Bering Sea region. This one record involves a bird initially seen on St. George Island, which was subsequently found on St. Paul Island (or remarkably a second […]
American Coot
There is a single record of this species from late October, which is the first record of this species from the Bering Sea. Its occurrence fits the pattern of vagrancy in this species within Alaska, similar to that of Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus). […]
Sandhill Crane
A regular, though sporadic, spring migrant through the Pribilofs, this species is decidedly less common at other seasons. Most records are from mid-May to early June, with a peak of abundance during the second half of May. Very rarely birds will linger into, or arrive during, the summer, with a handful of records into late […]
Black-winged Stilt
There is a single spring record from mid-May in the Pribilofs from St. George Island. This species has been sighted in North America only a few times in western Alaska, with all records during the spring in May and early June. […]
Mallard
A regular, albeit sparse, migrant in the Pribilof Islands, which could be seen at almost any time of the year but is most regular in the spring between May 5th and June 5th and again in the fall from mid-September into October. The beginning of spring migration for this species typically falls outside of the […]
Northern Pintail
This species has typically already arrived before the first birder coverage commences in the spring with moderate to large numbers present by the beginning of May. Migrant numbers usually peak in mid-to-late May, with a decline in migrants by June 10th and standard breeding numbers usually present from mid-June on. The exact migratory pattern is […]
Green-winged Teal
Early migrants have typically arrived prior to the first birder coverage in early May with small-to-moderate numbers arriving during mid-late April. Timing of migrant and peak movements is clouded in the Pribilofs due to summer residents; however, predictably the largest spring numbers would be found in mid-late May with a decline in daily numbers until […]
Canvasback
This species has been found only very rarely in spring during mid-to-late May and in the fall during early-mid October. This pattern is typical of this waterfowl genus (Aythya) and it is likely that this is when future records will be found. As most records involve single individuals, they are often found in the company […]