Photo Gallery
Photos by Brian Sullivan unless otherwise noted
Gambell is a small village at the northwest tip of Alaska’s St. Lawrence Island…
…where every beautiful sunrise holds out the promise of the unexpected.
ATVs, here parked at our lodge, are the standard mode of transportation, taking us to such birding destinations as…
…the point, where we often spend an hour or so after breakfast looking for passage seabirds.
Flock after flock of alcids passes the point; this one includes Thick-billed and Common Murres and Horned Puffin.
There are always gulls passing, too, such as this juvenile Glaucous Gull.
For the birder, the overgrown “boneyards” around the village are one of its most important features.
We’ll cover these unique habitats thoroughly in search of passerines and shorebirds…
…such as this young Northern Wheatear…
…regular strays from Asia like this Gray-tailed Tattler…
…and rarer species such as this Dusky Warbler…
…this Middendorff’s Grasshopper Warbler…
…and this Pechora Pipit with its patriotic background.
Photo: Brian Sullivan
Equally interesting from an ornithological point of view are the strays from North America, like this “Red” Fox Sparrow.
Of course, the dream of every vagrant-seeker is to find a species new to North America. Paul Lehman has found seven in recent falls at Gambell, including this long-expected Yellow-browed Warbler…
Photo: George Armistead
…this totally unexpected Lesser Whitethroat…
Photo: Paul Lehman
…Spotted Flycatcher…
Photo: Paul Lehman
…and this fine Yellow-browed Bunting…
Photo: Paul Mayer
…birds generally more at home on the Russian mainland, just visible across the Bering Sea.
Sunset finds back in the village…
…ready for a hearty meal and full of expectation for the next day.