There were 12 people on the trip, including the leader Jim Hailey. The itinerary is listed below but was not followed precisely.

We stayed an extra three days to explore Anchorage and the surrounding area.


Texas Ornothology Society
Alaska 2006 Trip
May 29 to June 12, 2006 (TOS Trip ended on June 8)

Monday, May 29
Participant arrival. Any participants already in Anchorage can join the trip leader, Jim Hailey. in scouting the area. Check into the Puffin Inn.

Map of area surrounding Anchorage, AK.

Tuesday, May 30
Anchorage Area—We will bird Westchester Lagoon, Spenard Crossing, Kincaid Park, Earthquake Park, Elderberry Park and Ship Creek. To see expected species see attached document entitled Birding Around Anchorage.

Wednesday, May 31
Anchorage/Palmer Area—Eagle River, Arctic Valley, and Hatcher Pass, Beach Lake Park. This will be a long day of driving and we will be looking for boreal species, hawks and eagles, ptarmigans, Bohemian Waxwings, warblers, etc.

Map of Nome, AK showing the three roads out of town. The Nome-Teller Road heading west, the Nome-Council Highway heading east and the Nome-Taylor Highway heading north.

Thursday, June 1
Nome Area—After a very early flight from Anchorage we will drive the Nome-Teller road to its end 73 miles from Nome. We will be looking for both Pacific and Lesser Golden Plovers, loons, wagtails, arctic warbler, snow bunting, red-throated pipit, reindeer, musk ox, grizzles and who knows what else. Check into the Nugget Inn,

Friday, June 2
Nome Area—Today we will travel to Safety Lagoon before heading on toward Council 72 miles distant. Species encountered will include, loons, gulls, swans, shorebirds, Harlequin ducks, waterfowl, bluethroats, terns, eiders, and possible vagrants. This is a great birding spot. We will also look for breeding sparrows, warblers etc as we travel this road.

Saturday, June 3
Nome Area—Today we will travel the longest of the roads, the Nome-Taylor Highway, if it is open all the way, 84 miles. At the end is the Bristle-thighed curlew but we also find golden eagles, redpolls, wagtails, rough-legged hawks and gyrfalcon. This is a very interesting road for all types of wild life.

Sunday, June 4
Nome Area—Before flying out late in the evening, we will bird Safety Lagoon again and any other areas that prove interesting. We will be checking the sightings sheet at the Chamber of Commerce for unusual species and chase them down. Check back into the Puffin Inn,

Monday, June 5
Anchorage Area—Today we will get a little later start to recover from Nome. We will bird Chugach State Park, Hillside Park, Potters Marsh and any other areas we have missed or we hear of promising species being seen. We will check the Anchorage hotline.

Tuesday, June 6
Whittier and Kenai Peninsula—Today we will take a water trip and bird the area around the Portage Glacier. On our way back we will check Turnagain Arm and Potter’s Marsh.

Wednesday, June 7
Kenai Area—We will head toward Soldotna and the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge passing along the Russian River and Skilak Lake.

Thursday, June 8
Anchorage—This is the day of departure and end of the trip. However, those staying over until Friday are invited to join Jim Hailey for an evening at the Fly By Night Club. This club puts on a spoof of the people, culture and habits of Alaskans. It is funny and is a very enjoyable night. Conclusion of the TOS Alaska trip

Friday, June 9
Joanne and I drove north from Anchorage to Talkeetna to view Mt. McKinley (Danali) but the clouds had set in and the mountain was not visible.

Saturday, June 10
Returned to the Eagle Lake area to search for the Black-backed Woodpecker but found a Hairy Woodpecker instead.

Sunday, June 11
Drove east from Anchorage to the Portage Glacier area.

Monday, June 12
Returned to Huston


Our base was the Puffin Inn in Anchorage and the Nugget Inn in Nome.

Number of Bird Species seen by group: 148
Number of Mammals seen by group: 13