BackDeparture Date: June 11 - 16, 2025
Compiled By: Barry Zimmer
Trip Leaders: Barry Zimmer
Toll Free: 800.328.8368
Phone: 512.328.5221
Grand Alaska Part II: Nome Pre-Trip 6/11/2025-6/16/2025
Grand Alaska Part II: Nome Pre-Trip
https://ebird.org/tripreport/389082 This year’s Nome Pre-Trip was, once again, an epically successful adventure. We saw pretty much every regularly occurring target bird, added a few rarities, and saw wonderful mammals as well. All this despite challenging weather (rainy, windy, and cool) pretty much throughout our stay. With its combination of Western Alaskan specialties, northern tundra specialists, breeding plumaged birds that look so different from how we typically see them in the Lower 48, and possible Asiatic strays, Nome birding is simply awesome. The mammal viewing, expansive scenery, and true wilderness feel only add to the appeal. Our tour began with a superb meal at Kincaid Grill in Anchorage (the salmon & halibut were to die for). Afterwards, we made a quick visit to Lake Hood and Spenard behind our hotel, tallying Pacific Loon, Red-necked Grebe, and Barrow’s and Common goldeneyes among others. A nice first taste of Alaskan birding! 
White Wagtail, Nome airport, Nome, Alaska, June 12, 2025 © Barry Zimmer The next day, we arrived in Nome in the mid-morning and hit the ground running. The birds came fast and furious—Red-throated Loon, Red-necked Grebe, Long-tailed Jaeger, Arctic Tern, Red-necked Phalarope, Redpoll, and Fox and American Tree sparrows were among the many species we tallied on the edge of town at our first couple of stops. A quick run by the airport produced stunning views of a rare White Wagtail singing atop the terminal building, while a stop at the Nome River mouth yielded Pacific Loon, Pacific Golden-Plover, Sabine’s Gull, a few distant Aleutian Terns, and Short-eared Owl among others. Quite the haul before our first lunch! 
Red-necked Grebe, Center Creek Road, Nome, Alaska, June 12, 2025 © Barry Zimmer In the afternoon, we headed out the Teller Road (the road running west of town) for the remainder of the day. At the Penny River, we had a perched American Dipper so close that we almost couldn’t focus the scopes on it. Willow thickets were alive with Gray-cheeked Thrush, Fox and Golden-crowned sparrows, Yellow and Orange-crowned warblers, and Northern Waterthrush to name a few. A short distance beyond, the ghostly forms of a herd of Muskox were spotted roaming about the hillside in the fog. We birded our way further out the road and the hits kept coming—Long-tailed Duck, Willow Ptarmigan, Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwit, Rough-legged Hawk, and Arctic Warbler. We were finding good birds at a dizzying pace. A stop in a residential area at the end of the day yielded the always uncommon Northern Shrike. We celebrated with a nice meal and cold beer at Airport Pizza that evening. The entire next day was spent on the Council Road (the road running east of town past Safety Lagoon). Despite cold (starting in the low 40s and only reaching the upper 40s), drizzly, and foggy conditions (or more likely because of it), we had an absolutely magical day. It seemed as if we found a great bird at every stop! Near Cape Nome, we tallied a rare Black Guillemot, a Peregrine Falcon, and several stunning Harlequin Ducks. Around Safety Sound, we were met by astounding numbers of Red Phalaropes. Normally this species is fairly rare in Nome by mid-June, but we counted 231 on one pond! Big numbers of Red-necked Phalaropes were mingling in with the Reds. 
Red Phalarope, Safety Sound, Nome, Alaska, June 13, 2025 © Barry Zimmer Stunning Sabine’s Gull’s (uncommon migrant) and Black-legged Kittiwakes foraged in the rip line where the lagoon met the incoming tide. Common Eiders lounged on the shore. Hulking Glaucous Gulls sailed lazily past, while Red-throated, Common, and Pacific loons fed actively in the lagoon. More Short-eared Owls were found over the tundra, and brilliant Lapland Longspurs sang from the driftwood. A male Eurasian Wigeon was a nice find, as were several Black Turnstones feeding in the wrack line on the beach. Numbers of uncommon diving ducks were encountered in the lagoon, including 19 Common Goldeneyes, several Canvasbacks, a Ring-necked Duck, and numbers of Surf and Black scoters. Near the Bonanza Channel, we were stunned to find a group of 20 or so Aleutian Terns right next to the road, offering our best views ever of this highly sought species. Just before the tiny village of Solomon, the road turned inland. We quickly began seeing Redpolls in very large numbers along the roadsides. In a short period, we counted 80 individuals! It seemed that the bad weather was actually helping us. Further out the road, a tip on a Gyrfalcon resulted in fantastic views of this iconic Arctic species from close range! 
Aleutian Tern, Council Road, Nome, Alaska, June 13, 2025 © Barry Zimmer Eventually it was time to start heading back towards Nome, but the great birds just kept coming. A male Rock Ptarmigan blasted across the road and landed in a spot where we enjoyed fairly close scope views. A short way down the road, a Northern Wheatear perched up atop a small alder. This uncommon species is easily missed on a visit to Nome. Three Eastern Yellow Wagtails were spotted in some driftwood on the edge of a lagoon near Solomon. Finally, we capped off our epic day with the discovery of a pair of rare Arctic Loons near MP 25. I told our group it was the best bad weather birding day I could ever remember having! Day Three found us heading out the Teller Road again, this time for a full day. Among all the wonderful birds we saw, nothing was more memorable than the 141 Muskox scattered throughout the day. There were close herds, big bulls, adorable babies with fuzzy, white boots—you name it, we saw it. We were in Muskox paradise! 
Muskox, Teller Road, Nome, Alaska, June 14, 2025 © Barry Zimmer Bird highlights for the day included four more Rock Ptarmigan (one from about ten feet away), fourteen Willow Ptarmigan, spectacular breeding plumaged American Golden-Plovers, three more Bar-tailed Godwits, a pair of Surfbirds, Wandering Tattler, two somewhat distant displaying male Bluethroats (!), and a glorious male Snow Bunting. We also tallied ten Moose on this day, including some adorable little calves. 
Rock Ptarmigan, Teller Road, Nome, Alaska, June 14, 2025 © Barry Zimmer On our fourth day, we ventured out the Kougarok Road (the one that goes north and inland from Nome) all the way to Curlew Mountain/Coffee Dome at MP 72.5. Weather conditions were much better with temperatures climbing dramatically from the two previous days (into the upper 50s), some sunshine, and almost no rain. Two different Golden Eagles sitting on nests high above the road were a real treat to start the day! We also had nice views of a beaver, including a dramatic tail slap. Singing Arctic Warblers (we would count 20 for the day) sat up for fantastic views, and a close male Bluethroat put on an absolutely epic display of skylarking and singing (it would be voted the favorite bird of the tour!). At Salmon Lake, our luck continued with a pair of rare Yellow-billed Loons (this gave us a rare five loon sweep over a 24-hour period!). A Say’s Phoebe at the northern edge of its range was also of note. We had lunch at a high tundra pass and enjoyed a few of the first blooming tundra wildflowers. 
Bluethroat, Kougarok Road, Nome, Alaska, June 15, 2025 © Barry Zimmer We finally arrived at Curlew Mountain in the early afternoon and began our trek up the hillside. The trail was muddy and walking difficult, as it always is, but we made progress up the mountain. A little over a half mile up, and with the vans just out of sight, a calling Bristle-thighed Curlew came flying downslope. It made a couple of passes overhead giving us good views of the pale, cinnamon rump and tail, and repeatedly calling. Eventually it landed about a hundred yards away, and we had decent scope views of the bird on the tundra. Total time from van back to van was an hour and fifty minutes. Success! A brief stop in the Pilgrim River drainage on our return produced an uncommon Black-capped Chickadee and a Blackpoll Warbler. Another great day, and this one with much improved weather! The next morning, we flew back to Anchorage with most of the group continuing on to a new adventure on our Grand Alaska Part Two tour. Our Nome trip was spectacularly successful! I can’t wait to get back! FAVORITE BIRDS OF THE TOUR: 1. Bluethroat (7 votes; 29 points)2. Aleutian Tern (5 votes; 19 points)3. Gyrfalcon and Bristle-thighed Curlew tied (3 votes; 9 points each)4. Willow Ptarmigan & Rock Ptarmigan tied (3 votes; 5 points) 
Gyrfalcon, Council Road, Nome, Alaska, June 13, 2025 © Barry Zimmer A complete list of the birds recorded on our tour can be found at: https://ebird.org/tripreport/389082 Explore the photo gallery. Read the description for the next departure of this tour. View Barry Zimmer's upcoming tour schedule.
ITINERARY: June 11 - arrival in Anchorage; brief post-dinner birding around Lake Hood and Lake Spenard (9 species) June 12 – morning flight to Nome; area near Nome airport, Center Creek Road, Teller Road to MP 20 (52 species; 57 total) June 13 – Council Road to MP 63, including Cape Nome, Safety Lagoon, Safety Sound and Skookum Pass (71 species; 89 total) June 14 – Teller Road to MP 40; Council Road to MP 18; post-dinner option to Safety Sound (65 species; 95 total) June 15 – Kougarok Road to MP 72.5 (Curlew Mountain); post-dinner sea watch at Cape Nome (49 species; 102 total) June 16 – morning flight from Nome to Anchorage; brief afternoon birding around Lake Spenard and Lake Hood (18 species; 107 total) KEY: A = Anchorage N = Nome and surrounding Seward Peninsula bold-faced species indicate birds of rare, casual or accidental occurrence underlined species indicate birds of very uncommon occurrence or species which occur regularly but in such low densities as to be easily missed # - indicates birds seen with babies or on nests
White Wagtail, Nome airport, Nome, Alaska, June 12, 2025 © Barry Zimmer The next day, we arrived in Nome in the mid-morning and hit the ground running. The birds came fast and furious—Red-throated Loon, Red-necked Grebe, Long-tailed Jaeger, Arctic Tern, Red-necked Phalarope, Redpoll, and Fox and American Tree sparrows were among the many species we tallied on the edge of town at our first couple of stops. A quick run by the airport produced stunning views of a rare White Wagtail singing atop the terminal building, while a stop at the Nome River mouth yielded Pacific Loon, Pacific Golden-Plover, Sabine’s Gull, a few distant Aleutian Terns, and Short-eared Owl among others. Quite the haul before our first lunch! Red-necked Grebe, Center Creek Road, Nome, Alaska, June 12, 2025 © Barry Zimmer In the afternoon, we headed out the Teller Road (the road running west of town) for the remainder of the day. At the Penny River, we had a perched American Dipper so close that we almost couldn’t focus the scopes on it. Willow thickets were alive with Gray-cheeked Thrush, Fox and Golden-crowned sparrows, Yellow and Orange-crowned warblers, and Northern Waterthrush to name a few. A short distance beyond, the ghostly forms of a herd of Muskox were spotted roaming about the hillside in the fog. We birded our way further out the road and the hits kept coming—Long-tailed Duck, Willow Ptarmigan, Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwit, Rough-legged Hawk, and Arctic Warbler. We were finding good birds at a dizzying pace. A stop in a residential area at the end of the day yielded the always uncommon Northern Shrike. We celebrated with a nice meal and cold beer at Airport Pizza that evening. The entire next day was spent on the Council Road (the road running east of town past Safety Lagoon). Despite cold (starting in the low 40s and only reaching the upper 40s), drizzly, and foggy conditions (or more likely because of it), we had an absolutely magical day. It seemed as if we found a great bird at every stop! Near Cape Nome, we tallied a rare Black Guillemot, a Peregrine Falcon, and several stunning Harlequin Ducks. Around Safety Sound, we were met by astounding numbers of Red Phalaropes. Normally this species is fairly rare in Nome by mid-June, but we counted 231 on one pond! Big numbers of Red-necked Phalaropes were mingling in with the Reds. Red Phalarope, Safety Sound, Nome, Alaska, June 13, 2025 © Barry Zimmer Stunning Sabine’s Gull’s (uncommon migrant) and Black-legged Kittiwakes foraged in the rip line where the lagoon met the incoming tide. Common Eiders lounged on the shore. Hulking Glaucous Gulls sailed lazily past, while Red-throated, Common, and Pacific loons fed actively in the lagoon. More Short-eared Owls were found over the tundra, and brilliant Lapland Longspurs sang from the driftwood. A male Eurasian Wigeon was a nice find, as were several Black Turnstones feeding in the wrack line on the beach. Numbers of uncommon diving ducks were encountered in the lagoon, including 19 Common Goldeneyes, several Canvasbacks, a Ring-necked Duck, and numbers of Surf and Black scoters. Near the Bonanza Channel, we were stunned to find a group of 20 or so Aleutian Terns right next to the road, offering our best views ever of this highly sought species. Just before the tiny village of Solomon, the road turned inland. We quickly began seeing Redpolls in very large numbers along the roadsides. In a short period, we counted 80 individuals! It seemed that the bad weather was actually helping us. Further out the road, a tip on a Gyrfalcon resulted in fantastic views of this iconic Arctic species from close range! Aleutian Tern, Council Road, Nome, Alaska, June 13, 2025 © Barry Zimmer Eventually it was time to start heading back towards Nome, but the great birds just kept coming. A male Rock Ptarmigan blasted across the road and landed in a spot where we enjoyed fairly close scope views. A short way down the road, a Northern Wheatear perched up atop a small alder. This uncommon species is easily missed on a visit to Nome. Three Eastern Yellow Wagtails were spotted in some driftwood on the edge of a lagoon near Solomon. Finally, we capped off our epic day with the discovery of a pair of rare Arctic Loons near MP 25. I told our group it was the best bad weather birding day I could ever remember having! Day Three found us heading out the Teller Road again, this time for a full day. Among all the wonderful birds we saw, nothing was more memorable than the 141 Muskox scattered throughout the day. There were close herds, big bulls, adorable babies with fuzzy, white boots—you name it, we saw it. We were in Muskox paradise! Muskox, Teller Road, Nome, Alaska, June 14, 2025 © Barry Zimmer Bird highlights for the day included four more Rock Ptarmigan (one from about ten feet away), fourteen Willow Ptarmigan, spectacular breeding plumaged American Golden-Plovers, three more Bar-tailed Godwits, a pair of Surfbirds, Wandering Tattler, two somewhat distant displaying male Bluethroats (!), and a glorious male Snow Bunting. We also tallied ten Moose on this day, including some adorable little calves. Rock Ptarmigan, Teller Road, Nome, Alaska, June 14, 2025 © Barry Zimmer On our fourth day, we ventured out the Kougarok Road (the one that goes north and inland from Nome) all the way to Curlew Mountain/Coffee Dome at MP 72.5. Weather conditions were much better with temperatures climbing dramatically from the two previous days (into the upper 50s), some sunshine, and almost no rain. Two different Golden Eagles sitting on nests high above the road were a real treat to start the day! We also had nice views of a beaver, including a dramatic tail slap. Singing Arctic Warblers (we would count 20 for the day) sat up for fantastic views, and a close male Bluethroat put on an absolutely epic display of skylarking and singing (it would be voted the favorite bird of the tour!). At Salmon Lake, our luck continued with a pair of rare Yellow-billed Loons (this gave us a rare five loon sweep over a 24-hour period!). A Say’s Phoebe at the northern edge of its range was also of note. We had lunch at a high tundra pass and enjoyed a few of the first blooming tundra wildflowers. Bluethroat, Kougarok Road, Nome, Alaska, June 15, 2025 © Barry Zimmer We finally arrived at Curlew Mountain in the early afternoon and began our trek up the hillside. The trail was muddy and walking difficult, as it always is, but we made progress up the mountain. A little over a half mile up, and with the vans just out of sight, a calling Bristle-thighed Curlew came flying downslope. It made a couple of passes overhead giving us good views of the pale, cinnamon rump and tail, and repeatedly calling. Eventually it landed about a hundred yards away, and we had decent scope views of the bird on the tundra. Total time from van back to van was an hour and fifty minutes. Success! A brief stop in the Pilgrim River drainage on our return produced an uncommon Black-capped Chickadee and a Blackpoll Warbler. Another great day, and this one with much improved weather! The next morning, we flew back to Anchorage with most of the group continuing on to a new adventure on our Grand Alaska Part Two tour. Our Nome trip was spectacularly successful! I can’t wait to get back! FAVORITE BIRDS OF THE TOUR: 1. Bluethroat (7 votes; 29 points)2. Aleutian Tern (5 votes; 19 points)3. Gyrfalcon and Bristle-thighed Curlew tied (3 votes; 9 points each)4. Willow Ptarmigan & Rock Ptarmigan tied (3 votes; 5 points) Gyrfalcon, Council Road, Nome, Alaska, June 13, 2025 © Barry Zimmer A complete list of the birds recorded on our tour can be found at: https://ebird.org/tripreport/389082 Explore the photo gallery. Read the description for the next departure of this tour. View Barry Zimmer's upcoming tour schedule.
ITINERARY: June 11 - arrival in Anchorage; brief post-dinner birding around Lake Hood and Lake Spenard (9 species) June 12 – morning flight to Nome; area near Nome airport, Center Creek Road, Teller Road to MP 20 (52 species; 57 total) June 13 – Council Road to MP 63, including Cape Nome, Safety Lagoon, Safety Sound and Skookum Pass (71 species; 89 total) June 14 – Teller Road to MP 40; Council Road to MP 18; post-dinner option to Safety Sound (65 species; 95 total) June 15 – Kougarok Road to MP 72.5 (Curlew Mountain); post-dinner sea watch at Cape Nome (49 species; 102 total) June 16 – morning flight from Nome to Anchorage; brief afternoon birding around Lake Spenard and Lake Hood (18 species; 107 total) KEY: A = Anchorage N = Nome and surrounding Seward Peninsula bold-faced species indicate birds of rare, casual or accidental occurrence underlined species indicate birds of very uncommon occurrence or species which occur regularly but in such low densities as to be easily missed # - indicates birds seen with babies or on nests
MAMMALS: Arctic Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus parryii)---only three total on this cold, rainy visit American Beaver (Castor canadensis)---one along the early portions of the Kougarok Road gave a dramatic tail slap Common Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)---one in Anchorage our first evening and another in Nome Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus)-----thirteen along the Kougarok Road; generally uncommon here, but cyclic Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)---one at the Safety Sound bridge Spotted Seal (Phoca largha)---one along the Council Road for some Moose (Alcas alces)---a total of 15 seen with several excellent views (including tiny calves)
Moose, Teller Road, Nome, Alaska, June 14, 2025 © Barry Zimmer Caribou (Rangifer tarandus)---group of seven along Kougarok Road; uncommon Musk Ox (Ovibos moscatus)--- superb views of these magnificent animals; 171 or more total (141 counted along the Teller Road alone), including many adorable babies; just awesome! total species – 9 BUTTERFLIES: Mustard White total species – 1 SIGNIFICANT OTHERS: Subway pre-order formsMostly cold temperatures ranging from only 38 to 48 degrees for the first three days and then warming to 58 the final dayMeals at Airport Pizza 
Kougarok Road, Nome, Alaska © Barry Zimmer
