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I just returned from a five day field trip, with the Alaska Native Plant Society, to Nome, in the northwest part of Alaska. From a distance everything appears to be a barren wasteland. Close up it is an endless floral garden, at this time of the year, teaming with life, and colorful blossoms. I got a few good photos of birds, I had never seen before. I took these pictures on July 1, 2007 near the summit of Anvil Mountain above Nome, Alaska. I can't seem to locate it in any of my reference books.
This is the only shot of an adult I got.
Thanks in advance:
Gary
The telephoto lens captured more details, than my eyes saw at the time. Turns out most of the pictures were of freshly fledged juveniles jumping in and out of view on the rocky slop. Look closely, there are two well camouflaged juveniles in this shot.
After addition study, I have concluded they are Northern Wheatear. The first picture is a female. Description in "Birds of Alaska" by Robert H. Armstrong: "Habitat. Above timber line, rocky fields in the tundra and rocky mountain ridges. Nests in crevices under rocks or in rubble." His description is, perfict for the place I observed them.
Yep, Wheatear. Your first pic is actually a male, the females are pale sandy brown above, not grey, and with brown, not black, flight feathers. I get to see plenty of them over here ;-)
Thanks, Resin and Pelletory. Actually, on this trip, I added several new species to my list of birds I have photographed. I also added dozens of new tundra flowers to my photo library. It is going to take a while to sort, identify, and label the hundreds of photos from the trip. I also saw herds of Musk Oxen, large wild ox, native to the arctic tundra of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland.
