It all started with an email from our friend Bill Phelan, who had experienced this trip back in 2018. He called the University of Alaska birding “mini-festival” a “low-cost” opportunity that netted him 20 life birds! That was all the convincing we needed. Our tour was a small group of eight, including Bill, for the annual four-day trip (May 28 to June 1, 2025), and it exceeded every expectation.
The UAF Summer Sessions tour included the housing at the Aurora Inn, transportation in a van, and expert guides Joe Ransdell-Green and Jeff Walters, allowing us to focus entirely on birding Nome’s three famous roads. As promised by the tour, the tundra delivered in spades, resulting in a phenomenal species count!
Day 1: Council Road & The Tundra Waterfowl
Our trip began along the Nome-Council Road, which follows the Bering Sea coast and is renowned for its concentration of migrating waterfowl. The highlight of the morning was certainly the many Short-eared Owls in the fields along the road. Our first lifer of the trip was the Aleutian Tern. Other highlights while touring Cape Nome and Safety Sound included both Red and Red-necked Phalaropes, Harlequin Ducks, Arctic Loon, Red-throated Loon, and hundreds of Tundra Swans.
Riding further inland, we spotted our target, Willow Ptarmigan, a truly beautiful bird. We had a very productive first day of birding, from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, returning to the Aurora Inn. We recorded an impressive 59 species, celebrating the addition of four new lifers to our list:
Lifer List:
- Aleutian Tern
- Willow Ptarmigan
- Lapland Longspur
- Arctic Loon
Day 2: Teller Road & The Tundra Specialties
We spent Thursday exploring the Teller Road and were excited to see several herds of Muskox. This road system has several creeks where we saw Eastern Yellow Wagtail, American Dipper, Rusty Blackbirds, and Snow Buntings. Our biggest triumph was finding both male and female Rock Ptarmigans with their feathered feet and cryptic plumage. Further out on the drier tundra near Woolley Lagoon, we found the Northern Wheatear, another Old World species that breeds in this region. We also had close-up views of both American and Pacific Golden-Plovers, Surfbirds, and a Hudsonian Godwit.
We ended Day 2 with 54 species, and added four new lifers to our list:
Lifer List:
- Eastern Yellow Wagtail
- Rock Ptarmigan
- Rusty Blackbird
- Northern Wheatear
Before meeting our birder friends for dinner, we decided to check out the local scene in Nome. We stopped at the Board of Trade Saloon, which has been operating since 1900. It was nice to talk to the local people and have a beer where Wyatt Earp used to hang out.
Day 3: Snake River, Safety Lagoon & The Asian Vagrant
Our morning started with a trip to the Snake River to look for a White Wagtail (no luck) and a Gray-tailed Tattler. Next, we were off to the Nome River mouth, where we had a flyover of an Emperor Goose. Birding in a snow squall was challenging, and Mike spent some time finding beautiful pieces of sea glass along the Bering Sea. We spent the day along Safety Lagoon and past the Train to Nowhere. We had a sighting of a Gyrfalcon perched high on a rocky ridge.
Our final birding stop of the day was Safety Lagoon, where we saw the Asian GREAT KNOT with the Red Knots. This was a life bird for everyone on the trip. We stopped for a celebratory drink at the Safety Roadhouse, where we met legendary Dog Musher, Hugh Neff. We suggested he add this as a new drink: The Great Knot Shot!
We ended Day 3 with 64 species, and added six new lifers to our list:
Lifer List:
- Gray-tailed Tattler
- Emperor Goose
- Vega Gull
- Gyrfalcon
- Northern Shrike
- Great Knot
Day 4: Kougarok Specialty Birds
Day 4 was dedicated to the renowned Kougarok Road, which heads inland towards the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. This is the road for Nome’s most sought-after Asian vagrants and specialty breeders. Our main objective was “Curlew Hill,” and after a challenging hike among the tussocks, we were given phenomenal views of a Bristle-thighed Curlew. The willows near the Salmon Lake Campground were active, yielding a breathtaking Bluethroat showing off its iridescent throat patch.
We stopped at many rivers and ponds along the Kougarok Road. Other new trip birds include Greater White-fronted Goose, Red-necked Grebe, Golden Eagle, Northern Harrier, and a cooperative Blackpoll Warbler.
We ended Day 4 with 51 species, and added two new lifers to our list:
Lifer List:
- Bristle-thighed Curlew
- Bluethroat
Final Species Tally: We broke the tour’s usual count, netting 97 species!
Our four-day journey to the edge of the Arctic Circle with the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, exceeded every expectation. If you’re looking for a high-reward birding adventure that feels like a true community event, be sure to check out the Summer Sessions for the next Nome Birding Tour. We’re already looking forward to our next Alaskan leg—from Anchorage to Denali and down to Seward. See you on the tundra!
Alaska Birds: 97 Life Birds: 16
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Want to see every bird we spotted from the Bering Sea to the Kougarok?
Next Up: Alaska, Anchorage to Denali to Seward
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