Photo ABCs

Lapland Longspur

Another handsome male Lapland Longspur, in the dewy fields of St. Paul Island, Alaska. Photographed in late June of this year.

Horned Puffin

A Horned Puffin, showing the typical cliffside habitat puffins prefer. What the picture doesn't show is the sheer, 300 foot drop to the ocean below. As someone who does not like heights, obtaining pictures of puffins was not easy for me!

Long-tailed Duck

A male Long-tailed Duck, showing how it got its name.

The Long-tailed Duck breeds in Arctic tundra.

This duck was photographed on St. Paul Island, Alaska, in June of this year.

Arctic Fox

The Pribilof Islands have a subspecies of Arctic Fox, most of which are a blue form. Okay, they are described as blue, but they are really brown! In winter they have a thick golden coat of fur, which is shed by summer to a shorter and darker coat.

These foxes are found all over St. Paul Island.

A delightful introduction to these foxes is found in a children's book, The LIttle Fox, An Alaska Adventure, by biologist, author and talented artist, Ram Papish.

Northern Fur Seal

St. Paul Island, Alaska, is one of the Pribilof Islands, four volcanic islands in the Bering Sea. These islands are the breeding site of half of the Northern Fur Seals in the world. Visitors to St. Paul Island can view the seals from blinds at any of many rookeries on the island.

Here is one male Northern Fur Seal, maintaining his territory prior to the summer arrival of female seals to island.

The population of Northern Fur Seals declined greatly during the 19th Century due to the Russian fur trade. They are now protected, though subsistence hunting is allowed by the native population on St. Paul Island.

The museum in town has a fur seal pelt on display. It has the softest feel of any fur I have ever touched... it is said their fur has 300,000 hairs per square inch!

A great introduction to the Northern Fur Seal is found in The Little Seal, An Alaska Adventure, a children's book written by a biologist, author, and superb artist, Ram Papish.

 

Tufted Puffin

A Tufted Puffin, doing its best imitation of a bighorn sheep!

Photographed on St. Paul Island, Alaska, in late June of this year.

Northern Fulmar

I don't think the Northern Fulmar will win any beauty contests.

This bird is rarely seen on land except when breeding, which it does in high northern latitudes, such as on St. Paul Island, Alaska, where I took this photo in late June of this year.

Snow Bunting

A male Snow Bunting perches on a large driftwood log, resplendent in his sleek breeding plumage.

Snow Buntings breed in tundra throughout the northern latitudes. This one was photographed in late June on St. Paul Island, Alaska, one of the Pribilof Islands.

 

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch

St. Paul Island, Alaska, does not have a number of common birds that we take for granted, such as the House Sparrow or House Finch. It does, however, have the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, which is as equally at home around buildings and structures and the one bird-feeder in town as it is outside of town, in fields, meadows and next to cliffs.

The Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch is one of three types of rosy-finches in North America, and is the most widespread. The subspecies found on the Pribilof Islands is up to two inches larger than all other rosy-finches.

Here is one displaying on a blind for viewing seals. After our small group had been on the blind for a few minutes this bird appeared, displayed for a few seconds, and then flew off.

Rock Sandpiper

Another Rock Sandpiper, photographed on St. Paul Island, Alaska, in late June of this year.

Rock Sandpipers breed primarily in the Bering Sea, on the Aleutian and Pribilof islands as well as the coast of northwest Alaska.