The 6 days on St. Paul were truly unforgettable. 15 lifers, and the cliffs and seal colonies.
It seems like silhouettes of Alcid would creep into my head when I'm not concentrated on anything important, such as birding.
Here's one of my attempts sketching the memories of this stay.
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| Thick-billed Murre |
By the way, if you are tired of getting sunburn or being bitten by bugs, you may start planning a trip to St. Paul next summer. The island is biting-bug-free, with few poisonous plants and a lot of fog. The guides of TDX just finished their season about a week ago. They had a Palla's Finch this fall! First documented ABA record ever!
Aug. 15
The small island is amazing, but the outside world is there for everyone to experience and explore.
So we went to Brooks Lodge in Katmai National Park after.
The park is located at the base of Aleutian Peninsula. Unlike most parks, this park of grizzlies is only accessible by water airplane. Estimated more than 2000 grizzlies call here home.
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| water airplane |
Grizzly Bear
meet other bears when the salmons come to spawn. We came too late so the world-famous Brook's Falls are bearless (June, and July are better).
Only about 3 bears and some anglers are at the lodge.
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| Grizzly Bear |
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| Grizzly Bear |
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| Grizzly Bear |
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| Grizzly Bear |
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| Grizzly Bear |
Aug. 16
The bearless falls
Salmons were gathering, and the previous waves of they already made their way through here in June and July.
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| Brooks Falls |
Grizzly Bear
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Grizzly Bear
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Grizzly Bear
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| Grizzly Bear |
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Grizzly Bear
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mother and cub
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| Grizzly Bear |
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| Grizzly Bear |
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| Grizzly Bear |
Breast-feeding
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| Grizzly Bear |
Ermine
Under the bear viewing platform near the lodge, lives a timid ermine who checks out the strangers.
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| Ermine |
Merlin
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| Merlin |
Black-billed Magpie
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| Black-billed Magpie |
not sure which species of thrush
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| Thrush |
