Alaska pelagics 2010: Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutians
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John Puschock
Nov 17, 2009, 5:20:24 PM11/17/09
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Hi all,
I have several Alaskan trips with pelagic birding opportunities planned in 2010. All of them are on the M/V Pukuk, 72-foot vessel (http://www.pukuk.com):
1) In May, the boat will travel from Homer to Adak for a cruise to Attu and then return to Dutch Harbor. The scheduled dates and prices for these repositioning cruises are as follows (dates may change by one day; prices include meals):
Homer - Dutch Harbor; May 10-13; $600
Dutch Harbor - Adak; May 13-15; $400
Adak - Dutch Harbor; May 30-June 2; $600
The first two legs will largely be devoted to traveling without much stopping for birds and there may not be a leader on board, but an effort will be made for Whiskered Auklets as time permits. The Adak-Dutch Harbor leg will have at least one leader on board, (i.e., me) and more time will be devoted to birding with extra time spent in Seguam Pass, a Short-tailed Albatross hotspot. Whiskered Auklets are expected between Dutch Harbor and Adak. Red-legged Kittiwake and Mottled Petrel are possible. This is probably the cheapest (I probably should say 'least expensive' ) opportunity for these species short of working on a research or fishing boat.
2) There's still room for two on the cruise from Adak to Attu, May 16-30. Cruise time between Adak and Attu is about two days, so there would be about four days of cruising and about nine-and-a-half days at Attu. If the weather is 'too nice' while we're at Attu, there's also a possibility of taking a day to visit Stalemate Bank. Price is $8694 plus a fuel surcharge (estimated to be $700-950/person). Whiskered Auklets and four other auklet species are expected; Short-tailed Albatross, Mottled Petrel, Red-legged Kittiwake are possible. See http://www.zbirdtours.com/attu/attu_spring2010.htm for more info.
3) The Gulf of Alaska pelagic is Aug 19-22, leaving from and returning to Homer. Price is $1330 plus a fuel surcharge (estimated to be $200-300/person). We will be going to Portlock Bank and the continental shelf edge. Probable species include Short-tailed Albatross and Mottled Petrel among others. We'll also be looking for "good-for-Alaska" shearwaters (Pink-footed, Buller's, etc.) and South Polar Skua. Guest spotter Paul Lehman is scheduled to be onboard. See http://www.zbirdtours.com/pelagic/gulf_pelagic2010.htm for more info.
As always, e-mail me if you have any questions,
John Puschock
Seattle, WA
g_g_...@hotmail.com
http://www.zbirdtours.com & http://www.birdtreks.com
Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft's powerful SPAM protection. Sign up now.
I have several Alaskan trips with pelagic birding opportunities planned in 2010. All of them are on the M/V Pukuk, 72-foot vessel (http://www.pukuk.com):
1) In May, the boat will travel from Homer to Adak for a cruise to Attu and then return to Dutch Harbor. The scheduled dates and prices for these repositioning cruises are as follows (dates may change by one day; prices include meals):
Homer - Dutch Harbor; May 10-13; $600
Dutch Harbor - Adak; May 13-15; $400
Adak - Dutch Harbor; May 30-June 2; $600
The first two legs will largely be devoted to traveling without much stopping for birds and there may not be a leader on board, but an effort will be made for Whiskered Auklets as time permits. The Adak-Dutch Harbor leg will have at least one leader on board, (i.e., me) and more time will be devoted to birding with extra time spent in Seguam Pass, a Short-tailed Albatross hotspot. Whiskered Auklets are expected between Dutch Harbor and Adak. Red-legged Kittiwake and Mottled Petrel are possible. This is probably the cheapest (I probably should say 'least expensive' ) opportunity for these species short of working on a research or fishing boat.
2) There's still room for two on the cruise from Adak to Attu, May 16-30. Cruise time between Adak and Attu is about two days, so there would be about four days of cruising and about nine-and-a-half days at Attu. If the weather is 'too nice' while we're at Attu, there's also a possibility of taking a day to visit Stalemate Bank. Price is $8694 plus a fuel surcharge (estimated to be $700-950/person). Whiskered Auklets and four other auklet species are expected; Short-tailed Albatross, Mottled Petrel, Red-legged Kittiwake are possible. See http://www.zbirdtours.com/attu/attu_spring2010.htm for more info.
3) The Gulf of Alaska pelagic is Aug 19-22, leaving from and returning to Homer. Price is $1330 plus a fuel surcharge (estimated to be $200-300/person). We will be going to Portlock Bank and the continental shelf edge. Probable species include Short-tailed Albatross and Mottled Petrel among others. We'll also be looking for "good-for-Alaska" shearwaters (Pink-footed, Buller's, etc.) and South Polar Skua. Guest spotter Paul Lehman is scheduled to be onboard. See http://www.zbirdtours.com/pelagic/gulf_pelagic2010.htm for more info.
As always, e-mail me if you have any questions,
John Puschock
Seattle, WA
g_g_...@hotmail.com
http://www.zbirdtours.com & http://www.birdtreks.com
Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft's powerful SPAM protection. Sign up now.
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