On monday 9 June we left Fairbanks with our rental car for the twelve day trip to Prudhoe Bay. It is always interesting to follow the changes of the bird populations when you travel through the different landscape and climatically circumstances. A beautiful trip, the road was much better then "promised". We focused mainly on the Brooks Range and the northern part of the Dalton "Highway". A wonderful landscape, wilderness when you hike away from the road. A lot of European birds: Bluethroat, Yellow wagtail, Redpoll's, Gyr- and Peregrine Falcon. Between the Brooks Range and Prudhoe Bay the number of waders in the tundra was a bit disappointing. We hiked a lot. Only low numbers of waders, but we saw Bar-tailed Godwit (displaying near a nest!) and also Hudsonian Godwits. Only close to to Prudhoe Bay we found some nice spots with good numbers of waders, along the pipeline. We hiked to one of the pingo's, west of the highway. We were lucky to see a Wolverine, looking for eggs in a Whitefronted Goose colony (the 40-50 geese did not like it). In town we saw Spectacled and King Eider. It is a pity that you can't get close to the coast.

Ford 350, 7.3 l turbo-diesel

Rented from Airport Equipment Rentals, Fairbanks

Near Chandelar Camp

Quite common north of the Brooks Range

Next page: Barrow

Back to Alaska 1997

Carrier:

Cape Smythe Air

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