Birding On Attu

9/6-24/06

Attu has been a birding “hot spot” for some 30 years or so. There are some heavy duty listers among the U.S. birders. They like to have as many birds on their ABA (American Birding Association) list as possible. The ABA area encompasses the 49 continental United States, Canada, the French islands of St. Pierre et Miquelon, and adjacent waters to a distance of 200 miles from land or half the distance to a neighboring country, whichever is less. Attu is the farthest out island of the Aleutian chain and being a part of Alaska, birds found there count on the ABA list. Since it is close to Siberia many birds from Siberia stop at Attu on their migration or are blown there by storms. There are 938 birds that have been seen and accepted in the ABA area - several only a few times. There have been some 30 or more first ABA birds found on Attu. The first hard goal of heavy listers is to have 700 birds. The way many birders have reached this number is by a trip to Attu. I have been intrigued by Attu and hoped to go there some day. A man named Larry Balch who ran a “company” from 1979 to 2000 that organized trips to Attu. They were pretty rough and required a lot of work and red tape. Attu has been under military occupation since WW II and currently has a Coast Guard Station there - they are operating a Loran Station. Since it was their runway that was used and the discarded military buildings that were used as facilities a lot of permission was required. Finally in 2000 Larry discontinued his trips to Attu and I thought that I would never have the opportunity to go. Then in January 2005 I heard about a VENT (Victor Emanuel Nature Tours) trip to Attu so Nancy Hay and I signed up right away. The plan was to travel on a ship from near Anchorage to Attu and then spend each day at Attu looking for birds - so no military facilities were needed. So with that background here is my “journal” of the trip.

Wednesday 9/6/06 Today we left for Alaska on Alaska Airline. Walt took Nancy and me to the airport at 6:30 AM - all went well flying from San Francisco to Seattle but then we spent 5 hours in the airport waiting for our plane to be repaired! We even loaded up once only to go out on the runway and then return for additional repairs. So we didn’t arrive to Anchorage until 8 PM at night. Our hotel was only a mile or so from the airport and they sent a shuttle to pick us up. We checked in and then had a drink and appetizer in the dinning room (The bar allows smoking and it was rather stuffy.)

Thursday 9/7/06 After a good night’s sleep we felt ready to go so after breakfast in the hotel we took the hotel shuttle to downtown Anchorage. From there we took another shuttle to the Alaska Native Heritage Center - the shuttle was free which was nice as it would have cost $30 for a taxi ride. This was a very interesting center which presents information about the five regional native groups that inhabit Alaska: the Aleut and Alutiiq; Anthabascan: Eyak, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian; Inupiag and St. Lawrence Island Yup’ik; and Yup’ik and Cup’ik cultures. We had a guided tour by a delightful student who told us about each culture and showed us examples of the different homes and life styles. We learned a lot about the Alaska cultures that we didn’t realize before. The term Eskimo only applies to some of these groups. In looking on the web for some additional information on these terms and cultures it is far more complicated than I have written here. So we enjoyed this visit and then took the shuttle back to down town Anchorage and spent some time at the Museum of History and Art. We had visited this museum last year but there is always more to see than a one day visit allows. Then we decided to go out to dinner and tried going to a place we had gone to last year. But it was so crowded that there was an hour wait - I had no expectation that it would be so crowded on a Wednesday night - and it was early! So being too hungry to wait we went back to another place where we had eaten last year and had a nice dinner. We then took a taxi back to our hotel because it would have been a 2 hour wait for the free shuttle and we were tired and ready for bed.

Friday 9/8/06 Up at 5 AM for a 6:00 buffet breaks where we met some of our fellow travelers. We had a friendly table which was a pleasant start to the trip. Then the group boarded two large buses for birding around Anchorage. One bus took off but ... our bus had mechanical problems! We wondered if we were jinxed! But soon another bus was sent and we were on our way. We birded Westchester Lagoon where we found a Hudsonian Godwit which is one of the rarer breeding shorebirds in North America. We also birded Ship Creek which had a 30 foot high tide. This is one of the few places in the world that has a bore tide going from minus 50 up to plus 39 feet. Surfers wait for this in order to surf it. We also birded Kincaid Park. Then we went back to the hotel and had a buffet lunch. At 1:00 we boarded three buses and drove to Whittier. We stopped and birded Potter’s Marsh and then continued on along the road - familiar to Nancy and to me. Our bus driver was fun giving us some history lessons, salmon fishing information, and quoting some poems by Robert Service. We drove along Turnagain arm (bay/inlet). Our driver told us the name was because Captain Cook and William Bligh drove through looking for the Northwest Passage and when they got to the end Bligh said: “Turn again.” We drove through the one way train tunnel to Whittier, the only way into town other than a boat. We were too early to board the ship so the mayor came on board and told us a bit about Whittier and we drove through every street of the town. The town was a secrete military base during World War II because it was so foggy most of the time the Japanese would not be able to see it. Everything was built in 1940. The town was named for John Greenleaf Whittier although I don’t know why. We later found out that it took the ship’s crew all day to load the ship with supplies. Since there would be no ports of call along the way they had to take a tremendous amount of supplies. We were traveling with Cruise West on the Spirit of Oceanus. The ship carried about 100 passengers and had a crew of 72. The reason we could have this ship was because they were on a repositioning tour from Alaska to Japan. Finally we were allowed to board. Funny thing was we had to go through security where they looked in our hand luggage and scanned us for sharp objects and so forth. And yet our checked luggage was already waiting in our cabins and we could have anything in there! I guess it was just the law and for form sake. Soon we were given our cabin key and escorted to our cabin by Terry - our steward. When Nancy and I signed up a year and a half ago there were two of the less expensive cabins ($400 cheaper). So we decided to save the money and request them. (We later learned that lots of people requested them but they were too late.) I did wonder at times if we should have bought the larger cabin but when we opened our cabin door my jaw dropped. The cabin was definitely a luxury cabin and very large. We had a full walk in closet, two beds, a vanity with stool and large mirror (for primping?), a sofa with a coffee table. We also had a good size window which was nice. We had a good size shower and more drawer storage than we ended up using! This was definitely high class. We were on deck 3 which was a good level. The bridge was on deck 5. We settled in a bit and then had our mandatory safety drill. Once we started we had another meeting to tell us about ship procedures. Dinner was between 7 and 9, we could go down to deck 2 for dinner any time we wanted. I really liked the way we were seated. The restaurant was like any restaurant with tables seating from 2 to 8 already set up. When we arrived at the door the greeter took us to a table that had two spaces or started a new table. So each night we sat with different people and in this way we all had a chance to sit with different people and get to know each other. I must say now that this was a very friendly group of about 100 passengers and I really enjoyed dinner conversations each night. Many people had such interesting stories to tell and we all had birding in common. So there never was a lack of topics to discuss. Each night we had a choice of about 6 appetizers including soup and salad and 3-4 choices of main dish, plus dessert. You could order as many as you wanted. I sat some nights where some men did order two main dishes and I often ordered the appetizer, the soup, and the salad. Also the staff was amazingly friendly, hard working, efficient, and at times so funny. They were a joy to be around. Even the captain said this was a wonderful crew to work with - everyone got along so well. There were about 70 crew members. You could get anything anytime you wanted. They even had a full time doctor on board. The food continued to be delicious the whole time and during the two and a half weeks they did not run out of any food or drink except bananas. When we went back to our cabins we found our beds neatly turned down. We had almost excessive cabin service. We soon learned to be neat because if you tossed your clothes on the couch or bed you would come back to find everything neatly folded! We had a rough night as the seas were stormy.

Saturday 9/9/06 The Mother of all Pelagics has started! The seas have kicked up and people prone to seasickness were all taking something or using the patch. Coffee was available at 6:30 and some birders were out birding by 6:31 even though viewing was difficult. There were always leaders out on deck watching for anything significant and if you didn’t want to stand out in the cold wind you could stay inside until they announced the sighting (but what fun is there in that?) Also in our room there was a TV and if you turned it to channel 8 you had a picture of the sea from the bow of the boat. There was no sound unless one of the leaders on deck with a microphone announced a sighting. It was great because you could take a break knowing you would not miss anything. They have two types of breakfasts each morning - one a formal one in the dinning room on deck 2. The other is served as a buffet/counter at the stern on deck 5. They had cereal and a grill to cook eggs, bacon, and all kinds of fruit and rolls and so forth. The tables were outside and some were under a roof to keep you dry. It wasn’t too cold and because it was in the back the wind wasn’t too bad. I ate there most mornings because it was faster and you wouldn’t miss the birds. Seating was informal and there were waiters to help you with anything you needed. The seas did calm down by afternoon and we saw hundreds of birds, fulmars, puffins, jaegers, murres, kittiwakes, and storm-petrels. (See my list for more details.) We also saw a Peregrine Falcon which was surprising but we continued to see one or two at sea trying to catch a small bird. We spent most of the day at the rail watch the birds and we were rewarded with real treat of whales. First we saw at least 50 Orcas in pods of 6 or 7. They were feeding and the fish oil attracted some 700 Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels, plus hundreds of Northern Fulmars and Black-legged Kittiwakes. We also had Dall’s Porpoises. In the afternoon Larry Blach had a slide show and discussion of Sea Birds. I took notes but the warmth and rocking of the room made it hard to stay awake and I can’t read my notes now! That evening we had the Captain’s Welcome Reception in the Club Lounge on Deck 4, we met the captain and his staff. Then we went to dinner and enjoyed meeting more people.

Sunday 9/10/06 The seas were so calm this morning they woke me up thinking we had stopped! Several other people said the same thing. I spent most of the morning at the bow watching for birds. It was very cold, I had all my Antarctica clothes. I even got wet with the spray from some large waves but it was wonderful to watch all the birds. But the seas were mostly calm. When we started our trip one leader, Marshall Iliff suggested we put some small trees on deck to attract any lost migrants. so the crew lashed some tree cuttings to the back of deck 5. It was really funny but today an Orange-crowned Warbler circled the ship several times and eventually landed in the Oceanus Memorial Forest. We don’t know what happened to it but it may have gone ashore when we stopped at Dutch Harbor. In the afternoon we started watching a movie on the Aleutian Islands but after 20 minutes an announcement was made which emptied the room. Our first albatross was sighted and it turned out to be a Short-tailed Albatross. He quickly left but the leaders started chumming (throwing out fish parts that had been brought aboard frozen). Soon another Short-tailed Albatross came back and we got good looks - there are only about 1000 Short-tailed Albatross’s in the world! We also saw Laysan Albatross’s - I just love them so powerful and a beautiful white bird. We even had a delayed dinner because a Red-legged Kittiwake came. Everyone was so excited because these birds are almost never seen away from this area so this is our only chance to see them. So another good day. We end each day with a recap and a bird list of birds seen that day and any fun stories.

Monday 9/11/06 We docked at Dutch Harbor for a refueling appointment. It was still dark at 8 AM (We were still on Anchorage time. When we got to Attu we set our clocks back 3 hours so that we had dawn at 7 AM and sunset at 7 PM. The coast guard stationed there kept Anchorage time.) Dutch Harbor is part of the city of Unalaska on Amaknak Island which is tied to Unalaska by a bridge. The Aleuts were the first residents here and the Russians landed in the 18th century to pursue their fur trade. Unalaska was bombed by the Japanese in June 1942. The Russian Orthodox church was nearly destroyed but is now the oldest Russian Orthodox cruciform-style church in North America. I would have enjoyed more time there but we could see the city and church from a distance. We walked around the harbor and did some birding. There were many shipping containers with lots of fork lifts moving around. We were not sure what they all were for but surmised it was connected with the fishing industry as Dutch Harbor is the center of the fish processing in this area. We saw a bald eagle sitting on a light pole and had fun and close looks at him. After an hour we boarded our ship and went on our way. We all have a electronic card (credit card size) and when we leave ship we swipe it and when we return we swipe in. A very good system to avoid being left on shore - as long as you remember to swipe. It took a while before we didn’t hear “Please remember to swipe in” or “Would cabin # 443 please let us know if you are on board.” Once we got sailing again we spent time out on deck birding and were we ever rewarded today. First we got good looks at Whiskered Auklets which only breed and winter in specific areas throughout the Aleutians. As we got further along a large group of shearwaters feeding above whales was spotted so we headed there. Soon we were treated to a site that words and photos will fail to adequately describe. The sea was black with shearwaters - both on the water and in the air while under them at least 30 humpback whales were feeding. The humpbacks were bubble net feeding - several would create a circular net of bubbles that trapped the fish and then coming up with open mouths they would take in thousands of the fish. The shearwaters were taking advantage of the fish that were outside the circle or left behind. Never have I seen such a number of life forms at once- it brings tears to my eyes now to think that such an experience was mine. All the leaders could talk of nothing else having never experienced such an event in their many years of birding. The ship’s crew also said they have never seen such a remarkable sight in all the years they have been sailing in this region. They estimated that there were a million and a half birds and I definitely agree. It was truly a once in a life time experience. The whales came very close to our boat and their performance was like an orchestrated ballet - with one after another coming to the surface and then diving down. We finally continued on our way and enjoyed the other birds we saw. These are volcanic islands and some are still active.

Tuesday 9/12/06 I’ve loved Albatrosses since I first saw one and today was albatross day. Early in the morning we started chumming. Soon we were followed by albatrosses, shearwaters, storm-petrels, fulmars and so forth. At one time I saw 6 Short-tailed Albatrosses, 200 Black-footed Albatrosses, and 50 Laysan Albatross all at once - what a site. We were going to have a lecture in the afternoon on whales, dolphins and porpoises which started out very interesting but after 10 minutes “Mottled Petrels” were called out so we all rushed out and spent a few hours trying for good looks at them - got pretty good looks but got excellent looks at the Red-legged Kittiwakes - red legs and all. What fun and exhausting work! I know I stood out there 3 hours straight this time and there are many who spend all day out there with barely time for lunch breaks. There are always leaders out there so nothing “good” is ever missed and if you need instructions or help there is always someone there to answer any questions. Finally dinner time and we had our usual excellent dinner and enjoyable dinner companions.

Wednesday 9/13/06 We had a Zodiac drill today and a discussion of procedures about birding Attu. We are getting close! Everything is set up very efficiently. This is a great group of leaders - they work well together and each has a role to play. We spent today seeing some absolutely beautiful scenery. Today we were treated to seeing Baird’s beaked whales - about 6 of them. We got on deck just in time to see one breaching. They were very active for a while and we enjoyed good views. They are seldom seen and were a first for many of us including the leaders. It is interesting to note that the crew is excited about our sightings too and they are getting such a kick out of our birding. They have not had a similar group before and they are only beginning to understand what birders do. By the end of the trip they had a much better idea - even if they didn’t understand us! We also saw some sperm whales in the distance.

Thursday 9/14/06 ATTU! We are here. Beautiful and sunny - not at all the weather we had been warned about. We anchored at Massacre Bay where the US Coastguard Base Commander boarded to give us a required briefing regarding Unexploded Ordnance. They told us where they were and what they looked like. Fortunately we are not allowed in the area where they are so we are not likely to have any problems. Our birding area is the area that has been extensively birded for the last 30 years or so. Finally we were released to prepare for landing and we took our first Zodiac ride over to Alexai Point. There we divided up into several groups and started tromping over the varied terrain, grassy runways (the runway covered in rusting Marsden matting left over from WW II), marshy ponds, rocky shorelines, rotten smelly kelp-lined beaches, and thigh high vegetation. Oh what fun we had. The leaders all had radios so when one group found something the rest of us went there to see it. We had to go running to the beach in order to see a Common Snipe and although it took us half an hour to get there the group was waiting for us so we could all relook for it together. That was the way the whole trip went - everyone was polite and generous and no one was greedy at the expensive of others. It was a very congenial group. Anyway we found the Common Snipe which was a new bird for many of us. We spent about three hours here and walk and walk - it was hard and exhausting. I had to pick up my feet through the thigh high vegetation and my rubber boots weighed 4 pounds each so it was a lot of work. We were later told that this was the hardest place to walk and the rest would be easier. Maybe so but we walked so much every day - from 5 to 10 miles a day and sometimes very fast. I was glad I was in good shape but I could never walk as fast as the rest - but I always got there and I didn’t find myself breathless so that was good. But some days my legs and feet did ache. After lunch we went back to to Alexai Point where our group went slipping and sliding along the rotten kelp covered beach but it was worth it because we got excellent views of a Gray-tailed Tattler. We had to go out on the rocks because it was hidden behind a large rock. But a scope was put on it and we very carefully took turns and got excellent looks. Many people from other groups came and got good looks too. It was a great day and if I had to leave tomorrow I’d be ok - I’ve been to Attu.

Friday 9/15/06 We are anchored in Massacre Bay and will be for 5 days and it was a calm site the whole time. A word about the names of Massacre Bay and Murder Point. They were not named for incidents from the War. The names refer to the eighteenth and nineteenth century when native Aleuts were maltreated and slaughtered by the Russian fur traders. The area was named by survivors. This morning the Wagtails (the group we belonged to) left for shore at 7:30. The loading is very efficient. We dress in our warm clothes, swipe out, pick up a bag lunch, and put on our life vest and go outside and line up. The Zodiacs hold 10 passengers at a time so the doctor (he has non-medical jobs as well) counts off 10 people and sends them downstairs to load. We have two hands on the boat and two hands in the boat to help us load our stuff and us. It is all very safe. A leader goes on the first load so there is always a leader on shore. When we get ashore we go in different directions in about groups of ten. Of course that falls apart when the first group immediately spots a “good bird” as happened this morning. We saw White wagtail and waited for everyone in our group to get a look. As we then started walking we saw a sandpiper fly overhead which was quickly identified as a very rare Spotted Redshank. It continued flying up Henderson Valley so we didn’t get very good looks at it. But the leaders knew where there was a “pond” that would provide perfect habitat for it so we started marching up the road along Henderson River. Henderson River was filled with spawning salmon - in fact all the rivers on Attu were. Some were dying and some were already dead. We later wondered why the many gulls were not eating the dead salmon but we later figured out that they got their fill so early in the day that they did not have to eat for the rest of the day. It was all a very interesting view of the life cycle of salmon. Anyway we continued up the road until we got to Smew Pond. Of course we had radioed the other groups who were all coming to join us. Some walked several miles to us and other’s were picked up by Zodiacs and transferred to the nearest landing sight near us. So we didn’t hurry and enjoyed the scenes along the way and ate our lunch. (We had a choice of getting a bag lunch or going back to the ship at 11:30 for lunch and returning at 2:30. All very accommodating.) While we were all lined up waiting at Smew Pond for the Redshank we got word that further up in Henderson Marsh another leader had found a Wood Sandpiper - another rare bird. So off we go (a bird in the hand ....) and started another major operation. It was in the middle of the marsh - they had seen it land but it was way far out. So once again we slogged through a very deep marsh - water almost to the top of my boots at times and eventually got in a long line for views. There were about 50 or so birders. Then the leader who was way on the other side of the marsh from us started walking towards the bird spot and soon up the sandpiper flew and we all got good looks. We also flushed a Common Snipe which was fun. We had been advised of the field marks to look for so we knew we had the right bird. Participating in the logistics of finding the bird was as much fun as seeing the bird. After seeing this bird we decided to go back and wait for the Redshank. So we went back to Smew Pond, got comfortable and sat and waited for about an hour. Finally about 2:30 it flew overhead and landed in the brush on the other side of the Pond from us. We all knew “exactly” where it landed. So once again the radio calls went out and people started coming. Finally by about 4:00 everyone who wanted to come had come - about 50 or so of us. Two leaders were on the opposite side of the bird from us and they walked up the river to flush the bird but to no avail. Then Victor revised the plan and he and several other leaders fanned out and soon the bird flew out and landed exactly where Victor had predicted (and he had never been to Attu before!). Well the bird stayed about 2 hours so we all got good looks in our scopes and with camera as well as binoculars. It was truly amazing and exciting. Spotted Redshank is a very rare Attu bird. It is wonderful how excited the very experienced leaders get - it adds to the excitement of the whole group. Finally about 4:30 I went back to the boat with aching feet but a satisfied soul.

Saturday 9/16/06 There were three landing sites, five miles apart from the east site to the west site with one in the middle. We were rotated each day. Today we went to the western site and visited the old living quarters of the Attour tour company that Larry ran from 1979 to 2000. After seeing them we all realized how much we were enjoying our current quarters. They were just old (WW II ) cement buildings that Larry and crew had fixed up a by mopping out the leaking water, adding a generator, adding a stove, furniture and so forth. It was a lot more work birding in those days because they all had chores to do in addition to the birding and they had to walk and/or bike to go from one site or another. But the people on our trip who had gone before all had fond memories of those days. Today we didn’t really see many birds, nothing new. We need a good storm to blow in some migrants. Usually Attu has a lot of storms because of the currents - the warm Japan current meets polar air from the north and the North Pacific meets the Bering Sea. We walked a lot and enjoyed some marvelous scenery up over some mountains and down along the coast. We saw lots of remnants of the war and also the pieces of the Coast Guard plane that crashed on the hillside in 1982. The eight survivors (two died) walked over the mountains to the coast guard station - they didn’t even know about them because of the thick fog. Later that day at 4:30 the Coastguard invited us over for a bonfire. I didn’t go but I could see the smoke from the ship - it was a rather black smokey fire and they didn’t do much except it was an opportunity to buy a few souvenirs. They didn’t have much because a Japanese ship stopped last week and bought them out.

Sunday 9/17/06 Today we landed at Peaceful Cove and as soon as we got on shore we were greeted by a pipit and a Bluethroat at the river’s mouth. The Bluethroat disappeared after brief looks and did not reappear. We spent some time trying to make the pipit into a rare pipit, David Wolf was a nervous wreck because fall birds are often hard to identify. We finally decided it was an American Pipit but a different subspecies which may someday be declared a species. After spending some time there we got a call that a Baikal Teal was seen at the warehouse so off we took as fast as we could go. It was only a mile or 2. Again everything was well organized and under control when we got there so we stepped up to one of the scopes lined up and had a good look at the teal and then spent more time enjoying it in our binoculars. To indicate how rare this bird is - Larry Balch has been to Attu approximately 30 times staying there a month or more each time leading the many earlier trips there. He has seen many birds on Attu but this was a life bird for him. It was a life bird for all but about 4 people. The two ladies who found it didn’t know how rare it was so it was a while before they reported it to Larry who had passed it by - he turned around and headed back like ... it was a lifer! After this lifer the Coastguard captain offered to drive us up to the Japanese Monument so many of us accepted his office. We crammed 6 people inside the cab and maybe 20 in the back and up we went. We hoped to find either a ptarmigan or Snowy Owl which we did not but we did have a spectacular view. The Memorial was very impressive. It had a plaque on it that read: “In Memory of all those who sacrificed their lives in the islands and seas of the North Pacific during World War II and in Dedication to World Peace” It was installed by the Government of Japan in cooperation with the Government of the United States of American on July 1, 1987. Many lives for lost here and when the American troops reestablished occupation on Attu the Japanese soldiers committed suicide. Sad history here. Well after taking photos and enjoying the view we started walking down back to the coast. It was a long hike back but rather pleasant Nancy and I walked with another woman named Nancy and she carried a scope so no bird was unchecked. We didn’t see anything outstanding but it was a lovely day and rather easy walking and the sights were interesting. There were some remnants of the war - there were many army troops here so lots of buildings were needed. We also noted many wooden pipes that were wrapped in metal ropes - a way to save on metal during the war. The walk back was about five miles and took us 2 hours. I felt all right later but my feet were very swollen and sore. Fortunately no blisters - those rubber boots may be heavy but they aren’t too bad for walking. That evening before dinner Don Wilkinson sang for us. He is a professional singer with a wonderful baritone voice so it was a real treat to hear him sing: “Oh Danny Boy”, “Old Man River”, and “Some Enchanted Evening”, all songs that hold a deep personal meaning for me. Later at dinner Nancy and I had the fun of being seating at a table with Lucie Bruce who reached her 750 bird today! She had been rather quiet about this - we all knew that several men had reached #700 today but no one had heard about Lucie’s 750. When we sat down for dinner her friend said she just had to share something and she was the one who told those of us at the table. We really whooped it up - it was really exciting for her but also for us to be able to share such an accomplishment with her. Not many birders in the US have reached that goal. She graciously bought us a round of after dinner drinks to share her joy. Later at the evening recap she got a huge round of applause, everyone in that group understood the significance of 750.

Monday 9/18/06 We started off the day with a Snowy Owl - I was so hoping we would see one as I had never seen one before. He was so handsome. Attu is the southern most known nesting sight of the Snowy Owl. Then we continued walking to Smew Pond where our Spotted Redshank was feeding in its usual spot - he seems used to us. Then we had another “good” bird fly up - a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. This bird was a “lifer” for many of us and set in motion a large movement of birders to this spot. Some of us continued up to the marsh and while some walked through the marsh I walked with some along a parallel road - we ended up together seeing the same birds, none. I just couldn’t face bush whacking through that marsh again and I’m glad I didn’t bother. After a pleasant lunch break along the coast sitting on a rotten World War II pier we started on a off road walk with Dave Sonneborn up East Massacre Valley. Dave is always so enthusiastic it is fun to be with him but after a while I knew I wasn’t going to make it. Another woman and I left to go back and take the shuttle back to the boat. I just couldn’t keep up with the group and her foot was hurting. Nancy got back two hours later than I did so it was some walk. That evening we had a Christmas in September Party for the Coastguard men stationed on Attu. They sign up for a year, which then gives them first choice for their next assignment. They don’t get many visitors at all and probably none in December. The ship decorated the lounge with a Christmas tree and other decorations and the kitchen staff made elegant hor d’oeuvres. We had all chipped in and gave them Christmas presents of gift certificates to use on the Web as that is where they do their shopping. It was fun.

Tuesday 9/19/06 We woke up to the cold, rain, and hail that had been blowing in all night. But we braved the weather and bundled up and went ashore anyway. We had good looks at a Snow Bunting and then we walked - nothing new but we had a lot more Sharp-tailed Sandpipers - at least seven so we had good looks at them. We landed first at Casco Cove and we ended up walking to the Warehouse - about a 3 mile walk and then we walked along the beach. So we had a lot of walking today and it was pleasant because after the rain stopped we had enough sun and warmth to dry out. Usual excellent dinner with more fun conversations at the table.

Wednesday 9/20/06 We each chose whichever location to visit today regardless of which group we were in. We were ready for the 7:30 departure so we went to Navy Town and walked through the area where we had not been before. There is a lot of World War II debris left in this area, mostly fallen down buildings, lots of rusted equipment and barrels. The whole island is covered with all kinds of remains - possibly even chemical weapons. But the cost of clean up is too prohibitive so Attu has been declared some kind of historical and wildlife sanctuary and been left alone. After 4 hours of mostly just walking we returned to the ship and had lunch on board while the ship moved back to Alexai point to see what was there. A Tufted Duck had been there and some people who missed it wanted to see if it was still there - it was. I chose to take the afternoon off just for some downtime. I enjoyed reading a book Nancy had brought that took place in Alaska - she brought two so they were fun to read. After that the ship moved to the western side of Attu to Ettienne Bay to “go where no birders had gone before”. Our first bird seen shortly before dark was a Yellow-billed Loon - in breeding plumage, just beautiful. While traveling Jeri Langham gave us a presentation of his last trip to Hato Pinero in Venezuela. Nancy and I enjoyed reminiscing about our trip to there in 1993.

Thursday 9/21/06 We went ashore starting at 7:30 and divided in loose groups. Our group started walking along the shore to see what we could find - I was looking for “easy” terrain for walking. Ten minutes later our leader, Marshall listened to his radio and turned around and screamed to us: “Turn around and run if you can this is a really good bird” Well when Marshall yells like that we run - well for a minute or two. It was at least a mile - maybe two of bush whacking and a good half an hour before the rear of the group (me) got to the spot. We all lined up and for an hour watched little tiny movements in the bushes for a little tiny yellow bird to briefly pop out and then back in or fly to another spot to be hidden in another group of bushes. Then we would all have to move and regroup for another possible look. We did this at least 10 times - the process was as much fun as the bird. Eventually most people got a brief look and a few got good looks - enough to identify the bird as a Yellow-browed Warbler, only the third record for the Western Hemisphere. I saw a yellow bird in flight - not particularly satisfying looks, about the size of a kinglet. A fair photo was taken for proof and positive identification. Finally we had to go back to the ship as it was past time to leave. What a memorable experience. So at lunch we left Etienne Bay for Russian territory. We spent much of the afternoon back to pelagic birding interspersed with rest and reading. We had a disembarkation briefing as we will be disembarking in Russia and they are very strict and serious. We are all duly briefed. The Captain had his farewell reception in the lounge and said a few words of farewell.

Friday 9/22/06 Last night we crossed the International Date line so it is really 9/23 but I’m keeping the U.S. date. Earlier (on the 13th) we crossed the 180 degree longitude line and were then in the Eastern Hemisphere which put us in the most eastern point in The United States. Just before that we were in the most western point. But in general Cape Wrangell, on Attu at 172 degrees East is considered the Western most point in the U.S. Alaska also has the most northern point - Barrow - I was there last year. I’ve also been in the “other” most eastern point in Maine so some day I’ll have to go to the most southern point in Hawaii. The international date line follows the 180 degree line sort of but it zig zags so no country is in two different days. So we crossed that line in the night. We did some pelagic birding in Russian territory but we also had several presentations. Victor discussed his list of the ten best birding spots in the World (it was really just a little longer than ten!). We saw a John Huston propaganda documentary made during the war about Attu - it was historically interesting. In the afternoon Victor told us his story of finding the Eskimo Curlew in 1959. It had not been seen in the previous 17 years but was also seen in 1960 and 1961. It has not been seen since and is presumed to have been the Last Eskimo Curlew. Victor’s was a fascinating story. This presentation was followed with Larry and Thede discussing their memories of Attu from the past - along with photos. Then our farewell dinner. The waiters have been so much fun and have really gotten a kick out of our birding habits. At the end of dinner one waiter (who is from Jamaica) came out of the kitchen wearing a colorful hand made hat decorated with origami birds that he had previously made for us. He then proceeded to sing “Yellow Bird” and soon everyone joined in - what fun. He also continued on with “Down the Way....” We had a happy ending to our cruise.

Saturday 9/23/06 We arrived at Petropavlovsk at 6:00. We had to have our luggage out by 5 AM so we put it out the night before. Supposedly it was going to be loaded and brought to the airport so it could be inspected there. People were planning on picking the luggage up there and adding to it the things we would not be able to carry on. Since we (nor the crew) knew how long the Russian inspectors would take and we had to be ready the moment they wanted us we ate breakfast early - 6:00. I’m not sure what all they did - went through our passports and the forms we filled out about what we had. We had been told to be sure to list all our electronics we had but to also keep them in our packs and not leave with binoculars and cameras around our necks. Finally we were told to gather our stuff and disembark so very seriously we walked down the gangplank and through the box where our passports were inspected and stamped. Then we all boarded the two buses waiting for us. The plan was to make a bunch of shopping stops but instead Victor talked them into making a few birding stops. Our guide talked the whole time mostly about the advantages of living on the Kamchatka Peninsula but I didn’t see anything appealing. There are no roads out so they must fly to Moscow or anywhere else in Russia. She made a point of assuring us that the Peninsula was not Siberia but I noticed some maps include Kamchatka as part of Siberia. Anyway it is close enough. Now Nancy can say she has been on all 7 continents. (I reached that number two years ago when I went to Turkey.) We did get good views of some active Volcanos one of which was still steaming. We eventually did stop at a “Mall” where we spent most of the time standing in line to use the rest room. I did pop into the grocery store but only bought some chocolate for a Russian souvenir. We would have spent more time there but the guides insisted we had to leave or we would delay the plane. We quickly loaded up and got to the airport where we had to wait at least two hours. They were still off loading supplies from the plane and into a truck. Then the truck that loaded our bags at 6 AM arrived and started unloading our luggage! We sort of milled around, looked at the scenery, looked for birds, found a small gift shop with nothing much. Finally our bags went through their x ray machine which wasn’t working at first. Then we went through some rather ancient machine and finally got our boarding passes. This whole operation had twice as many people as needed and was most inefficient. The funniest thing was we had to get on a transfer bus to go to the airplane which was less than a block away. I figured it was just a way to keep more people employed. Our flight was a charter from Miami Air so we were the only passengers on and we had plenty of room, no one was sitting in any middle seat. We had a dinner that was pretty good and a few extra goodies so that helped us get through the afternoon as we missed lunch. But there was no grumbling and everyone remained in good spirits, even when it seemed to take forever to get our luggage when we arrived in Anchorage. We finally got to the hotel about 11 or 11:30 where we all headed to the bar which closed at 12:00. Everyone ordered something to drink and to eat so the poor waitress was really running and they didn’t close at midnight. The next morning we slept until 8:30 and then hurried in order to get the accompanying buffet breakfast - we were the last table still eating. Nancy and I had time to do some birding around the nearby lake and then we ordered a shuttle and went to the airport and back to San Francisco where Nancy’s husband Walt picked us up.

All in all it was a great trip for everyone and exceeded my expectations. Of course my main goal was to go to Attu so every event was a bonus. I saw 20 new ABA birds and a total of 108 birds on the trip. 16 of those birds were new world life birds as I had seen 4 of the 20 in other countries.

written from my notes and memory on 10/1/06

updated: 3/21/08