6/5/2009 – Liam looked a little nervous as we took off in the twin prop beechcraft bound for Gambell. Our 2 hours stopover in Nome had produced a number of fine birds within a mile of the airport, including a few lifers for Liam: gray-cheeked thrush, yellow wagtail and northern Waterthrush. Now we were making the short flight to the largest of two villages on St. Lawrence Island, Gambell – a whaling and walrus hunting outpost.
Because the Sivuqaq Inn had been sold out we had posted a ‘rental wanted’ sign at the store a couple of months prior and so our host Daniel picked us and our bags up at the airstrip. He and his wife Suzanne and there two children got us settled into their home and then they went about two hundred yards away to stay with relatives.
As soon as possible we ventured out to look for birds. Out our door were snow buntings, Lapland longspurs, and common and hoary redpolls. Observed from ‘the point’ just steps from our lodgings were northern fulmar, common and thick-billed murre, pigeon and black guillemot, horned and tufted puffin, pomarine jaeger, mew, Glaucous and slaty-backed gulls. Literally thousands of alcids flew by in non-stop flocks. Least auklets were easily ID’d foraging in the water nearshore
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