Readers’ wildlife photos

Today we have some photos (save the last one) taken in Alaska by UC Davis ecologist Susan Harrison.  Susan’s captions and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge her photos by clicking on them.

Nome, on the north shore of the Bering Sea

For any wildlife lover there are many reasons to visit the Arctic.  Here are my top four:  polar birds and mammals that are found nowhere else; migratory shorebirds wearing their brilliant breeding colors instead of their off-season browns and grays; really large predators of both land and sea; and some of the wildest landscapes it’s possible to visit.  On a June 2025 birding tour of Alaska, we had these Arctic experiences in our first two stops, Nome in western Alaska on the north shore of the Bering Sea, and Utqiakvik (Barrow) at the northern tip of the US on the Beaufort Sea.  Today’s photos are from Nome, along the three roads that lead out from the town into the surrounding tundra, coastline, and mountains.

One of the nicest examples of showy breeding plumage and behaviors was this pair of Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata), a species I’d only seen in its drab winter plumage on the California coast.  When I played their song in the hope of bringing them closer, the pair swam right up and reprised their courtship dance, presumably as a way of telling other loons that “This one’s taken!”

Red-throated Loons:

The rarest species we saw near Nome was the Bristle-thighed Curlew (Numenius tahitiensis), a close relative of the much more familiar Whimbrel.  It has a small Arctic breeding range to which it migrates vast distances from its South Pacific Island wintering grounds.  Finding this bird is something of a quest for many Arctic birders.  We saw one after a hike through soggy tussock tundra at a place dubbed Curlew Hill.

Bristle-thighed Curlew:

Predatory birds often seen hovering above or resting on the tundra included Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea), Long-tailed Jaegers (Stercorarius longicaudus), and a surprisingly large number of Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus).

Arctic Tern:

Long-tailed Jaeger:

Short-eared Owl:  the first time I’ve ever seen the little ears:

While traversing the tundra, it was possible to almost trip over a Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) or a Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus), which tend to hold still and rely on camouflage when predators approach. American Golden-Plovers (Pluvialis dominica) take the opposite tactic, and displayed noisily to lure us away from their nests.

Rock Ptarmigan:

Willow Ptarmigan:

American Golden-Plover:

Two particularly exciting sights near Nome were a Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica), a gorgeous and sought-after Arctic songbird, and the nest of a Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), where we saw the chicks but sadly could not wait around long enough for the adults to return.

Bluethroat in a distant view:

Gyrfalcon chicks:

While hardly a rarity, this Raven (Corvus corax) provided a nice example of parental care on a picturesque piece of old mining equipment.  Zoom in to see the ravenous nestlings! [JAC: the nest is the pile of sticks at lower left]

Raven at its nest:

Muskox (Ovibos moschatus) herds were surprisingly common along all three roads, and bushes were festooned with clumps of their messy hair.   Seeing them really makes you feel like you’ve stumbled into  the Pleistocene:

No trip to Alaska would be complete without Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) encounters.  When we saw this large battle-scarred fellow, I was too excited to hold my camera steady, so this photo is from tour guide Alex Lamoreaux: