Birding around Fairbanks
The Alaska Bird Observatory's Creamer's Field Migration Station is a bird banding station, and informal banding demonstrations are held daily for visitors who drop by. This is a great place to see birds close up. Creamer's Refuge is located in Fairbanks, on the north side of College Road, behind the Alaska Department of Fish & Game headquarters. South Cushman Ponds, on the southeastern side of the city offers ponds, riverside and brush. Some great shorebirds have been spotted here in the spring, including Hudsonian Godwit, Black-bellied Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Stilt Sandpiper and Buff-breasted Sandpiper. The University of Alaska Arboretum on the northwest of the city can be a good birding spot. From west campus or Sheep Creek Road, go to Smith Lake where Red-necked Grebes, Long-billed Dowitchers, scoters, scaup, Bonaparte's Gulls and Pacific Loons can normally be seen. The gravel pits at Fairbanks International Airport are all worth a visit as they are among the most productive waterfowl nesting sites in Fairbanks.
Birding in and around Anchorage
Over 229 bird species have been recorded in the Anchorage area. The best season for birding in Anchorage is the beginning of May until the end of September. Westchester lagoon is an excellent location for waterbirds from late April through end of September, and birds to look for include common loons, red-necked grebes, wigeons, scaups, green-winged teals, goldeneyes, arctic terns, Bonaparte’s gulls, Hudsonian godwits, dowitchers, turnstones, and many other species of shorebirds. Potter Marsh, south of the city, is one of the most popular birding locations in Anchorage and hosts a variety of migrant and nesting waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls, terns, sparrows and geese. Chugach State Park is your best spot for alpine species. Go to the Glen Alps trailhead and take a right onto the Powerline trail. From there, take the Little O’Malley trailhead and head higher up where you have the best chance to see alpine species. Birds that can be found here include hermit thrush, golden-crowned sparrow, willow ptarmigan, Townsend’s solitaire, Wilson’s warbler, white-winged crossbill, American pipit and gray-crowned rosy-finch. John’s Park is a wooded park in south Anchorage. Birds to look for here include three-toed woodpecker, boreal chickadee, varied thrush, olive-sided flycatcher, white-winged crossbill, kinglets, sparrows and warblers.
Denali Highway
The road called the Denali Highway (Rte. 8) runs east-west for 134 miles from Paxton on Highway 4 to Cantwell on Highway 3. Drive northeast from Anchorage on Rte 1 to Glennallen, then north of Rte 4 to Paxson. The highway (actually a dirt road not designed for high speeds) offers good birding along the way. Smith’s Longspur breed at a couple of sites, close to the Brushkana Campground and north of the highway, just west of the Susitna River. Northern Hawk Owl are frequently seen perched high up in the trees and keep an eye open Arctic Warbler which are fairly common here.
Nome
If traveling to Alaska in summer, then birding Nome is a ‘must’ if time and finances permit, as there are birds here you won't find anywhere else in the state. The only way in to Nome is by air. Three roads run from Nome, the Teller Road to the north, with Wooly Lagoon good for waterbirds and Teller a good site for White Wagtails. The Taylor Road that runs northeast from Nome is the road to the Bristle-thighed Curlew site, which can be found on the hillside on the northern side of the road approximately 71½ miles out of town. Bluethroat can also be found just before the Curlew site. Safety Lagoon and Safety Lagoon Mouth are good spots for waterbirds and seaducks. Finally the Council Road to the south east of town has the only trees on the entire road system at Spruce Wood. Check here for Spruce Grouse and Pine Grosbeaks. A day to day update as to which birds are being seen is posted in town at the Nome Visitors Center, as is a daily update on the roads, which are often closed until mid June.
omer and the Kenai Peninsula.
Although best in May and June, the peninsula offers good birding throughout summer. Target birds to look for here are Kittlitz’s Murrelets, which can be seen from the tip of the spit, and Aleutian Terns, which nest in a boggy area east of the base of the spit by the end of the airport runway.
Seward
On the south side of the Kenai Peninsula, Seward is easily accessible from Anchorage. It is the base for boat and birding tours to the Chiswell Islands and Resurrection Bay. Birds you should see here are Tufted and Horned Puffins, Kittlitze's and Ancient Murrelet, Parakeet and Rhinoceros Auklet, Red-faced and Pelagic Cormorant, Common and Thick-billed Murres and Black-legged Kittiwakes. What makes birding here so much fun is that many of these birds can be seen very close to the boat.