Alaska.com: Alaska's Travel Website

Birders come to Alaska for the 246 native species and the dozens of migratory (or just plain lost) species that light in the state. Altogether, at least 445 species have been documented and an additional 35 have been reported but undocumented.

Alaska's vast tundra provides safe nesting territory for migratory species such as swans, geese, ducks and terns. The salmon streams, mountains, forests and seashores provide steady food for bald and golden eagles.

In-town birding

Even Alaska's largest city, Anchorage, has fine viewing at Potter Marsh on the south edge of the city proper. It's not uncommon to see loons on city lakes and bald eagles roosting on trees in town. In Fairbanks, the Alaska Bird Observatory welcomes watchers to Creamer's Farm for sandhill cranes, trumpeter swans and other species. Barrow and Nome are favorite spots for edge-of-the-continent species. In Haines, hundreds of people gather to watch thousands of bald eagles< feed on a salmon run in November.

Wildlife refuges

Millions of seabirds live in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, a sanctuary that appears here and there along the coast from the Arctic Ocean to the southern end of the Inside Passage. The state has 15 other national wildlife refuges as well.

Checklists

Need a checklist for Alaska? The U.S. Geological Survey's Northern Prairie Research Center has compiled a statewide list and has an index (and a helpful map) for Alaska's national wildlife refuges, national parks and state parks.

State bird

Alaska has three species of ptarmigan, one of which -- the willow ptarmigan -- is the state bird.

More birding information

Read more articles about birding in Alaska, find organizations and compare checklists from such hotspots as the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.

To discover more entertaining articles, click on any link in the list of Related Stories at the bottom of this page.

Observation and education sites

• Alaska Bird Observatory (in Fairbanks)
• Alaska Raptor Center (in Sitka)
• Alaska Rare Bird Alert at The Virtual Birder
• Alaska SeaLife Center (in Seward)
• Campbell Creek Science Center (in Anchorage)
• Eagle River Nature Center (in Eagle River)

Organizations

• National Audubon Society
• Audubon in Alaska
• Anchorage Audubon Society