Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach (Part VI)

 

Having taken the Alaska Express, with again no sign of David Cartier, from Fairbanks as far as Denali, for a 2 days stop over, it was then onto the mighty 

 McKinley Explorer

 to complete that 260 miles part of the jaunt to Anchorage.

No delays there except for a delicious fish dinner and a good night's sleep

before boarding the relatively small aircraft which would take us eventually to

 SAINT PAUL ISLAND

(⅔’s of the way the east coast of Russia and most northerly of the 2 small islands below the key)

deep into the 

BERING SEA
and one of the most remote places ever visited.

The word 'eventually' was used above as there was to be a 1 hour 30 minutes stop over in

NOME

which seemed to be something of a bugbear to the vast majority but there was to be a
Massive Wildlife Bonus.
As the aircraft lost height prior to landing a huge pod of   

BELUGA WHALES
could be seen in the estuary below. With the aid of the ever present binnoculars
even the eye-balls of these fantastic creatures (never encountered before) could be seen.

First sight of Saint Paul Island
with a fluctuating population of about 500

On landing I got so mesmerized by the

GREY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES

that all sense of time and place seemed to have disappeared.
Turning the airfield and arrivals lounge were empty of people
but never fear Forest Rowland turned up appologising for being a little late!
He, a most well thought of ornithologis in the US was to be my guide for the next 4 days,
however from here we will turn over to a pictorial else we'll never get finished.

Asked if I wanted to head to the target bird first, which had been on station for some days, it was decided to strike while the iron was hot, but in slow time so we could enjoy much along the way.
First port of call was the

NORTHERN FUR SEAL
COLONY

then in no particular order

ARCTIC FOX

but we didn't see an adult at all

 HARLEQUIN DUCK

by the 'hundreds'

WHIRLY LOUSEWORT

the only Plant name remembered

PELAGIC CORMORANT

What the Americans call
RED PHALAROPE
as they usually see them in breeding plumage

and which we named Grey, I think the Yanks should have it

male and female

LAPLAND BUNTING

We have a good number more images to post, but for now we take a short break.