Pribilof Islands - Part II

 From last Sunday's Post you could assume that the visit to some of the remotest Islands on earth and in the Bering Sea, went off with quite a bang which is the way it continued!

Forest's question over breakfast, provided by the exceptional Philipeno Catering Team, was "do we head directly for the much hoped for and one of the last 2 Sea Gulls needed for a 'Full House', or do we take the slow stroal and just see what we find"? Best we left that one for him to figure himself!

There was of course much of interest to be seen en-route such as

ARCTIC POPPY
and on
Hutchinson Hill

the last resting place of

Gunner's Mate First Class
JAMES HEATH
Born 1864 - Died in action 1894
of the USS CONCORD who, with no disrespect to a fellow Seaman, would still be there later while there was no such certainly about the Gull. Most likely place would be among the few pockets of 'Black-Legged' Kittiwake as the Americans like to call them with us being content with simply  Kittiwake.

The target bird was found among the first little group of

the more common of the Gulls

and simply performed

BEAUTIFULLY

How long we stood there was not calculated but it was a very long time in as much as seeing anouth in this lifetime was about as likely as me getting the drinks in!

It had been long enough to head back to town for lunch before spending the afternoon among

LEAST AUKLET

the more familiar

 

SNOW BUNTINGs

male

female

and juveniles.

ARCTIC FOX CUB

lots of

CRESTED AUKLET

The Lie of the Land

LONG-TAILED SKUA

Considered to be 'dark phase'

LONG-TAILED SKUAs

more
CRESTED AUKLET
and before calling it a day what Forest described as the 'rarest bird' so far was what he described as

SIBERIAN EIDER
(pink bill, rufous plumage)

Another Wonderous Day Over!