First week back, unexpected birders

 This was the first week of our season, with only 40 guests, but about half of them were birders. Unexpected birders. Fortunately, and possibly also unexpected, the bird population was soaring. Our eager eyes sought out the friendly feathered phyla. I went out on two bird-themed walks, one on a forest road at El Capitan Cove, and another in Windham Bay. Both were seeking the land-based flutter-ers, and we found quiet spots to sit quietly, listening to the songbirds of the forest, but seeing more seabirds in the end.

Many of the sea birds from this week are migratory, and I found myself pleased to point out Parasitic Jaegers and Long Tailed ducks as we cruised around the passageways. They both have long tails and are only found here in the early springtime. We passed by a Common Loon and I got a close-up snapshot as well.

On the first day of the trip a few guests approached me and asked for Arctic Terns, and on the last day of the trip, at Dawes Glacier, they appeared out of the sky for our viewing pleasure. As a bonus, we got to see some Black Oystercatchers as well. The trip closed as an unbelievable success for birds, albeit unexpected.