ST. LAWRENCE ISLAND BIRD SPECIES
St. Lawrence Island is located in the Bering Sea, W of mainland Alaska, S of Bering Strait. On the other side, Gambell, a village located in NW Cape of the island, is only 58 kilometres from the Chukchi Peninsula in the Russian Far East. This island is about 140 kilometres long and 13-36 kilometres wide. There is no trees, only Arctic willows, a dwarf species of 30 centimetres high.
The Anadyr Current involves cold, nutrient-rich water brought from the deep waters of the shelf edge of the Bering Sea. Abundant seabirds and marine mammals are the result of this current influence. A persistent polynya occurs in the south of the island. There are two villages on the northern coast, Gambell with 650 inhabitants and Savoonga with 670 inhabitants.
Gambell is the westernmost point of the USA and one of the most remote places for birding. The white McKay’s Bunting is a true Bering speciality, but its global population is estimated to number only 18,400/23,700 individuals.
Savoonga is on the northern coast, 63 kilometres SE of Gambell. Local people hunts for walrus and bowhead whales. Good hunting and trapping attracted more residents in this area.
During winter, the Spectacled Eiders congregate at St. Lawrence Island Polynya in dense flocks in openings of the pack ice. They use this area as wintering grounds.
St. Lawrence hosts today up to 2.7 million seabirds nesting on the island. Puffins, aucklets, murres, kittiwakes, eiders, loons and numerous other species can be seen while migrating to their Arctic breeding grounds, or nesting there.
St. Lawrence is probably one of the last exposed portions of the land bridge between Asia and North America. It is considered part of the Bering Sea Volcanic Province, a group of volcanic fields in W Alaska.
Text by Nicole Bouglouan
Text Sources:
Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
TravelAlaska.com - Official State of Alaska Vacation and Travel Information
Biotope.no - Gambell, St.Lawrence Island - Alaska spring birding
THE BIRDS OF GAMBELL AND ST. LAWRENCE ISLAND, ALASKA
Bird Species list:
Sources: Avibase (Lepage Denis)
Alder Flycatcher - Empidonax alnorum - Moucherolle des aulnes
Aleutian Tern - Onychoprion aleuticus - Sterne des Aléoutiennes
American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos – Corneille d’Amérique
American Golden Plover – Pluvialis dominica – Pluvier bronzé
American Robin – Turdus migratorius – Merle d’Amérique
American Tree Sparrow – Spizella arborea – Bruant hudsonien
American Wigeon - Mareca americana - Canard à front blanc
Ancient Murrelet - Synthliboramphus antiquus - Guillemot à cou blanc
Arctic Redpoll or Hoary Redpoll - Acanthis hornemanni - Sizerin blanchâtre
Arctic Tern - Sterna paradisaea – Sterne arctique
Arctic Warbler - Phylloscopus borealis - Pouillot boréal
Asian Brown Flycatcher - Muscicapa dauurica - Gobemouche brun
Baird’s Sandpiper - Calidris bairdii - Bécasseau de Baird
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica - Hirondelle rustique
Barrow’s Goldeneye - Bucephala islandica - Garrot d’Islande
Bar-tailed Godwit - Limosa lapponica - Barge rousse
Black Guillemot - Cepphus grylle - Guillemot à miroir
Black-headed Gull – Chroicocephalus ridibundus – Mouette rieuse
Black-legged Kittiwake - Rissa tridactyla - Mouette tridactyle
Blackpoll Warbler - Setophaga striata – Paruline rayée
Black Scoter - Melanitta americana - Macreuse à bec jaune
Black-tailed Godwit - Limosa limosa - Barge à queue noire
Black-tailed Gull - Larus crassirostris - Goéland à queue noire
Black-throated Diver (Loon) - Gavia arctica - Plongeon arctique
Black Turnstone - Arenaria melanocephala - Tournepierre noir
Bluethroat - Luscinia svecica - Gorgebleue à miroir
Boreal Owl - Aegolius funereus - Nyctale de Tengmalm
Brambling - Fringilla montifringilla - Pinson du Nord
Brant Goose - Branta bernicla - Bernache cravant
Bristle-thighed Curlew - Numenius tahitiensis - Courlis d’Alaska
Brown-headed Cowbird – Molothrus ater – Vacher à tête brune
Brown Shrike - Lanius cristatus - Pie-grièche brune
Buff-bellied Pipit - Anthus rubescens - Pipit farlousane
Buff-breasted Sandpiper - Tryngites subruficollis - Bécasseau roussâtre
Bufflehead - Bucephala albeola - Garrot albéole ou Petit Garrot
Bullock’s Oriole - Icterus bullockii - Oriole de Bullock ou Oriole à ailes blanches
Cackling Goose - Branta hutchinsii - Bernache de Hutchins
Cape May Warbler - Setophaga tigrina - Paruline tigrée
Chinese Pond-heron – Ardeola bacchus – Crabier chinois
Chipping Sparrow – Spizella passerina – Bruant familier
Cliff Swallow - Petrochelidon pyrrhonota - Hirondelle à front blanc
Common Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybita - Pouillot véloce
Common Cuckoo - Cuculus canorus - Coucou gris
Common Eider - Somateria mollissima - Eider à duvet
Common Goldeneye - Bucephala clangula – Garrot à œil d’or
Common Greenshank - Tringa nebularia - Chevalier aboyeur
Common House Martin - Delichon urbicum - Hirondelle de fenêtre
Common Murre - Uria aalge - Guillemot de Troïl
Common Nighthawk - Chordeiles minor - Engoulevent d’Amérique
Common Pochard - Aythya ferina - Fuligule milouin
Common Raven – Corvus corax - Grand corbeau
Common Redpoll - Acanthis flammea - Sizerin flammé
Common Ringed Plover - Charadrius hiaticula - Pluvier grand-gravelot
Common Rosefinch - Carpodacus erythrynus - Roselin cramoisi
Common Sandpiper - Actitis hypoleucos - Chevalier guignette
Common Snipe – Gallinago gallinago - Bécassine des marais
Common Tern - Sterna hirundo - Sterne pierregarin
Crested Auklet - Aethia cristatella - Starique cristatelle
Curlew Sandpiper - Calidris ferruginea - Bécasseau cocorli
Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus – Cormoran à aigrettes
Dunlin - Calidris alpina - Bécasseau variable
Dusky Thrush - Turdus eunomus - Grive à ailes rousses
Dusky Warbler - Phylloscopus fuscatus - Pouillot brun
Eastern Warbling Vireo - Vireo gilvus - Vireo mélodieux
Eastern Yellow Wagtail - Motacilla tschutschensis - Bergeronnette de Béringie
Emperor Goose - Chen canagica - Oie empereur
Eurasian Bullfinch - Pyrrhula pyrrhula - Bouvreuil pivoine
Eurasian Dotterel - Charadrius morinellus - Pluvier guignard
Eurasian Hobby - Falco subbuteo - Faucon hobereau
Eurasian Teal - Anas crecca - Sarcelle d’hiver
Eurasian Wigeon - Mareca penelope - Canard siffleur
Eyebrowed Thrush - Turdus obscurus - Merle obscur
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel - Oceanodroma furcata - Océanite à queue fourchue
Fox Sparrow – Passerella iliaca – Bruant fauve
Gadwall - Mareca strepera - Canard chipeau
Glaucous Gull - Larus hyperboreus - Goéland bourgmestre
Glaucous-winged Gull - Larus glaucescens - Goéland à ailes grises
Golden-crowned Kinglet - Regulus satrapa - Roitelet à couronne dorée
Golden-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia atricapilla - Bruant à couronne dorée
Goosander - Mergus merganser - Harle bièvre
Great Knot - Calidris tenuirostris - Bécasseau de l’Anadyr
Great Northern Diver or Common Loon - Gavia immer - Plongeon imbrin
Greater Scaup - Aythya marila - Fuligule milouinan
Greater White-fronted Goose - Anser albifrons - Oie rieuse
Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca - Chevalier criard
Green Sandpiper - Tringa ochropus - Chevalier culblanc
Grey-cheeked Thrush - Catharus minimus - Grive à joues grises
Grey Plover - Pluvialis squatarola - Pluvier argenté
Grey-tailed Tattler - Tringa brevipes - Chevalier de Sibérie
Gyrfalcon - Falco rusticolus - Faucon gerfaut
Harlequin Duck - Histrionicus histrionicus - Arlequin plongeur
Hawfinch – Coccothraustes coccothraustes – Grosbec casse-noyaux
Hermit Thrush - Catharus guttatus - Grive solitaire
Herring Gull – Larus argentatus – Goéland argenté
House Sparrow - Passer domesticus - Moineau domestique
Hooded Merganser - Lophodytes cucullatus - Harle couronné
Horned Grebe - Podiceps auritus - Grèbe esclavon
Horned Lark - Eremophila alpestris – Alouette hausse-col
Horned Puffin - Fratercula corniculata - Macareux cornu
Hudsonian Godwit - Limosa haemastica - Barge hudsonienne
Iceland Gull - Larus glaucoides - Goéland arctique
Ivory Gull - Pagophila eburnea - Mouette blanche
Jack Snipe - Lymnocryptes minimus - Bécassine sourde
Killdeer - Charadrius vociferous - Pluvier kildir
Kittlitz’s Murrelet - Brachyramphus brevirostris - Guillemot de Kittlitz
King Eider - Somateria spectabilis - Eider à tête grise
Lanceolated Warbler - Locustella lanceolata - Locustelle lancéolée
Lapland Longspur - Calcarius lapponicus - Bruant lapon ou Plectrophane lapon
Least Auklet - Aethia pusilla - Starique minuscule
Least Flycatcher - Empidonax minimus - Moucherolle tchébec
Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla - Bécasseau minuscule
Lesser Sand-Plover - Charadrius mongolus - Gravelot mongol ou Pluvier de Mongolie
Lesser Scaup - Aythya affinis - Petit Fuligule
Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes - Chevalier à pattes jaunes
Lincoln’s Sparrow – Melospiza lincolnii – Bruant de Lincoln
Little Auk or Dovekie - Alle alle - Mergule nain
Little Bunting - Emberiza pusilla - Bruant nain
Little Gull - Hydrocoloeus minutus - Mouette pygmée
Little Stint - Calidris minuta - Bécasseau minute
Long-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus scolopaceus - Bécassin à long bec
Long-tailed Duck - Clangula hyemalis - Harelde boréale
Long-tailed Jaeger - Stercorarius longicaudus - Labbe à longue queue
Long-toed Stint - Calidris subminuta - Bécasseau à longs doigts
MacGillivray's Warbler - Geothlypis tolmiei - Paruline des buissons
McKay's Bunting - Plectrophenax hyperboreus - Bruant blanc ou Plectrophane blanc
Mallard – Anas platyrhynchos – Canard colvert
Mangrove (Yellow) Warbler - Setophaga petechia - Paruline jaune
Marbled Godwit - Limosa fedoa - Barge marbrée
Marbled Murrelet - Brachyramphus marmoratus - Guillemot marbré
Merlin - Falco columbarius - Faucon émerillon
Mew Gull or Common Gull - Larus canus - Goéland cendré
Middendorff’s Grasshopper-Warbler - Helopsaltes ochotensis - Locustelle de Middendorff
Mourning Warbler - Geothlypis philadelphia - Paruline triste
Naumann’s Thrush - Turdus naumanni - Grive de Naumann
Northern Flicker – Colaptes auratus – Pic flamboyant
Northern Fulmar – Fulmarus glacialis – Fulmar boreal
Northern Mockingbird – Mimus polyglottos – Moqueur polyglotte
Northern Pintail - Anas acuta - Canard pilet
Northern Saw-whet owl – Aegolius acadicus – Petite nyctale
Northern Shoveler - Anas clypeata - Canard souchet
Northern Shrike - Lanius borealis - Pie-grièche boréale
Northern Waterthrush - Parkesia noveboracensis – Paruline des ruisseaux
Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe - Traquet motteux
Olive-backed Pipit - Anthus hodgsoni - Pipit à dos olive
Orange-crowned Warbler - Leiothlypis celata - Paruline verdâtre
Oriental Cuckoo - Cuculus optatus - Coucou oriental
Oriental Pratincole - Glareola maldivarum - Glaréole orientale
Oriental Turtle-Dove - Streptopelia orientalis - Tourterelle orientale
Osprey – Pandion Haliaetus – Balbuzard pêcheur
Ovenbird – Seiurus aurocapilla – Paruline couronnée
Pacific Golden Plover - Pluvialis fulva - Pluvier fauve
Pacific Loon (Diver) - Gavia pacifica - Plongeon du Pacifique
Pacific-slope Flycatcher - Empidonax difficilis - Moucherolle côtier
Pallas's Reed Bunting - Emberiza pallasi - Bruant de Pallas
Parakeet Auklet - Aethia psittacula - Starique perroquet
Parasitic Jaeger or Arctic Skua - Stercorarius parasiticus - Labbe parasite
Pectoral Sandpiper - Calidris melanotos - Bécasseau tacheté
Pelagic Cormorant - Phalacrocorax pelagicus - Cormoran pélagique
Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus - Faucon pèlerin
Pechora Pipit - Anthus gustavi - Pipit de la Petchora
Pigeon Guillemot - Cepphus columba - Guillemot colombin
Pine Bunting - Emberiza leucocephalos - Bruant à calotte blanche
Pine Siskin - Spinus pinus - Tarin des pins
Pintail Snipe ou Pin-tailed Snipe - Gallinago stenura - Bécassine à queue pointue
Pomarine Skua or Jaeger - Stercorarius pomarinus - Labbe pomarin
Purple Finch – Carpodacus purpureus – Roselin pourpré
Red-breasted Merganser - Mergus serrator - Harle huppé
Red-breasted Nuthach – Sitta Canadensis – Sittelle à poitrine rousse
Red Crossbill - Loxia curvirostra - Bec-croisé des sapins
Red-flanked Bluetail - Tarsiger cyanurus - Robin à flancs roux
Redhead - Aythya americana - Fuligule à tête rouge
Red Knot - Calidris canutus - Bécasseau maubèche
Red-legged Kittiwake - Rissa brevirostris - Mouette des brumes
Red-necked Grebe - Podiceps grisegena - Grèbe jougris
Red-necked Phalarope - Phalaropus lobatus - Phalarope à bec étroit
Red-necked Stint - Calidris ruficollis - Bécasseau à col roux
Red Phalarope - Phalaropus fulicarius - Phalarope à bec large
Red-throated Diver (Loon) - Gavia stellata - Plongeon catmarin
Red-throated Pipit - Anthus cervinus - Pipit à gorge rousse
Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus – Carouge à épaulettes
Rhinoceros Auklet - Cerorhinca monocerata - Macareux rhinocéros
River Warbler (or Eurasian RW)- Locustella fluviatilis - Locustelle fluviatile
Rock Ptarmigan - Lagopus muta - Lagopède alpin
Rock Sandpiper - Calidris ptilocnemis - Bécasseau des Aléoutiennes
Ross’s Gull - Rhodostethia rosea - Mouette de Ross
Rough-legged Buzzard - Buteo lagopus - Buse pattue
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – Regulus calendula - Roitelet à couronne rubis
Ruddy Turnstone - Arenaria interpres - Tournepierre à collier
Ruff - Philomachus pugnax - Combattant varié
Rustic Bunting - Emberiza rustica - Bruant rustique
Rusty Blackbird - Euphagus carolinus - Quiscale rouilleux
Sabine’s Gull - Xema sabini - Mouette de Sabine
Sand Martin - Riparia riparia - Hirondelle de rivage
Sanderling – Calidris alba - Bécasseau sanderling
Sandhill Crane – Grus canadensis – Grue du Canada
Savannah Sparrow – Passerculus sandwichensis - Bruant des prés
Sedge Warbler - Acrocephalus schoenobaenus - Phragmite des joncs
Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus – Gravelot semipalmé
Semipalmated Sandpiper - Calidris pusilla - Bécasseau semipalmé
Short-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus griseus - Bécassin roux
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper - Calidris acuminata - Bécasseau à queue pointue
Short-eared Owl - Asio flammeus - Hibou des marais
Short-tailed Albatross - Phoebastria albatrus - Albatros à queue courte
Short-tailed Shearwater - Ardenna tenuirostris - Puffin à bec grêle
Siberian Accentor - Prunella montanella - Accenteur montanelle
Siberian Blue Robin - Larvivora cyane - Rossignol bleu
Siberian Rubythroat - Calliope calliope - Rossignol calliope
(See the card European Stonechat) Siberian Stonechat - Saxicola maurus - Tarier de Sibérie
Sky Lark – Alauda arvensis – Alouette des champs
Slaty-backed Gull - Larus schistisagus - Goéland à manteau ardoisé
Smew - Mergellus albellus - Harle piette
Snow Bunting - Plectrophenax nivalis - Bruant des neiges ou Plectrophane des neiges
Snow Goose - Chen caerulescens - Oie des neiges
Snowy Owl - Bubo scandiacus – Harfang des neiges
Spectacled Eider - Somateria fischeri - Eider à lunettes
Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius - Chevalier grivelé
Steller’s Eider - Polysticta stelleri - Eider de Steller
Surf Scoter - Melanitta perspicillata - Macreuse à front blanc
Swainson’s Thrush - Catharus ustulatus - Grive à dos olive
Taiga Bean Goose - Anser fabalis - Oie des moissons
Temminck’s Stint - Calidris temminckii - Bécasseau de Temminck
Tennessee Warbler - Leiothlypis peregrina - Paruline obscure
Thick-billed Murre - Uria lomvia - Guillemot de Brünnich
Townsend’s Solitaire - Myadestes townsendi - Solitaire de Townsend
Townsend’s Warbler - Setophaga townsendi - Paruline de Townsend
Tree Swallow – Tachycineta bicolour – Hirondelle bicolore
Tufted Duck - Aythya fuligula - Fuligule morillon
Tufted Puffin - Fratercula cirrhata - Macareux huppé
Tundra Bean Goose - Anser serrirostris - Oie de la toundra
Tundra Swan - Cygnus columbianus - Cygne de la toundra
Varied Thrush – Ixoreus naevia – Grive à collier
Velvet Scoter - Melanitta fusca - Macreuse brune
Violet-green Swallow - Tachycineta thalassina - Hirondelle à face blanche
Wandering Tattler - Tringa incana - Chevalier errant
Western Sandpiper - Calidris mauri - Bécasseau d’Alaska
Whimbrel – Numenius phaeopus – Courlis corlieu
White-crowned Sparrow – Zonotrichia leucophrys - Bruant à couronne blanche
White-tailed Sea-Eagle – Haliaeetus albicilla – Pygargue à queue blanche
White Wagtail - Motacilla alba - Bergeronnette grise
White-winged Crossbill – Loxia leucoptera – Bec-croisé bifascié
Whooper Swan – Cygnus Cygnus – Cygne chanteur
Willow Flycatcher - Empidonax traillii - Moucherolle des saules
Willow Ptarmigan - Lagopus lagopus - Lagopède des saules
Willow Warbler - Phylloscopus trochilus - Pouillot fitis
Wilson’s Snipe - Gallinago delicata - Bécassine de Wilson
Wilson’s Warbler – Cardellina pusilla – Paruline à calotte noire
Wood Sandpiper - Tringa glareola - Chevalier sylvain
Wood Warbler - Phylloscopus sibilatrix - Pouillot siffleur
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - Empidonax flaviventris - Moucherolle à ventre jaune
Yellow-billed Loon or White-billed Diver - Gavia adamsii - Plongeon à bec blanc
Yellow-breasted Bunting - Emberiza aureola - Bruant auréole
Yellow-browed Warbler - Phylloscopus inornatus - Pouillot à grands sourcils
Yellow-rumped Warbler – Setophaga coronata – Paruline à croupion jaune
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