Alaska’s Pribilof Islands

June 13 – 20, 2019
Leader: Rick Bowers

The Pribilof Islands are remote.  Saint Paul Island, our destination and the largest of the four Pribilof Islands, lies 250 miles north of the Aleutian chain, 300 miles west of the Alaska mainland and 750 miles from Anchorage, in the middle of the Bering Sea!  The Pribilof Islands are home to the Unangan people or Aleuts as the Russians first called them.

For a photographer, the Pribilof Islands offer an amazing array of photography possibilities and are a must-see destination!

Thick-billed Murre. Photo by Rick Bowers ©

The seabirds are the star attraction of this remote island. The sea cliffs host Least, Crested, and Parakeet Auklets, as well as Common and Thick-billed Murres, Tufted and Horned Puffins, Northern Fulmars, and Black-legged and Red-legged Kittiwakes, and Red-faced and Pelagic Cormorants. The opportunity to shoot head shots, portraits, behavior, young and flight shots of the wonderful birds will keep us enthralled for most of our time on the island. These are the most accessible seabird breeding colonies in the northern Pacific and they will not disappoint!

Tufted Puffins. Photo by Rick Bowers ©

Inland, the tundra, marshes and lakes provide a different set of birds to shoot. Lapland Longspurs are everywhere. The endemic subspecies of Rock Sandpiper offers a beautiful subject against fields of blooming wildflowers. Pacific Wrens hiding among taller vegetation present a challenge to photograph, but we will work on them.  Snow Buntings and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches offer wonderful colorful subjects.  Ducks and gulls may offer some photographic subjects around the lakes.

In addition to the birds there are mammal and wildflowers to photograph. Arctic Fox work the seabird cliffs and wander through town. Reindeer roam the tundra and the largest Northern Fur Seal rookery in the world is on the beaches of Saint Paul. Wildflowers are a riot of color and offer many wonderful photo opportunities.  Don’t forget the macro lens!