Your first glimmer of the immensity of Alaska comes as the airplane drops in for a landing at Anchorage. There are towering, snow-capped peaks and icy waters practically beside the runway. And the northern sky is indescribably wide and high, the air crisp and pure. Heading for the hotel, one gets the distinct urge to jump out and start birding immediately as breeding-plumaged Mew Gulls course over ponds dotted with phalaropes and waterfowl. Red-necked Grebes? Barrow's Goldeneyes? And those scaup were probably a mix of Lessers and Greaters. A tight flock of crossbill-like birds whizzes over and plummets into the spruces -- probably your lifer White-wingeds. Calming yourself, you realize this is just the beginning of one of the greatest of birding trips, in one of the wildest, most beautiful places on Earth.

Part One of our grand birding tour includes the Pribilofs, where thousands of breeding seabirds pack the cliffs and migrants from Asia dart across the landscape, and magnificent Denali, with its incredible scenery and wildlife spectacles. On Part Two, it's on to Nome where we'll witness the merging of two major avifaunas (American and Eurasian) with Bluethroats, Arctic Warblers, and Bristle-thighed Curlews; the icy waters and rugged peaks of Kenai Fjords NP with its Black Oystercatchers, Kittlitz's and Ancient murrelets, and Humpback Whales; and far to the north, in Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), four eiders and Snowy Owl alongside hundreds of displaying shorebirds. June is the time to be in Alaska, when the birds are in courtship and full breeding regalia. Head north with us!

Select the KEY INFO tab or click here for our itinerary plus space requests, status, fees, limits, and guides for any departure.

Client comment
"A person whom I met on local bird walks and who has used Field Guides repeatedly recommended your company. This was an excellent tour. It could not have been better! The guides were superior and all the arrangements were so carefully made that the travel was easy and efficient and there was very little time spent not birding. I'd absolutely travel with either Chris Benesh or Doug Gochfeld as a single leader or both of them together! They are a dynamic team and individually very knowledgeable, skilled, personable, and willing to go out of their way to offer the group the fullest experience possible and to make sure that everyone individually sees the birds. I had not used a national company prior to this for a birding tour. I was impressed that your big company could make this tour just as personal an experience for me as the trips I do with guides and clients whom I already know." D.M., ALASKA 2019