Birding Trips

Averaging a mere 3.9 ounces (110 g) in weight, this little bird is amazing. It’s travel to the Antarctic and back each year make its migration the longest of any animal on earth. ©Hal Schmitt – www.lightworkshops.com

The rocky shorelines, saltwater marshes, bogs, and woodlands of Southeast Alaska comprise a birder’s paradise. Counting both residents and those that use the Southeast as a migratory stopover point, some 350 birds (many rare or endemic) can be found in the area. The diversity of habitats ensures a wide variety of birds can be seen in close proximity, including large numbers of waterfowl and shorebirds. Bald eagles are an especially common sight in Southeast; their numbers here are measured in the thousands, representing one of the largest populations on earth.

Whether from the decks of the Northern Song, on a quiet paddle in a kayak, or during a stroll on shore, you will have ample opportunity to observe and photograph the many bird species who inhabit Southeast Alaska.

A few of the birds commonly seen on most of our cruises

• American Dipper
• Arctic Tern
• Bald Eagle
• Belted Kingfisher
• Chestnut-Backed Chickadee
• Cormorant
• Black Oystercatcher
• Black Turnstone
• Bonaparte’s Gull
• Common Loon
• Common Merganser
• Common Murre
• Fork-Tailed Storm Petrel
• Fox Sparrow

• Greater Yellowlegs
• Harlequin Duck
• Jaeger
• Long-Tailed Duck
• Marbled Murrelet
• Pigeon Guillemot
• Raven
• Red-Necked Phalarope
• Rufous Hummingbird
• Surfbird
• Surf Scoter
• White-Winged Scoter
• Winter Wren

A rare flock of oystercatchers!

2023 Spring Photo Trips

2024 Spring Photo Trips

Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
© Gary Luhm

Hm..m Where to start. LeConte Bay with glaciers & harbor seals on ice. Next Frederick Sound replete with Humps, Dalls, and Orcas. Steller sealions at Yasha Is. Followed by flowers, rainforest & more Stellars at Brothers Is with solitary bubble feeding along shoreline. Brown bears on Admiralty Island with a glacier walk in Thomas Bay on Baird glacier, punctuated by arctic terns, lupine fields & dwarf fireweed. A very fine introduction to SE Alaska with a splendid crew. And last but not least, 3 life birds, Ancient Murrelets, Fork Tailed Storm Petrels and Kitlitz’s Murrelets! Promise to return.

Thanks for an incredible experience!
Marc & Michele C
Pasadena, CA

Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata)
© Gary Luhm
Gary Luhm Photography

This was an opportunity to experience the “real Alaska” – unaltered, undeveloped, completely natural. Instead of an orchestrated “tour”, we took things as they came, as they would come- whales(of course!), salmon, halibut, eagles, murres, rockfish, black bears, curious rock formations, “pop weeds”, caves, mussels- not on cue, but naturally. Good food, good fishing, knowledgeable guides were a source of reassurance and good fellowship. It’s hard to think of a better way for a family to visit SE Alaska. Many thanks from the 61-year-olds on the trip!
Donald & Judy L
Green Bay, WI