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White-winged Crossbill Puyiiq

by Frank Keim Have you ever come across a little pink bird singing in chirpy twitters on the top of a spruce tree in winter? Or even better, singing almost continuously in the same sweet […]

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Ciivikaaq Bristle-thighed Curlew

by Frank Keim Once back in the mid-1990’s I was picking blueberries above Marshall and a large sickle-billed bird flew over. It was making a bee-line south, probably in migration mode, and on a whim […]

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Rock Sandpiper Cenaqiiq/Cenarpak

by Frank Keim The Rock sandpiper is a tough shorebird. Not only does it nest in the Arctic on Alaska’s Bering Sea coasts and islands as far north as the Seward Peninsula, but it also […]

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Say’s Phoebe Sayornis saya

by Frank Keim The Say’s phoebe is one of the friendliest birds I’ve ever met, especially when mosquitoes are buzzing around your face. With their gentle facial expression, they show no fear as they hover […]

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Alder Flycatcher Empidonax alnorum

by Frank Keim With its drab olive-green color and white wing bars, the Alder flycatcher seems like an unremarkable bird. It sits almost all day long on high perches in open wet thickets of alder […]

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Surfbird Calidris virgate

by Frank Keim With a sandpiper called Surfbird, you’re probably wondering why the name, especially since it only nests in mountain habitats. This is because during the non-nesting season, almost nine months a year, it […]

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Snow Bunting Uksullaraq/Kanguruaq

by Frank Keim If you’re out hunting or walking on the tundra, you may see large flocks of Snow buntings drifting like giant snowflakes over open country. If you’re lucky and you stay completely still, […]

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Boreal Owl Takvialnguaraq

by Frank Keim The Boreal owl is just about the tamest large bird in Alaska. Many years ago near Scammon Bay I skied so close to one I could probably have put my hands around […]

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Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi

by Frank Keim Although I’ve never seen an Olive-sided flycatcher in the YK Delta, I have been assured they nest there – probably more in the semi-open boreal coniferous forests with bogs and muskeg in […]

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White-tailed Ptarmigan Taqikataq

by Frank Keim Although I’ve never seen White-tailed ptarmigan in the YK Delta, I’ve observed them many times in the Alaska Range. In winter, these perfectly white birds are hard to distinguish from Willow ptarmigan, […]

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Pine Grosbeak Puyiiraq

by Frank Keim This bird should have been a parrot. Its beak size alone makes it look like one, as do its shape, size and color, and maybe even its sweet song. But it most […]

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Crested Auklet Culuksuksaar(aq)

by Frank Keim The Yup’ik name (Culuksuksaar(aq)) for this handsome parrot-beaked seabird that I was given in Hooper Bay and Scammon Bay is one of the most descriptive that I’ve run across yet. It loosely […]

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Parakeet Auklet Taituiq

by Frank Keim As its English name “parakeet” suggests, this auklet looks a little like a small parrot. But don’t be fooled, it is far from a parrot. Watch the way it stands, walks, flies, […]

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Pigeon Guillemot Qayagpagayuli

by Frank Keim While teaching in Hooper Bay in the early 1980’s, I would often ski out to the edge of the pack ice during late winter and early spring to photograph seal hunters in […]

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Common Murre -Alpak

by Frank Keim I don’t remember ever seeing Common murres while living and teaching in the YK Delta, but I did see plenty of them in both Togiak Bay and Nushagak Bay while helping two […]

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Herring Gull Arliaq/Naruyaq

by Frank Keim Of all the gray-and-white, pink-legged “seagulls” found in the YK Delta, the Herring gull is the huskiest in size and shape. Although they aren’t as numerous on the Delta as their cousin, […]

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Rusty Blackbird Cukcugli

by Frank Keim What a coincidence. Just moments before starting to write this article, a small troupe of Rusty blackbirds flew over my house, headed south for the winter. I used the word “troupe” because […]

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Violet-green Swallow Kauturyaraq

by Frank Keim Take a close look at this swallow. Notice its long wings and white “saddle bags,” and the glossy quality of its plumage, sparkling with iridescent emerald green and metallic purple in the […]

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Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris

by Frank Keim Although the Horned lark nests in the Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, it is only seen by those who actively seek it out. This is because it nests primarily in alpine mountainous regions, such […]

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Pelagic Cormorant Uyalek

by Frank Keim While living in Hooper Bay in the early 1980’s, I saw this big black seawater bird over by Cape Romanzof in the Askinuk Mountains. I say “big” because it is bigger than […]

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Greater Yellowlegs Sugg’erpak, Nayangkayuli

by Frank Keim The Greater yellowlegs, like its smaller first cousin the Lesser yellowlegs, is a shorebird that’s hard to miss. Its slender, long, bright-yellow legs and loud alarm calls, combined with its deliberate high-stepping […]

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Earth Day 2020

by Frank Keim Our planet Earth has been having a hard time of it lately. But reflecting over the past 50 years since a small group of us put together the first organizational committee to […]

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Surf Scoter Akacakayak or Cingayak

by Frank Keim One of the Yup’ik names, Akacakayak, for this crazy looking duck describes its odd appearance perfectly. The male’s nose in spring does indeed look like a bird who has “overturned accidentally,” and […]

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Gadwall Uqsuqaq

by Frank Keim For gleaming colors, the male of this species is unremarkable, but for the visual texture of his plumage, there is no other duck that is comparable. The combination of the black and […]

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Bonaparte’s Gull Nacallngaq

by Frank Keim Athough the Bonaparte’s gull is Alaska’s smallest gull, I’ve never seen a feistier one, and I suggest not picking a fight with it.* This means, if you approach their nest or their […]

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Common Raven Tulukaruq

by Frank Keim Ever wondered why the Raven is called Tulukaruq in Yup’ik? Well, all it takes is a little imagination and a little twisting and turning of your tongue, mouth and vocal cords, and […]

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Wilson’s Snipe ~ Capella gallinago Kukukuaq

by Frank Keim Listen carefully high above you in spring (and sometimes even in fall) and you may be lucky enough to hear the Wilson’s snipe’s haunting winnowing call, woo-woo-woo-woo. You won’t mistake this sound […]

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Death of the Thunderbirds

by Frank Keim A long time ago two giant thunderbirds used to have their nest in the mountains above Ohagmiut. They were always very hungry, and people were warned not to wear their parkas with the […]

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Trumpeter Swan (Caqulegpak)

by Frank Keim If you’ve watched Trumpeter swans, there are two things you notice right from the get-go: their enormous size and their loud resonant call, which reminds me of, well, a trumpet. Trumpeters are […]

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Red-necked Grebe Aayuli/Aarayuli

by Frank Keim The Yup’ik names of the Red-necked grebe describe this bird well. Both of the above names mean, “the one that really knows how to moan and scream loud.” Yes, indeed, they are […]