Birding in the land of the midnight sun...
Cambridge Bay, located on the stunning Northwest Passage in Canada’s Arctic, offers birders and bird photographers a unique experience. This remote northern community is a prime location for observing a wide variety of bird species, including Sabine’s Gull, Yellow-billed Loon, King Eider and Red Phalarope. The surrounding arctic tundra also plays host to many breeding shorebirds during the summer months. In addition to its abundant birdlife, Cambridge Bay boasts dramatic scenery, with vast open spaces and pristine natural beauty. The town's remote location and minimal human interference create an undisturbed environment, making birding here an intimate and peaceful experience.
Itinerary
June 30: Arrive in Yellowknife
Today we will arrive in Yellowknife (YZF) where we will spend the first night of the tour. If time allows we will spend the afternoon birding along the shores of Great Slave Lake. In the evening we will gather as a group for dinner and we will discuss the upcoming days and get to know each other.
July 1-5: Birding Cambridge Bay (Iqaluktuuttiaq)
On the morning of July 1st we will travel 820km north by plane from Yellowknife to Cambridge Bay. Arriving in the late morning, we will drop off our luggage at the lodge and begin birding. One of our primary targets over the course of our stay will be the stunning Yellow-billed Loon which breeds in the area, we will spend time looking for this species if it is required. Depending on the lemming populations, we have a good chance to see Snowy Owls in a much different setting than we are used to seeing them farther south during the winter. We may also see Rough-legged Hawks, Short-eared Owls hunting as well. Another major draw of Cambridge Bay is that it is possible to see all-three jaeger species. Waterfowl we may see includes Greater White-fronted Goose, Cackling Goose, Tundra Swan and both Common and King Eiders. Over the course of the five days we spend in this remote northern community, we will make numerous trips outside of town to the adjacent rugged arctic tundra. On one day, assuming road conditions allow, we will drive to the base of Mount Pelly, where we hope to see Long-tailed Jaegers Semipalmated Sandpipers, Baird's Sandpipers, and Stilt Sandpipers, Red-necked Phalaropes, American Golden Plovers, Black-bellied Plover, and Semipalmated Plovers, Arctic Terns, Lapland Longspurs, and Snow Buntings. On the interior of the island we can hope to see Red Phalaropes, Parasitic Jaegers and Redpolls. In town, the sewage lagoons and the dump can be productive for species such as Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gull, Sandhill Crane and shorebirds like Red-necked Phalarope, Stilt Sandpiper and Semipalmated Plover.
July 6: Cambridge Bay (Iqaluktuuttiaq) to Yellowknife
Today we will have a couple hours for early morning birding before we board our flight south to Yellowknife. The tour ends upon arrival in Yellowknife.
Today we will arrive in Yellowknife (YZF) where we will spend the first night of the tour. If time allows we will spend the afternoon birding along the shores of Great Slave Lake. In the evening we will gather as a group for dinner and we will discuss the upcoming days and get to know each other.
July 1-5: Birding Cambridge Bay (Iqaluktuuttiaq)
On the morning of July 1st we will travel 820km north by plane from Yellowknife to Cambridge Bay. Arriving in the late morning, we will drop off our luggage at the lodge and begin birding. One of our primary targets over the course of our stay will be the stunning Yellow-billed Loon which breeds in the area, we will spend time looking for this species if it is required. Depending on the lemming populations, we have a good chance to see Snowy Owls in a much different setting than we are used to seeing them farther south during the winter. We may also see Rough-legged Hawks, Short-eared Owls hunting as well. Another major draw of Cambridge Bay is that it is possible to see all-three jaeger species. Waterfowl we may see includes Greater White-fronted Goose, Cackling Goose, Tundra Swan and both Common and King Eiders. Over the course of the five days we spend in this remote northern community, we will make numerous trips outside of town to the adjacent rugged arctic tundra. On one day, assuming road conditions allow, we will drive to the base of Mount Pelly, where we hope to see Long-tailed Jaegers Semipalmated Sandpipers, Baird's Sandpipers, and Stilt Sandpipers, Red-necked Phalaropes, American Golden Plovers, Black-bellied Plover, and Semipalmated Plovers, Arctic Terns, Lapland Longspurs, and Snow Buntings. On the interior of the island we can hope to see Red Phalaropes, Parasitic Jaegers and Redpolls. In town, the sewage lagoons and the dump can be productive for species such as Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gull, Sandhill Crane and shorebirds like Red-necked Phalarope, Stilt Sandpiper and Semipalmated Plover.
July 6: Cambridge Bay (Iqaluktuuttiaq) to Yellowknife
Today we will have a couple hours for early morning birding before we board our flight south to Yellowknife. The tour ends upon arrival in Yellowknife.