Birding on Attu

Bird watching on the western-most island of the Aleutians. (Note: I've never participated in the Aleutian activities described below.)

During the 1970s, the western-most Aleutian island of Attu became well known in the birding world as a place to find stray Asian migratory birds. These birds were often brought to the island by westerly storms. This was significant because birders "count" birds seen in the North American American Birding Association (ABA) geographic area. The Aleutians are fare game as these islands fall within this defined geographic area.

Attu is situated about 1500 miles from Anchorage and was the location of a U.S. Coast Guard radar station. In addition to the occasional military re-supply flight, Attu was served by cargo barges. As the popularity of birding on Attu grew, some enterprising folks formed Attours to cater to the birding community. Eventually, Atturs contracted with Reeve Aleutian to provide passenger/cargo flights (with the Electras) during the spring and fall birding seasons on Attu. Occasionally the flights would operate via Adak and sometimes Shemya, depending on local weather conditions. Due to a number of factors, Attours ceased tours of Attu in the fall of 2000, just a few months before the eventual demise of Reeve Aleutian Airways.

A fascinating account of this period in birding history and the important service Reeve Aleutian provided to birders travelling to/from Attu can be read in the book: Attu - Birding on the Edge. I am not connected with this book in any way, I just received my copy in February 2014 and found it a fascinating read. As the U.S. Coast Guard closed the radar station on August 1, 2010, there is no regular service of any kind to Attu. The only way to reach Attu these days is via ocean-going vessel. The current price for a two-week birding adventure on Attu is about U.S. $8000. This does not include transportation to/from Adak, Alaska.

Mike O'Malley Photo Gallery Surf Birds Attu Monte Taylor Bird Treks

About the background image. N1968R sits on the ramp at Dillingham, Alaska on 10 May 1999.

---

Links