Prince William Sound Birding Safaris, Best Puffin Tours

PUFFIN TOURS

PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND BIRDING SAFARIS

(907)-362-1290 ak_explorer@hotmail.com

	Prince William Sound has abundant populations of birds year round but especially in the summer months when the supply of bait fish is at its peak and thousands of pelagic seabirds arrive from a winter out at sea, to take advantage of the food supply and protected remote breeding grounds. Birding in Prince William Sound is at its peak in May, June, July, August and September.

Whittier Water Taxi offers several birding tours and birding safaris, out of Whittier, visiting the seabird rookeries to see thousands of black-legged kittiwakes, horned puffins, tufted puffins, common murres and cormorants. We can also encounter various species of waterfowl such as harlequin ducks, Barrow’s goldeneyes, mergansers, scoters as well as nesting bald eagles and arctic terns. We sometimes even see the elusive Kittlitz’s murrelet! On the way to and from the rookeries, you may also see sea otters, seals, sea lions and whales! We can cater the length of the tour to fit your desires and budget - the minimum duration is 4 hours.


In the spring and fall, Prince William Sound is part of the migratory pathway for the millions of birds flying up to their Alaskan breeding grounds for the short but sweet summer. May and September are the best time to view the migrants including waterfowl, cranes and shorebirds. June, July and August are the best months for viewing nesting birds.

Our birding tours are operated by Whittier Water Taxi and we only take up to 6 passengers at a time, using a small vessel, making our tours less intrusive and more environmentally friendly than the large, high speed tour boats. We can customize your tour, going where the birds are at the time, rather than follow a pre-determined route. Your guide, Heidi Cline has worked amongst birds all her life, from managing bird parks, including Treehaven Waterfowl Trust (the largest collection of waterfowl in the World), to owning her own birds, to curating the seabird collection at the Alaska SeaLife Center, to working on Endangered Species breeding and research programs such as the African Wattled Cranes and Alaska’s Steller’s eiders.


5 hour Puffin Tour Conducted by boat - Departing from Whittier We only take up to 6 people at a time Fees: $125 per hour Does not include meals. Visit Seabird rookeries - way out of reach of the large tour boats. 7 hour seabird & glacier Tour Conducted by boat - Departing from Whittier From 1 to 6 people at a time Does not include meals. Visit bird rookeries as well as a tide water glacier to include sightings of the elusive and rare Kittlitz's Murrelet. Call Heidi at (907) 362 1290 or e-mail ak_explorer@hotmail.com to make reservations.