08.18.2026 Alaska - Mt McKinley and St Paul Island

Alaska is one of my favorite places on earth! As a special birthday present to myself, I booked birding trips to go back and see some of the most incredible places I enjoy. So off to Alaska I went. I also wanted to visit the northern most city in the USA - Barrow, now renamed Utqiagvik and once again see the sun never set!

I had the opportunity to visit a few new places and a few revisited places. New to me was St Paul Island - one of the Pribilof Islands west of the mainland in the middle of the Bering Sea. And no, you cannot see Russia from there! We also birded in Anchorage, Nome, Denali, Fairbanks, and then Barrow.

While the inside of Denali National Park is closed due to a landslide, you can see Mt McKinely from Talkeetna and north of Denali. She is one impressive mountain and I always feel this connection when observing her majestic presence. We were most fortunate to get an unobstructed view of her summit. I could look at her all day and night! 

 The Alaska Range is also in front.

The view along the highway between Denalia and Fairbanks.

So, yes, this was a birding trip, not just a gazing at my Mt McKinley!

The first stop was St. Paul Island. This is a small remote dot in the sea. Yes, it was cold and winter gear was needed. I was well prepared - winter coat, hat, gloves, boats and lots of layers. I thoroughly enjoyed the visit - King Eider Hotel is attached to the quaint airport. One just gets disembarks from the plane and walks around the side of the building and you are at hte hotel!

And there were so many seabirds! The cliffs were dotted by murres, kittiwakes, puffins and auklets. There were Harlequin ducks in the sea as well as sea otters. And there were quite a few foxes on island. This is a place well worth the visit.  

Black-legged kittiwake.

Puffin.

Common murres.

Red-legged kittiwakes on the cliff.

Tufted ducks on a pond.

Red fox walking along the sea shore, most likely looking for something to eat.

A small red fox sleeping on a rock.

Sea lions.

Purple arctic lupine.

A cliff covered with kittiwakes and murres.

A peaceful repose for a man devoted to St. Paul Island. Cannot think of a pretty place for a final rest.

A pretty pink flower.

A crab.

A rare finding on the island - a falcated duck. 

A gray headed rosy finch - very common on the island. This one is in flight.

Downtown St Paul Island.

Hospital on island

Snow bunting singing.

Fur seals

Parakeet auklets

Crested auklets

Crab pots.

 Murres.    

Puffin on cliff.

Red-legged kittiwake on her nest.

Hope you enjoy these photographs of St Paul Island and Mt McKinley. Will post more birds and scenes of Alaska soon.

Until next time......

07.26.2026 Sail Boston 2026 – A Parade of Sails

It was a beautiful day on Boston Harbor. The sun was shining, there was a gentle breeze, and it was a very pleasant temperature. We were able to sit on the harbor wall with an unobstructed view of this incredible parade of tall ships. 

There was a lot of activity from the tall ships, tugboats, sailboats and motorboats in queue to the airplanes landing at Logan airport. Something for everyone!

Avery busy harbor!

 Do you see the men on the spreaders?

Take a close look! I do not think this would be an occupation for me!

Even the Provincetown ferry made an appearance.

The Nantucket is a retired rescue ship. It now serves as a museum.

In preparation for the 180 degree turn before the bridge, many ships lowered their sails and motored for a portion of the parade.

Two ships passing in the day!

Found it fascinating to watch the skillful tugboats maneuver these magnificent tall ships to their berth. This I could have watched all day!

There is even a cover on the bow to protect the ships!

USS Coast Guard Eagle, now docked in Charlestown after the parade. We did a harbor cruise after a very late lunch and got a chance to see many of the tall ships at their docks.

The USS Constitution.

The USS Constitution, The USS Eagle and the Bunker Hill Monument.

Mayflower replica. Cannot imagine what the original voyage was like crossing the Atlantic Ocean in this relatively small tall ship!

Boston Skyline from the harbor cruise vantage.

Old Glory. 

I hope some of you might have had a chance to view this magnificent display of tall ships. And if not, I hope you enjoyed a few pictures of the ships. It was a wonderful day to be in Boston!

Until next time..............