BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//jEvents 2.0 for Joomla//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT UID:4101aaf889e2c3576f89f0c8fcce652c CATEGORIES:North America CREATED:20170801T162807 SUMMARY:Alaska in Autumn: Wildlife Spectacle DESCRIPTION:

This excursion to Alaska in autumn captures the best of thre e distinct biogeographical regions: the dark spruce forests and mirror lake s of the central coast, the rocky islands of the Gulf of Alaska, and the ta iga-tundra majesty of the interior's Alaska Range, perhaps the premier wild life-viewing area in all North America. Our first destination is Denali Nat ional Park, a six million acre wilderness beneath 20,320'-elevation Mount M cKinley, highest point in all North America—and rising 18,000 feet above th e surrounding plateau, the highest land massif in the world. Here we may fi nd Golden Eagles, Willow and Rock Ptarmigans, Northern Hawk Owls, Grizzly B ears, Gray Wolves, Caribou, Moose, and flocks of snow-white Dall Sheep graz ing on swatches of tundra that are often a carpet of wildflowers at this se ason. Potentially our best birding in the interior is our full day transect of the Denali Highway. Incredibly scenic and little-traveled, possible bir ds along the Denali Highway include Gyrfalcon, Northern Goshawk, both Tundr a and Trumpeter Swans, Boreal Chickadee and White-winged Crossbill. We'll s avor the magnificent Alaska Range area for three nights and four days, ampl e time to enjoy one of the world’s last great panoplies of wilderness, aliv e with truly large wildlife as abundant as before the advent of modern man. Next we visit the fjord and rainforest home of the Bald Eagle at Kenai Fjo rds National Park. Stupendous peaks rise vertically from icy waters and som e 34 major, milky blue glaciers creep toward the sea. This is the province of Horned Puffins, Mountain Goats, Sea Otters, Humpback Whales, and above a ll Moose—the largest subspecies in the world. On an all-day boat trip we'll witness the awesome sight of tidewater glaciers as they calve into the oce an. Off the Chiswell Islands we'll have a chance of seeing Orcas, the so-ca lled "killer whales," with their six-foot-tall dorsal fins, and Humpback Wh ales are relatively common in Resurrection Bay. The Chiswell sea cliffs pro vide refuge for tens of thousands of Black-legged Kittiwakes and comical Tu fted Puffins. Close relatives here too include such distinctive species pai rs as Common and Thick-billed Murres, Marbled and Kittlitz’s Murrelets, and Rhinoceros and Parakeet Auklets. And we’ll not neglect the community of bi rds that inhabit the deep spruce forests of the peninsula itself. Among the se are Spruce Grouse, Three-toed Woodpecker, American Dipper, Varied Thrush , and Pine Grosbeak.

Leader: John Yerger

Cost of Alaska in Autumn: Wildlife Sp ectacle&nbs p;includes all transportation, lodging, meals, and entrances beginning and ending in Anchorage, Alaska—$3695.

Photo: Bull moose in velve t, Alaska

< span style="font-size: 8pt;">Photo by: Rick Taylor

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This excursion to Alaska in aut umn captures the best of three distinct biogeographical regions: the dark s pruce forests and mirror lakes of the central coast, the rocky islands of t he Gulf of Alaska, and the taiga-tundra majesty of the interior's Alaska Ra nge, perhaps the premier wildlife-viewing area in all North America. Our fi rst destination is Denali National Park, a six million acre wilderness bene ath 20,320'-elevation Mount McKinley, highest point in all North America—an d rising 18,000 feet above the surrounding plateau, the highest land massif in the world. Here we may find Golden Eagles, Willow and Rock Ptarmigans, Northern Hawk Owls, Grizzly Bears, Gray Wolves, Caribou, Moose, and flocks of snow-white Dall Sheep grazing on swatches of tundra that are often a car pet of wildflowers at this season. Potentially our best birding in the inte rior is our full day transect of the Denali Highway. Incredibly scenic and little-traveled, possible birds along the Denali Highway include Gyrfalcon, Northern Goshawk, both Tundra and Trumpeter Swans, Boreal Chickadee and Wh ite-winged Crossbill. We'll savor the magnificent Alaska Range area for thr ee nights and four days, ample time to enjoy one of the world’s last great panoplies of wilderness, alive with truly large wildlife as abundant as bef ore the advent of modern man. Next we visit the fjord and rainforest home o f the Bald Eagle at Kenai Fjords National Park. Stupendous peaks rise verti cally from icy waters and some 34 major, milky blue glaciers creep toward t he sea. This is the province of Horned Puffins, Mountain Goats, Sea Otters, Humpback Whales, and above all Moose—the largest subspecies in the world. On an all-day boat trip we'll witness the awesome sight of tidewater glacie rs as they calve into the ocean. Off the Chiswell Islands we'll have a chan ce of seeing Orcas, the so-called "killer whales," with their six-foot-tall dorsal fins, and Humpback Whales are relatively common in Resurrection Bay . The Chiswell sea cliffs provide refuge for tens of thousands of Black-leg ged Kittiwakes and comical Tufted Puffins. Close relatives here too include such distinctive species pairs as Common and Thick-billed Murres, Marbled and Kittlitz’s Murrelets, and Rhinoceros and Parakeet Auklets. And we’ll no t neglect the community of birds that inhabit the deep spruce forests of th e peninsula itself. Among these are Spruce Grouse, Three-toed Woodpecker, A merican Dipper, Varied Thrush, and Pine Grosbeak.

Leader: John Yerger < br />

Cost of Alaska in Autumn: Wildlife Spectacle includes all transportation, lodging, meals, and entrances be ginning and ending in Anchorage, Alaska—$3695.

Photo: Bull mo ose in velvet, Alaska

Photo by: Ri ck Taylor

< div style="border: none; line-height: 19.5px; text-align: center;">View Photo Gallery DTSTAMP:20260423T032341 DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix;VALUE=DATE:20180901 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix;VALUE=DATE:20180910 SEQUENCE:0 TRANSP:OPAQUE END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR