BIRDS

Birding on Prince of Wales provides a wealth of opportunities to visit a variety of habitats, and maybe even see some new species. The abundance of shorelines provides for a unique opportunity to see both marine seabirds, shorebirds, and forest birds at the same time. Other habitats include muskegs, meadows, estuaries and alpine habitats.

While many seabirds can be seen from shore, we can't help but suggest you get out on the water for the best viewing opportunities. Possible sightings vary by season.

In Summer on the water we are most likely to see:

Rhinoceros Auklets
Marbled murrelet
Common Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
Ancient Murrelet (less common)
Scotors (all 3 species)
Common Loon
Pacific Loon
a variety of gulls
Bald Eagles
Red-necked Phalarope
Black Turnstone
Surfbird
Oystercatcher (less common)
Wandering tattler (occasionally)

In Winter, many of the alcids move offshore, but we have some special winter residents, including:

Long-tailed ducks
Harlequin Ducks
Buffleheads
Hooded Mergansers

Click below for a general checklist of birds as recorded in Craig. It is not comprehensive but will give you a good general idea about which birds you might see in the area.

If you are an eBird user, you might notice a lack of data from the Prince of Wales area as compared to other locations. Please note that this is due primarily to a lack of eBird users here, and not a lack of birds! We are trying to get more users to submit data so we have a better checklist of local birds. If you use eBird please don't forget to upload your lists!

Bird Checklist