At the eastern foot of the Askinuk Mountains, my wife and I recorded late one spring. Just past the peak of the nesting season, there were still plenty of birds. Everywhere we walked they could be found nesting in the soft tundra vegetation, completely unperturbed by our presence. Among them were the savanna sparrow, dark-eyed junco, Wilson’s warblers, yellow wagtails, ruby-crowned kinglets, wheatears, snipes, long tailed jaegers, and mergansers. We also sighted and recorded a nesting pair of Arctic loons not far from our campsite.
WINDS ACROSS the TUNDRA was recorded along the eastern slope of the Askinuk Mountains in the western Alaska tundra late in spring. Just past the peak of the nesting season, an abundance of bird activity and fine weather conspired to provide an opportunity for spectacular recordings. Everywhere we walked, birds nesting in the begetation at our feet were surprisingly undisturbed by our close presence. As the weather held, we captured nearly four full days of delightful sub-arctic soundscapes on tape.
