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Arctic Birds and Musk Oxen of Nome Alaska

Photograph Wildlife on Alaska’s Rugged Northwest Coast

Alaska’s Seward Peninsula and the surrounding nutrient-rich waters of the Bering Sea have been home to the Iñupiat people for thousands of years. They made seasonal encampments along much of Alaska’s northern coast for fishing and hunting the coastal waters for birds and marine mammals. Eventually they went further inland for caribou and musk oxen. With the discovery of gold in 1898 on Anvil Creek—where the small city of Nome now stands—life on the peninsula was forever changed as the windswept area experienced its first gold rush population boom. Prospectors, adventurers and scoundrels have come and gone in search of their fortune. At the turn of the 20th century the population of Nome swelled to almost 20,000, making it Alaska’s largest city at the time—five times larger than it is today.

With the ongoing search for gold in the isolated Nome area, the Seward Peninsula saw three major gravel roads constructed into the adjoining Alaskan wilderness. These 200-plus miles of roadways penetrate deep into the surrounding arctic ecosystem allowing modern-day nature photographers excellent access to a wonderful assortment of arctic birds and mammals in habitats not easy to reach in other northern locations.

The summer arrives quickly and seems to depart even faster in Nome. By early June the snows of winter are receding, sea ice has pulled away from the shore, the rivers have thawed, and throngs of migrant birds return from their wintering grounds far to the south. The coast comes alive with shorebirds and waterfowl. Rafts of common eiders float just offshore of the coast’s dark gravel beaches as arctic terns dip and glide overhead. Ice on lakes and tundra ponds retreat, providing valuable feeding and nesting habitat for ducks, geese and swans. Setting up our cameras along the shore of one of these wetlands provides opportunities to photograph long-tailed ducks, red-necked grebes, and Pacific and red-throated loons in breeding plumage.

While the returning birds are busy and distracted by the onset of the breeding season it is possible for a patient photographer to approach bar-tailed godwits, whimbrels, red-necked phalaropes, American golden plovers, common snipes and semipalmated sandpipers as they perform their fascinating courtship displays. Streamside willows and alders now come alive with songbirds just returning for a chance to mate and nest during the short summer season. The area around Nome is one of the best places to photograph Eurasian songbirds, such as arctic warblers, bluethroats, yellow wagtails and northern wheatears—found almost nowhere else in the U.S.

A vast carpet of low-growing tundra stretches from the Bering Sea to the Kigluaik Mountains. As the days warm, the tundra bursts forth with colorful summer wildflowers. A macro lens provides a glimpse into the miniature world of arctic poppies, Kamchatka rhododendron and alpine azalea—all while under the watchful eye of a long-tailed jaeger sentinel.

The open tundra ecosystem provides sweeping landscapes of mountains and misty coastlines combined with the low-angle light of early mornings and quiet evenings that enhance our photographic landscape potential. Some days start with dense and mysterious coastal fog generated by the cold Bering Sea waters, on other days we head to the high country where we pursue one of the north’s most iconic creatures, the musk ox.

Following a series of reintroductions of musk oxen to the Seward Peninsula in the 1970s, the animals now thrive in this rugged environment. Iconic photographic opportunities with these woolly denizens of the tundra are found by traveling around town or heading out on any of the roads from Nome. If it has been a good winter for the musk ox the photographic rewards include a new batch of the year’s calves. Along the roadsides and hills, we search for other local inhabitants—red foxes, moose, reindeer, grizzly bears and wolves. Alaska’s Arctic tundra offers endless photographic opportunities under the long daylight hours of summer.

Tour Itinerary

Day 1
June 8
Participants should arrange to fly to Nome, Alaska. Following our orientation dinner we make a short first foray into the rugged landscape of the Seward Peninsula. (D)

Days 2 - 6
The roads leading in and out of Nome offer us the chance to photograph along Bering Sea beaches and lagoons. We also take time to explore inland tundra and mountain landscapes. Our flexible schedule gives us time to photograph the light, the land, and the varied arctic wildlife. With a very small group and five full days based in Nome, we have the ability to adjust our plans to take advantage of the changing weather and the 24 hours of daylight.

Our typical shooting schedule has us in the field in the early morning, return to town for an early lunch, and an early dinner followed by evening photography. Because of the early shooting schedule, we may not be in Nome during typical breakfast hours. Breakfast items and snacks can be purchased in town.

Photography of the dawn chorus of songbirds, such as arctic warblers, blue throats, the ever-present redpolls, and numerous other northern species, is on our agenda. We encounter photogenic willow ptarmigans with plenty of opportunities to photograph these dapper birds, as well as many of the shorebirds that spread out over this expansive tundra breeding habitat. Small tundra ponds become important nesting habitat for intriguing waterfowl, including red-throated and Pacific loons, while almost every little wet area becomes home for other water birds from red-necked phalaropes to long-tailed ducks.

As the light changes throughout the day we can spend our time looking for larger species to photograph. Musk oxen are often spotted and can be safely and easily photographed from the road system. Always keeping a keen eye out may turn up a moose and calf along one of the river valleys. Evenings are always a great chance to get out and photograph wildlife in the long hours of the quiet Alaskan twilight. (LD)

Day 7
June 14
If time allows, we will have one more early morning in the field. Then return to the hotel to gather our belongings and check out in time for flights back to Anchorage.

Arctic Birds of Nome

Tour Details

Jun 08 2026 – Jun 14 2026

Two Spaces Available!

Fee: $5,895

Deposit: $2,000

Limit: 7 participants

Activity Level: Easy

Single Supplement: $1,200

» Terms and Conditions

Tour Highlights

Photograph in one of Alaska’s most diverse and accessible arctic environments
Experience the height of Alaska’s bird courtship displays
Capture exciting images of wild musk oxen in spring tundra habitat
Stay in one hotel for the entire tour
Includes meals, lodging, ground transportation, entrance fees, photo guide and instruction

Tour Leaders

Eric Rock

» Learn more about Eric and see Eric's upcoming tours and trip reports.

Testimonials

Eric paid special attention to each participant to ensure that their photo objectives were realized as much as possible.
—Lee P.

This was a first-class tour! Eric was most helpful at listening for and finding birds for us to photograph. I was especially happy to get photos of the Blue-throated Thrush – thanks to Eric hearing it calling as we were photographing muskox. He helped me learn more about my new Canon R5 even though he himself shoots with Olympus.
—Kirsty K.

The tour leader’s knowledge of the region, and his ability to communicate with participants, was outstanding.
—Louise W.

Eric was really fabulous with his knowledge of the area and being able to adjust the itinerary based on weather, high winds and what the group was interested in. Couldn’t have asked for a better leader!
—Barb M.

Trip Reports