A foggy day today for the coast but once inland the weather was clearer with high cloud. We were out nest searching again and the slightest of warmth brought of the first butterflies for barrow in the form of a couple fritillary’s. The nest searching was very unproductive with just one failed Long-tailed Duck nest, also found was the remains of a drake Spectacled Eider.
6th July
The morning started off with a male Snowy Owl along Gaswell Road. Once we got to the end of the road we walked out to an area to nest search. Shortly after starting a group of 5 Caribou were spotted on the horizon to our left, the animals moved south quietly before disappearing from view. The nest searching picked up three failed Brant nests along a lakes shore but on a brighter not a Pacific and Red-throated Loon nest were discovered. This was soon eclipsed by mid afternoon when Ben came across a nesting eider, adjusting our position we identified the bird as a Spectacled Eider. Wow this was some achievement, our first actually active eider nest whilst nest searching for over two weeks now.
5th July
Back in the field on a calm warm day. We started by dropping the ATV’s of at our finishing point as Ben and myself where going to be walking along the Elson Lagoon coast revisiting 23 nests. On the return to our starting point we spotted a female Snowy Owl just off the road on a telegraph pole that showed well. 
Snowy Owl
As we started our hike we first visited 3 Black Brants that were all still active, we also had a camera that was for a King Eider nest, approaching the spot we could see her so we got to work with the camera. Minutes after we finished a flock of 50 Long-tailed Jaegers moved through slowly along with a few Parasitic. Continuing on the next Pintail had failed but the next nest was a White-front where three goslings were seen walking off with the parents. Following down a slough we spotted a Yellow-billed Loon ahead whilst checking a female Pintail still incubating here eggs, as we headed inland we came across more successful geese nest with just a couple still sitting. Further in and the wind dropped and the temperature crept up to 13 degrees celsius which lead to the mass emergence of the long feared mosquitoes. Battling on I came across a nesting Pacific Loon on a small pond where I also stumbled over a new bird for the trip, a white-rumped Sandpiper alongside a Semipalmated. 
White-rumped Sandpiper
Finishing off the route as our pace quicken to try and escape the mosquitoes were we glad that we could blast them away on the ATV’s whilst cooling down at the same time. Must not forget to mention that we also so a new mammal for myself, a long awaited Lemming! A stop alongside Middle Salt Lagoon produced a family of Ruddy Turnstones that have three youngsters.
Lemming
Once after our evening meal a couple of us headed down to the south side of Barrow for a seawatch. There was lots of activity on the water as the locals kept on passing by in their boat shooting at any poor seal they could find. From the shore there was clear water to half way out then a narrow band of ice with clear sea beyond and this is where most birds could be seen moving past distantly. Three new birds for the trip were recorded with 2 Tufted Puffin, 20+ Black-legged Kittiwake and c.350 Thick-billed Murres. Also noted were 6 Black Guillemots, 6 Common Eider, 1 King Eider and 2 Yellow-billed Loons.
4th July
Independence Day, so we got the day off. The weather had become cloudy with patchy fog first thing so a quiet morning. After noon we all had a cruise down south along the coast on the ATV’s down past Nunavak Bay. Not many birds were seen except for 2 distant Snowy Owls. The sea was a little more productive with many dead Jellyfish being washed up on shore. As we got a mile or so down a snow bank blocked our path so we continued on foot. The sea ice was getting thinner all the time until we reached the end of the sea ice. Birds over the water obviously included Long-tailed Ducks, Red-throated and Pacific Loons as well as 5 Black Guillemots, 5 King Eiders and 4 Yellow-billed Loons flew over.
Yellow-billed Loon
3rd July
The wind increased slightly making a cooler day as the sun continued to shine. We headed out to the end of Gaswell Road to a promising area of pools. Straight away a Pomarine Jaeger flew over the neighbouring lake shortly followed by a group of 6 female Spectacled Eiders. As we continued we found a failed spec and king eider nest before seeing a pair and single Spectacled Eider roosting on a small pool. At lunch a further 10 female Spectacled Eiders flew over or maybe some of the same? We finished the survey as we reached our Long-tailed Duck camera nest who was still sitting on her eggs. As we drove along the road to revisit a White-fronted Goose nest a large bird flew from a telegraph pole carrying something in its feet. Reaching to our binoculars we were watching an Osprey circle round before departing over the tundra. What the hell is an Osprey doing up here and where did it find his fish?
2nd July
The continued to shine as the Steller’s Eiders remain on Middle Salt Lagoon. Nest searching brought us upon the immature male King Eider that was happy feeding on some small pools showing very well. The tundra seems to be getting quieter no that all the birds have stopped singing as the first eggs are hatching. Today both Pectoral Sandpiper and Red Phalarope babies were seen. Mid afternoon we got a tip off from a shorebird researcher to the locality of a female Spectacled Eider close by. On investigation we couldn’t find the female but did find a failed eider nest. As the evening drew in we finished up searching at the edge of a large marshy basin where there were a few Glaucous Gulls mixed in a flock of 55 Long-tailed Jaegers all searching for food. 
King Eider
Pectoral Sandpiper
1st July
Awoke to rain this morning as the new month started, this being the first rain since arriving. The rain cleared by noon to leave a glorious sunny day allowing an afternoon of nest searching. On the way out a quick scan over the inlet to Middle Salt Lagoon produced 3 male Steller’s Eiders (my first for some time). Not a great deal was happening out at the plot with a group of 3 female King Eiders and a Pacific Loon nest being the highlights.
In the evening two of the crew were crazy enough to go for a ‘polar dip’ swim in the sea. I just watched! As ducks passed by following the narrow strip of open water running along the coast. Mainly the flocks were of roughly twenty birds consisting entirely of Long-tailed Ducks. In the hour we watched an estimate of 150 flew by including two female King Eiders and then a single male Surf Scoter tagged along with a Long-tailed Duck flock. Further out on the sea ice 50+ Ringed Seals had hauled themselves out for a rest.
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