Nome: mammals

[moodyduck]

Our first non-avian wildlife sighting was a cow and calf moose rather far away in the coastal plain as we were almost back to Nome the first day of birding. Moose are not exactly exotic to former Fairbanksans but we wanted to see some anyway. This pair saw us stop and took off running until they got into a pond, as if a rather lengthy stretch of

Comments

[girl_on_a_stick]

So jealous. Only musk oxen I've seen are the ones from the experimental farm outside Fairbanks.
And you've seen a wolverine?!!!

[moodyduck]

We saw a wolverine near Stony Pass in Denali, from the shuttle bus. It was running so it wasn't a long-look or get-photos kind of situation, but it was undoubtedly a wolverine. I still remember the distinct way it moved and how big it was.

[girl_on_a_stick]

That's incredible. I've researched when to go to see them at it seems Finland is my best bet and it's far from guaranteed.

[moodyduck]

My aunt has been a wolverine biologist for 40 years and I don't think she has seen very many wild ones without the aid of traps/transmitters.

(She did raise two wolverine kits for a summer as a research project, but they were captive-born.)

[orange_fell]

When I went to Nome in 2007, we saw a moose (a cow, who crossed the road in front of us and then got divebombed by a Mew Gull), some musk ox (very tiny, up on a mountain), a porcupine (still the only one I've ever seen), and an Arctic hare.

Did you find any Bluethroats? We did not.

[moodyduck]

The first time my parents went to Nome was also in 2007, how funny.

We didn't see porcupines out there, but I've seen quite a few in the Interior. Including ones that walk right up to/past you because they don't see all that well, but then again what do they really have to worry about?

We saw a juvenile bluethroat. I didn't get a very good look before it flew, but my mom saw it pretty clearly. We were trying hard for it and really hoped to find one that had actual blue, but no luck.