Birdwatching on St. Lawrence Island (Savoonga, Alaska)

June 30, 2023

I had an opportunity to visit St. Lawrence Island and the Yup’ik community that calls the island home. The Yup’iks have inhabited St. Lawrence Island for tens of thousands of years, an island in the Bering Sea 40 miles from Siberia. It was a privilege to get to know several local folks during my time there. Between sharing stories, I stepped away and found two birds I’ve only dreamed of seeing in breeding plumage: a Snow Bunting and Lapland Longspur.