For 8 full days we photograph the animal treasures of the 49th state. A day in Anchorage gives us a chance at boreal forest birds followed by seven full days in Nome. Rain is a given in Alaska most years so with seven full days in Nome we should have a number of sunny days to shoot. We will of course be out on rainy days too to take full advantage of our limited time in this avian paradise.

"I have known Rick Bowers for many years. In that time I have spent a lot of time with Rick and have traveled with him all across the US including Alaska and numerous trips to Arizona. I have found Rick to have outstanding trip leader qualities. His planning and fore thought are unparalled. More importantly, his mastery of natural history information is astounding and he is an excellent photographer. In over 20 years as a professional wildlife photographer and author I have yet to meet a photographer or naturalist with as much photographic experience and natural history knowledge as Rick has. Anyone from a veteran wildlife photographer to a beginner would benefit from a workshop or safari with Rick."

Stan Tekiela
author/naturalist, wildlife photographer


Typical tundra habitat in Nome & a Mew Gull at Potter Marsh near Anchorage. © Rick Bowers

Nome is so attractive for photography because it offers the most extensive road system (235 miles) through tundra of anywhere in the western arctic. I've visited Nome more than a dozen times so I know the places to find the birds and how to approach and photograph them.

Loons, eider, scoters, plovers, godwits, phalaropes, turnstones, sandpipers, jaegers, terns, falcons, ptarmigan, warblers, thrushes, wheatear, Bluethroat, wagtails, sparrows, longspurs, and redpolls are common groups of the possible species we immortalize during our stay in Nome.

This safari offers fabulous opportunities to photograph numerous spectacular birds, scenery, and a few mammals that are found nowhere else in North America. Some of the birds are seen elsewhere in drab non-breeding plumage but in Nome we shoot them at the height of the brilliant summer colors. In addition to wonderful natural settings, we learn about setup photography to add color and excitement to our photos. Techniques for getting close to birds in open country will also be taught.

Day 3, 14 June - Flight to Nome and our first tundra birds. After arriving in Nome we check-in to our hotel, prepare our photo gear, and have lunch. Then off on one of the three roads in Nome for our first taste of the tundra and its birds!

Day 4-10, 15 - 21 June - Nome.. The vagaries of weather and bird migration will rule our activities for the next week. With seven full days we have ample opportunities for some sunny weather and with nearly 24 hours of sun low to the horizon, exhaustion and full cards may be our worst enemy!

Red-throated Loon, Black-bellied Plover, American & Pacific golden-plovers, Bar-tailed Godwit, Red-necked Phalarope, Common Snipe, Ruddy Turnstone, Rock Sandpiper, Semipalmated & Western sandpipers, Long-tailed Jaeger, Mew Gull, Arctic Tern, Rough-legged Hawk, Gyrfalcon, Rock & Willow ptarmigans, Arctic Warbler, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Northern Wheatear, Bluethroat, Yellow Wagtail, Yellow & Wilson's warblers, Northern Waterthrush, American Tree Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Lapland Longspur, and Common and Hoary redpolls are the common breeding birds we photograph. Migration is in full swing during our stay and new birds appear along the coast each day. A few Eurasian vagrants should appear during our stay to spice up the photo ops a bit.
Nights: Aurora Inn.

Day 11, 22 June - Travel home.. Plan your departing flight for anytime this morning.

This is an all inclusive tour. Transportation, lodging, meals, guide service, and entrance fees are all covered from the time you are whisked from the airport to our hotel until you are dropped back a the airport for your flight home. It does not include flights to Nome, alcoholic beverages, laundry, phone calls and other items of a personal nature.

TOUR LEADER, NATURALISTS, & INSTRUCTORS:

Rick Bowers has been a passionate wildlife photographer, naturalist and writer for over 35 years. Rick's wildlife career began at twelve years old, when the local Audubon members began requesting his help in showing local birds to birdwatchers from out of state. He continued his wildlife training while at the University of Arizona, obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Ecology. Even as an undergraduate his field expertise was sought after by professors and grad students wishing his assistance in conducting their field research on wild animals. Rick is expert at finding, identifying, and handling all sorts of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Extremely skilled at setting up photo opportunities based on his extensive knowledge of animal behavior, he has assisted videographers of the British Broadcasting Corporation filming wildlife in Arizona and Mexico. His know-how also includes trees and other native plants.

Before turning to professional photography and writing, Rick led nature-watching tours for Victor Emanuel Nature Tours and his own company. He has led wildlife watching tours throughout the New World from Barrow, Alaska (the northernmost city in North America) and Churchill, Manitoba to Tierra del Fuego (an island at the southern tip of South America), and to the Kamchatka Peninsula of Siberia as well as Antarctica. Rick is the originator of the Nightbirding tours focusing on the seventeen species of owls and nightjars available in Arizona and now conducted by many bird-watching companies.

Rick's own photo credits span the gamut from National Geographic and International Wildlife magazines to calendars, books, and fish and game publications. Rick has coauthored and photographed six books with his wife Nora including Wildflowers of Texas, Cactus of Texas, Wildflowers of Arizona, Cactus of Arizona, Wildflowers of the Carolinas and the Kaufman Field Guide: Mammals of North America. Rick lives in Tucson, Arizona with his wife Nora. They can be reached through their web page at www.BowersPhoto.com.

Tour Costs: The fee for this tour is $5700 US per person in double occupancy. This includes all meals from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 11, transportation, lodging, guide service, and entrance fees. It does not include flights to and from Nome, alcoholic beverages, laundry, phone calls and other items of a personal nature. A single supplement of $200 US will be charged if you wish single accommodations or if you wish to share a room and cannot find a roommate and we cannot provide one for you.

A $500 deposit is required for tour registration. If you should need to cancel before the tour, a $125 cancellation fee will be charged.

After e-mailing with your registration info, please send your deposit check made out to "BOWERS PHOTO LLC" to this address:
14680 N. Swan Road
Tucson, AZ 85739 USA

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call Rick at 520-241-7088.