Bird-Watching

Popular bird-watching places include the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, which provides access to Westchester Lagoon and nearby tide flats, along with Potter Marsh on the south end of Anchorage.

Anchorage Audubon Society. The Anchorage chapter of the National Audubon Society offers downloadable birding checklists on their website and can refer you to local birders who will advise you on the best bird-watching spots. The society also hosts bird-watching field trips and events, like the Potter Marsh-a-Thon Birding Smackdown every May. Anchorage, Alaska, 99510. www.anchorageaudubon.org.

Wilderness Birding Adventures. With nearly a dozen naturalist guides on staff, Homer-based Wilderness Birding Adventures offers backcountry birding, wildlife, and natural-history trips to remote parts of Alaska, as well as village-based, birding-focused trips to some of the state's birding hot spots. Anchorage, Alaska. 907/299–3937; www.wildernessbirding.com.