Best Birding Locations in the Anchorage Area
There are a number of great spots to go birding in Anchorage! The Anchorage Birding Map describes 34 sites in the Anchorage Area. If you are new to birding, we recommend the free Merlin Bird ID app. You can enter your sightings and view recent sightings on Alaska eBird, part of the online birding database hosted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Here are some local hotspots to get you started:
Westchester Lagoon
Margaret Eagan Sullivan Park (1824 West 15th Ave) includes Westchester Lagoon and is a wild oasis near downtown where the Chester Creek greenbelt meets the scenic Coastal Trail. The paved multi-use trails and viewing platforms make Westchester an accessible place to see a variety of waterfowl, shorebirds, and roosting birds in this intertidal area. Birds to look for in the vicinity include Gadwall, Mallard, Red-necked Grebe, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Trumpeter Swan, Sandhill Crane, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, and Hudsonian Godwit to name a few.
Far North Bicentennial Park
This municipal park surrounds the BLM Campbell Tract and is often just referred to as the Campbell Tract. This is a large area of mixed spruce-birch forest bisected by Campbell Creek and extensive soft surface trails that are great for hiking and biking. Birds to look for include, Boreal Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-crowned Sparrow, Great Horned Owl, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Varied Thrush. This area can be accessed from Tudor Road (4970 Campbell Airstrip Rd) or from Elmore (5600 Science Center Dr.). Take a self-guided bird walk on the BLM Campbell Tract in May. Signs for the walk begin near Campbell Airstrip Trailhead bridge.
Potter Marsh Bird Sanctuary & Wildlife Refuge
Potter Marsh is a birding hotspot just south of Anchorage, nestled between the foot of the mountains and Turnagain Arm. A wooden boardwalk winds 1,550 feet from the parking area through the marsh and offers premier birdwatching. Hundreds of migrating birds converge on the marsh after break-up in April, offering opportunities to see Canada geese, Northern pintails, Arctic terns, Lesser yellowlegs, Northern harriers, and Trumpeter swans. Look for eagle nests in the cottonwoods near the base of the bluff using binoculars or a spotting scope. Learn more.
Cheney Lake Park
A beautiful lake surrounded by forest on the east side, the Chugach Range further on, and a nice path that encircles the lake. Cheney Lake Park (2245 Baxter Rd) is a low key location to look for Anchorage birds with good chances for Red-necked Grebes, Black-capped Chickadees, Hairy Woodpeckers, Boreal Chickadees, and a fair chance for a Common or Pacific Loon in the spring.
Carr Gottstein Park
This West Anchorage neighborhood park (3136 Discovery Bay Dr.) offers an excellent vantage point of the Anchorage Wildlife Coastal Refuge (binoculars or a spotting scope are helpful). A short walk along a soft surface trail opens up to expansive views of Turnagain Arm. Look for Greater White-fronted and Snow Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Sandhill Crane, and various shorebirds.
Photo by John Schoen