Looking for bird watching assistance in Anchorage?
Anchorage Audubon Society has a network of knowledgeable local birders who volunteer their time as bird guides to help connect people with Anchorage’s incredible birdlife. Our guides are members of Anchorage Audubon who enjoy sharing their expertise, offering tips on local birding locations, and helping visitors and residents make the most of their birding experiences.
Guides may be available to answer questions about birding in Anchorage or lead local birdwatching outings. A minimum donation of $50 to Anchorage Audubon Society is greatly appreciated and helps support our bird conservation, education, and community programs throughout Anchorage.
For more information about local guide availability or advice on birding in Anchorage, please email info@anchorageaudubon.org.
Best Birding Locations in the Anchorage Area
There are a number of great spots to go birding in Anchorage! The new virtual Anchorage Birding Trail highlights over 30 sites in the Anchorage Area that host a wide variety of species and habitats. You can also use the free eBird mobile app to find birding hotspots and recent sightings by other birders. New to birding? We recommend an illustrated field guide, eBird, or the free Merlin app to get more familiar with bird identification.
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.
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.
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