Set amid magnificent snow-covered mountains that rise dramatically from the sea, Pond Inlet, at the northern end of Baffin Island in Canada's eastern Arctic, is remarkable in its scenery and wealth of bird life. More than thirty species breed in the area and many more migrate through during June, giving this region one of the most diverse avifaunas in the true Arctic.

During our stay we will have plenty of time to explore the area, since the sun never sets. On the tundra and in coastal habitats near the village, nesting shorebirds are sparsely distributed but include Black-bellied Plover, American Golden-Plover, White-rumped, Baird's, and Purple sandpipers, and Red Phalarope. At this time of year these are in full breeding plumage and the early arrivals will be engaged in courtship display, quite a contrast to what most birders are accustomed to farther south. One of our most hoped-for birds will be Common Ringed Plover, chiefly a Palearctic species that nests in Canada only in the eastern Arctic.

The tundra ponds and river mouths near town and on nearby Bylot Island should yield Red-throated Loon, Greater Snow Goose, King Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Thayer's, Iceland, and Glaucous gulls, Arctic Tern, and possibly migrant Ruddy Turnstones and Red Knots. Landbirds we will search for include Rough-legged Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Gyrfalcon (white-morph individuals are most likely), Rock Ptarmigan, Snowy Owl, Northern Wheatear, Lapland Longspur, Snow Bunting, and Hoary Redpoll.

The highlight of our stay at Pond Inlet will be a visit to the edge of the ice, east of the village. Traveling on snowmobile-pulled sleds, we'll traverse the pack ice for several miles to the floe edge, an important feeding area for many high-arctic birds and mammals. We should see hundreds of Northern Fulmars, Brant, Common and King eiders, all three species of jaegers, Black-legged Kittiwake, Dovekie, thousands of Thick-billed Murres, multitudes of Black Guillemots, and perhaps Yellow-billed Loon. Even Ross' Gull is not out of the question. It is here, among the legions of other species, that we hope to encounter the quintessential arctic bird, Ivory Gull, recently an increasingly rare and threatened species seldom found away from its wintry solitude. In addition to the birding there is an opportunity to view three species of seals, Polar Bear, and Narwhal, one of the most bizarre creatures on Earth (our past tours have had good luck finding it). Bowhead Whale, Beluga, and Walrus are also possible.

The combination of a comfortable hotel in the far north, early tundra wildflowers, wilderness camping amid beautiful land- and seascapes, and a number of quality birds and mammals will make our arctic experience a memorable one.

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