Photos (left to right) JJ Frost, N. Winford, and D. Shaw
Fairbanks is a wonderful place to go birding!
There are a number of resources available on our website to help you make the most of your visit.
- Visit Birding the Fairbanks area for a map of local hotspots.
- Check out ASI’s calendar of events to see what is happening during your visit!
- Check out Boreal Birder, an email forum of recent bird sightings throughout Interior Alaska.
- Check out ASI’s own Alaska-focused birding videos to jump-start your bird knowledge! Be sure to check out the links included for more great learning resources.
- Consider a bird banding tour to the Alaska Songbird Institute’s Creamer’s Field Migration Station.
Bird banding tours begin and end at the Creamer’s Field Farmhouse Visitor Center, 1300 College Rd.
2024 Banding tours are available weekday mornings May 1-June 5, and July 29-September 25.
Our guide will meet you at the Farmhouse Visitor Center. You will take a short walk (about 1/3 mile) on the Seasonal Wetland Trail to the Creamer’s Field Migration Station, ASI’s long-term songbird migration station on the refuge. There you will learn all about this long-term conservation project, including its origin, methods, and long-range goals. You will have the opportunity to check mist nets, and get a hands-on experience with wild birds and bird banding. You may even get to release newly banded birds!
Tours last a minimum of one hour, but you are welcome to stay as long as you would like! Tours can start anytime between 7 and 10 am. Your guide will contact you to confirm the start time.
Tours are limited to small groups and are led by trained ASI naturalists and ornithologists, knowledgeable about Alaska’s birds, local ecology, and ASI’s work. (Ask as many questions as you can!)
In the case of rain (or snow! This is Alaska after all…), bird banding is cancelled. Your tour will be automatically rescheduled for the next day. You can also contact us at (907) 888-2121 to discuss alternative dates. If you can not make an alternative date, your tour will be refunded in full. (Please see cancellation policy below.)
The program is appropriate for all ages and is very adaptable to a wide range of ages and experience. Knowledge of birds is not required. Comfortable walking shoes, layers, and bug spray are strongly recommended.
Cost: $10/person (10 and older) Children under 10 are free. This includes an ASI guide. (Group discounts are available.)
All proceeds support ASI’s work to advance research, education and conservation of Alaska’s birds. Thank you!
To arrange a tour, or for any further questions, please contact CFMS Program Director Robert Snowden: asi.science@aksongbird.org
Cancellation Policy: Only cancellations made by the Alaska Songbird Institute due to inclement weather or otherwise unsafe bird banding conditions are eligible for a full refund. If you are unable to make your reservation, you must cancel by calling the Alaska Songbird Institute directly at: (907) 888-2121.
Cancellations made more than one week from the date of a scheduled tour, are eligible for a 90% refund.
Cancellations made less than one week from the date of your scheduled tour, will be issued a 50% refund.
Cancellations made within 24 hours of a scheduled tour can not be refunded.
(You may also choose not to be refunded and the cost of your tour will be applied to a one-year membership to the Alaska Songbird Institute!)