Wildlife Watching

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to a variety of wildlife, but their abundance scatters across an immense landscape. Careful observation can reward the visitor with wildlife watching and photography opportunities including: birding for a glimpse of a blue throat or a grey-headed chickadee, viewing polar bears, or witnessing the elusive Porcupine Caribou Herd migration.

More than 200 bird species have been recorded on the Arctic Refuge. Because of the refuge’s singular location at the northern end of all North American flyways, birds that fly from or through every state in the US, as well as from all corners of the earth, visit the refuge. The coastal plain is an important northern nursery for ground-nesting migratory birds to breed and nest.