An Alaskan gold rush town, Nome has three roads out of town. Each about 70 km long - the Teller Road to the northwest, the Kougerak Road inland and Council Road that runs south east along the coast past Safety Lagoon. Nome's proximity to the Palaearctic makes it the place that North American birders come to see Arctic Warbler, Bluethroat and Yellow Wagtail. However, it was one of the residents that I was particularly after - Aleutian Tern. Apart from a general love of terns, the fact that the only western Palaearctic record was from the Farne Islands 40 miles from my home, made it more alluring.

The roadside pools at the top of Safety Lagoon had pairs of Red-throated and Pacific Loons but the Aleutian Tern colony was at the very south of Safety Lagoon. They were on the shingle on both the mainland and the island.

Pacific Loons, Nome, Alaska

Aleutian Tern, Nome Alaska

Aleutian Tern, Nome Alaska The rest of the trip took in The Pribilof Islands, Denali and Nome. You can see the full set of paintings at www.martin-eccles-artist.co.uk.