33rd Annual KACHEMAK BAY SHOREBIRD FESTIVAL, May 7-11
2025 Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival: Species Tally
FINAL REPORT and SPECIES LIST
What glorious sunny weather for our Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival this year! Many species—140 is a tentative final count, with a couple still being verified. A total of 27 species of shorebirds were seen including the rare Red Knots, which were here before the Festival started and were seen every day. Hudsonian, Marbled and Bar-tailed Godwits were other large, beautiful shorebirds present, also the Black Oystercatcher and Red Phalaropes everyone enjoys seeing each year. (The average number of species seen at a Festival is 130, so this was an exceptionally productive Festival.)
Other interesting species were Snow Goose, Osprey, Caspian Tern, Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers, and Common Eider. Songbirds included 8 sparrow species and 5 warbler species. and 3 swallow species. There were 10 raptor species.
Special thanks to Jason Sodergren and Janet Fink for her help. Thanks should go out to everyone who reported birds on eBird or directly to the Festival–what a wonderful array of species we all helped find Kachemak Bay Birders always say “It’s A Great Day to Bird!” and it certainly was for all five days of the Festival…in the fantastic sunshine and enjoying the scenic beauty of Kachemak Bay!
UPDATE Saturday Evening, May 10th
New Species
SPOTTED SANDPIPER—Calvin & Coyle Trail
SNOW GOOSE—east end Beluga Lake; Calvin & Coyle Trail,
RUSTY BLACKBIRD—east end Beluga Lake
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW—Anchor River
TOWNSEND’S WARBLER—Calvin & Coyle Trail
YELLOW WARBLER—in town
Updates from Saturday sightings:
BAR-TAILED GODWIT—Mud Bay
HUDSONIAN GODWIT—Beluga Slough; Mud Bay
MARBLED GODWIT—Mud Bay
RUDDY TURNSTONE—Mud Bay; Coal Bay Beach
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER—Mud Bay
SANDERLING—Green Timbers
PECTORAL SANDPIPER—east end Beluga Lake; Anchor River
SURFBIRD—Beluga Slough; Harbor Jetty; across the Bay
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE—Mud Bay; out on the Bay
BLACK OYSTERCATCHER—Harbor Entrance and across the Bay
CANVASBACK—Beluga Lake
RING-NECKED DUCK—east end Beluga Lake
GADWAL—Anchor River; Beluga Lake
TUFTED PUFFIN—can be seen from Land’s End; Gull Island and out on the Bay
ALEUTIAN TERN—Anchor River
AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER—Calvin & Coyle
AMERICAN DIPPER–south end of North Fork Rd at “Dipper Bridge” 2 miles in from Highway
SWAINSON’S THRUSH—Calvin & Coyle
Note: RED KNOT—correction: was seen Friday at the Anchor River
Species seen Friday, May 9th (new species in BOLD, italics for ease of skimming)
So many wonderful birds today. I just did a final check of the eBird reports and found a BAR-TAILED GODWIT had been seen on 60 Foot Rock! And on the trip to Chinitna they found PARASITIC and POMARINE JAEGERS plus a HORNED PUFFIN.
Also, today the first reported WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW and SWAINSON’S THRUSH, CANVASBACK, BOREAL OWL, SHARP-SHINNED HAWK.
Last night a GREAT HORNED OWL was heard in the Slough. The OSPREY was seen again today at the east end of Beluga Lake. I did not find any report of the RED KNOT today, maybe tomorrow?
Mud Bay: SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, BRANT, MARBLED GODWIT, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, WHIMBREL, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, DUNLIN, LEAST SANDPIPER, SHORT-BILLED and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, WESTERN SANDPIPER, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, AMERICAN PIPIT, NORTHERN HARRIER.
Mariner Park: MARBLED GODWIT, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, WESTERN SANDPIPERS, DUNLIN, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPER, LONG-BILLED and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER, EURASIAN WIGEON, NORTHERN HARRIER.
Green Timbers/Louie’s Lagoon: SANDERLING, PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, WESTERN SANDPIPER, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, DUNLIN, LEAST SANDPIPER, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, AMERICAN PIPIT, SAVANNAH SPARROW
End of the Spit (Fishing Hole south): WANDERING TATTLER, SURFBIRD (end of the Harbor jetty), BLACK TURNSTONE, BRANT, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, COMMON MERGANSER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, AMERICAN PIPIT, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, HERRING GULL
Beluga Slough/Trail: ROCK SANDPIPER (3), PECTORAL SANDPIPER, BLACK TURNSTONE, RUDDY TURNSTONE, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, LEAST SANDPIPER, WESTERN SANDPIPER, CANADA GOOSE, SANDHILL CRANE, BELTED KINGFISHER, AMERICAN PIPIT, FOX SPARROW, MERLIN, BONAPARTE’S GULL, GREAT HORNED OWL
Beluga Lake East/Platforms: RING-NECKED DUCK, OSPREY, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, WILSON’S SNIPE, LEAST SANDPIPER, AMERICAN PIPIT, TREE and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, BRANT, EURASIAN WIGEON, TRUMPETER SWAN, VARIED THRUSH, HERMIT THRUSH, LINCOLN SPARROW, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, RED-TAILED HAWK, NORTHERN HARRIER
Calvin and Coyle Trail: SWAINSON’S THRUSH, BROWN CREEPER, DOWNY WOODPECKER, AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER, SPRUCE GROUSE, HERMIT THRUSH, BROWN CREEPER, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, VARIED THRUSH, PACIFIC WREN, TREE and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, NORTHERN HARRIER
Other Areas in Homer: Lampert Lake: CANVASBACK, GADWALL. Kachemak Drive: COMMON REDPOLL, MARBLED GODWIT. East End Rd on past Fritz Creek: RED CROSSBILL, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, RED-TAILED HAWK (Harlan’s?). Wynn Nature Center: BOREAL OWL
Anchor River: RUDDY TURNSTONE, SANDERLING, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, BLACK TURNSTONE, BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER, WHIMBREL, WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPER, DUNLIN, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, LONG- and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, OSPREY, ALEUTIAN TERN, ARCTIC TERN, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, AMERICAN PIPIT, SAVANNAH SPARROW, NORTHERN HARRIER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (by campgrounds), WILSON’S WARBLER (by campgrounds). AMERICAN DIPPER (south end of North Fork Rd at “Dipper Bridge” 2 miles in from Highway). Anchor Point Old Sterling Hwy: WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.
Out on the Bay and beyond…
Seldovia: GREAT BLUE HERON, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, RING-NECKED DUCK, BELTED KINGFISHER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, PIGEON GUILLEMOT, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, PACIFIC WREN, MERLIN
60 Foot Rock: BAR-TAILED GODWIT
Hesketh Is: SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, GLAUCOUS GULL
Gull Island: RUDDY TURNSTONE, SURFBIRD, BLACK OYSTERCATCHER
Gull Island to Chinitna Bay: POMARINE JAEGER, PARASITIC JAEGER, HORNED PUFFIN, COMMON EIDER (Wed.)
Cohen Is/Lancashire/other locations: WANDERING TATTLER, ROCK SANDPIPER, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, SURFBIRD, GLAUCOUS GULL, TUFTED PUFFIN, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, COMMON MURRE YELLOW-BILLED LOON
What an excellent Festival with nice sunny days and we’ve already logged 114 species! Many more expected–even rumors of a jaeger flying south from Kasilof as I write… Spring feeling in the air with three warbler species here now and, for many of us, hearing our first Hermit Thrush today.
Species seen Thursday, May 8th (new species in BOLD)
Mud Bay: MARBLED GODWIT, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, WHIMBREL, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, DUNLIN, LEAST SANDPIPER, SHORT-BILLED and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, WESTERN SANDPIPER, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, AMERICAN PIPIT, NORTHERN HARRIER.
Mariner Park: MARBLED GODWIT, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, WESTERN SANDPIPERS (1000), DUNLIN (1000) SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPER, DUNLIN, LONG-BILLED and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER, EURASIAN WIGEON, NORTHERN HARRIER.
Green Timbers/Louie’s Lagoon: PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, WESTERN SANDPIPER, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, DUNLIN, LEAST SANDPIPER, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, AMERICAN PIPIT, SAVANNAH SPARROW
End of the Spit (Fishing Hole south): SURFBIRD (end of the Harbor jetty), BLACK TURNSTONE, BRANT, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, COMMON MERGANSER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, AMERICAN PIPIT, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, HERRING GULL
Beluga Slough: RUDDY TURNSTONE, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, LEAST SANDPIPER, WESTERN SANDPIPER, CANADA GOOSE, SANDHILL CRANE, BELTED KINGFISHER, AMERICAN PIPIT, FOX SPARROW, MERLIN
Beluga Lake East/Platforms: PECTORAL SANDPIPER, WILSON’S SNIPE, LEAST SANDPIPER, AMERICAN PIPIT, TREE and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, TRUMPETER SWAN, VARIED THRUSH, HERMIT THRUSH, LINCOLN SPARROW, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, RED-TAILED HAWK, NORTHERN HARRIER
Calvin and Coyle Trail: DOWNY WOODPECKER, AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER, SPRUCE GROUSE, HERMIT THRUSH, BROWN CREEPER, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, VARIED THRUSH, PACIFIC WREN, TREE and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, NORTHERN HARRIER
Other Areas in Homer: Kachemak Drive: COMMON REDPOLL, MARBLED GODWIT. East End Rd on past Fritz Creek: ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, RED-TAILED HAWK (Harlan’s?)
Anchor River: RED KNOT, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, BLACK TURNSTONE, BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER, WHIMBREL, WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPER, DUNLIN, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, LONG- and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, OSPREY, ALEUTIAN TERN, ARCTIC TERN, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, AMERICAN PIPIT, SAVANNAH SPARROW, NORTHERN HARRIER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (by campgrounds), WILSON’S WARBLER (by campgrounds). AMERICAN DIPPER (south end of North Fork Rd at “Dipper Bridge” 2 miles in from Highway).
Seldovia: BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, YELLOW-BILLED LOON, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, RING-NECKED DUCK, BELTED KINGFISHER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, PIGEON GUILLEMOT, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, PACIFIC WREN, MERLIN
Gull Island/Cohen Is/Lancashire/other locations across the Bay: WANDERING TATTLER, ROCK SANDPIPER, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, SURFBIRD, GLAUCOUS GULL, TUFTED PUFFIN, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, COMMON MURRE (3000), YELLOW-BILLED LOON
Species seen Wednesday (May 7th)
Mud Bay: MARBLED GODWIT (3), SANDERLING, WHIMBREL, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, DUNLIN, LEAST SANDPIPER, SHORT-BILLED and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, WESTERN SANDPIPER, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, AMERICAN PIPIT, CACKLING GOOSE, NORTHERN HARRIER.
Mariner Park: RED KNOT, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER (2), WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPER, DUNLIN, LONG-BILLED and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER, NORTHERN HARRIER.
Green Timbers/Louie’s Lagoon: MARBLED GODWIT, PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, WESTERN SANDPIPER (450), SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, DUNLIN, LEAST SANDPIPER, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, AMERICAN PIPIT, SAVANNAH SPARROW
End of the Spit (Fishing Hole south): BLACK TURNSTONE, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, COMMON MERGANSER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, AMERICAN PIPIT, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, HERRING GULL
Beluga Slough: PECTORAL SANDPIPER, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, LEAST SANDPIPER, WESTERN SANDPIPER, SANDHILL CRANE, AMERICAN PIPIT, FOX SPARROW, MERLIN
Beluga Lake East/Platforms: GREAT BLUE HERON, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, SANDERLING, WIILSON’S SNIPE, LEAST SANDPIPER, AMERICAN PIPIT, BELTED KINGFISHER, TREE and BANK SWALLOW, TUNDRA SWAN, VARIED THRUSH, LINCOLN SPARROW, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, NORTHERN HARRIER (Chestnut-backed Chickadee report being confirmed.)
Calvin and Coyle Trail: AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER, SPRUCE GROUSE, HERMIT THRUSH, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, VARIED THRUSH, PACIFIC WREN, TREE and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, CANADA and CACKLING GOOSE, NORTHERN HARRIER
Anchor River: HUDSONIAN GODWIT, MARBLED GODWIT, BLACK TURNSTONE, BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER, WHIMBREL, WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPER, DUNLIN, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, LONG- and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, ARCTIC TERN, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, AMERICAN PIPIT, SAVANNAH SPARROW, NORTHERN HARRIER
Seldovia: RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, RING-NECKED DUCK, BELTED KINGFISHER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, PIGEON GUILLEMOT, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, PACIFIC WREN, MERLIN
Halibut Cove: SURFBIRD, BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, TUFTED PUFFIN (22), BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, ROCK PIGEON
Gull Island/Cohen Is/Lancashire: WANDERING TATTLER, ROCK SANDPIPER, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, SURFBIRD, TUFTED PUFFIN, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, COMMON MURRE (3000), YELLOW-BILLED LOON
PRELIMINARY REPORT (May 5-6th)
The Shorebird Festival is off to a great start! The weather forecast has promised warmer spring temperatures with some sunshine and less wind for the rest of the week. Sunshine is a great beginning for a Festival.
Many shorebirds and other species are already here. A list of species seen May 5-6th is below. SANDHILL CRANES can be found all over town. Sparrows singing, one warbler so far. Snipe winnowing, VARIED THRUSH, PACIFIC WREN and FOX SPARROWS heard singing.
A large number of shorebirds was seen in Mud Bay the evening of May 2nd: up to 2500 WESTERN SANDPIPERS and around 700 mixed DUNLIN, DOWITCHERS, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, etc.
Mud Bay: RED KNOT (1), MARBLED GODWIT (3), RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, WHIMBREL, SURFBIRD, PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER, BLACK TURNSTONE, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, DUNLIN, LEAST SANDPIPER (100), SHORT-BILLED and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, WESTERN SANDPIPER, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, AMERICAN PIPIT, GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS.
Mariner Park: SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER (2), WHIMBREL, WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPER, DUNLIN, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, GADWALL, EURASIAN WIGEON, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, NORTHERN HARRIER,
Beluga Lake East/Platforms: MARBLED GODWIT, PECTORAL SANDPIPER (2), GREATER YELLOWLEGS, WIILSON’S SNIPE, LEAST SANDPIPER, AMERICAN PIPIT, BELTED KINGFISHER, BONAPARTE’S GULL, NORTHERN HARRIER, TREE SWALLOW, TUNDRA SWAN, VARIED THRUSH, LINCOLN SPARROW, BOREAL CHICKADEE, OSPREY, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, NORTHERN HARRIER
Portlock/Fernwood Rds. (~8 miles East End Rd): WILSON’S SNIPE, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW.
Land’s End: ARCTIC TERN
Seldovia: RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, RING-NECKED DUCK, BELTED KINGFISHER, MERLIN, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER
Some other species seen over the weekend: HUDSONIAN GODWIT (Slough), SANDERLING (Green Timbers), BLACK OYSTERCATCHER and TUFTED PUFFIN (Gull Is.), PEREGRINE FALCON (Spit), RED-TAILED HAWK (East End Rd), SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (Lake)
***MEETINGS/PRESENTATIONS LAST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH
Motus is an international research community working together to study the movement and behaviour of birds, bats, and insects. These animals carry miniaturized tags that transmit information to stations placed across the world. The program is led by Birds Canada, in partnership with a growing network of scientists and organizations. The radio signals can provide data on a bird’s arrival, departure, length of stay and even how they use a habitat at key stopover sites. This data also helps land managers better understand migratory birds’ seasonal habitat use, allowing them to gain insights into the role that protected areas, like Mud Bay, play as a stopover point or passage for migratory birds. Motus includes more than 1,200 stations across 31 countries. There are 7 Motus towers in Alaska: Controler Bay, Cordova, Little Egg Island, Kachemak Bay, Beluga, Nelson Lagoon, and Echo Acres Fairbanks. Join us for this talk looking at Motus Tower data in Kachemak Bay, the projects the birds are tagged from, and the information we can gather from these Alaska towers. More information found here: https://motus.org/
Meetings at the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters (formerly:Islands and Ocean Visitor Center) begin at 5:30 pm (unless otherwise indicated). All meetings and events are cosponsored by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Masks encouraged and all events will comply with FWS covid-safe practices.
***TRIPS/Events