Kachemak Bay Birders

KACHEMAK BAY BIRDERS

Postponed trip rescheduled:

NOTE: EARLIER TIME! Meet at 10:00 am.

Birding Trip to the Anchor River: Saturday, November 23rd

The next Kachemak Bay Birders trip will be on Saturday, November 23rd. Meet at 10:00 am in Day Use parking area at the Anchor River or meet in the parking lot at the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, (formerly Islands and Ocean Visitor Center) by 9:30 am to car pool. Kristine Sowl will be the trip leader, (907-299-9466).

Bring binoculars, field guide/apps, and scope if you have them. Dress for the weather. We are hoping to see snow buntings, harlequin and long-tailed ducks, and winter loons.

All Kachemak Bay Birding trips are cosponsored by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. All events will comply with FWS covid-safe practices. All trips are free and everyone is welcome to attend. Masks are encouraged.

***MEETINGS/PRESENTATIONS LAST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH

November 26th Meeting and Presentation by Martin Renner: “Birding the South Pacific from Australia to Chile”

The Kachemak Bay Birders next meeting will be Tuesday, November 26th at 5:30 pm at the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters (formerly known as the Islands and Ocean Visitor Center).

Martin is a local marine ecologist who works on expedition cruise ships for some part of the year. Since we all may need some warm thoughts at this time of year, he will talk about the South Pacific instead of the Southern Ocean this time.

The South Pacific is a vast stretch of ocean. From the amazing number of endemic species in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, to the incredibly remote Austral Islands, Pitcairn group, and Rapa Nui (Easter Island), the South Pacific is home to some truly remarkable birds. There are petrels galore, some of the world’s rarest land birds, as well as more widespread but no less remarkable tropical seabirds. Besides introducing you to the birds of the region, Martin will discuss some recent conservation issues there.

December 12th Dave Erikson’s “Winter Bird Identification” Class, 5:30 pm

at the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters (formerly: Islands and Ocean Visitor Center)

The “Winter Bird Identification” Class is excellent for volunteers who are going to participate in the CBC to review the birds that are in Homer in the winter. The class is valuable for new birders as well as anyone who wants to brush up on our winter birds.

December 14th CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT (all day)

Coordinator/Compiler: Dave Erikson. Meet at the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters (formerly: Islands and Ocean Visitor Center) at 8:30 am.

The Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running citizen science project in our nation, and in Homer it is always held on the first Saturday in the window (Dec. 14th to Jan. 5th).

The center of the 15-mile-diameter count circle is the intersection of Kachemak Drive and the Spit Rd. The circle extends east to Fritz Creek, south past the end of the Spit, west to the mouth of Diamond Creek and to the north where there are few roads. We do not go out in boats for our count.

Participants meet at 8:30 am at IOVC for coffee/tea/breakfast foods, get assigned to teams and areas, and then go out to count all the daylight hours. At 4:30 teams return and compile results.

A few days before the event, Dave Erikson always teaches a class on “Winter Bird Identification”. This class is valuable for new birders as well as being an excellent opportunity for more experienced birders to brush up on what birds are in Homer in the winter.

CBC General Information and Terms

Count Circle: The area used for the CBC is a 15-mile diameter circle centered in at the base of the Homer Spit. The eastern boundary is near Fritz Creek on East End Road and the western boundary is near Virginia Avenue on the Sterling. Southern boundary is in offshore Kachemak Bay. The northern boundary is in the roadless area of Anchor River Drainage.

Count Day: Count Day will start with a pre-count meeting at 8:30 AM at the islands and Ocean (I&O) Visitor Center. Hot drinks, such as coffee, tea and hot chocolate will be available along with and breakfast snacks. Following a short meeting, count area teams will head out to the respective count areas at 9:00 AM. Teams will methodically survey their areas and count all bird species seen or heard and numbers of individuals until 4:30 PM. Owling can also occur during the hours of darkness on count day. Following the cutoff period for daylight counting, all volunteers will meet back at the I&O Visitor Center to discuss the results of the count and tally the number of species observed.

Count Week: Three days before and three days after the count day (December 11-13 and 15- 17) is referred to as Count Week. Any bird species (no numbers) seen or heard by count participants within the Count Circle area during these time periods needs to be recorded and reported to the compiler as “count week” species.

Count Area Teams: interested team members can contact team leaders directly (contact information posted soon). Also you can join a team at the morning gathering at 8:30 at I.O. Counters must fill out a Rare Bird Form for any species not listed on the Homer CBC checklist. If possible, include photos of any rare birds.

Count Data: All count data should be recorded either on an eBird Checklist and shared with Dave Erikson (eBird ID: Derikson48a) or on our regular Homer CBC checklist field form and emailed to the compiler, Dave Erikson (derikson@alaska.net; 907 441-7931).

Feeder Watchers: On Count Day, feeder watchers should record the species of bird, maximum numbers of each species at the feeder at a specific time, and the amount of time spent observing the feeder. Results should be submitted to the Feeder Watcher Coordinator.

January 28th Meeting and Presentation by George Matz: N.W. Passage

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 trips will comply with FWS covid-safe practices.

September 24th Presentation by Bruce Lyon: Gray-crowned Rosy Finch Study on the Pribilofs.

***TRIPS/Events

All Kachemak Bay Birding trips are cosponsored by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. All trips are free and everyone is welcome to attend. Masks encouraged and all trips will comply with FWS covid-safe practices.

***Trip Reports–

7th ANNUAL FISH LINE CLEANUP AT THE FISHING HOLE: 9-14-24

Eight folks participated in the cleanup of monofilament fish line at the Fishing Hole on Saturday morning. We began in the rain and ended in the rain but inbetween it didn’t rain nor was there much of a breeze even. And thinking about entangled birds is such a good motivator, no matter what the weather throws at us.

We each picked up a bag of fishline–plus sinkers and hooks–and picked up trash as we walked along. Several folks scoured the edge of the low water; others stayed in the parking area where, it seems, much trimming of line occurs but not so much responsible disposal of the trimmed line. As in previous years after significant rain, there were many puddles of water in the parking area which meant that any line under the water was hidden and not picked up.

If anyone missed the cleanup day but might want to spend some time (think: a nice, sunny, warm day…), the parking area at the upper end (toward the RV Park) did not get picked up. If you do this, just put the fishline in the receptacle there (white plastic, looks like a periscope) and we will pick it up later.

A big thanks to those who helped and to Jim Herbert who coordinated the event.

Seldovia Trip Report: 9-7-24

Trip report from Cindy Mom, Trip Leader. A big thank you to her!!

Four Homer birders came over to Seldovia on the Seldovia Bay Ferry for a relaxed day of birding on Saturday, September 7, 2024.

We walked from the harbor, around the old boardwalk, then up the Slough. Highlights of the town hotspot were Susan Lake where we saw 7 Great Blue Herons and a Ring-necked Duck; and our lunch stop in a friend’s yard, with a mixed flock of Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and Red-breasted Nuthatches (and a sleeping red squirrel).

We continued walking up the road and along the Slough to Outside Beach, where we saw a nice flock of Green-winged Teal and a couple of Common Loons. The weather was agreeable and we all could have stayed longer at Outside Beach.

Belted Kingfishers and young Bald Eagles (some fledged, some not quite yet) were with us all along the way.

Report by Cindy Mom.

Both hotspots combined into one trip report here:

https://ebird.org/tripreport/273094

Seldovia (town), Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, US
Sep 7, 2024 12:16 PM – 2:52 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
17 species (+1 other taxa)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 1
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) 1
Short-billed Gull (Larus brachyrhynchus) 16
Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) 7
Herring x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) (Larus argentatus x glaucescens) 1 Dark grey wingtips, dark yellow eye with speckles, orbital ring neither pink nor yellow.
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 7 At Susan Lake. Not unusual for Seldovia.
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 5
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) 2
Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) 3
Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) 4
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 65
Common Raven (Corvus corax) 1
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens) 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula) 6
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) 8
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) 2
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S194329007

Seldovia–Outside Beach, Campground, & RV Park, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, US
Sep 7, 2024 2:54 PM – 3:43 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.447 mile(s)
9 species (+2 other taxa)

Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 47
Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) 3
murrelet sp. (Brachyramphus/Synthliboramphus sp.) 1
Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) 2
Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) 2
Common Loon (Gavia immer) 2
cormorant sp. (Phalacrocoracidae sp.) 5
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 3
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) 1
Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) 6

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S194335450