The Anchor Point Beach is a good beach for migrating (spring and outbound) shorebirds. Spring migration begins in late April and peak mid May (spring migration). Outbound migration begins late June and you can find shorebirds into September, and occasionally October.
The best place to see shorebirds is generally within 500 feet of the parking lot or at the mouth of the river, approximately 1.3 miles from the parking lot. Shorebirds can also be observed along the Anchor River. There is a road that parallels the river.
In the day-use parking lot and campground, a variety of songbirds can be observed during the spring and summer.
Seabirds can be observed on or flying over Cook Inlet. Outbound migration (July-September) can bring an abundance of seabirds, including Sooty Shearwaters, Tufted and Horned Puffins, and Murrelets (Marbled and Kittletz).
Be sure to also check out the wetlands next to the parking lot in the spring and fall for waterfowl and shorebirds.
Be aware of the tides. Tides in Alaska can be extreme at times. It is always best to visit the beach during an outgoing tide. Shorebirds are best observed when the tide is between 12-14 feet.
Directions:
From Homer take the Sterling Highway to Anchor Point. Turn left on to the Old Sterling Highway (left), drive over the bridge, and take the first right (Anchor Point Road). Drive this road to the end and park in the parking lot. A $5.00 parking fee is charged.
List of Bird Species Observed at Anchor Point Beach/Anchor River
Over 170 species have been observed at the parking long, along the Anchor River, over Cook Inlet, or along the beach at Anchor Point throughout the year.
- Mallard
- American Widgeon
- Eurasian Widgeon
- Gadwall
- Greater Scaup
- Lesser Scaup
- Long-tailed Duck
- Red-Breasted Merganser
- Common Merganser
- Canvasback
- Northern Pintail
- Northern Shoveler
- Green-winged Teal
- Common Goldeneye
- Barrow’s Goldeneye
- Harlequin Duck
- Common Eider
- Steller’s Eider
- Bufflehead
- Ring-necked Duck
- Surf Scoter
- White-winged Scoter
- Black Scoter
- Canada Goose
- Brandt
- Greater-White Fronted Goose
- Snow Goose
- Cackling Goose
- Trumpeter Swan
- Red-necked Grebe
- Horned Grebe
- Pacific Loon
- Common Loon
- Red-throated Loon
- Yellow-billed Loon
- Sooty Shearwater
- Buller’s Shearwater
- Short-tailed Shearwater
- Pelagic Cormorant
- Great Blue Heron
- Sandhill Crane
- Spruce Grouse
- Ring-necked Pheasant
- Short-eared Owl
- Northern Harrier
- Turkey Vulture
- Golden Eagle
- Bald Eagle
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Northern Goshawk
- Peregrine Falcon
- Merlin
- Osprey
- Rough-legged Hawk
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Black-bellied Plover
- American Golden Plover
- Pacific Golden Plover
- Killdeer
- Semi-palmated Plover
- Whimbrel
- Marbled Godwit
- Hudsonian Godwit
- Bar-tailed Godwit
- Bristle-thighed Curlew
- Greater Yellowleg
- Lesser Yellowleg
- Dunlin
- Western Sandpiper
- Least Sandpiper
- Semi-palmated Sandpiper
- Pectoral Sandpiper
- Rock Sandpiper
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper
- Sanderling
- Baird’s Sandpiper
- Short-billed Dowitcher
- Long-billed Dowitcher
- Wandering Tattler
- Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
- Solitary Sandpiper
- Red Knot
- Black Turnstone
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Surfbird
- Red Phalarope
- Wilson’s Snipe
- Black Oystercatcher
- Pigeon Gullimot
- Marbled Murrelet
- Kittletz Murrelet
- Ancient Murrelet
- Common Murre
- Horned Puffin
- Tufted Puffin
- Cassin’s Auklet
- Rhinocerous Auklet
- Parakeet Auklet
- Parasitic Jaeger
- Pomeraine Jaeger
- Long-tailed Jaeger
- Glaucous-winged Gull
- Glaucous Gull
- Mew Gull
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Black-egged Kittiwake
- Sabine’s Gull
- Bonaparte’s Gull
- Herring Gull
- Thayer’s Gull
- Northern Fulmar
- Arctic Tern
- Aleutian Tern
- Caspian Tern
- Rock Pigeon
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Downy Woodpecker
- American Three-toed Woodpecker
- Northern Flicker
- American Dipper
- Common Raven
- Northwestern Crow
- Black-billed Magpie
- Gray Jay
- Steller’s Jay
- Northern Shrike
- American Robin
- Hermit Thrush
- Varied Thrush
- Swainson’s Thrush
- Tree Swallow
- Bank Swallow
- Violet-Green Swallow
- Cliff Swallow
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Boreal Chickadee
- Brown Creeper
- Red-breasted Nuthatch
- Rudy-crowned Kinglet
- Golden-crowned Kinglet
- Pacific Wren
- Alder Flycatcher
- Olive-sided Flycatcher
- Western Wood-Pewee
- Northern Waterthrush
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Orange-crowned Warbler
- Townsend’s Warbler
- Song Sparrow
- Fox Sparrow
- Golden-crowned Sparrow
- White-crowned Sparrow
- Savannah Sparrow
- Lapland Longspur
- Lincoln’s Sparrow
- Snow Bunting
- American Pipit
- Eastern Yellow Wagtail
- Rusty Blackbird
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Eurasian Starling
- Eurasian Skylark
- Horned Lark
- Red Crossbill
- White-winged Crossbill
- Pine Siskin
- Common Redpoll
- Pine Grosbeak
- Gray-crowned Rosy Finch
Check the latest ebird for a listing of sightings: http://ebird.org/content/ak/
IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BIRD