Forty two volunteers participated in Homer’s annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, five watching feeders in their own yard and the others out in the field. The weather was not too cooperative with icy walking, limited visibility for most of the day and resulting decreased available daylight hours, but many were expressing the same thought, “We’ve seen much worse!”
A total of 64 species were seen on the Count Day (Saturday, December 17). Highlights included a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW found at a feeder near Crittenden St., a BELTED KINGFISHER found in Beluga Slough near the culvert from the lake, and a single SANDERLING found among the ROCK SANDPIPERS on the Homer Spit. CHUKARS, a colorful gamebird related to a pheasant, were found at a residence out East End Rd, though possibly may not count as an official species due to their probable domestic escapee status.
Three additional species were seen during the Count Week (three days before and three days after Count Day): SNOW BUNTING, MERLIN, and GREAT-HORNED OWL.
There were 10,492 individual birds counted. Most numerous species were MALLARDS (3422), ROCK SANDPIPERS (1700), and COMMON GOLDENEYE (820). Only one COMMON MURRE was seen this year, compared to the die-off that was developing at this time last year when over 200 were counted. (In winter, murres are typically out at sea instead of here in the bay.)
A big thanks to all the volunteers who participated, to the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge for letting us use their space for our meeting and potluck, the local Kachemak Bay Birders, and to Dave Erikson for coordinating yet another Christmas Bird Count. It was indeed a Great Day to Bird!
The 2016 Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival took place May 12-15. The attached checklist shows the species seen during the festival- 140 species were seen over the four festival days.
This list has been compiled from the Checklist of Birds of Kachemak Bay (April 2002) with some revisions (April 2005). Like the original checklist, it covers the Anchor River drainage, the watersheds draining into Kachemak Bay including Kachemak Bay State Park and the Bay itself between Anchor Point and Point Pogibshi. It features species and their historical likelihood of occurrence in the spring only, i.e., those birds likely to be seen during the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival, which has taken place on the first or second weekend of May since 1993.
This year Lynn Barber is our featured keynote speaker. Lynn previously did a North America Big Year and presently is doing an Alaska Big Year.
Kenai River Float Trip Thursday May 19th
Five drift boats, each with local birding guide. Starts at Skilak Lake and ends at Bing’s Landing. Sixty plus bird species annually recorded on this trip with 100 cumulative species tallied. This very popular trip runs the mighty and beautiful Kenai River during the quiet but very “birdy” spring season. $150/person.
Kasilof River Float Trip Friday May 20th
New this year! One raft with birding guide will venture down the Kasilof River. This trip starts in the Kenai Wildlife Refuge and ends at the Sterling Highway Bridge. This smaller river that drains Tustumena Lake is perfect for a slower more intimate float with birds at close range. $100 per person.
Float trips include a hearty lunch. Participants assemble at 7 AM and trips conclude between 2 to 4 PM. Bathroom facilities are limited to the starting and ending points.
Register for the Kenai River Float Trips now. Call the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce at 262-9814 to reserve your spot! All float trip proceeds go to sustaining the festival. All other festival events are absolutely free. The float trips are personally my favorite events to guide. If you haven’t been on one then you really haven’t birded the Kenai Peninsula. They are highly recommended if you love birding and enjoy getting off the beaten birding path.
What a fantastic Christmas Bird Count here in Homer! There were 66 species seen and three of these species had never been seen before on a Christmas Bird Count:Red-breasted Sapsucker, Anna’s Hummingbird and Ancient Murrelet. During the Count Week (which is three days before and three days after the Count Day), an additional nine species were found, including a Great Blue Heron and a Chestnut-backed Chickadee, both very uncommon on this side of the Bay. Participants, including myself, did their best during the short daylight hours searching hard and long to find the latter two on the Count Day itself, as they had been seen the previous few days and would have been wonderful finds.
Nearly 8000 birds were counted in all. The most numerous species were Rock Sandpipers (2000), Pine Siskin (871), and Black Scoter (845); also hundreds of Mallards, Common Mergansers, Pelagic Cormorants, Common Murre, American Robins, Black-capped Chickadees, Northwestern Crows and Glaucous-winged Gulls. Species of note were six European Starlings, White-throated Sparrow, Townsend’s Solitaire, and—love them or not—there were 13 Ring Necked Pheasants (last year only one could be found).
The weather cooperated and the snow that was predicted thankfully did not fall. This was a huge help although the heavy clouds meant the day was very short. A big thank you to over thirty volunteers who participated, plus other feeder watchers. Thank you to Dave Erikson as coordinator of the Count; this was the 39th consecutive Christmas Bird Count he has coordinated here in Homer! And a big thank you to Islands and Ocean Visitor Center for allowing us to use their wonderful facility.
The final version of the 2015 Kachemak Bay Shorebird Monitoring Project report has been completed by George Matz. The report can be downloaded by clicking the file link below.
The Cranewatch folks would like people to volunteer to count cranes seen on the following dates:
August 27th, September 2nd, and September 8th between the hours of 6:00 am and 11:00 pm.
To submit a report, email reports@cranewatch.org or call and leave a message at 235-6262.
Information needed for each day: Number of cranes: number of adults, number of colts, and the number of cranes with attached transmitters. Date and time and location.
For more information, contact Nina Faust 235-6262.
The Cranewatch folks would like people to volunteer to count cranes seen on the following dates:
August 27th, September 2nd, and September 8th between the hours of 6:00 am and 11:00 pm.
To submit a report, email reports@cranewatch.org or call and leave a message at 235-6262. For more information, contact Nina Faust 235-6262. Information needed for each day: Number of cranes: number of adults, number of colts, and the number of cranes with attached transmitters. Date and time and location.
RED KNOT seen from about 7:45 pm at the evening Viewing Station!!
42 species seen from platform Saturday morning!!
5-9 (morning):PARASITIC JAEGER, ALEUTIAN and ARCTIC TERN, VI
OLET-GREEN SWALLOW, NORTHERN SHOVELER, BLACK BELLIED PLOVERS, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, DOWITCHER, WESTERN SANDPIPERS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LEAST SANDPIPER, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, SANDHILL CRANES, FOX SPARROW, DARK-EYED JUNCO, ROCK PIGEON, AMERICAN ROBIN, AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHERN PINTAIL, MALLARD, BALD EAGLE, HERRING GULL. Out on the water to the west: COMMON EIDER, WHITE-WINGED, SURF and BLACK SCOTERS, HARLEQUIN DUCK, PIGEON GUILLIMOT, COMMON and PACIFIC LOON, RED-NECKED GREBE, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE. Later in the day: NORTHERN HARRIER.
Mud Bay
EMPEROR GOOSE a little south of this area on the morning of the 9thand it was seen later in the afternoon in Mud Bay across on the little spit to the east. Reports said it was with a group of about 4 BRANT. (Earlier seen in the Green Timbers/Louie's Lagoon area—where to check if it's not near Mud Bay.) Also SANDERLINGS, WESTERN SANDPIPERS, LEAST SANDPIPERS, DUNLIN, BLACK-BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, DOWITCHERS sp., SANDHILL CRANES, BONAPARTE'S GULLS, GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS.
Mud Bay Trail
MALLARD, NORTHERN PIINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, WESTERN SANDPIPER, DUNLIN, BALD EAGLE, NORTHWESTERN CROW, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, AMERICAN ROBIN, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL, FOX SPARROW, BLACK-CAPPED and BOREAL CHICKADEES.
Beluga Lake
NORTHERN HARRIER, AMERICAN PIPITS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, TRUMPETER SWANS, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, TREE SWALLOW, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL, VARIED THRUSH.
Beluga Slough/Bishop's Beach
SAVANNAH SPARROW, WHIMBREL, LONG-TAILED DUCKS, AMERICAN PIPITS, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, EURASIAN WIGEON, SANDHILL CRANES,MALLARD, NORTHERN PINTAIL, AMERICAN WIGEON, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, CANADA GOOSE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL, MEW GULL, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPERS, DOWITCHER sp.,AMERICAN ROBIN, BALD EAGLE, NORTHWESTERN CROW, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE.
Out on the Bay
COMMON EIDERS, BLACK TURNSTONES, RUDDY TURNSTONES, SURFBIRDS, ALEUTIAN TERNS, ARCTIC TERNS, BRANT, YELLOW-BILLED LOON, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE.
Around town
SPRUCE GROUSE out East Skyline Drive. PACIFIC WREN on the Calvin and Coyle Trail.
Bay Crest Hill area (overlook coming into Homer)
THREE-TOED WOODPECKER near the Bay Crest Greenhouse. Please let us know if you see this bird!
Anchor River
PARASITIC JAEGER, LONG-TAILED JAEGER, WHIMBREL, MARBLED GODWIT,GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, MALLARD, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN PINTAIL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, GREATER SCAUP, COMMON EIDER (~24), BLACK, SURF, and WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, AMERICN WIGEON, GREATER SCAUP, HARLEQUIN DUCKS, LONG-TAILED DUCKS, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON MERGANSER, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, PACIFIC and COMMON LOON, HORNED and RED-NECKED GREBE, PELAGIC CORMORANT,, SANDHIILL CRANE, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, DUNLIN, WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPERS, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, WILSON'S SNIPE, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, BONAPARTE'S GULL, MEW, HERRING and GLAUCOUS GULL, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, COMMON MURRE, PIGEON GUILLEMOT, NORTHWESTERN CROW, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, AMERICAN ROBIN, SAVANNAH, SONG and FOX SPARROWS.
WHIMBRELS, BLACK BELLIED PLOVERS, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, DOWITCHER, WESTERN SANDPIPERS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LEAST SANDPIPER, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, SANDHILL CRANES, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL, FOX SPARROW, SONG SPARROW, AMERICAN ROBIN, AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHERN PINTAIL, MALLARD, BALD EAGLE, COMMON RAVEN. Many hundreds of COMMON MURRE seen out to the west flying in skeins, traveling north, enormous numbers of them!
Mud Bay
MARBLED GODWITS, WHIMBRELS,~2000 WESTERN SANDPIPERS(2/3) and DUNLIN (1/3), LEAST SANDPIPERS, SEMIPALMATED SAMDPIPER, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS. An interesting observation of some COMMON RAVENS that were down with the sandpipers while they were feeding.
Beluga Lake
NORTHERN HARRIER, AMERICAN PIPITS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, TRUMPETER SWAN, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, TREE SWALLOW, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL, VARIED THRUSH
Beluga Slough
(Possible, as yet unconfirmed) EURASIAN TEAL. AMERICAN PIPITS, EURASIAN WIGEON, SANDHILL CRANES
MARBLED GODWIT, WHIMBRELS, PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS, BLACK BELLIED PLOVERS, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, DOWITCHER, WESTERN SANDPIPERS, YELLOWLEGS sp., PEREGRINE FALCON, MERLIN.
End of the Spit
WANDERING TATTLERS, RUDDY and BLACK TURNSTONES, SURFBIRDS on the jetty at the Harbor mouth (~600 and a few Turnstones were mixed in with them.)
Louie's Lagoon/Green Timbers (mid-spit area)
SURFBIRDS (~500 seen at a different time from those on the Harbor Jetty so could have been the same group. Also both had the Turnstones mixed in with them. WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPERS, DUNLIN, BLACK-BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, MERLIN.
Beluga Slough
WHIMBREL, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, WESTERN SANDPIPERS, DOWITCHER sp., EURASIAN WIGEON, SANDHILIL CRANES.
Anchor Point
Large numbers (many hundreds, maybe a thousand flying by!!) of RED-NECKED PHALAROPE out over the water. SPOTTED SANDPIPER, LEAST SANDPIPER, WESTERN SANDPIPER PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, WHIMBREL, DUNLIN, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER. Also GADWAL, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, CACKLING GEESE, NORTHERN HARRIER, possible PEREGRINE FALCON, LAPLAND LONGSPURS.
Out on the Bay
Possible OSPREY between Gull Is and 60 Foot Rock (4-30). RED-NECKED PHALAROPES. BLACK TURNSTONES on Gull Is and in Eldred Passage (5-5). TUFTED PUFFIN on Gull Island (5-3). Large groups of SURFBIRDS on Gull Island.
PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS, BLACK BELLIED PLOVERS, DOWITCHER sp., “peeps” (Western, Least, Semipalmated Sandpipers) ~250 on (5-4)
End of the Spit
SURFBIRDS on the jetty at the Harbor mouth (~200 on 5-5)
Beluga Slough
Bishop's Beach (5-4) LEAST SANDPIPERS
Out on the Bay
Possible OSPREY between Gull Is and 60 Foot Rock (4-30). RED-NECKED PHALAROPES. BLACK TURNSTONES on Gull Is and in Eldred Passage (5-5). TUFTED PUFFIN on Gull Island (5-3). Large groups of SURFBIRDS on Gull Island.
In/around town
20 miles out East End Rd: Harlan’s Hawk (Several previous reports in Fernwood area ~7 miles out)