PEEP Bird Hotline

Birding & Wildlife Watching on Kachemak Bay

The most recent PEEP Bird hotline entry is below. Help plan your wildlife watching trips in the Homer area by visiting the Birder's Guide to Kachemak Bay website email PEEP(at)islandsandocean.org, or call 235-7337 (PEEP) to report or get updates on bird sightings. Check out the the guide to Responsible Marine Wildlife Viewing in Alaska. You may also purchase a Birding Hotspots Map and Guide at the Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center.

Want to learn the etiquette and ethics of birding? Check out the ABA Birding Ethics.

The 17th Annual Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival is May 7-10, 2009 and the theme is Birds in Culture: Our Brothers and Sisters Return.

KACHEMAK BAY BIRD ALERT INFORMATION LINE

August 14, 2008

There was another sighting of a juvenile NORTHERN WHEATEAR east of town. It was seen on the 13th near Alpine Meadows and East End Road. Also seen in this area was a family of Northern Hawk Owls (3 juveniles and two adult). They could now be listed as a “confirmed breeder” here. A Gray-cheeked Thrush was also seen.

In the bog by Circle Lake, a Short-eared Owl was harassed by a Parasitic Jaeger. This is actually the second report of this sort of incident there. In this same bog, another observer witnessed two adult jaegers coaxing their youngsters to practice flying. (At least that’s what seemed to be happening she said. Lots of noise and they were getting them to fly farther and farther each time, and it went on for almost an hour.)

On the 14th near the Lighthouse Observation Platform a juvenile HUDSONIAN GODWIT was seen. Also there: Long-billed Dowitchers; Spotted, Western, and Least Sandpipers; Semipalmated Plovers and Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs.

On the 13th out in the Bay the following were seen (10-15) SABINE’S GULLS; Parasitic, Pomarine, and Long-tailed Jaegers; Ancient Murrelets; Tufted Puffin; Sooty Shearwater; Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel and Northern Fulmar.

On the 9th a KING EIDER (sub-adult male) was seen from the Mariner Park Beach in with a mixed group of Scoters. Also seen in Mud Bay that day were Black Turnstones, Black-bellied Plovers, Pacific Golden-plover (juv.), Surfbirds, Short-billed Dowitchers, Western Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers and Wandering Tattlers.

On Diamond Ridge Red Crossbills were heard. On the Northfork Road near Knob Hill the following were reported: a Hermit Thrush; White-winged Crossbills; Wilson’s, Townsend’s and Orange-crowned Warblers and a Northern Hawk Owl.

Near Miller’s Landing a pure white juvenile pheasant appeared in with a large group of other pheasants on the 12th. (That observer wondered if it was an escaped domestic one? Hard to believe a wild one could have survived so long being so extremely visible.) Another observer in this area reported a Belted Kingfisher.

Near Fritz Creek a flock of White-winged Crossbills were being seen. He speculated that with the excellent crop of seeds, they might stick around all year?

If you see cranes, especially colts or any banded cranes, please call 235-6262 or email reports@cranewatch.org.

Visit the Refuge Website for information on getting to Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge or call 907-235-6546.