Kenai Birding Festival

Yesterday Connie and I totaled 41 species in an afternoon boat trip and Homer spit birding.  Best bird was a  Black Oystercatch on Cohen Island.  The festival had 109 species in four days so that is great.  Here is the latest report from Lani in Homer:

109 species tallied this morning at the Official Shorebird Festival Tally.  More will be added from today including:

Airport Observation Platform/FAA Rd:
LINCOLN'S SPARROW
RUSTY BLACKBIRD
SAVANNAH SPARROW (also one near Mud Bay)

Beluga Slough:
GADWALL
BELTED KINGFISHER
PACIFIC WREN--south side
HARLAN'S HAWK

COMMON EIDERS--out from Mariner Park

WANDERING TATTLERS--Deep Water Dock jetty, east side

A beautiful day to bird in Seward! And two more FOS's for the Airport.

13 Greater White-fronted Goose
47 Canada Goose
6 Gadwall
20 American Wigeon
6 Mallard
11 Northern Shoveler
41 Northern Pintail
46 Green-winged Teal
5 Bufflehead
9 Common Merganser
1 Bald Eagle
2 Semipalmated Plover
1 Greater Yellowlegs
4 Whimbrel
4 Marbled Godwit         FOS
2 Semipalmated Sandpiper FOS
21 Western Sandpiper
42 Least Sandpiper
2 Dunlin
4 Short-billed Dowitcher
266 Black-legged Kittiwake
2 Bonaparte's Gull
464 Mew Gull
200 Glaucous-winged Gull
17 Arctic Tern
2 Northwestern Crow

Have a super weekend for those of you at the shorebird festival. I'll be back posting in 2 weeks, I am off to band Red Knots on the east coast!

Tasha
Seward

Sat May 7: Pacific Loon, and Yellow-rumped Warbler singing

KACHEMAK BAY BIRD ALERT INFORMATION LINE
May 6, 2011

As of Friday morning 4000 shorebirds were out in Mud Bay-mostly WESTERNS and DUNLIN!!  We knew they'd make it in time.

Mud Bay/Light House Village: MARBLED GODWIT, Hybrid GREEN-WINGED TEAL (5/5), WESTERN SANDPIPERS, LEAST SANDPIPERS, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, DUNLIN, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER.

Mariner Lagoon: OSPREY (5th).

East End Road:  approximately 25 miles out. TURKEY VULTURE!  Previous sighting was last fall in the Anchor Point area.  More information when available. 

Beluga Lake: CANVASBACK (4), LESSER and GREATER SCAUP, RED-NECKED GREBE.  Upper end: NORTHERN GOSHAWK, MERLIN, EURASIAN WIGEON,

Beluga Slough: HUDSONIAN GODWIT, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, CACKLING GEESE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, AMERICAN PIPITS, EURASIAN and AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHERN PINTAILS, NORTHERN SHOVELERS, and GREEN-WINGED TEAL. 

Louie's Lagoon/Green Timbers: RUDDY TURNSTONE, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED and PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, DUNLIN, WESTERN SANDPIPERS, and WHIMBREL. 

Homer Harbor jetty: SURFBIRDS.

Bay: RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, BRANT, YELLOW-BILLED LOON, PACIFIC LOON, RED-FACED and PELAGIC CORMORANT, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, HARLEQUIN DUCKS, GLAUCOUS GULL, PIGEON GUILLEMOT, MARBLED MURRELET, ROCK SANDPIPER.  Gull Island: TUFTED PUFFINS, COMMON MURRE, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, SURFBIRDS.

Calvin and Coyle Trail: FOXSPARROW, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, PINE SISKIN, BOREAL CHICKADEE, VARIED THRUSH, LEAST SANDPIPER.

First singing GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS and SHORT-EARED OWL near
Miller's Landing.

Fritz Creek: TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, MERLIN, NORTHERN GOSHAWK, SHARP-SHINNED HAWK.

If you see or hear SANDHILL CRANES, please report them along with any specific information about the sighting to the Crane Watch: 235-6262 or reports@cranewatch.org

Homer Harbor jetty SURFBIRDS (~100).

Bay: RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, BRANT, YELLOW-BILLED LOON, PACIFIC LOON (15) west of the Spit, RED-FACED and PELAGIC CORMORANT, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, HARLEQUIN DUCKS, GLAUCOUS GULL, PIGEON GUILLEMOT, MARBLED MURRELET, ROCK SANDPIPER.  Gull Island: TUFTED PUFFINS.

Spit: CACKLING GEESE (41) flyover on the 4th.

Louie's Lagoon/Green Timbers: RUDDY TURNSTONE, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED and PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER, DOWITCHER (sp.), DUNLIN, WESTERN SANDPIPERS, and WHIMBREL. 

Mud Bay:  EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL, WESTERN SANDPIPERS, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, DUNLIN, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER.

Beluga Lake: CANVASBACK (4), LESSER and GREATER SCAUP, RED-NECKED GREBE.

Beluga Slough: CACKLING GEESE GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, EURASIAN and AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHERN PINTAILS, NORTHERN SHOVELERS, and GREEN-WINGED TEAL.  And to the north along the beach,  possible nesting PEREGRINE FALCONS above the beach north of the Elk's Club.

Fritz Creek: TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, MERLIN.
 

IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BIRD!!  And a great SHOREBIRD FESTIVAL!!

15 Whimbrel were together in a group at the Kasilof River 5/4/11.  Other shorebirds present were 2 American Golden-Plover, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 15 Hudsonian Godwit, 18 Western Sandpiper, 10 Least Sandpiper, 33 Dunlin, and 44 Short-billed Dowitcher.

At 6 PM tonight off the Kenai Senior Center bluff overlooking the Kenai River there were a half dozen beluga whales visible.  On the way to the bluff three caribou were on the south side of the bridge on the east side.  The birds topped the evening off.  The sandhill cranes, geese, and the arrival of western sandpipers made for a great day.

May 4.

Went out north to Captain Cook State Park and walked up the beach to the 2nd cabin. Tide was outgoing.  Weather was drizzley with a light north wind on the way out.  Weather improved greatly on the way back.

Saw many gulls on the mud flats feeding with 3 being bonapart gulls. 1 sandhill crane flew north close to the beach.  1 trumpeter swan flew south close to the beach. A large flock of around 60 greater white fronted geese flew south.  1 pair of yellow legs were feeding in the mud.  Heard 1 snipe winnow over the bluff.  Saw the usual eagles, ravens, and magpies.

KACHEMAK BAY BIRD ALERT INFORMATION LINE
May 4, 2011

Our Shorebird Festival begins officially tomorrow!  Many great activities and superb birding await you down here in Homer. Y'all come down! Here's what we have now... more birds arriving each and every hour...

On May 3rd there were SURFBIRDS (100+) reported on the Homer Harbor jetty. A YELLOW-BILLED LOON was seen just outside the Harbor.  RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were seen out in the Bay.

TUFTED PUFFINS were seen on the 1st out from Seldovia and on Gull Island on the 3rd.

In Louie's Lagoon in the evening of the 3rd: RUDDY TURNSTONE, BLACK-BELLIED and PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, and WHIMBREL.  The EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL was in Mud Bay before and at high tide on the 3rd. Also in Mud Bay WESTERN SANDPIPERS (45), SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, DUNLIN, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER.

In Beluga Lake on the 2nd: CANVASBACK (4), LESSER SCAUP(3) and many RED-NECKED GREBE.

In Beluga Slough on the 2nd: CACKLING GEESE (25), GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE (130), EURASIAN and AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHERN PINTAILS, NORTHERN SHOVELERS, and GREEN-WINGED TEAL.

Cranewatch reports about the usual number of cranes in Homer this year.  A large group of 92 was seen on the 3rd about 5 miles out East End Rd across from Seaside Farm's Rd.  Interestingly also in with that group were some GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE (3).

A possible pair of nesting PEREGRINE FALCONS was reported above the beach north of the Elk's Club building. 

Reports from an undisclosed location about 10 miles our East End Rd. of a great bunch of singing AMERICAN ROBINS, FOX SPARROWS, VARIED THRUSH, RING-NECKED PHEASANTS (no, not exactly singing) and winnowing WILSON'S SNIPE. And from Portlock area, some GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS singing!

If you see or hear SANDHILL CRANES, please report them along with any specific information about the sighting to the Crane Watch: 235-6262 or reports@cranewatch.org

 
IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BIRD!!  And a great time for the SHOREBIRD FESTIVAL which officially starts officially!!!

Wed May 4: Ruby-crowned Kinglet singing.