Date: 5/22/26 11:31 pm From: George Matz via groups.io <geomatz41...> Subject: [AKBirding] Kachemak Bay Shorebird Monitoring Project, Session #9
Kachemak Bay Shorebird Monitoring Project
2026 Sessions #9
This was a Rare Year
Jumping into the headline, this was a rare year for two reasons; 1) unusual
number of stormy (windy) days, and 2) unusual number of birds species we
saw. Is there a connection?
The spring issue of Audubon magazine says “When skies are clear and winds
push them onward, long-distance migrants are focused on covering distance
and might be scarce on the ground. Dreary spring weather, on the other
hand, can bring a bounty of birds down to earth. A good rule of thumb is
that the worse the weather is, the more you want to bird near water.” (
https://www.audubon.org/magazine/how-harness-spring-weather-spectacular-birding).
And there is the added factor of big Pacific storms blowing birds to
Alaska’s shores, which may be a significant reason why Eurasian species are
showing up here.
More below.
On Thursday, May 21, the Kachemak Bay Birders had its ninth and final
shorebird monitoring sessions this year. Our sessions last two hours. This
session started at 8:00 AM. For consistency, starting time is when the
outgoing tide approaches 15.0 feet, or high tide if less. This session when
we started monitoring the outgoing tide was 15.2 feet. A high tide of 18.3
feet occurred at 6:14 this morning. This is our 18th consecutive year of
monitoring, following the same protocol each year. Because our monitoring
dates try to bracket the spring shorebird migration, the first and last
sessions tend to have just a few shorebird sightings. All observations are
submitted to eBird and the ISS portal.
Despite the weather forecast, this session we had 20 birders at Homer Spit
sites, 3 at Beluga Slough, 2 at Island and Islets, 6 at the Anchor River,
and 2 at the Kasilof River. A total of 33 birders participated in this
session.
It turned out that the forecast was worse than the actual weather.
According to the NWS station at the Homer Airport (
https://forecast.weather.gov/data/obhistory/PAHO.html ), at 7:53 AM winds
were variable at 5 mph, the sky was overcast with light rain, the
temperature was 44°, and the barometric pressure was 29.81”. At 9:53 AM
conditions were the same with the exception of the barometric pressure
dropping slightly to 29.79”. The average high temperature for this date is
55° and the low is 39°.
Although the weather in Homer over the past several weeks has been on the
cool and wet side, what has been rare for spring is the windy, gusty
conditions. The chart below illustrates.
This brings up the many rare sightings we have had this year Using the
Checklist of Birds; Kachemak Bay, Alaska as a reference, which define;
Rare (R) -Nearly annual in small numbers in appropriate habitat,
Casual (Ca) – Not annual, but future occurrence is likely.
Accidental (A) – Exceptional occurrence (I or 2 records).
This year we saw species which aren’t even on this checklist. Not all were
seen during one of our sessions, but all were by birders who participate in
the shorebird monitoring project.
Not on the list.
· Wood Sandpiper
· Garganey (duck)
Others are;
· Steller’s Eider - R in spring
· Common Eider – R in spring
· Bristle-thighed Curlew – Ca in spring
· Ruff – A in spring
· Ivory Gull – A in winter
· Caspian Tern – R in spring
· Osprey – R in spring
· Barn Swallow – Ca in spring
Now for the close-out. This session, 17species of shorebirds were seen, and
their counts by site are:
· Dunlin – Mud Bay (20), Louie’s Lagoon (1), Green Timbers (18) .
· Least Sandpiper- Louie’s Lagoon (1), Green Timbers (1), Anchor
(2), .
· Western Sandpiper – Mud Bay (44), Louie’s Lagoon (32), Green
Timbers (120), Anchor (3),
· Semiplamated Sandpiper – Mud Bay (1),
· Peeps – Louie’s Lagoon (10), Anchor (7).
· Wilson’s Snipe; Kasilof (1).
· Red-necked Phalarope – Mud Bay (1), Kasilof (1).
Below are the non-shorebird species reported for the eighth seventh
session. Swallows have arrived.
*Homer Spit*
Waterfowl: Greater White-fronted Goose, Brant, American Wigeon, Northern
Shoveler, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Harlequin Duck,
Greater Scaup, Black Scoter, Common Merganser.
Loons and Grebes: Pacific loon, Common Loon.
Gulls: Short-billed Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake,
Short-billed Gull, American Herring X Glaucous-winged Gull,.
Raptors; Bald Eagle.
Misc; Ring-necked Pheasant, Rock Pigeon, Sandhill Crane, Pelagic Cormorant.
Songbirds; American Crow, Common Raven, Song Sparrow, American Crow,
swallow, American Robin, Fox Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Savanah
Sparro, Song Sparrow.
*Beluga Slough and Bishops Beach*
Waterfowl; American Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal,
scoter,
Misc.; Ring-necked Pheasant, Rock Pigeon, Sandhill Crane.
Gulls; Black-legged Kittiwake, Bonaparte’s Gull,
Loons and Grebes; Common Loon.
Raptors: Bald Eagle.
Songbirds; American Crow, swallow, American Robin, Fox Sparrow,
Golden-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Yellow-rumped
Warbler.
Date: 5/22/26 10:01 pm From: rainyday via groups.io <c_griz...> Subject: [AKBirding] Tuesday, May 19, 2026 More photos of Bar-tailed Godwits, Long-billed Dowitchers, Wandering Tattler and Friday May 22 update
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 More photos of Bar-tailed Godwits, Long-billed Dowitchers, Wandering Tattler
Seward, Alaska
The dismal weather may have encouraged a handsome pair of BAR-TAILED GODWITS, about 13 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, and at least one WANDERING TATTLER to linger. What a pleasure to study and photograph these long-distance migrants!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
Friday, May 22, 2026 Pipits, Geese, Whimbrels, Tattler
Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 5:04 am, sunset 10:47 pm for a total day length of 17 hours and 42 minutes. Tomorrow will be 4 minutes and 12 seconds longer.
The cool, rainy May weather is stuck and getting monotonous: an overnight low of 33 today with a high of 38. Fresh dusting of snow on the mountains and rain at sea level. Nonetheless, even cold rain is the color green as evidenced by greening grass and emerging leaves.
I last spotted the BAR-TAILED GODWITS, DOWITCHERS, and DUNLINS on May 19.
But the slow, cool spring may have contributed to the lingering 85 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and 25 CACKLING GEESE.
Surprisingly, six HUDSONIAN WHIMBRELS and one WANDERING TATTLER probed among the rocks and wrack at Scheffler Creek despite the human and dog disturbances. A tiny male YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER flitted among them for flies.
New today, a large pulse of about 50 AMERICAN PIPITS popped up from the grasses in the upper field along the Airport Road.
The TRUMPETER SWAN is sitting on her nest at the Mile 1 Nash Road. I hope they built this year’s nest high enough to keep the eggs out of the frigid water.
About 10 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS swooped about catching some of the numerous insects. I saw a few TREE SWALLOWS but Swallow numbers seem quite low.
The SAW-WHET OWL has been beeping from lower Mt Marathon as early as 9 am. (!)
No sign of “my” Hummingbird since the first sighting last week. Hmmmm.
Date: 5/18/26 2:17 pm From: George Matz via groups.io <geomatz41...> Subject: [AKBirding] Kachemak Bay Shorebirds Session #8
Kachemak Bay Shorebird Monitoring Project
2026 Sessions #8
Stormy but still lots of birds.
On Saturday, May 16 the Kachemak Bay Birders had its eighth of nine
scheduled shorebird monitoring sessions for this year. Our sessions last
two hours. This session started at 5:00 PM. For consistency, starting
time is when the outgoing tide approaches 15.0 feet, or high tide if less.
This session when we started monitoring the outgoing tide was 15.1 feet. A
high tide of 18.6 feet occurred at 3:16 this afternoon. This is our 18th
consecutive year of monitoring, following the same protocol each year.
Because our monitoring dates try to bracket the spring shorebird migration,
the first and last sessions tend to have just a few shorebird sightings.
All observations are submitted to eBird and the ISS portal.
This session we had 17 birders at Homer Spit sites, 3 at Beluga Slough, 5
at the Anchor River, and 2 at the Kasilof River. The Island and Islets team
of 3 monitored the day after due to stormy conditions. Cindy, in Seldovia
did not go out at all because of high seas and said “that’s four monitoring
sessions cancelled this year due to high winds!” A total of 30 birders
participated in this session.
Very windy conditions. At Mariner Park Lagoon, which is a stationary site
where we generally sit, gusts were so strong that it blew away your chair
if you weren’t sitting in it, which happened a couple of times to each of
us. Needless to say, birds were not flying much. According to the NWS
station at the Homer Airport (
https://forecast.weather.gov/data/obhistory/PAHO.html ), at 4:53 PM winds
were from the E at 12 mph, the sky was cloudy, the temperature was 46.9°,
and the barometric pressure was 29.84”. At 6:53 PM. the wind was E at 22mph
with gusts to 35 mph, cloudy with light rain, the temperature was still
45°, and the barometric pressure rose to 29.76”.
As expected, the peak of the migration has passed, but there were still
lots of shorebirds to see as well as newly arrived songbirds. Here are the
22 shorebird species we saw this session, plus the count by site. Nice
demonstration of diversity. The Anchor River has the mot species with 18.
· Black Oystercatcher – Islands & Islets (1). Anchor (1).
Date: 5/16/26 11:26 pm From: rainyday via groups.io <c_griz...> Subject: [AKBirding] Saturday, May 16, 2026 Bar-tailed Godwit, Dowitchers, Pacific Golden-Plover, and a Rufous Hummingbird
Saturday, May 16, 2026 Bar-tailed Godwit, Dowitchers, Pacific Golden-Plover, and a Rufous Hummingbird
Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 5:17 am, sunset 10:33 pm for a total day length of 17 hours and 15 minutes. Tomorrow will be 4 minutes and 37 seconds longer.
Cool and cloudy weather continued this week, with a low of 35 and a high of 40 today. More of the same with moderate rain forecast for the next week as another big storm blows in from the Gulf of Alaska.
This morning, two VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS swooped low over the road hunting insects (mosquitoes have emerged), revealing their diagnostic white rumps. I hope they find one of my nesting boxes suitable!
I heard my FOS HERMIT THRUSH singing in my yard, and watched my FOS YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER fly-catch from a willow at Nash Road wetlands.
At the tidelands, a pale female BAR-TAILED GODWIT probed through the mud for marine worms, small clams, and crustaceans. The bars on her tail became visible only when she flew.
The Alaskan subspecies baueri breeds on sub-Arctic and Arctic coasts and tundra. They are famous for their non-stop flight across the Pacific Ocean without feeding to reach their nonbreeding grounds in New Zealand and eastern Australia. In 2022 a juvenile flew 8,425 miles from Alaska to Tasmania in 11 days, 1 hour, setting a record.
Another long-distance flyer from Hawaii, a female PACIFIC-GOLDEN PLOVER, gleaned sluggish flies from the wrack line. Other shorebirds included my FOS SPOTTED SANDPIPER, small numbers of WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPERS, SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, and a GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS.
Nine DOWITCHERS continued to feed in the shallows of the pond.
An adult BALD EAGLE swooped into the flats, scattering alarmed NORTHERN PINTAILS, GADWALL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN WIGEON, and MALLARDS. She landed, grabbed a huge piece of seaweed (?), and stroked powerfully back to her nest.
Small lingering flocks of CACKLING and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE fed in the sedges, and a single HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL dined in wet areas in the upland grasses.
Around 6 pm, my FOS female RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD magically appeared at my feeder, just as if she never left. My neighbor reported their first one Friday and one was reported at Bear Lake on Thursday.
Date: 5/13/26 4:15 pm From: George Matz via groups.io <geomatz41...> Subject: [AKBirding] KBay Shorebird Monitoring Session #7
Kachemak Bay Shorebird Monitoring Project
2026 Sessions #6 and 7
Shorebird Festival Week
As mentioned in my previous report, I was not anticipating having time to
write a report for session #6 which was the day before the Kachemak Bay
Shorebird Festival started. Not only did I have to finalize my presentation
for the next day at the festival, but I didn’t want to miss out on the
activities. Also, one of the purposes of these reports is to give birders
some idea as to what they can expect in Kachemak Bay in the next few days.
But this task was well covered by the Kachemak Bay Birders daily report for
each site. See https://kachemakbaybirders.org/ for a summary which is more
inclusive than what my 6th session report would be.
With regards to the shorebird festival, as they say, you had to be there.
As predicted, the peak of the shorebird migration overlapped with the
festival. Every day, new arrivals scrambled over the mud flats looking for
food. Not only was there a good diversity of species, but a growing
abundance of sandpipers and other shorebirds. The numbers increased to the
point that murmuration’s (i.e. birds flying in massive, shifting, and
synchronized groups) would spontaneously fill the horizon. But a picture is
worth a thousand words; so, go to
https://www.facebook.com/groups/314325294719990 to see for yourself.
Complimentary to what was happening outside, were presentations inside,
which covered a wide variety of subjects of keen interest to the birding
community. A highlight was the inspiring keynote address by Alvaro Jaramillo
who reminded us that “There is perhaps no activity as complete as birding,
in that it can be enjoyed in a multitude of ways, by essentially every type
of person.”
Not on the agenda, but definitely a crowd pleaser was finding an Ivory Gull
on Sunday afternoon, the last day of the festival. This rare bird, last
seen in Homer in 1963, was an easy-to-get lifer. You didn’t have to climb
steep slopes or wade through murky bogs to see it, you just had to get to
the end of the harbor where there is a fish processing facility. There it
was, on the dock placidly looking for scraps of fish.
So, now on to post-festival. On Monday, May 11 the Kachemak Bay Birders had
its seventh of nine scheduled shorebird monitoring sessions for this
year. Our sessions last two hours. This session started at 10:30 AM. For
consistency, starting time is when the outgoing tide approaches 15.0 feet,
or high tide if l2 in Seldovia, ess than that. This morning when we started
monitoring, the high tide was only 12.9 feet, which is the same as the high
tide for day that occurred at 10:38. This is our 18th consecutive year of
monitoring, following the same protocol each year. Because our monitoring
dates try to bracket the spring shorebird migration, the first and last
sessions tend to have just a few shorebird sightings. All observations are
submitted to eBird and the ISS portal.
This session we had 18 birders at Homer Spit sites, 4 at Beluga Slough, 2
in Seldovia, 8 at the Anchor River, 2 at the Kasilof River. A total of 36
birders participated in this session. A boat trip to the other side of the
bay was not scheduled due to festival demands.
According to the NWS station at the Homer Airport (
https://forecast.weather.gov/data/obhistory/PAHO.html ), at 9:53 AM winds
were from the S at 8 mph, the sky was mostly cloudy, the temperature was
43°, and the barometric pressure was 29.95”. At 12:53 PM. the wind was E at
8 mph, cloudy with light rain, the temperature was still 43°, and the
barometric pressure rose to 29.97”. The average high for this date is 53°
and the low is 38°.
Still lots of shorebirds around. This session we had 22 species including
Wandering Tattler and Red-necked Phalarope as FOS. Neither Surfbirds nor
Rock Sandpipers were seen, which tend to be seen more often on the other
side of the bay which wasn’t monitored this session. A total of thousands
of Western Sandpipers and Dunlin were present at all sites. The big
surprise was how many sandpipers were in Seldovia; 1,000 Dunlin and 4,000
peeps which were mostly Western Sandpipers.
Here are the species we saw this session, plus the count by site.
· Black Oystercatcher – Louie’s Lagoon (1), Seldovia (5).
· Peep – Green Timbers (318), Beluga Slough (664), Seldovia
(4,000). Anchor (61),
· Wilson’s Snipe -Kasilof (2).
· Red-necked Phalarope – Kasilof (2).
Below are the non-shorebird species reported for the seventh session. One
thing that should be noticeable is the presence of more songbirds. Also,
the Ivory Gull was not seen during the monitoring session.
Loons and Grebes; Eagle Common Loon, Horned Grebe.
Alcids: Marbled Murrelet, Pigeon Guillemot.
Gulls; Short-billed Gull, Glaucous-winged, Gull.
Raptors; Bald Eagle.
Songbirds; American Crow, Common Raven, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Varied
Thrush, Hermit Thrush, American Pipit, Fox Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song
Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow.
*Anchor Point/River*
Waterfowl;. Greater White-fronted Goose, Cackling Goose, Northern
Shoveller, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail,
Green-winged Teal, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged
Scoter, Black scoter, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser.
Looks and Grebes: Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Common Loon, Pacific Loon.
Gulls;
Alcids: Marbled Murrelet.
Misc.: Sandhill Crane, Pelagic Cormorant.
Raptors; American Goshawk, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle.
Songbirds; Black-billed Magpie, American Crow, Tree Swallow, American
Pipit, Lapland Longspur, Fox Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow.
Loons and Grebes: Horned Grebe, Red-throated Loon, Common Loon,
Raptors; Osprey, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle, Merlin,
Songbirds; Black-billed Magpie, American Crow, Common Raven, Ruby-crowned
Kinglet, American Robin, American Pipit, Dark-eyed Junco, Savannah Sparrow,
Lincoln’s Sparrow.
Details, including photos, of these birds can be seen via eBird. Go to
Explore, enter Kenai Peninsula, and then to More Recent Visits.
Date: 5/10/26 8:03 am From: Lani Raymond via groups.io <lanibirder...> Subject: [AKBirding] Shorebird Festival: Saturday species +
*2026 Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival: SPECIES TALLY*
*Species seen Saturday, May 9th *
As of Saturday evening, we have had 131 species reported for the Festival.
(The average number of species in the last 25 years is 130). Some snow
yesterday, but birders out enjoying great birding, because *It’s Always a
Great Day to Bird*, as the Kachemak Bay Birders’ motto states.
*New species* seen Saturday: HORNED LARK at Mud Bay
*Numbers *as posted for Saturday evening at Mud Bay:
1000 WESTERN SANDPIPERS
500 DUNLIN
200 LEAST SANDPIPERS
30 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS
25 HUDSONIAN WHIMBRELS
*Saturday locations:*
RED KNOT: Mud Bay
MARBLED GODWIT: Anchor Pt, Beluga Slough/Bishops Beach, Beluga Lake,
Louies/Green Timbers, Mariner Park
HUDSONIAN GODWIT: Anchor Point, Beluga Slough/Bishops Beach, Louies/Green
Timbers
PECTORAL SANDPIPER: Anchor Point, Beluga Slough/Bishops Beach, Beluga Lake
SPOTTED SANDPIPER: Mariner Park
RUDDY TURNSTONE: Mariner Park, Anchor Point
RED-TAILED HAWK: Beluga Slough/Bishops Beach
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK: Beluga Slough/Bishops Beach
SHORT-EARED OWL: Anchor Point
AMERICAN DIPPER: 6 miles up North Fork Rd.
(The BRISTLE-THIGHED CURLEW was not seen on Saturday.)
*Missing species:*
We do have 131 species on our list as of Saturday night, but we are missing
the following species which we would have expected to have on our list
already:
PACIFIC WREN
DOWNY WOODPECKER
HAIRY WOODPECKER
NORTHERN SHRIKE
No eiders or flycatchers yet and still only one warbler (ORANGE-CROWNED
WARBLER)…
Date: 5/9/26 8:16 am From: Lani Raymond via groups.io <lanibirder...> Subject: [AKBirding] CORRECTION!!!
*2026 Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival: SPECIES TALLY*
*Species seen Friday, May 8th*
A BRISTLE-THIGHED CURLEW was seen in Mud Bay early Friday morning, in with
a group of nearly 60 HUDSONIAN WHIMBRELS! The flock was flushed by an
eagle, and the curlew was identified by its rump patch. No one was able to
relocate it later, unfortunately. Several other new species were found also
including SANDERLING, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, OSPREY, and some songbirds,
although only the one warbler so far, the orange-crowned, a ways east of
town has been reported. *It Was A Great Day to Bird!*
Date: 5/9/26 8:05 am From: Lani Raymond via groups.io <lanibirder...> Subject: [AKBirding] Shorebird Festival: Friday species
*2026 Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival: SPECIES TALLY*
*Species seen Thursday, May 7th*
A BRISTLE-THIGHED CURLEW was seen in Mud Bay early Friday morning, in with
a group of nearly 60 HUDSONIAN WHIMBRELS! The flock was flushed by an
eagle, and the curlew was identified by its rump patch. No one was able to
relocate it later, unfortunately. Several other new species were found also
including SANDERLING, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, OSPREY, and some songbirds,
although only the one warbler so far, the orange-crowned, a ways east of
town has been reported. *It Was A Great Day to Bird!*
Friday, May 8, 2026 FOS Dunlins, Marbled Godwit, Wandering Tattler
Seward, Alaska
The drizzle returned but delivered exciting First of Season birds including small numbers of bright breeding plumage DUNLINS sporting black bellies feeding among the WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPERS.
The big excitement was a magnificent MARBLED GOTWIT strolling and feeding on the mudflats. The largest of the Godwits, it stands at 18” high, with a very impressive, long bi-colored bill. We heard its call, but did not find until it flew farther away. Great camo! The outstretched wings revealed distinctive cinnamon-colored linings.
A large flock of about 30 HUDSONIAN WHIMBRELS landed in the estuary pond to preen and probe. Other smaller flocks flew overhead.
About 20 DOWITCHERS, too far to determine species, clustered in the shallows, stitching away like mechanical sewing machines.
The single SAVANNAH SPARROW finally had company as a small pulse joined him to pluck sluggish flies from the beach sand.
ARCTIC TERNS flew back and forth from the tidewater to the shore, many carrying small fish including salmon smolt. A proud male seemed reluctant to relinquish his prize and teased his waiting lady as he paraded around and around, close then far, then close. She repeatedly opened her lipstick-red bill and begged before he finally forked it over. What a guy has to do!
Robin C alerted me to a FOS WANDERING TATTLER at Scheffler Creek south of the boat harbor Uplands by the pedestrian bridge. It took me a while, but I finally found one, poking along the edge and in the wrack-covered rocks.
The search was productive, however, as I found two or three Hudsonian Whimbrels stalking secretively through the rocks. One took offense at another and aggressively flew in to chase it away. This was interesting; all the other Whimbrels I’ve seen seemed to tolerate each other in close proximity.
Date: 5/8/26 11:17 pm From: rainyday via groups.io <c_griz...> Subject: [AKBirding] Wednesday, May 6, 2026 Swallows, Least and Western Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, Merlin
Wednesday, May 6, 2026 Swallows, Least and Western Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, Merlin
Seward, Alaska
Unexpected and much appreciated sunshine today! FOS 4 SWALLOWS swooped high above my yard, too far to ID or photograph. Fortunately, they are back in time to catch the slow-moving, recently emerged female mosquitoes.
At the head of the bay, the lone SNOW GOOSE persisted, with CACKLING GEESE and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE.
Eight PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVERS stalked through the grasses.
In the shallow pond, smaller numbers of HUDSONIAN GODWITS and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS fed voraciously.
At the tidelands, a pulse of WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPERS probed the rich intertidal. Up close, it was easy to compare the black legs and coppery rufous on the Westerns to the rather drab plumage of the leastest sandpiper with its yellowish legs. Most of these peeps were actively feeding, but at least one stole a much-deserved nap.
A few dapper SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS joined the peeps for mudflat treats.
I spied a MERLIN perched on a snag, also interested in the new arrivals. A few years ago, a friend reported their yard littered with shorebird parts from a nesting pair in the Forest Acres neighborhood. Not a pretty sight!
Date: 5/8/26 9:48 am From: Lani Raymond via groups.io <lanibirder...> Subject: [AKBirding] Shorebird Festival: THURSDAY species
*2026 Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival: SPECIES TALLY*
*Species seen Thursday, May 7th*
The RED KNOT was seen at Mud Bay again today. Some firsts: ORANGE-CROWNED
WARBLER just past the end of East End Rd, first warbler, and AMERICAN
THREE-TOED WOODPECKER at Calvin and Coyle, first woodpecker. Other notable
sightings today: SNOW GOOSE near the Harbor, POMARINE JAEGER in Chinitna
Bay, NORTHERN FULMAR near Ninilchik.
Date: 5/7/26 8:05 am From: Lani Raymond via groups.io <lanibirder...> Subject: [AKBirding] Shorebird Festival: Wednesday species.
*2026 Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival: SPECIES TALLY*
*Species seen Wednesday, May 6th*
Sunshine today at the Festival. A RED KNOT was seen at Green Timbers in the
afternoon sun, EURASIAN WIGEON and a CASPIAN TERN at Mud Bay, bright colors
in the sunshine. Many interesting birds. No Ruff was found. Yet.
As Kachemak Bay Birders always say, “It Was a Good Day to Bird!”. Especially
true during Festival time.
Date: 5/6/26 9:27 pm From: rainyday via groups.io <c_griz...> Subject: [AKBirding] Tuesday, May 5, 2026 Hudsonian Godwits, Long-billed Dowitchers, Whimbrels
Tuesday, May 5, 2026 Hudsonian Godwits, Long-billed Dowitchers, Whimbrels
Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 5:44 am, sunset 10:06 pm, for a total day length of 16 hours and 21 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 6 seconds longer.
The pattern of gray, overcast skies with light showers continued today, with temps ranging from 34 to 41. Thanks to the long hours of daylight, green spears poke ever higher among the dead grasses, pussy willows popped, and buds are swelling, but it’s still early Spring.
The songs of VARIED THRUSHES and ROBINS greeted me this morning; recent arrivals to the ’hood.
Robin reported two Surfbirds and two Black Oystercatchers at low tide at Spring Creek Beach. I failed to refind them in the drizzle, but found two FOS DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS at Fourth of July Beach and an impressive surf.
The rain lifted at the head of the bay where I enjoyed watching four gold-spangled PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVERS stop/start as they plucked invertebrates from the mud. A stealthy GREAT BLUE HERON cruised past. Skydiving WILSON’S SNIPE winnowed eerily, trying to impress hidden females.
A single SNOW GOOSE joined small flocks of continuing voracious GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and CACKLING GEESE, even as more Geese arrived and others continued their narrated migration north.
To my great delight, two small flocks of SANDHILL CRANES bugled and circled before ultimately deciding to move on. HUDSONIAN WHIMBRELS trilled from the dead grasses, blending in perfectly.
In the shallows of the estuary pond, 7 FOS HUDSONIAN GODWITS and 7 smaller FOS LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS prodded and poked in the water.
The long bi-colored Godwit bills remained mostly submerged, but emerged briefly as if to take a breath before plunging underwater again. When they flew, their black tail and bright white rumps flashed and they revealed the diagnostic black underwings.
A flock of bright WESTERN SANDPIPERS swooped and swerved in synchrony to feed among the Godwits in exposed mud.
Pesky RAVENS roused the ire of SHORT-BILLED GULLS and ARCTIC TERNS, perhaps amused by the acrobatic challenge to avoid their sharp bills as they repeatedly invaded the nesting territories.
Back at the parking lot, a FOS RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET belted out his chipper song.
Later, around 11 pm, I again heard a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL beeping from Little Bear Mountain.
Though possible snow is still in the forecast, Winter is doomed with these beautiful and vocal harbingers of Spring.
Date: 5/5/26 10:42 pm From: Lani Raymond via groups.io <lanibirder...> Subject: [AKBirding] Shorebird Festival--Preliminary Report
*Our Festival begins tomorrow, May 6th. Hope some of you will be able to
come down and join us!*
*2026 Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival: Species Tally*
*PRELIMINARY REPORT (May 3rd-5th)*
The Shorebird Festival is off to a great start. An adult male RUFF was
spotted at the Anchor River on the 3rd and also seen on the 4th. He sure
got a lot of birders out to see this beautiful bird, and he became an early
herald for our Festival. No further reports, however, as of the evening of
the 5th, but hope he’s still around and folks will find him again soon!
Many shorebirds and other species are already here. SANDHILL CRANES can be
found all over town. Snipe winnowing, VARIED THRUSH and FOX and SONG
SPARROWS heard singing. Not too many songbirds yet, but more each day. A
list of some of the species seen May 3-5 below.
A largest number of ‘peeps” seen so far was on the 4th at Green
Timbers/Louie’s Lagoon: 1000 WESTERN SANDPIPERS.
*Anchor River*: RUFF* (seen 3rd and 4th) *HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL, EURASIAN
WHIMBREL, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, MARBLED GODWIT, BLACK TURNSTONE, both
DOWITCHERS, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, PACIFIC
GOLDEN-PLOVER, COMMON EIDER, RED-THROATED LOON, PARASITIC JAEGER
Date: 5/3/26 5:57 pm From: George Matz via groups.io <geomatz41...> Subject: [AKBirding] Kachemak Bay Shorebird Monitoring Session #5
Kachemak Bay Shorebird Monitoring Project
2026 Session #5
Many New Arrivals
On Friday, May 1 the Kachemak Bay Birders had its fifth of nine scheduled
shorebird monitoring sessions for this year. Our sessions last two hours.
This session started at 5:00 PM. For consistency, starting time is when the
outgoing tide approaches 15.0 feet, or high tide if less than that. This
morning when we started monitoring, the high tide was 15.2 feet. High tide
was 17.4 feet at 3:33 PM. This is our 18th consecutive year of monitoring,
following the same protocol each year. Because our monitoring dates try to
bracket the spring shorebird migration, the first and last sessions tend to
have just a few shorebird sightings. All observations are submitted to
eBird and the ISS portal.
This session we had 14 birders at Homer Spit sites, 4 at Beluga Slough, 5
at the Anchor River, 3 via boat across the bay on Saturday morning when the
small craft warning lifted, and 2 at the Kasilof River. Due to small-craft
warnings no monitoring was attempted at Seldovia. A total of 28 birders
participated in this session. Pretty good considering the weather.
Conditions were quite gusty, especially earlier in the day. The wind
affected waterfowl and shorebirds; most stayed on the ground and foraged.
According to the NWS station at the Homer Airport (
https://forecast.weather.gov/data/obhistory/PAHO.html ), at 4:53 PM winds
were from the S at 8 mph, the sky was overcast with light rain, the
temperature was 41°, and the barometric pressure was 29.45”. At 6:53 PM.
the wind was variable 5 mph, light rain continued, the temperature was
still 41°, and the barometric pressure rose to 29.51”. However, just before
monitoring began winds at the airport (which are less than the Spit) were
from the E at 15 mph with gusts to 26 mph. During monitoring the wind
shifted to SE at 9 mph with gusts to 20 mph. The average high for this
date is 51° and the low is 36°.
Despite the winds, we had good birding and we are definitely getting into
the peak of the migration (just in time for the shorebird festival). We saw
18 species of shorebirds this session, compared to only 12 last session.
Plus, many more of the common shorebirds. One species we didn’t see this
session is the Wilson’s Snipe, which really isn’t a shorebird and common in
wet, marshy woods around Homer. New species include Semipalmated Plover,
Hudsonian Godwit, Long-billed Dowitcher (though no yet confirmed), Ruddy
Turnstone, Surfbird, Least Sandpiper, and Ruff. The Ruff is the big news.
It’s a bizarre looking Eurasian bird that is rare to all of North America.
It’s on the Kachemak Bay Birders checklist (so I assume it has been seen
here before) and listed as accidental.
Here are the species we saw this session, plus the count by site.
· Black Oystercatcher – Islands and Islets (2).
· Black-bellied Plover – Mud Bay (1), Louie’s Lagoon (16), Green
Timbers (18), Outer Spit (1). Anchor Point (59), Kasilof (27).
· Pacific Golden-Plover – Louie’s Lagoon (2), Green Timbers (1),
Outer Spit (1), Anchor Point (1). Kasilof (1).
· Semipalmated Plover – Louie’s Lagoon (3), Green Timbers (9),
Anchor Point (6), Kasilof (1).
· Hudsonian Whimbrel – Mud Bay (2), Louie’s Lagoon (4), Outer Spit
(1), Anchor Point (2), Kasilof (12).
· Marbled Godwit. – Mud Bay (8).
· Hudsonian Godwit – Mud Bay (3), Kasilof (11).
· Greater Yellowlegs – Mud Bay (1), Mariner Park Lagoon (3), Beluga
Slough (7), Anchor Point (27), Kasilof (33).
· Lesser Yellowlegs – Anchor Point (4), Kasilof (7).
· Ruff – Anchor Point (1).
· Short-billed Dowitcher – Mud Bay (12), Louie’s Lagoon (3), Green
Timbers (7), Kasilof (65).
· Long-billed Dowitcher; Anchor Point (3).
· Ruddy Turnstone – Louie’s Lagoon (3), Green Timbers (1).
· Surfbird – Islands and Islets (72).
· Dunlin – Mud Bay (1), Louie’s Lagoon (16), Green Timbers (6),
Anchor Point (5), Kasilof (11).
· Least Sandpiper- Louie’s Lagoon (54), Anchor Point (6).
· Western Sandpiper – Mud Bay (23), Louie’s Lagoon (36), Green
Timbers (12), Anchor Point (34), Kasilof (140).
· Peep – Louie’ Lagoon (200), Green Timbers (2), Outer Spit (25),
Beluga Slough (8), Anchor point (40).
· Rock Sandpiper – Islands and Islets (2).
Below are the non-shorebird species reported for the fifth session. New
species include;
The big news is the Garganey that was reported at the Anchor River. That’s
two biggies for the Anchor River team this session. However, I caution, it
has not yet been confirmed. It is not on our checklist.
Audubon says the Garganey is a “A long-distance migrant in the Old World,
the Garganey sometimes goes off course, and might turn up almost anywhere
in North America. Most likely to be seen in spring, on marshy ponds of the
sort favored by Blue-winged Teal. In the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska,
occurs as a rare migrant in spring and very rarely in fall.”
It seems there were more raptors present, especially Merlin. Big flocks of
shorebirds look appetizing to them. Also, a Eurasian Wigeon at Anchor Point
is recent, though some have been reported earlier. An Arctic Tern at the
Kasilof is a FOS for this project..
Date: 4/29/26 11:57 pm From: rainyday via groups.io <c_griz...> Subject: [AKBirding] Wednesday, April 29, 2026 Semipalmated Plover, Western and Least Sandpipers, and more!
Wednesday, April 29, 2026 Semipalmated Plover, Western and Least Sandpipers, and more!
Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 6:01 am, sunset 9:51 pm for a total day length of 15 hours and 50 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 15 seconds longer.
Winter and Spring continued to battle out the last few days of April with hard rain, sleet showers, drizzle, sprinkles, chilly winds, then a surprise blast of warm sunshine, and repeat. Temps ranged from 27 to 38 with more rain and even snow in the forecast.
The turbulent weather did not seem to deter migrating birds and many First of Season (FOS) species arrived this week, along with more flocks of GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, CACKLING GEESE, and ducks. ARCTIC TERN numbers increased every day, several toting Stickleback gifts for courting.
On Saturday, April 25, I heard the growly voices of BONAPARTE’S GULLS and photographed two with their distinctive black hoods looking petite next to SHORT-BILLED GULLS. One tired migrant enjoyed a well-deserved a nap.
On Sunday, April 26, I found a single BRANT, a male and female NORTHERN HARRIER, and heard the complaint of a WILSON’S SNIPE.
On Monday, April 27, I flushed a Snipe from the side of the road by Dairy Hill. Tasha reported five BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS at Spring Creek Beach. Ten SNOW GEESE lingered at the head of the bay.
On Tuesday, April 28, two SANDHILL CRANES continued their flight north while another pulse of AMERICAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL dabbled along the beach. A drake EURASIAN WIGEON mingled with the Teal, AMERICAN WIGEON, MALLARDS, GADWALL, NORTHERN PINTAILS, and NORTHERN SHOVELERS.
I heard the SAW-WHET OWL beeping from Little Bear Mt around 11 pm.
This morning, I heard the haunting flight call of a COMMON LOON heading north though the clouds. A single PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER called as it circled high in the sky; it was a challenge to photograph the speck!
FOS GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS sang their plaintive “Oh, dear me” song at Lowell Point Beach.
The evening, the FOS SEMIPALMATED PLOVER arrived, hanging out with a dozen peeps including LEAST and WESTERN SANDPIPERS.
More shorebirds and songbirds are on their way. Clean and fill your hummingbird feeders for the Rufous Hummers!
Date: 4/28/26 12:03 am From: George Matz via groups.io <geomatz41...> Subject: [AKBirding] KBay Shorebird Monitoring Session #4
Kachemak Bay Shorebird Monitoring Project
2026 Session #4
New Songbirds
On Sunday, April 26 the Kachemak Bay Birders had its fourth of nine
scheduled shorebird monitoring sessions for this year. Our sessions last
two hours. This session started at 11:30 AM. For consistency, starting time
is when the outgoing tide approaches 15.0 feet, or high tide if less than
that. This morning when we started monitoring, the high tide was 14.7 feet.
High tide was 14.7 feet at 11:42 AM. This is our 18th consecutive year of
monitoring, following the same protocol each year. Because our monitoring
dates try to bracket the spring shorebird migration, the first and last
sessions tend to have just a few shorebird sightings. All observations are
submitted to eBird and the ISS portal.
This session we had 20 birders at Spit sites, 4 at Beluga Slough, 6 on a
boat across the bay, 7 at the Anchor River, and 2 at the Kasilof River. Due
to small-craft warning conditions no monitoring was attempted at Seldovia.
The total was 39 Homer birders.
Again, cooler than normal weather conditions prevailed. According to the
NWS station at the Homer Airport (
https://forecast.weather.gov/data/obhistory/PAHO.html ), at 10:53 AM winds
were from the S at 3 mph, the sky was overcast, the temperature was 42°,
and the barometric pressure was 29.96”. At 1:53 PM. the wind was SE at 10
mph, the sky was still overcast, the temperature was 45°, and the
barometric pressure was 29.91”. The average high for this 50° and the low
is 35°.
I had expected that some of the sandpipers would show up this session, but
it barely happened. We did have 12 species of shorebirds, which is better
than just four species that we had last session. Here is what we had.
· Black Oystercatcher – Islands & Islets (6).
· Black-bellied Plover – Mud Bay (3), Louie’s Lagoon (1), Anchor
River (3),
· Pacific Golden-Plover - Anchor River (1).
· Marbled Godwit. – Mud Bay (2).
· Hudsonian Whimbrel – Anchor River (1).
· Greater Yellowlegs – Mud Bay (1), Mariner Park Lagoon (2), Beluga
Slough (6), Anchor River (22). Kasilof River (22).
· Lesser Yellowlegs – Kasilof River (1),
· Short-billed Dowitcher – Louie’s Lagoon (1).
· Dunlin – Mud Bay (10), Green Timbers (2),
· Western Sandpiper – Mud Bay (9), Kasilof River (1).
· Rock Sandpiper – Islands and Islets (3), Kasilof River (2).
· Wilson’s Snipe – Kasilof River (2).
Listed below are non-shorebird species seen during session #4. Some new
birds are Snow Goose, Northern Shoveler, Belted Kingfisher,
Double-crested Cormorant, Tufted Puffin. Bonaparte’s Gull, Parasitic
Jaeger, and Horned Lark.
Date: 4/26/26 10:54 pm From: rainyday via groups.io <c_griz...> Subject: [AKBirding] Saturday, April 25, 2026 Crane Day!
Saturday, April 25, 2026 Crane Day!Seward, Alaska
Flock after flock of bugling SANDHILL CRANES streamed across the gray skies this afternoon. Most were dark specks flying high in Vs and bows and undulating transformations. They cruised along the face of the snowy western mountains cradling Resurrection Bay then veered west into the Resurrection River valley.
I drove over to Exit Glacier Road and parked at the large pullout before the closed Box Canyon gate. There, I could watch them approaching head-on along the mountainsides and then turn into the valley. Wave after wave. There were easily over a 1000. It was thrilling!
Just before 6 pm, after a long pause, I heard Cranes calling directly overhead and close. I leaped out of the car and saw a magnificent finale as over 200 Cranes created a fantastic mountain design of overlapping Vs. This group won the grand prize for Originality and Best of Show.
From singles to hundreds, each and every one was a winner!
