Date: 4/13/25 11:00 pm From: George Matz via groups.io <geomatz41...> Subject: [AKBirding] Kachemak Bay Shorebird Monitoring Session #1
Kachemak Bay Shorebird Monitoring Project
2025 Session #1
It’s a Start
On Saturday, April 12 the Kachemak Bay Birders had its first of nine
scheduled shorebird monitoring sessions for this year. Our sessions last
two hours. Starting time is when the outgoing tide approaches 15.0 feet.
This session started at 5:30 pm. This is our 17th 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 few shorebird sightings. All observations are
submitted to eBird and the ISS portal.
It was a tough day to be birding. According to the Homer Airport NOAA
weather station located at the base of Homer Spit (
https://forecast.weather.gov/data/obhistory/PAHO.html ) at 4:53 pm winds
were out of the NE at 20 mph, with gusts to 31 mph, pelting wet snow and
rain were persistent, the temperature was 37°, and the barometric pressure
was 29.59 inches. At 7:53 pm winds were still out of the NE at 18 mph with
gusts to 25 mph, there was still a mix of snow and rain, the temperature
was 36°, and the barometric pressure was 29.52 inches. Winds out on the
water were more severe with small craft warnings. In Homer, the average
high for this date is 45° and the average low is 31°.
The MyRadar view of the April 12th weather is interesting. Attached is a
screenshot which shows that the counterclockwise wind circulation of an
approaching low-pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska is almost an exact
overlay of the Pacific Flyway. These conditions provide a welcome wind
assist to migrating birds all the way from BC through SE Alaska, taking a
sweeping left turn around Yakutat, then west to Prince William Sound,
across the Kenai Peninsula, into Kamishak Bay, across Lake Iliamna, and
into Southwest Alaska, the nesting grounds for many shorebirds. In other
words, migrating birds that follow the Pacific Coast, like shorebirds, not
only fly to their breeding grounds, but get blown there. This wind pattern,
which is typical for this time of the year, helps the birds arrive on their
breeding grounds in good shape. But it also makes me wonder how vulnerable
the Pacific Flyway is to shifting jet streams, induced by climate change,
that bring these low-pressure systems further north because of weaker
high-pressure conditions over Interior Alaska.
Another interesting thing that this screenshot shows is that the coastal
temperatures from BC all the way to the Kenai Peninsula are in the 40’s.
There isn’t much of a temperature gradient along this part of the Pacific
Flyway. Many of you know of the classic study with robins and tracing their
short-distance spring migration to following a 37° isotherm (a line
connecting points on a map that have the same temperature). Similar studies
have been done with other species that have a continental rather than
coastal migration. But, as the screenshot illustrates, the isotherm theory
isn’t applicable to coastal Gulf of Alaska.
Despite the weather, the hardy Kachemak Bay Birders were there to begin
this season of shorebird monitoring. We had a total of 28 volunteers this
session. The Homer Spit had 13, Beluga Slough had 3, the Anchor River had
9, the Kasilof River had 2, and there was 1 volunteer in Seldovia. The boat
trip to Islands and Islets was cancelled due to small craft warnings.
The only shorebirds seen this first session was a flock of Rock Sandpipers
that visited both Mud Bay, which had a count of 50, and Green Timbers,
which had a count of 40. Typically, about 2-3,000 Rock Sandpipers
overwinter in Kachemak Bay. Apparently, most of them began their migration
last week when we had springlike conditions. Mixed in with the Rock
Sandpipers were some Dunlin. The Mud Bay count was 8. These Dunlin are not
yet in full breeding plumage. On April 10, Randy Weisser reported a flock
of 107 Rock Sandpipers and 84 Dunlin at the Spit. His eBird report had some
nice photos. If you want to see the report, go to
https://ebird.org/checklist/S224465385
Listed below are non-shorebird species seen during session #1. All of the
species seen are what could be expected for this time of the year. Only one
Eurasian Wigeon was seen, which is probably less than normal.
*Homer Spit*
Waterfowl: Eurasian Wigeon, American Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail,
Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Harlequin Duck, Common Goldeneye,
Red-breasted Merganser.
Loons and Grebes: Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Common Loon.
Gulls: Black-legged Kittiwake, Short-billed Gull, American Herring Gull,
Glaucous-winged Gull, American Herring x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid),
Waterfowl; Mallard, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Black Scoter,
Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser.
Gulls; Short-billed Gull, American Herring/Glaucous-winged Gull.
Raptors; American Goshawk, Bald Eagle.
Songbirds; Black-billed Magpie, American Crow, Comon Raven, Lapland
Longspur, Song Sparrow.
*Kasilof River*
Waterfowl; Brant (record early for this site), Canada Goose Trumpeter Swan,
Mallard, Northern Pintail, Greater Scaup, Common Goldeneye.
Gulls; Short-billed Gull, American Herring Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull.
Raptors; Bald Eagle
Songbirds; Black-billed Magpie, American Crow, Common Raven.
Details, including photos, of these birds can be seen via eBird. Go to
Explore, enter Kenai Peninsula, and then to More Recent Visits and scroll
down to April 12.
In addition to Kenai Peninsula Birders, this report is being sent to Alaska
Shorebird Group and AKBirding to solicit anyone who wants to continue to
receive our session reports. If interested, send me an email and I’ll add
you to a list of subscribers. The remainder of the session reports will go
only to the Kenai Peninsula Birders email as well as anyone else who wants
to subscribe.
