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
