It seems like Great Grays are being reported everywhere in southcoastal Alaska this winter, including at least three in Homer. This bird was hunting along East End Road this morning (22 January 2012). Thanks Carol Griswold and Anne Crane for the phone calls this morning!
This bird was hanging out at the “fishing hole” on the Homer Spit on 8 January 2012. It has an intermediate amount of white on the scapulars and a facial spot that is intermediate in shape between the oval of a Common Goldeneye and the crescent of a Barrow’s. It lacks the dark “spur” of a Barrow’s that separates the white breast from the white sides. At rest this bird’s head shape seemed to be a better fit for Common Goldeneye.
A day of birding Homer with Luke DeCicco and Wendy Holman made for a very memorable final day of 2011. All photos by Luke DeCicco.
Great Gray Owls make birding headlines anywhere on the Kenai, especially Homer. This winter has been an exceptional winter for the species on the Peninsula–there have been up to four different Gray Grays reported in the Homer area alone. The most reliable birds have been two that have shown regularly and well at the east end of Beluga Lake. The best viewing opportunities have been from the end of Adams Drive (off of East End Road), but the birds have also been spotted from the observation platform at the end of FAA drive near the airport. Luke took this photo on 30 December, but we relocated the bird again on New Year’s Eve for a final bird of 2011. This was my first Great Gray Owl for the Kenai Peninsula and a great way to celebrate New Year’s Eve!
This Horned Lark represents only the second winter report for Homer. The first mid-winter record was of four birds found on the Homer CBC last winter, one of which was of the Asian breeding flava subspecies. Click here for more on that.
It has been a good fall/winter for overwintering sparrows in Homer. This White-throated Sparrow found at Mossy’s Seaside Farm makes for the third consecutive winter this rare fall/winter visitor has been found in Homer.
Rufous Hummingbirds are common breeding birds in the coastal rainforest that covers the coast of Alaska north to the south side of Kachemak Bay. Most Rufous Hummingbirds migrate south by mid August and they become very rare after late August. This male has been in our yard east of Homer for the last two days, 27-28 October 2011. I believe that this is the latest record of the species on the Kenai Peninsula. There was also a female in our yard on 11 October of this year. The only other account of an October Rufous Hummingbird from the Kenai Peninsula that I’m aware of is one in Homer on 18 October 1995 (George West in litt.). In October and later there are more records of Anna’s Hummingbird on the Kenai Peninsula than there are of Rufous!
The extensive rufous coloration on the back identify it as an adult male.
Most of southcoastal Alaska’s breeding Rufous Hummingbirds head south by early August and any hummingbird seen on the Kenai Peninsula after then should be carefully checked. Anna’s Hummingbird is a casual fall visitor to southcoastal Alaska where it has been recorded in Homer, Seward, Cordova, Palmer and Anchorage. This bird arrived at a private residence in Homer on 28 August 2011 and has been sporadically feasting on nasturtiums there since then. This is the earliest of only a few Homer records and ties the early date for southcoastal Alaska.
Homer birder Michelle Michaud discovered this Buff-breasted Sandpiper at the mouth of the Anchor River yesterday and it was still present today, 22 August 2011. Buff-breasted Sandpiper breeds on the Arctic coastal plain and migrates primarily through the interior of the continent. In southcoastal Alaska they occur only as casual fall migrants primarily in August and September. This is one of only a few records for the Kenai Peninsula and only the second record for the Homer/Kachemak Bay checklist area. The first was of a bird found in Homer on 11 September 2000 (North American Birds 55:(1)90.)
Dave Sonneborn, Rich MacIntosh and I finally relocated one of the Long-billed Murrelets in Kachemak Bay that had been found on 4 June and 23 July 2011. We found the bird about 1/2 mile offshore of Aurora Lagoon in Kachemak Bay. More details of this morning’s outing can be found here. This is generally the same location of this summer’s other two sightings.
Karl Stolzfus of Bay Excursions tells me that brachyramphus murrelet numbers in this area typically remain high until late August. Since at least one bird has been present since 4 June, I don’t see any reason why one wouldn’t stick around as long as the big numbers of Kittlitz’s and Marbled Murrelets do. Good luck to anyone else giving it a try and let me know if you want company!
Passerines are starting to flock up and move around in Homer. This afternoon a mixed flock of at least 75 birds moved through my backyard. The deck made a perfect canopy tower for photography as the birds foraged in a nearby elderberry. The flock contained six species of warblers–not too bad for an Alaskan mixed flock. Northern Waterthrush is the only warbler regular to the area that wasn’t in today’s flock. I thought I’d make a warbler post to practice typing the “new” scientific names of these species. Click here to get up to speed on the latest taxonomic changes to the AOU list.
