Birding Alaska

Left to right: Wilson’s Snipe Gallinago delicata, Red Knot Calidris canutus, Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus, Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca and Short-billed Dowitcher (just barely in the shot) at Beluga Slough, Homer, 14 August 2009.

Foul weather last night and today seemed to bring a few shorebirds into Beluga Slough and Mud Bay, Homer. The culvert where Beluga Lake enters Beluga Slough hosted a nice roosting flock of shorebirds.

Juvenile Red Knot Calidris canutus, Beluga Slough, Homer, 14 August 2009.

Red Knot is a rare fall migrant in Homer and this bird was one of two in Beluga Slough this morning. The crisp fringes and dark sub-terminal lines on the scapulars, tertials and coverts identify it as a juvenile. Here is a photo of a  breeding plumage Red Knot passing through Homer in May.