Homer, Alaska
Heavy rain in Seward, cloudy
with squalls, surf, and wind in Homer.
The State of Alaska 511
website reported “Good Driving Conditions” from
Seward to Homer on
Thanksgiving Day. The details included:
“Warnings: Be prepared for
winter driving, possible hydroplaning, reduce your speed, slippery road
surface, snow removal equipment on roadway…
Atmospherics: Cloudy, heavy
rain, rain, rain and snow mixed, wind
Pavement: Black ice, icy
patches, slush, surface water hazard, wet surface
Wind Direction: NE Wind
High Winds: Yes
Temperature 34-38 degrees”
It sounded hazardous, but was
actually mostly pretty good without any of the dramatic details listed. They
should have stopped at the summary.
At a short stop at the beach
in Ninilchik, three moose rambled across the hillside below the Russian Orthodox
Church, the first of the trip. Several COMMON MURRES paddled along Cook Inlet,
not far from shore. A flock of about 10 flew down the Inlet farther out. A few
carcasses rested at the water’s edge, an all too familiar sight.
We arrived in Homer in
mid-afternoon, just as the clouds lifted to let the sun peek under the heavy
clouds to the west. I did a little birding along the dirt road on the east side
of the spit by the Deep Water Port.
COMMON MURRES paddled
resolutely here as well, mostly single, some in pairs. One oblivious Murre paddled
in a straight line, causing a LONG-TAILED DUCK drake to take evasive action. Several
dead Murres floated in the water, others gathered at the high tide mark, and
scavenged carcasses littered the uplands. What a sad sight!
In contrast, the other seabirds
seemed to be doing just fine. A flock of about 30 BLACK SCOTERS, orange bills
glowing in the low light, whistled harmoniously, like a band of woodwinds
sighing. It was fabulous to hear their concert! Three, much more drab,
WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS lingered nearby as if listening.
Several single RED-NECKED
GREBES in winter plumage dove for fish; they nest at Beluga Slough, so they
didn’t have far to migrate. A single, red-eyed HORNED GREBE also fished
actively.
A small flock of COMMON
MERGANSERS flew overhead. A single RED-MERGANSER drake preened its already
beautiful plumage. Also spotted, a pair of HARLEQUIN DUCKS and two PIGEON
GUILLEMOTS.
As the light continued to
dim, a COMMON LOON surfaced and calmly eyed me before slipping away. A PACIFIC
LOON popped up farther out.
While looking at a buoy festooned with
PELAGIC CORMORANTS, I heard a “whoosh!” and saw a Humpback Whale surface and
dive in the peaceful twilight bay. Several minutes passed, and again it
surfaced to breath and dive, flukes up. What a wonderful sight!
Over on a lichen-splattered boulder, a RAVEN feasted on what appeared to be a MURRLELET carcass. The head,
ever a delicacy, was already gone.
Several SONG SPARROWS flitted among the rocks and stored equipment, including that of the famous "Time Bandit." A flock of about 25
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES flashed overhead. One sat on a post nearby and
chatted. By 3:45 pm, it was too dark to photograph, so we headed to our
Thanksgiving feast.
The next afternoon, I checked
out the same area. Running out of daylight at 3:45 pm, I found dozens of gulls
resting on the gravel boat trailer parking area. Among them was an especially
white bird, a SNOW GOOSE! What a surprise! This is the first Snow Goose I’ve seen this year! The
poor, lost goose pulled at the short dead grass patch in the gravel, walking slowly
as it grazed. At least it had company to help warn it of dangers.
Over on the spit side, just
out of the splash zone of the surf, I found about 50 ROCK SANDPIPERS huddled
together. A BALD EAGLE perched alertly on a piece of driftwood close by,
looking mighty interested in a possible bedtime snack. The Rock Sandpipers did
not seem alarmed. Maybe they figured their chances were good it would be the
other guy.
The last birds of the day
were two GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES gleaning seeds from the beach ryegrass. This
is the first time I’ve seen this species feeding on wild food in the winter;
all the others were at feeders.
I know I missed several
spectacular birds in Homer, but I was pretty satisfied with all that I managed
to squeeze in a short time.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Reporter
