...the shorebirds of Kachemak Bay

There were lots of birds: Hudsonian Godwits, Dowitchers, Western Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, Northern Shovelers, Bald Eagles, Common Ravens, and various gulls. We saw them all along with several thousand other birders at the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival in Homer, Alaska. The birds were interesting indeed, most of them making a quick stop over on their way to nesting grounds farther north.

But, more interesting were the birders, most of whom had spent considerable amounts of money on spotting scopes, tripods, binoculars, cameras, and all weather clothing so they could stand out in the wind for extended periods of time and discuss the various differences between the four species of sandpipers "just beyond the edge of that mud flat." One birder was overheard stating his "glass" cost $2400, and I don't think that was the most expensive one on the viewing platform. I felt a bit conspicuous standing there with my $89 Nikon binoculars. But, I saw plenty of birds, so I guess they worked okay.

On Saturday we spent most of the evening at the Light House viewing station on the Homer Spit. Birders came and went. It was quite the social birding scene. Everyone seemed delighted with the evening weather, the birds, and the camaraderie. Everyone shared their knowledge and offered their scopes for others to look through. The atmosphere was festive and it was easy to lose track of time. Before we knew it it was past 9:00 PM, and we headed back to the trailer for some heat and then bed.

The weather turned gnarly this morning as the winds whipped the ocean into white caps and lifted clouds of dust into the air on land. Still, it was a great weekend overall and we were glad we went to see...the shorebirds of Kachemak Bay.