Birds of Resurrection Bay--Alaska Day Six

Alaska 2014 continued:

It is not lost on me that my trip to Alaska was a year ago already, and I'm only halfway through blogging about it. So many other things are going on, so many other places to write about, but I just can't keep up! I will be gone for several weeks in June, doing shows in the Midwest, so let's see if I can get through a few more posts before then.

Our tour of Resurrection Bay and the Northwestern Glacier was without a doubt one of the highlights of our trip. It was, however, much better for mammal watching than for bird watching, although we did see some spectacular birds. I'm saying this mostly from a photographer's standpoint--it was difficult to get good pics from such a large boat. The tour of Kachemak Bay from Homer was much more intimate and we got better looks at the birds, but I would not suggest skipping the Kenai Fjords tour if you're reason for being in Alaska is to bird. It was just too spectacular to miss.

In all I counted 32 species on Wednesday, including the ten we saw on our early morning walk in Seward (asterisk denotes new species):

Wilson's Snipe
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee*
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Yellow Warbler
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow


On the boat tour I added sixteen species, four of which were new:

Parakeet Auklet*

Parakeet Auklet, one of several Alcids we saw on Resurrection Bay. Birds in the Alcidae family spend their lives out on the open water, coming ashore only to nest.

Harlequin Duck
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Bald Eagle
Kittlitz's Murrelet*

Kittlitz's Murrelet. It has adapted to the cloudy waters of glacial run-off, able to feed where many others cannot. They nest above the tree line on south-facing slopes on inland mountains, and have not been studied much.

Glaucous-winged Gull
Pigeon Guillemot
Marbled Murrelet
Rhinoceros Auklet*

Rhinoceros Auklet. This bird is a close relative of the puffins.

Tuffted Puffin
Horned Puffin

Horned Puffin on takeoff. This is how we saw most of the birds--they were usually seen either from behind, swimming away from the boat, or taking to the air.

Ancient Murrelet*
Common Murre

Common Murre. We got good looks at this bird at Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, but they are worth another look. 

Brant

A flock of Brandt fly by our boat.

Rock Dove
Northwestern Crow
Black-legged Kittiwake

We'd seen lots of Kittiwake on Gull Island as well, but I love this shot of a nesting
pair having a conversation.

Once we were back on solid ground and had eaten dinner, we visited Ava's Place, a private residence outside of town. This woman has a whole bunch of feeders that bring in a whole bunch of birds. We had stopped by the previous evening looking for the Rufus Hummingbird with no luck, so we returned Wednesday, and this time got lucky.

Varied Thrush
Pine Siskin
Downy Woodpecker
Rufus Hummingbird*

Not the best photo of a Rufus Hummingbird the world has ever seen, as I was shooting out the van window, but I'll take what I can get!

Next: We visit Exit Glacier before heading up to Anchorage and Westchester Lagoon.

More Birds From Kachemak Bay, Alaska

 Alaska 2014 continued:

For this post we stay in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, and take a look at some of the other birds we saw that afternoon. I knew this would be a big day, if not for total number of species, at least for number of new to me species. I was right. Life list birds just kept coming and coming.

As we puttered slowly through the bay we spotted a pair of Aleutian Terns perched on a floating log. I am partial to terns, with their long wings and short legs. They are graceful and acrobatic fliers, and I love watching them stoop and dive into the water.

Aleutian Terns rest on a log.

As we floated closer to the pair they took off, with one of them flying right by the boat.

Aleutian Tern in flight. 

We saw many species where just a few birds were present. This pair of Pigeon Guillemots watched us closely...

Pigeon Guillemots.

...until they too had had enough and took to the air. I felt kind of bad about disturbing all these birds, but it was nice to get to see them in flight--how else would we have seen those bright orange legs?

Pigeon Guillemot takes flight. I'm always happy when I manage to get these "action shots" in focus!

As the day moved on the breeze picked up a bit and the water got a little choppier. We were making our way to Gull Island when someone spotted these Tufted Puffins. I cannot tell you what a stir they caused. Such a dynamic and sought-after bird, their clown-like faces are a delight.

Tufted Puffins.

One of them was gathering nesting material. They too nest on Gull Island, although I did not see any on the island itself.

Tufted Puffin with nesting material.

A little bit later, as the bay became choppier still, a pair of Horned Puffins showed up. I couldn't believe our luck!

Horned Puffins. Notice the difference in bill color, lack of tufts, and the black "horns" around their eyes.

So now we're back to the cacophony of Gull Island. Last time I showed you kittiwakes, this time we will marvel at the Common Murres. Thousands of Common Murres.

A large raft of Common Murres floats near Gull Island, with the Kenai Mountains in the background.

The bay was thick with these birds.

Common Murres.

Looking closely at these Common Murres, one can see they are made for diving. They are often compared to penguins but I think they more closely resemble loons, with their super-smooth heads and stout bills. Much like loons, their legs are set back quite far on their bodies, which makes them good swimmers but not so good on land. The only time they're on land is to nest.

Here you can see their very upright posture, a result of their legs being so far back. Common Murres don't build nests--they lay a single egg directly on the rock.

Common Murres on Gull Island.

While we floated around Gull Island, more and more murres kept arriving. It was simply fantastic.

In all I saw 14 different species out on Kachemak Bay, 11 of which were lifers. It was a fine afternoon of birding. But the highlight of the day wasn't a winged creature--it had whiskers, big floppy back feet and floated around on its back, making us all squeal with delight.


Next: Sea Otters!!