Starting to get busy

I have just arrived home after spending over 12 hours on the water. Not every day is like that but some are…

The last week we had bird trips every day. Highlights included a Sabine’s Gull. Usually when you see a small black headed gull in Kachemak Bay you assume it is a Bonaparte’s. I see Sabine’s Gulls every year, usually single birds but sometimes small flocks of up to 30. This one was unusual since it occurred here in mid June. Most of the ones I have seen in past years are in late July and early August.

We have also had big tides the last week with lots of debris in the water. Aleutian Terns will perch on just about anything that floats.

Sometimes you see more than one.

We had good looks at them on every trip last week.

Some had a little extra help.

You don’t often see a flock of loons.

It was also a good week for sea mammals other than sea otters (there always lots of sea otters). Here are four Steller Sea Lions at Gull Island.

And the highlight for the week. Killer Whales!!!

It was uncertain as to how many there were. The estimate was between eight and twelve. They can be hard to count.

It was a good week to be on the water. Winds one day were predicted to be 30 knots. Here’s what it actually looked like. No wind at all.

There were not as many Murrelets and Kittlitz’s Murrelets were spotted only once. The Yellow-billed Loon also has disappeared for the time being. Here is the list for the last five bird trips.

Common Loon
Pacific Loon
Barrows Golden-eye
Harlequin Duck
White-winged Scoter
Surf Scoter
Double Crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Bald Eagle
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
Black Oyster Catcher
Herring Gull
Glaucous Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
Sabine’s Gull
Aleutian Tern
Arctic Tern
Rhinoceros Auklet
Marbled Murrelet
Kittlitz’s Murrelet
Common Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
Tufted Puffin
Horned Puffin