Some Kenai Seabirds

Most of the birds in the photo above are Common Murres. They live up to their name of Common, they can often be seen in great numbers.

These birds are widespread in the Northern Hemisphere. They are somewhat reluctant to fly, and look, and act a lot like penguins.

Their abundance is in direct proportion to the abundance of small, schooling fish that occur in northern waters. ( I may have posted some of these photos some time ago.)

Along with these Common Murres on the Kenai Peninsula, there are also lesser numbers of similar, Thick-billed Murres.

Common Murres nest on steep cliffs along with, Black-legged Kittiwakes. Tufted, and Horned Puffins are common nesters on sea cliffs as well.

Black-legged Kittiwakes are obviously a species of gull. If anything, they are even more abundant than Common Murres.

The Chiswell Islands are part of Kenai Fjords National Park. They are a sanctuary for nesting seabirds, like these Thick-billed Murres.

There are a number of different species of sea ducks that can be seen along the coasts of the Kenai. These are Harlequin Ducks in the photo above. Long-tailed Ducks, Common, Red-breasted, and Hooded Mergansers,  Black, Surf, and White-winged Scoters, and Common Eiders also occur there. The other eider species can be seen occasionally as well.

The uncommon Kittlit'z Murrelet is a small, obscure alcid that is pretty much endemic to Alaska during the breeding season. They nest amoung rocks, sometimes far from the ocean. Marbled Murrelets, and sometimes Ancient Murrelets also occur on the peninsula.
There are also several species of auklets on the Kenai.  Rhinocerous, and Parakeet Auklets are the most commonly found.

Another common seabird, the Pigeon Guillemot is widespread along the west coast of North America. It has bright red feet. It nests close to shore, under boulders and driftwood.

Black Oystercatchers are an odd shorebird of the west coast. There are several closely related, dark oystercatchers in other parts of the world.

There is a big shorebird festival, held every spring in Homer. The Kenai Peninsula is loaded with migrating shorebirds in early to mid May. Western Sandpipers, and Dunlins are the most abundant species.

Sanderlings, like this southbound juvenile, are common further south, but not common at all in Alaska.

Today's Sightings

I'll take a break from my visits to the Kenai Peninsula to post some of the photos I shot today around here. This is my best Magpie in flight photo.

Right now we are at the tail end of Autumn. Many of the trees are already bare. Several weeks ago I posted another photo of this same bridge, but I like this view better.

Today was cloudy, and 10 degrees colder than it was the last time I visited Westchester Lagoon. The snow will be here in town soon enough.

So many birds have migrated out of here, but I'm kind of surprized by what is still here. There are lots of ducks around, like this Green-winged Teal.

These are female Buffleheads. The males were too far away for photos.

It was the same situation with the Greater Scaups. The males stayed far out on the water.

The local Bald Eagle preferred to perch on a small island, rather than  it's usual tree.

If there would have been stronger light, this would be a better action photo.

There were two Steller's Jays, one on either side of Westchester.

A preening male, Downy Woodpecker.

Just before dark, I walked around in the field next door.

It's been raining lately. I liked the reflections of the trees in the rain puddles.

This far north, dusk lingers on and on. I posted photos of this Russian Orthodox Church last Fall. This is how it looks now.

These trees have already lost their leaves.

A Scary Bear Story on the Kenai

This is the time of year to go Moose hunting in Alaska. My grown nephews, Sterling and Danny are avid Moose hunters. The large amount of meat from a Moose really helps to supplement their family's food budget.

A few years ago, I accompanied my nephews on their annual Moose hunt. It was cold and rainy every day, and even snowed on us one night. That was enough for me, so I went home early. Sterling and Danny slogged on, and decided to check out the Swanson River area on the Kenai Peninsula.

The thing about the Swanson River is that it is loaded with spawning salmon. Right about now is when the Coho Salmon are finishing up their annual spawn. That attracts bears.
My nephew Danny and I had explored the area on a previous Moose hunt, and saw an immense amount of bear scat and partially eaten salmon all over the area.

This time, Sterling and Danny were making their way up a side stream. They were out of the canoe, hauling it over a Beaver Dam. Sterling was pulling from the front, and Danny was pushing from the back. They were  in thick brush with little visibility...

Sterling stepped around a bend  in the creek, and there was a huge Grizzly (not the bear in the photo). It saw Sterling in the same instant and charged. Sterling had just a split second to react, and shot the bear in the face at point blank range with his .270 deer rifle. The bear veered off, and ran into the thick forest. Sterling and Danny knew that a wounded bear is extremely dangerous, especially with other hunters and fishermen in the vicinity. They knew that they had to track the bear and finish it off.
They said a prayer, then followed the blood trail into the thick woods. The blood trail led them in a circle until they found the dead bear only about 25 feet from where they shot it. The bear was trying to circle around, and get them from behind.
It had a previous bullet hole in it's ear. Sterling's bullet did not even penetrate the bear's skull. It travelled around the skull, under the bear's muscles, and then entered the bear's abdomen, and penetrated it's vital organs.
They followed Alaska law, and cut off the bear's skin, head, and paws, which they brought to the nearest Fish and Game office. The people there were already familiar with that particular bear, and said that it had mauled some hunters the previous year. It stood 9 ft tall, and weighed 700 lbs. They got no Moose that year.
More to come from the Kenai soon. This time it will be a happier subject matter.

Wild Critters on the Kenai

The wildlife of the Kenai Peninsula is representative of the whole state with a few exceptions like Musk Ox. Grizzly Bear populations on the Kenai have fallen low enough that they are no longer hunted. There are a lot of trigger-happy residents living there that dont care to share their space with bears, so plenty of them get shot every year anyway.

I have to admit that this photo, and the top photo, were not taken on the Kenai. I photographed these bears in Denali NP. The Denali bears, eat mostly berries and other vegetation. Kenai bears also eat a lot of salmon, and they tend to be bigger with shaggier fur.

Moose are particularly abundant on the Kenai. Even with heavy hunting pressure. Although I have photographed Moose on the Kenai, this resting bull was in Denali.

Another Moose in Denali. I chose to use these photos, instead of Kenai Moose photos, because they were taken in the Fall, while my Kenai photos were mostly taken at other times of the year.

A one antlered Caribou crosses the highway. Both male and female Caribous have antlers. Judging by the size of this Caribou's antler, this is a cow. The Kenai population of Caribou is insular, meaning that they do not migrate far, like other caribou populations.

Probably the best part of the Kenai Peninsula are the spectacular coastlines. Kenai Fjords National Park is the crown jewel. There are many dramatic cliffs, and small islands where many seabirds nest. This is a bull, Steller's Sea Lion in Kenai Fjords.

A cow, Steller's Sea Lion on Gull Island near Homer. Steller's Sea Lions are quite a bit larger than California Sea Lions. Their numbers have plummeted in recent decades. Many researchers have studied them to determine the cause of the decline, without finding a definitive answer.
In my opinion, overfishing, especially commercial fishing is the cause, either directly, or indirectly. The Coast Guard just caught a factory ship, illegally drift-netting in Alaska waters. No country will claim ownership, but the crew are all from Indonesia. The ship is also overun with rats.

A common inhabitant of the coasts around the Kenai is the adorable, Sea Otter. You can often see them floating just offshore in Homer and Seward.

The coastlines of the Kenai are also a good place to spot whales in the Summer months. Especially Humpbacks like these.

One of the most abundant seabirds of the Kenai, is the Common Murre. This bird wears it's non-breeding plummage.

A distinctive inhabitant of rocky shorelines, the Black Oystercatcher.

Right about now young Common Loons are gaining independence from their parents. Soon the adults will be wearing the same non-breeding plummage as the young loon in the photo above. They spend the winter along the coast. Usually south of here.

Beavers share some of the same waters as the loons.

Steller's Jays are more common along the coasts of the peninsula, while Gray jays dominate the interior. I see more Steller's Jays here in Anchorage, but Gray Jays are around town as well.

A common game bird of the peninsula, Spruce Grouse. I have eaten a few. Some are very tasty, like Cornish Game Hens. Others are gamey, like an old buzzard. It all depends on what the bird has been eating. The male in this photo was right by Scott and Jean's cabin. We did not eat it.
There are enough interesting animals that live on the Kenai Peninsula, that I think I will do another post about them soon. Maybe I'll concentrate on seabirds although I dont have photos of most species.

Let's Go to the Kenai

These first photos were taken by Scott from his plane. The scenery is the Kenai Peninsula. I'm not sure if this is Kenai Lake, or Skilak Lake. The milky color is glacier meltwater.

When I first moved to Alaska, this landscape would probably have had many more Spruce trees in it. I arrived to the state in the middle of a major Spruce Bark Beetle infestation. It hit the Kenai especially hard, and devastated large Stands of Spruce trees all over the peninsula.
Shortly thereafter, there were many huge forest fires that burnt off the dead trees, and caused Birch trees to flourish.

The famous Kenai River is well loved by fishermen and women because of the huge runs of salmon that arrive most years. Fishing quotas are set by the numbers of each species that show up in a given summer. That number can vary greatly from year to year.

Salmon also attract bears. There are lots of interactions between bears and people along the Kenai and Russian Rivers. A few people get mauled, and a lot of bears get shot. Most meetings end peacefully for both parties.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of lakes on the Kenai Peninsula. Many of them have very stagnant water that is unsafe to drink. I'm not real sure of the cause other than extensive, boggy habitat.

The water in the mountains tends to be safer than the water out on the flat areas.

The rest of these photos were taken by me on the ground. Driving south from Anchorage, the highway snakes along the edge of Turnagain Arm, which is part of Cook Inlet. It got it's name when Captain Cook tried to sail along the coast. He had to turn back because of shallow water and treacherous currents.
After about 50 miles, Turnagain Arm ends, and the highway turns onto the Kenai Peninsula.

A single shaft of sunlight hits the mountainside beside the highway. The whole area abounds with wildlife.

We took a fork in the road near here, that heads to the miniscule community of Hope.

If you look carefully along the edge of the water in right of this photo, you can see the buildings of the town. There is a one room schoolhouse, a few small lodges, and a smattering of homes. That's Hope.

This is the beach just out of town, looking across Turnagain Arm to the mainland. The beach is not made up of sand, but mud. There are seldom any waves to speak of.

Most of the year, this is a bleak coastline.

Today I found this cold, Mourning Cloak Butterfly. It's about half the size of the Mourning Cloaks in the lower 48.

Eventually it warmed up in the sun, and opened it's wings.

The  crisp, Autumn light was harsh, so it was a challenge to get a pleasing photo. The butterfly soon flew off, but it's days are numbered with temperatures predicted to drop soon.