Southwest Kenai Peninsula
Wildlife Viewing

Poised on high branches, eagles scan the shores, watching for easy meals in the fish-rich waters of Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet. Their sharp eyes survey birds of every color and size which flock and forage along the beaches, bays and mudflats. Migrating mergansers, sandpipers, terns, plovers, yellowlegs, kingfishers, wigeons, geese, cranes, swans, swallows and harriers all stop to rest, some staying to nest.

Even without eagle eyes, it’s possible to spot whales, seals and active volcanoes from a distance. A walk along the beach reveals the smorgasbord of invertebrates and fish that entice hungry birds to the area.

In May, when migratory birds crowd the shores, birders follow with their binoculars for the annual Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival. For details visit www.homeralaska.org/shorebird.htm. Whatever season birders visit Kachemak Bay, they’ll find extensive resources. For dates and locations of recent sightings, call the Kachemak Bay Birding Hotline 907-235-7337 (PEEP). More information can be found online at www.birdinghomeralaska.org.

Viewing Locations

• Anchor River State Recreation Area Anchor River State Recreation Area
• Baycrest Hill Viewpoint Baycrest Hill Viewpoint
• Beluga Lake Beluga Lake
• Beluga Slough Trail Beluga Slough Trail
• Ben Walters Park Ben Walters Park
• Bishop’s Beach Park Bishop’s Beach Park
• Carl E. Wynn Nature Center Carl E. Wynn Nature Center
• End of Homer Spit End of Homer Spit
• Gull Island Gull Island
• Homer Spit Harbor Area Homer Spit Harbor Area
• Homer to Seldovia Passage Homer to Seldovia Passage
• Kachemak Bay State Park Kachemak Bay State Park
• Mud Bay Mud Bay
• Otterbahn Trail Otterbahn Trail
• Peterson Field Station Peterson Field Station