Highlights Map
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Today we have an easier day planned especially given that the forecast is saying rain is coming. But in the morning the weather looks just fine so after a quick breakfast we have to decide what to do while the weather is still good.
First we spend some time on the patio watching the birds and wildlife before deciding to visit the nearby Bishops Beach, one of the most famous ones in Homer.
In fact the beach is so close that we can walk to it and that is what we decide to do to explore the area around the Airbnb even more. It is a nice area with lots of trees and quiet houses, we really like it.
The trailhead to the beach is right at the end of the street where a sign proclaims no beach access and another shows towards the beach access. A bit contradictory but we assume the beach access sign is right given the visible trail and people using it.
There are a few birds in the area some which try to hide like the crows and some that go for maximum exposure like the golden crowned sparrow.
The descent is short and steep but soon we are down at the scenic Bishops Beach. There are unexpectedly many people here but the beach is large enough to allow for solitary walks and we decide a walk a bit and enjoy the unexpectedly beautiful weather and the special views of the mountains in the distance.
The beach is quite rocky but this does not seem to matter to the bald eagles who are surveilling the area. We are not sure what they are looking for but they are flying quite close to the ground, maybe they are looking for a dog or cat?
With so many small stones around what stand out to us are the big boulders and small arrangements of stones the people created from place to place.
Going up we discover a different, gentler trail that goes through the vegetation. It is quite a nice walk and we take it slow to take in the beautiful surroundings.
There are quite a few birds along the trail with magpies signing from the treetops and a tame fox sparrow following us for some time, likely looking for insects.
The next stop is the Alaska Maritime NWR Visitor Center where we plan to take a hike close by but first we have to visit the visitor center proper.
The exhibits are quite interesting and enjoy the many birds represented here with the story of the Aleutian Cackling Goose being the most interesting and represented here, how it was saved when the NWR was created.
The trail we are planning to explore is called the Beluga Slough Trail is about 1 mile long and is right behind the visitor center. When we exit the visitor center the weather is already turning bad, it is getting cloudy and it seems the rain is really coming. So we start on a fast clip but soon are taking it slow as the trail is quite nice.
What we especially like on the trail, and this is true in fact of all Alaska that we visited this spring, are the flowers. They are everywhere and there are lots of different species. Here especially common is the Nootka Lupine, a beautiful Alaska native species.
The views on the trail are good and as we loop back to the visitor center we also see a Hermit Thrush that is quite curious about us and watches us for quite some time before moving on.
Next we drive to the other end of Homer, about 5 miles, to another trailhead, for the Calvin and Coyle trail. At this point it is sprinkling already but during a lull in the rain we decide to still explore the trail as we hope to see some forest birdlife.
The trail this time goes through forest and meadows and with all the grass come the mosquitoes. We cannot really stop even for a second as they swarm us but if we go fast enough and run from time to time we can escape most of them.
It is quite a nice trail, and with no one else around there is a lot of solitude. And as a bonus the trees protect us from the rain whenever it decides to start and then stop.
Soon we see our first forest bird, an American Robin followed by a very trusting Hermit Thrush that sings to us for a while before leaving.
After a while the trail splits into a loop and we pick one of the choices and continue on even though the trail gets narrower and narrower by the minute before almost disappearing at a section which is under repair.
The loop leads to an overlook over a large meadow with the airport in the distance as evidenced by the many planes that we hear in the distance.
On the way back we hear an unusual song and after a bit of stalking we find the cause, our first ever Varied Thrush. It is a special lifer and an especially trusting bird as it spends almost 15 minutes flying around us and exploring different perches as well as the ground for food.
With the rain picking up as soon as we arrive back at the car we decide to explore the galleries in Homer. There are some interesting ones including one that has an exhibit with paintings of extinct animals that roamed Alaska.
We continue exploring and even buy a few souvenirs before returning to the Airbnb and watching the seaplanes fly until we go to bed.
