i will be in alaska from july 27-aug 9. i will be in the homer/seward area for 4 or 5 days.. any areas i should consider for birds of prey (eagles owls ect)..
thanks in advance
jeffrey reynolds
Posted by Ron Niebrugge on July 15, 2010 at 11:37 PM
Eagles are everywhere - Seward, along the Kenai River, around Homer. You shouldn't have any problem finding lots of them. Owls in the summer are hard to find, can't really help you there.
Your chances for all raptors and owls except Bald Eagles are better further north. But here's what I know.
The northern owls species - Northern Hawk Owl, Boreal Owl - are at very low population levels this year. Boreals are hard to find period, except in nest boxes, but they've long since branched their kids and dispersed. Watch tree tops along roadsides in higher elevations for Hawk Owls, but, again, populations are very low. Your best chance is probably along East End Road along the bluff above Kachemak Bay, past Fitz Creek.
You may see Great Horned Owls; they're fairly common in the region. There are Great Greys throughout Chugach State Park, but I don't know about the Kenai Peninsula. Ask if there are recent sightings at the Alaska Maritime NWR headquarters in Homer.
Golden Eagles are pretty rare south of the Alaska Range. Peregrine Falcons are sometimes seen along Turnagain Arm. I've not seen Gyrfalcons south of the Alaska Range.
Discussion
2 repliesthanks in advance
jeffrey reynolds
The northern owls species - Northern Hawk Owl, Boreal Owl - are at very low population levels this year. Boreals are hard to find period, except in nest boxes, but they've long since branched their kids and dispersed. Watch tree tops along roadsides in higher elevations for Hawk Owls, but, again, populations are very low. Your best chance is probably along East End Road along the bluff above Kachemak Bay, past Fitz Creek.
You may see Great Horned Owls; they're fairly common in the region. There are Great Greys throughout Chugach State Park, but I don't know about the Kenai Peninsula. Ask if there are recent sightings at the Alaska Maritime NWR headquarters in Homer.
Golden Eagles are pretty rare south of the Alaska Range. Peregrine Falcons are sometimes seen along Turnagain Arm. I've not seen Gyrfalcons south of the Alaska Range.