May 5 we headed south to Turnagain Arm, hoping to see whales chasing hooligan (small fish that spawn in May). 

That night, as well as May 6, we saw lots of people, gulls, and bald eagles catching hooligan, but no luck with the whales.

May 7 we got up early and headed to Seward to  look for whales from shore (no luck) and checking out birds (lots of luck).  Melissa went to the Alaska SeaLife Center to see the eiders in their showy breeding plumage.  We also found wild Harlequin Ducks and Seals.

May 7 continued with a phenomenal flight show by over a dozen bald eagles at Deep Creek State Recreation Site.  By 8:30 pm we finally arrived in Homer and checked into Homer Spit Campground for 3 nights.

May 8 we went to the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival where we had registered for a number of events.  We started with 2 introductory sessions which I greatly enjoyed and C tolerated.

That evening we both went fishing and caught our lunch for the next day.  We were hoping for halibut, but ended up eating sole and pollock instead.

May 9 we went on a 4 hour Shorebird Festival kayak trip to Halibut Cove.  We saw lots of cool birds, including a Black Oystercatcher at Gull Island.  We also saw a dozen otters, including 2 mothers holding their fuzzy pups on their stomachs as they floated on their backs. 

I recommend the guided kayak trips with Kachemak Bay Adventures.  (After the festival they don’t focus primarily on birds unless everyone in the group wants that.)  Once again,  no whales.

The weather has been unbelievably good the past 3 days, with blue skies and excellent views.  The Kenai Peninsula is treating us well so far. Maybe on our boat trip tomorrow we will finally see a whale, though once again the focus is birds…