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Explore a bird hotspot at the edge of the sea. A
boardwalk and trail traverse a waterfowl-filled salt marsh to tidal
flats where shorebirds skitter across the sand.
Greater white-fronted goose
Northern shoveler
NOTABLE SPECIES
Greater white-fronted goose
Canada goose
Trumpeter swan
Tundra swan
Eurasian wigeon
American wigeon
Northern shoveler
Northern pintail
Green-winged teal
Bufflehead
Common goldeneye
Bald eagle
Merlin
Sandhill crane
Greater yellowlegs
Lesser yellowlegs
Western sandpiper
Least sandpiper
Northwestern crow
Tree swallow
Violet-green swallow |
 FIELD NOTES
This trail takes you along lower
Beluga Slough, a salt marsh where the freshwater of Beluga Lake mixes
with Kachemak Bay’s 25 foot tides. Along the 0.6-mile walk between the
Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center and Bishop’s Beach parking
lot, wildlife viewers descend a hillside and pass through a forest,
skirt a meadow of salt-tolerant grasses, sedges and succulent plants,
and finally come to a gravel/sand beach with shallow channels of
flowing water. Salt water fills the slough only when the tide rises
above 18 feet. During the spring, migrating shorebirds and waterfowl
forage for invertebrates, small fish and sprouting marsh plants when
the ebbing tide exposes the mud. Summer brings nesting cranes, eagles,
and merlins. Listen for the calls of bald eagles from the trees along
the marsh. Watch for violet-green and tree swallows and northwestern
crows.
HABITAT
An intertidal basin (where
extreme high tides mix with freshwater flows) rimmed by a salt marsh
defines the slough. At higher elevations, grasses, willows and alders
transition to spruce forest on the hillside.
VIEWING TIP
Explore the boardwalk just as
the tide begins ebbing, when shorebird flocks are most visible. Hike
the beach as the tide ebbs further. Always take binoculars; this place
draws birds in all seasons.
HELPFUL HINTS
Wear rubber
boots and carefully explore any areas off the boardwalk. The slough
contains deep channels that should be avoided. Avoid trampling
sensitive wetland habitats.
GETTING THERE
Go
to the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center at 95 Sterling Highway
in Homer. The easy trail starts at the parking lot and leads downhill
to Bishop’s Beach.
CONTACT
Alaska Islands and Ocean
Visitor Center
www.islandsandocean.org
907-235-6961
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