We watched the weather and when we learned that after days of gloom we were going to have brief sunshine, we headed to Homer to get on a boat.

At noon, we boarded Discovery for an explore of the beauty of Kachemak Bay and the Fjords of Sadie Cove all while taking in the abundance of marine life that the area offered. Truly a pinch me moment.


A treat was to be near Gull Island. As many as 20,000 seabirds build nests in its craggy rock faces and cliffs. Most years, 8,000 to 10,000 black-legged kittiwakes dominate the rookery, building mud nests perched in clefts and on ledges. In addition, 5,000 to 8,000 common murres nest amid the kittiwakes. Other birds seen in smaller numbers include glaucous-winged gulls, pelagic cormorants, red-faced cormorants, puffins and pigeon guillemots. The effect stunned the senses—the air was saturated with the odor of fishy guano and vibrated with the cacophony of crying birds (not to mention flies).


A highlight for me was to see puffins in their natural environment. We saw two different kinds, but I could only photograph one.

I did catch Steve in flight, doing his best Titanic impression.
Otters were everywhere. They are truly fun to observe.

Can't you just feel the love of this mom with her babies?

We loved seeing the variety of birds. This (a first for us we think) is a Black Oystercatcher which is found along rocky shores from Alaska to Baja California.
We had never seen so many bald eagles, all at one time. They were everywhere!
And who can't be overwhelmed by the sight of a humpback whale? To spend several hours, in the long awaited sunshine experiencing the beauty of Alaska’s maritime wilderness, is a pretty perfect day.