Homer

NaturesLens visits Homer on small-group wildlife photography holidays in the United States, with time here planned around Bald Eagle, Harbour Seal, Humpback Whale, Otter and Sea Otter rather than general sightseeing. Current itineraries using Homer include Sea Otters & Bald Eagles of Alaska, with photography shaped around hide, boat-based, flight and landscape and behaviour photography sessions. Homer sits on the southern coast of Alaska, at the tip of the Kenai Peninsula where the land narrows into the waters of Kachemak Bay & the wider Cook Inlet. The town is famed for the Homer Spit, a long finger of gravel reaching out into the bay, backed by the rugged Kenai Mountains & fronted by rich, nutrient-laden waters that support an abundance of marine life. This meeting point of mountain, boreal forest, & sea creates a dynamic coastal habitat, where sheltered bays, tidal flats, & open ocean channels lie in close proximity, drawing in a striking concentration of wildlife within a relatively compact area. The surrounding waters & shoreline offer excellent opportunities to observe a range of iconic Alaskan species. Bald Eagles are a familiar sight, often seen perched along the coastline or soaring above the Spit in search of fish. Harbour Seals & Steller Sea Lions haul out on rocky shores & buoys, the latter notable for their considerable size & vocal, gregarious colonies. Sea Otters & their freshwater-adapted relative, the otter, are frequently spotted floating amid kelp beds or foraging along the shallows, using tools & dexterous paws to crack open shellfish. Further offshore, the deeper waters of Kachemak Bay & Cook Inlet provide feeding grounds for Humpback Whales, which can sometimes be seen breaching or lunge-feeding during their seasonal presence in the region.