Homer is one of Alaska's top birdwatching destinations. Kachemak Bay lies along a major Pacific flyway, and the tidal flats, beaches, and spruce forests around town attract an impressive variety of species year-round. The Homer Spit during low tide is productive for shorebirds; the mudflats at the base of the Spit see thousands of migrating dunlin, dowitchers, and sandpipers in May.
Bald eagles are everywhere and uncountable — Homer has one of the highest concentrations in Alaska. Common ravens work the waterfront constantly. Out on the water, expect loons, grebes, scoters, and in summer the noisy puffin and murre colonies on the cliffs across the bay. The Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival in early May, timed to coincide with the peak of the Western sandpiper migration, draws birders from across North America and has walks, talks, and boat tours led by ornithologists.