Bob and Dave went clamming yesterday, braving the cold and wind and rain and hoards of greedy clammers. They brought home a nice little haul. This is our share.
The clams got a soaking in fresh water to encourage them to eject their sand and then we went to work cleaning them up. I made a delicious clam pasta for dinner and froze a few bags of clams for later. This adds variety to the salmon and Kodiak scallops we stocked up on as soon as we got into Homer. Next month we should start getting fresh veggies. Instead of trying to grow my own, or risk missing out at the local farmers market, we have joined a local CSA. Eating is so much better in Homer than Arizona!
Birding is picking up. We are seeing the goshawks every evening. They went after a magpie that dared fly too close to their territory yesterday, so we're thinking they are nesting in the trees nearby. Here is a species list compiled by local birders for May 4:
MARBLED GODWITS and WESTERN SANDPIPERS (~2000+) at Mud Bay
BARTAILED GODWIT and BLACK TURNSTONES near the end of the Spit
WHIMBRELS at Green Timbers and Beluga Slough
SURFBIRDS (many hundreds seen at one time there) on the Jetty by the Harbor
Many places: PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, DUNLIN, DOWITCHERS
EURASIAN WIGEON in Beluga Slough and Mud Bay.
SHORT-EARED OWL and MERLIN, possible AMERICAN KESTREL...
