July 9th, 2024 - Bishop's Beach and Tidal Pools

This morning, we decided to head to Bishop's Beach for low tide to see what we could find in the tidal pools.

"This sand-and-mud beach, swept by Kachemak Bay’s 25-foot tides, extends from the end of a residential street in old Homer to the mouth of Beluga Slough. It can be thick with migrating shorebirds and waterfowl in early May. Herring gulls and northwestern crows pick through the flotsam stranded by tides. Bald eagles soar overhead and call from tall trees on the shore. As the tide recedes, watch for the squirting jets of water from clams clearing their siphons. Rocky outcrops trap pools of water and form anchors for beds of blue mussels and barnacles. You may find jellyfish trapped in these tidepools, along with plankton, crabs and tiny shrimp-like amphipods. Burrowing anemones pucker the sand in places, visible as half-dollar-size disks almost flush with the surface."

The tide is going out - Lots of folks checking out what the sea has left:

Love the reflections:

Dead fish and lots of kelp:

Lots of sea shells and a creature on the end of one shell:

Dead crab and when I moved him, there were many little creatures moving around.  I don't know if the crab was dinner or a shelter:

The beauty around us is breathtaking - the pictures do not do it justice:

Float plane heading to Beluga Lake:

Another crab:

We walked along the water's edge checking out the other tide pools and chatting with folks until we noticed the tide starting to come in.  Heading back to the truck:

??????

(I did bring back some rocks and shells - LOL!)

From there we headed to the Kachemak Bay/Homer Overlook:

Interesting tidbit:

Brave men!

The Homer Spit in the middle:

After a short stop at Safeway, we decided to just hang out and enjoy - especially since the sun came out. 

We watched the ships in the bay, and even saw a few otters and sea lions:

Small ship launching area - there were some nice boats launching and coming out of the water:

We finished the evening cooking our supper over the campfire and chatting with our neighbors.  What a wonderful day.

Enjoy today!