Kachemak Crane Watch

Keep an ear out for returning sandhill cranes

By • Apr 9, 2021
Kachemak Crane Watch

Watch the skies over the few next weeks. Sandhill canes are returning to the Kenai Peninsula. They've already been spotted in the air. Nina Faust of Kachemak Crane Watch spoke with KBBI's Kathleen Gustafson this week and says she has reports of crane sightings, but hasn't yet received reports of a sandhill crane touchdown. 


“The last few years from 2017 forward, there were fairly early March 29th in 2017, April 7th in 2018, April 2nd in 2019 and April 9th in 2020. And then this year, the first report was on April 1st,” said Faust

Kachemak Science May 25, 2019

By • May 28, 2019
alaska.org

Kachemak Bay Birders wrapped up their yearly shorebird monitoring  project on May 23, 2019 and sent a few representatives to KBBI for a special, live edition of Kachemak Science.
Guests,  George Matz from Kachemak Bay Birders, Nina Faust of Kachemak Crane Watch and student birder, Ally Rader talk about shorebirds, migration and nesting on Kachemak Bay.

Bird Rhythms: Lesser Sandhill Crane

By Kachemak Bay Birders • Apr 30, 2018
Nina Faust - Kachemak Crane Watch

April's Bird of the Month is the lesser sandhill crane. They've been arriving in Homer for the last few weeks. Learn how to recognize their calls and watch for where they are nesting on this episode of Bird Rhythms.
You can help count cranes and nesting sites by going to cranewatch.org. To learn more about birding in the area, go to kachemakbaybirders.org.

Earth Day Event Honors Ed Bailey

By • Apr 23, 2018
Kachemak Bay Conservation Society

Sunday, April 22 marks the 48th
Earth Day, a yearly observance of the importance of environmental conservation. The Kachemak Bay Convervation Society holds its annual meeting on Saturday the 21st at Homer's Islands and Ocean Visitor Center. On the agenda: music, films, photos and presentations on climate science.
KBBI's Jeff Lockwood has the story.

Kachemak Crane Watch concerned about increase of sandhill cranes in town

By Renee Gross • Apr 11, 2018
Kachemak Crane Watch

Sandhill cranes are just beginning to arrive in the Homer area. But if this season is anything like the past few years, more cranes will be nesting in town. Nina Faust is the co-founder of Kachemak Crane Watch, which is dedicated to the conservation of sandhill cranes. The organization relies on residents and visitors to report crane sightings.

“We've had a lot more calls about cranes in small groups and that larger group of 24 hanging around in town,” she said. “We've had an increase in the number of calls about those over the last couple of years.”  

Lesser Sandhill Cranes Arrive in Homer

By Casey Marsh • Apr 18, 2016
Courtesy of Kachemak Crane Watch

Lesser Sandhill Cranes are arriving in Homer for the summer. Nina Faust and Edgar Bailey with Kachemak Crane Watch shared some photos of the cranes with KBBI. Kachemak Crane Watch received the first report of cranes in the Homer area on March 9.

Cranes Gone For Winter

By Quinton Chandler • Sep 30, 2015
Photo Courtesy of Kachemak Crane Watch

Summer has come and gone and Sandhill Cranes are heading south after another successful year nesting in the Kachemak Bay area. A citizen scientist group that counts the cranes each fall reports their numbers are in keeping with past years. But, KBBI’s Quinton Chandler reports crane lovers are worried by what awaits the birds in drought stricken California.