No Boat Ride

We birded the bluff above Homer, Alaska, and heard and saw some good birds including Boreal Chickadee, Townsend's Warbler, and our only Alaskan Belted Kingfisher.  We didn't get any crossbills, though.  We picked up Joyce back at the motel and drove to Homer Spit (web photo) where the boat we were to take is moored.  The boat is also used as a water taxi, so it wasn't there when we arrived.  A few minutes later it chugged in and the captain informed us that it was too rough out in Kachemak Bay and the wind was rising, so the trip is cancelled.  What a big disappointment.  We had only this one day to look for murrelets and now there would be none.  We'll try to compensate at a later date.  We did a little birding in the area and left for the drive back to Anchorage.  In Anchorage Joyce and I had dinner at a local place recommended to her by her seatmate, a VP for Alaska Airlines, on the flight out to Anchorage.  It certainly was THE place to be with a truly eclectic mixture of people.  Now I'm back at the Puffin Inn and reorganizing for the California part of this trip.  I fly to San Francisco tomorrow morning and John follows a few hours later.  So stay tuned for the CA segment.  No new birds today so the total remains at 624