Homer's Bald Eagles
Updated: May 23, 2022
Why a Wonder: Homer offers one of the greatest concentrations of bald eagles in Alaska. The eagles here are well-accustomed to fishermen cleaning their catch and discarding scraps. Legendary to Homer, and its reputation as a place to photograph bald eagles, is the late Jean Keene, a local resident who lived on the spit, and fed the eagles every day during the winter – from around 1977 until her death in 2009. Hundreds of eagles would congregate, and photographers from around the world would flock here to photograph these beautiful birds. What's more, the eagles allow photographers to approach much closer than in most other locations around the world.
Where: Homer, Alaska.
When: Winter is best, from January through March.
Photography: This is one of the few places where you can photograph bald eagles with a 70-200mm or 100-400mm lens and get full-frame images. On some of the small islands, you may find that the birds walk right up to you, so have a wide-angle zoom ready, too. For tight head shots, use a lens in the 100-400 or 150-600mm range.
There are several boat companies in Homer that specialize in eagle tours, and will take you out in the Kachemak Bay for the unparalleled experience of photographing these majestic birds of prey.
More: See more Alaska and wildlife images here.
© Lewis Kemper
This post sponsored by Breakthrough Photography Filters.
