Birding Kauai, Maui, & Hawaii
May 30-June 10, 2011 (10 nights in HI, Herman's 50th state.)
We are Oakes, Herman, and Eva. Any errors on this page are the author's (Eva).

I'iwi 'Apapane Nene

Red-tailed_tropicbird Great Frigatebird White-tailed Tropicbird

Red-footed Booby Short-eared Owl Black Noddy

Japanese White-eye Saffron Finch pair White-rumped Shama

Yellow-billed Cardinal Red-crested Cardinal Junglefowl

Peacock Kalij Pheasant Erckel's Francolin

Black-necked Stilt Hawaiian Coot Moorhen Java Sparrow

• My first I'iwi was a thrill; I'iwi, wings akimbo; I'iwi with its bill in a lehua, the flower of the Ohi'a tree; The I'iwi's head has a distictive shape in this pose; I'iwi head-on; I tentatively identify this I'iwi's perch as the native naio (aka false sandalwood).
• 'Apapane; 'Apapane from the front, and from the back; The only time I saw an 'Apapane on the ground; This 'Apapane was in our yard at My Island BnB; 'Apapane in the pink; flying; An 'Apapane with Christmas card potential; I photographed this juvenile Apapane in Hosners Grove on Maui.
• The Nene, aka Hawaiian Goose, is Hawaii's State Bird.
• Red-tailed Tropicbird doing acrobatics; more. Another Red-tailed Tropicbird; Sometimes the Red-tailed Tropicbird's feet are apparent, sometimes they're not. Kilauea Point NWR is the place to see a Red-tailed Tropicbird.
• A Great Frigatebird is big. (90 inch wingspan.)
• White-tailed Tropicbirds were usually in a dramatic setting. We watched two White-tailed Tropicbirds fly in and above a large crater containing a smaller crater where an eruption was in progress. White-tailed tropicbirds nest in the walls of the larger crater.
• Red-footed Booby on nest with chick; in flight; Closeup of a perched Booby; Treeful of perched Boobies. Many treefuls of Red-footed Boobies.
• The Hawaiian endemic race of the Short-eared Owl, aka Pueo, near the Saddle Road. Short-eared Owl on a wire; Short-eared Owl near the Lihue airport.
• Three Black Noddies, aka White-capped Noddies. We saw the Black Noddies at Kehena roosting on the lava cliff.
• Japanese White-eye feeding from a flower; Damp Japanese White-eye (It rains a lot in Hawaii); My first Japanese White-eye.
• Saffron Finch; Saffron Finch and Japanese White-eye; Bald spot;
• White-rumped Shama. We had a couple of these on the 'Ohiki Road, a sharp left turn immediately after a bridge 1.1 miles after the Hanalei NWR overlook on Highway 560 on Kaua'i.
• Yellow-billed Cardinal; As we breakfasted on the lanai at Rainbow Plantation BnB, Yellow-billed Cardinals tee-ed up for us.
• Red-crested Cardinals were common on Kauai, though it took me 24 hours to see my first. Juvenile Red-crested Cardinal sassing its elder; contemplating berries.
• Moa (Red Junglefowl); the polynesians introduced these. We saw feral ones soon as we stepped into the sunshine at Lihue airport. There's a wild population at Kokee State Park.
• We had a pair of Common Peafowl on a country road near the north coast of the Big Island; Peahen; Again; Peacock preparing for takeoff; Why did the peacock cross the road?
• Kalij Pheasants were intoduced from Nepal. Kalij Pheasants are common above 1000 ft. on the Big Island; female; male.
• What's with Erckel's Francolin and the fenceposts on the Saddle Road? Two more.
• We had the endemic race of the Black-necked Stilt on Kauai and Maui.
• Ditto for Hawaiian Coot; another; An immature Coot, I presume.
• Endemic race of the Common Moorhen scratching: We had a lot of Moorhens, and other trip birds (Nenes, Shamas), on 'Ohiki Road on our first full day.
• We had Java Sparrows at Rainbow Plantation, and also a flock of them near the Lihue airport.

Other Bird Species Sighted:

• Hawaii 'Amakihi
• Black-crowned Night-Heron on Kauai; juvenile at Whittington Beach County Park on Hawai'i.
• Cattle Egret on Kauai; Cattle Egrets on the Big Island.
• Nutmeg Manakins
• Chestnut Munia, aka Chestnut Manakin
• Red-billed Leiothrix only 100 yards into the Manuka Natural Area Reserve, and at eye level, but still hard to observe. Two of them were very active in a dense tree; This species has a colorful wing.
• Common Mynas were conspicuous everywhere; Myna from the front; Myna from the back; Common Myna taking off.
• Black Francolin; back view
• Gray Francolin; another
• House Finch pair
• Northern Cardinal
• Ring-necked Pheasant; Oakes spotted this bird just outside Haleakala National Park. "Stop! Back up."
• Oversummering Ruddy Turnstones at the wetland near the airport on Maui.
• Sky Lark hovering; We had Sky Larks on the Saddle Road and near the southernmost spot in the USA.
• Spotted Dove was an easy species to photograph. This one's a showoff; fanfare.
• Wild Turkeys seen from the Saddle Road.
• Yellow-fronted Canary at Whittington Beach County Park. Yellow-fronted Canaries from the back.
• Zebra Dove: The small ( 8") Zebra Dove is abundant; another one.
• Wandering Tattler; side view; I photograhed this bird June 6 at Whittington Beach County Park. Herman and Oakes observed presumably the same individual June 9th. A few non-breeding Tattlers oversummer in Hawaii.

Avian species I photographed in Hawaii not included among the 41 on this page:

• House Sparrow
• Rock Pigeon
• Hawaiian Hawk

Biggest miss: Following The Birdwatcher's Guide to Hawai'i by Rick Soehren, we pulled up by a ditch near a back gate of the Pacific Missile Range Facility. Oakes hopped out, and soon called excitedly from a parapet that he had a drake Hawaiian duck and a mother with ducklings! Herman got out of the car fast (for him), but just then a military guard appeared in the tall grasses on the other side of the chain-link gate (There was not a building in sight). The guard called to us. Herman waived his binoculars and said in a friendly tone, smiling, "We're birdwatchers." (Right, like the bins are going to reassure the guard.) I figured the military was probably worried that I might be about to ram the gate with a rental Chevrolet full of explosives, so I made a beeline out of there, leaving Herman and Oakes. As I was walking back, eager to photograph the ducks, I encountered Herman and Oakes coming my way, waving me back. The guard had ordered them both away seconds before Herman would have gotten a life bird!

I have many photographs of mongooses, but all were taken through the windshield and are not web worthy. In the fullness of time I will draw one, as a memento of this enemy of birds. I heard that the mongoose was introduced to keep down the rat population (also introduced), but the mongooses are diurnal and the rats nocturnal, so they don't meet.

People Pictures:

• The cast of characters breakfasting at Rainbow Plantation, a great BnB near Captain Cook.
• Oakes and Herman trying to glimpse the Wedge-tailed Shearwater.
• Be prepared for rain in HI.
• Herman in I'iwi habitat.
• Enjoying the lanai at My Island BnB, another great place.
• While Herman and Oakes birded...
• Eva snorkeled.
• Herman, overdressed for the beach.

Miscellaneous:

• butterfly photographed at the Manuka Natural Area Reserve on Hawaii (aka The Big island).
• Gold Dust Day Gecko photographed at Rainbow Plantation.
• The eruption at night.
• houseboat at Rainbow Plantation (1200 ft above sea level).
• Whittington Beach County Park
• Manuka Natural Area Reserve on the Big Island where I got the Red-billed Leiothrix.
• Probably a Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, because it's more common than the Hawaiian Hawksbill Turtle.
• Sea turtles at Punalu'u Beach County Park.
• Waimea Canyon
• The traditional capes were made of feathers, but only a feather or two were taken per bird, and then the bird was released.
• View from our lanai at Kula Lodge.
• An unusual shade of blue in a flower
• Whoa

We stayed at the Kauai Sands (Excellent value, well located, and the only place we stayed right on the ocean. I appreciated the pool.). On Maui we stayed at Kula Lodge (Gourmet restaurant, perfect location for ascending Haleakala at dawn, and there's no other place in town. Not a BnB.). We stayed at two places on the Big Island. My Island Bed and Breakfast on the Hilo side had its own rainforest trail! Rainbow Plantation (A BnB at 1200 ft. on a coffee and macademia nut farm.) was accessible to everything on the Kona side. The breakfasts at the two BnBs were fabulous. Though only described as continental, they included eggs, hot cereal, homemade muffins, and the fresh fruits for which Hawaii is justly reknowned. One of us was on a gluten free diet and he found plenty to eat. If we had to do it over again we would stay in all four of those places again. All had refrigerators except Kula Lodge. Since we packed a picnic lunch most days a fridge was important to us. Fortuately we had an ice chest, and the bar at Kula Lodge provided ice.

This little "movie" was taken from our porch (lanai) in the unit called Hale Huna at Rainbow Plantation:

If you are not set up to see the above embedded movie, click here

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