This was to be a general holiday with a few friends to celebrate my partner Matt’s 40th birthday. Although we were visiting for just a week, I managed to spend one day by myself on the island of Hawai'i, or the Big Island as the locals call it, doing an organised tour with Hawaii Forest &Trail to the Pua Akala tract of the Hakalau NWR, a section of the refuge which is generally closed to the public. I also lined up to spend the day with O’ahu local Kurt Pohlman, travelling to a number of sites around O'ahu. Matt is generally sympathetic to my birding needs, and at times will accompany me, but since it was his birthday and I had already scored 2 dedicated birding days out of a week-long holiday, I didn’t want to push my luck further. I did some opportunistic birding at a number of sites on drives or walks, and since we were staying a block away from Kapiolani Park I walked through here a couple of times and saw plenty of introduced species.
General Itinerary:
24/9 - Arrived 11:30am at Honolulu airport and then on to Waikiki where we stayed, and birded around Kapiolani Park that afternoon; 25/9 – birded around Kapiolani park in the morning, relaxed for the rest of the day; 26/9 – Hakalau tour on Big Island taking up ALL day; 27/9 – Snorkelled at Hanauma Bay in the morning, drove around coast to Kailua where we had lunch and returned to hotel, then later went for a walk on the Manoa Falls Trail. I wanted to go to the adjacent Lyon Arboretum, but by the time we got there it was closed; 28/9 – Spent day with Kurt Pohlman, visiting Waiawa NWR and nearby watercress farm, Pouhala Marsh, Honouliuli NWR, Aiea Loop Trail, Salt Lake District Park, a couple of coastal lookouts near Makupu'u Point, Nu'upia Ponds at Kaneohe (no luck there though) and then the Kahuku area including Turtle Bay STP, Fumi’s Ponds, James Campbell NWR and Kahuku Beach; 29/9 – Birthday Boy’s day, no birding; 30/9 - return home
Field Guide
Pratt, H.D., Bruner, P.L. & Berrrett, D.G. (1987) A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press
Acknowledgements
Thanks to all those who provided information on places to visit, advantages/drawbacks of these and other useful birding tips, this includes Mike Ord, David Adams, Kurt Pohlman, Jaan Lepson and Peter Donaldson. Especial thanks to Kurt Pohlman for taking me around for the day and showing me birds and places I would most likely not have seen. Kurt was an excellent host, and I can’t thank him enough. Thanks also to Garry Dean from Hawaii Forest and Trail for being an energetic, enthusiastic, informative and extremely capable guide
General Impressions
Let me start off by saying Hawai'i is beautiful – I don’t want people to get the wrong impression here, there was much beauty, and the forests, both exotic/disturbed and native, and were by and large majestic, green and very pleasing on the eye. Hawai’i is interesting for a number of reasons. In common with other islands, it has, or rather has HAD, numerous endemic plants and animals and there are some great examples of these still to be found. Some amazing examples of adaptive radiation can be seen in the remaining endemic forest birds. Conversely it has also suffered from introductions of many exotic organisms, making it a very ecologically disturbed place.
Coming from Sydney where the overall proportion of introduced plants is 35% of the total (approximately 1500 native vascular plant species and approx 900 naturalised species, although these often-touted figures are probably out of date now), and having read that Hawai'i had many introduced species, it should not have surprised me how many exotic plants, and animals, were to be found here. It also shouldn’t have been that much of surprise to see quite a number of serious weeds of Australian origin, and yet I was left with some lasting impressions of these.
For instance, take the forest on the Aiea Loop Trail on O'ahu. Much of the walk passes through forest dominated by Swamp Mahogany (Eucalyptus robusta) although the trail passes early through some patches of Spotted Gum (Corymbia maculata) and there are scattered individuals of Brushbox (Lophostemon confertus) and Blackbutt (Eucalpytus pilularis) – all Australian. At times this is mixed with the native forest dominants of Koa (Acacia koa), an Australian-looking phyllodinous acacia, and Ohia (Metrosideros polymorpha), but in some parts the eucs, especially the Swamp Mahogany, can form monospecific stands. Just to throw another vegetative spanner into the forest ecosystem, the shrub layer is often almost solely made of Red and Yellow Cherry Guava (Psidium spp.). For an Australian from the east coast it’s quite weird looking across at other hillsides with huge tall eucalypt dominated canopies swaying in the breeze looking from a distance just like tall open forest here, except that the dominant species is one which normally grows at sea level around coastal swamps at home, not halfway up a volcanic mountain, and the trees are more densely packed, taller and thinner of trunk than in any Swamp Mahogany forest I’ve seen at home.
Likewise, driving along on the Big Island you pass through paddocks of grassland with belts of eucalypts which at first feels like you are home, except that the species which are together are never together at home. At other times there is an open forest, almost woodland, dominated entirely by Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta). On the slopes of Mauna Kea the pasture, which already appeared to be largely of Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum), was overgrown with impenetrable Gorse (Ulex europaeus) for miles, yet another example of weeds gone mad.
It’s not all Australian though, and on the Manoa Falls trail on O'ahu, Matt commented that it reminded him of South-east Asia, and this was hardly surprising given that the canopy was dominated by what looked like Yellow Poinciana (Peltophorum pterocarpum), with ground storey of gingers of many species, and occasional clumps of bamboo. A few Australian species were present too such as Alexandra Palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) and of course Swamp Mahogany (Eucalyptus robusta). I definitely spotted Royal Palms (Roystonea sp.) a Neotropical genus, as canopy emergents in forest below the first lookout on the Aiea Loop Trail.
In the drier areas the coastal vegetation is dominated by other weeds such as Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala), called Koa-haole in Hawaii, amongst others, but large cacti and cacti-like euphorbs were also present. Even the mangroves (Rhizophora sp.) which grow there are introduced.
And of course it’s not only the plants, Hawai’i seems to be the place to import animals too. You can see finch or finch like birds from various groups from almost every continent - I’m betting the Australian finch introduction to come could be Zebra Finch, but it could be anything else really, and I’m sure it’s a matter of time before it happens. Just on O'ahu you could have Northern Cardinal and House Finch from North America, Red-crested Cardinals and Saffron Finches from South America, House Sparrow from Eurasia, Yellow-fronted Canary, Common Waxbill and African Silverbill from Africa, and Red Avadavat, Chestnut Mannikin, Nutmeg Mannikin, Java Sparrow from South-east Asia.
This is sadly ironic that there are so many ecologically similar yet not necessarily closely related birds of exotic origins proliferating here, given the adaptive radiation of the Hawaiian Honeycreepers (sometimes placed in Fringillidae but also separated as unique family, Drepanididae), which are descended from a single or few finch-like ancestors. This group diversified to occupy a staggering array of niches, subsequently evolving into a myriad of forms, many of which are now extinct.
Other groups of endemics have also suffered, with all Hawaiian members ‘Honeyeaters’ [1] becoming extinct, and the Alala, or Hawaiian Crow, is now listed as extinct in the wild although a captive breeding programme is still underway. Extinction is a sad fact of life in this archipelago, with at least 36 bird species believed to have become extinct between the arrival of Polynesians and Europeans, and a further 23 since the arrival of Europeans. And they are still disappearing, although hard work is being put in to recovery programmes for endangered species.
In the case of the Hawaiian Duck or Koloa, this species was extirpated from O’ahu and then later reintroduced. The reintroduced birds have subsequently bred with introduced Mallards to such an extent that all of the birds on O’ahu are best considered to be hybrid progeny.
I managed to see a few land vertebrates other than birds – I saw an exotic skink which looked just like skinks in Australian gardens because that’s what it was, an impressive green chameleon from Africa, another exotic lizard in the streets of Waikiki, the ubiquitous geckos in the buildings, mongooses at Hanauma Bay, and feral donkeys on the Big Island. Oh, and the crayfish I saw in the stream below Manoa Falls may or may not have been introduced. At least the marine fish I saw while snorkelling were native…I think.
Having said that, and such mixed-up ecology obviously did create quite an impression, I did see all endemic forest birds on my trip to the Big Island except for one, the Palila, which lives in different habitat in a couple of small areas on another part of Mauna Kea. I was fortunate to see all these endemics, and not only that, I saw them in some beautiful examples of native rainforest with some glorious ancient Koa and Ohia trees. To see the variation in these birds, even in those remaining, still provides a fantastic example of adaptive radiation, and this gave a further reason to appreciate them in addition to their beauty and indeed their tenacity to survive. I was privileged to see two forest endemic species on O'ahu too, and I still saw Koa and Ohia there, in fact if I had walked further up another trail I would have seen much more in-tact forest.
On that note a point to be aware of when walking in Hawai'i is the state of the trails. I didn’t attempt any of the rather more dangerous sounding trails and in fact the Aiea Loop Trail, which I walked with Kurt, is famed as being one of the most popular, as well as being one of the best in terms of condition, of any on O'ahu. While both may be true, a walk along here possibly indicates what lies in store if you attempt one of the less well formed trails. The trail was at least fairly dry, but there were times when it had eroded into a decent gully. While it was walkable, it didn’t have any particularly steep sections which other trails traverse by means of rope and footholds – stairs do not seem to feature much in these trails and, even on this trail, a few steps wouldn’t have gone astray in some sections. Apparently the state sinks little money into upkeep of the trails and unfortunately it shows. I know that there are some shockers in Australia, and that some of the trails near the capital cities are fantastic compared to those in other parts, but generally the trails in our national parks look good by comparison.
Hawaiians clearly have a greater sense of adventure when it comes to hiking, because one of the trails I looked up suggested that there were two ways to go on after the second waterfall, the more adventurous of which was a sheer climb next to the falls, suggesting that if you took this option go for the ropes on the right hand side and watch your hand and foot holds! Sorry but this sounds like a mountain climb rather than a walk and I’m just not enough of an adrenaline junky for that. Mind you since much of the place is mountainous it’s hardly surprising that so much climbing is involved, but I’m a wuss and would prefer some stairs.
Places Visited
O'ahu
Kapiolani Park – Kapiolani Park, along with nearby Diamond Head, is famed from years past as being a great place to see a number of introduced birds. Whilst this still holds true, several species which were once more common are no longer found around this area, such as Orange-cheeked Waxbill and Lavender Waxbill, or may even be extinct on O’ahu such as Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu Finch. Having said this, it was still a good place to start to see a number of birds which are found around the Waikiki area and it was only a couple of hundred metres from our hotel. In so far as introduced birds go, Feral Pigeons, often mostly white, can be found along with Spotted Turtle-doves and Zebra Doves, the latter being the most common dove. Finches or finch-like birds from a number of families and all continents can be found in this park. I recorded House Sparrow, House Finch, Common Waxbill, Nutmeg Mannikin, Java Sparrow, Red-crested Cardinal and Yellow-fronted Canary (this is one of the best spots on O'ahu for the last species). Other introduced birds which I found in the park included Common Myna (these are as ubiquitous in Hawai'i as they are in Australia), Red-vented Bulbul, Japanese White-eye (looks and sounds somewhat similar to Silvereye), Cattle Egret and a single brief but diagnostic view of a Northern Mockingbird.
Not all birds here are introduced. The Waikiki area was famed as being the easiest place in the state to find White Tern, which once bred in the park and adjacent areas but otherwise only in remote islands in the northwest chain. In fact it is now spreading and breeds at a number of sites on O'ahu’s south coast in the wider Honolulu area, but it is still very visible in the Waikiki area. I found these easily enough in the park, and in fact they can be seen at times flying over the streets and through the towers of Waikiki itself. The lawns of the park, and indeed areas under trees too, held scattered individuals or occasional small groups of Pacific Golden Plover (or Kolea), the most abundant migratory shorebird for the state. A single Black-crowned Night Heron was seen at times. On 25/9 I walked through the park and I looked back up at a white bird flying past Diamond Head to find that it was a White-tailed Tropicbird – the only individual of this species I saw for the whole trip. A Great Frigatebird flew lazily over the park on 24/9. Whilst lazing on the beach some dark birds offshore appeared to be probable Brown Boobies but I couldn’t be certain.
One bird that I saw here in the tiniest of freshwater ponds in the park cannot be placed in either category. These were hybrids between introduced Mallard and the endemic Hawaiian Duck or Koloa. I saw many more of these in other parts of O’ahu, but it is sad that the endemic duck which was extirpated from this island and subsequently reintroduced, as a pure endemic it has been almost hybridised out of existence here.
Manoa Falls Trail – This trail goes through some frighteningly disturbed but nonetheless beautiful rainforest through to an attractive waterfall. Birds here included White-rumped Shama,, Red-billed Leiothrix, Red-whiskered and Red-vented Bulbuls, Japanese White-eye, Common Myna and Zebra Dove near the car park.
Hanauma Bay to Makupu’u Point – We snorkelled at Hanauma Bay on 27/9, and the fish were many and varied, including the sate fish, Reef Triggerfish, tongue-twistingly called Humuhumunukunukuapua'a in Hawaiian. The birds were unsurprisingly few and introduced, such as Red-crested Cardinals, House Sparrow, Feral Pigeon, Spotted Turtle-dove and Zebra Dove. The only native bird I saw in this area was a Great Frigatebird cruising over the hills behind the beach. Perhaps the feral highlight of this place were the Indian Mongooses; disturbing as it is that these animals which have wreaked havoc in bird populations throughout the Pacific it was still interesting to see them. Just further along the coastal highway past Makupu’u Point was a small roadside lookout with great views up the coast and the fringing Ko’olau Range and the nearby islets of Manana and Kaohikapu. I saw several Red-footed Boobies here, some within 200m offshore. On my drive with Kurt on 28/9 we stopped first at the roadside lookout near the blowhole and got good views of both Brown and Red footed Boobies, but didn’t manage to pick up anything other than one distant Red-footed Booby near Makupu’u Point.
Waiawa NWR and Watercress Farm – I started my day of birding with Kurt at this site. My first views of Hawaiian Coot and Black-necked Stilt (the local race is endemic to Hawaii and endangered) were at this marsh refuge. Other waterbirds included Black-crowned Night Heron, Cattle Egret, the ever-present Pacific Golden Plover, and the first Wandering Tattler, Ruddy Turnstone and Sanderling of the trip. The first Chestnut Mannikins of the trip were recorded here too, and we heard Grey Francolin here but couldn’t see any. At the nearby watercress farm we saw more of the same birds.
Pouhala Marsh – We had timed our visit to reach these areas around high tide but diversity and abundance of waterbirds were quite low when we visited here. Black-necked Stilt was present as were a few Pacific Golden Plovers and Black-crowned Night Herons, but since birds were largely absent from here we headed off to Honouliuli NWR.
Honouliuli NWR – Along with the previous two sites this is a wetland adjacent to the large expanse of Pearl Harbour, and was perhaps the best of the three we visited in this area. The waterbird highlights were White-faced Ibis (like a Glossy Ibis but with a red eye) and Dunlin, along with more Black-necked Stilt, Hawaiian Coot, hybrid Mallard/Hawaiian Ducks, Sanderling, Wandering Tattler, Ruddy Turnstone and Pacific Golden Plover. For land birds, the highlight was a couple of Mourning Doves perched in a tree along with some Spotted Doves.
Aiea Loop Trail – This trail runs as a loop, and the Aiea Ridge trail branches off from this and ascends through forest which is dominated by native Koa and Ohia – indeed by the point which we reached before turning back, the ridge across from our lookout was pretty much free of eucalypts. This trail is one of the best places to search for the forest endemics, O'ahu 'Amamkihi and 'Apapane, with a chance of the endangered O'ahu 'Elepaio (although other sites are more reliable for this endemic race). Zebra Doves flitted around the carpark and the ubiquitous Japanese White-eyes appeared soon after. The first endemic heard and then seen was an immature O'ahu 'Elepaio, flitting around through some Brushbox next to the trail near where a powerline intersects only probably 400m or so from the start at the carpark. I was stoked to see this endangered bird since I had not really expected it on this trail. A Red-billed Leiothrix was calling here. Shortly afterwards near a clearing there were a lot of birds hanging around some flowering Swamp Mahoganies, mostly Japanese White-eye, with some Red-billed Leiothrix in the understorey, but we could hear 'Amamkihi. By carefully scanning all the birds moving through the tree we eventually found my first O'ahu 'Amakihi, a beautiful male bird, more yellow underneath than the Hawaiian counterpart. Both Red-vented and Red-whiskered Bulbuls were also here. As the trail progressed we passed through more open patches, areas with Koa and Ohia (although for the Ohia wasn’t in flower in the lower part of the trail), and eventually I had brief views of another O'ahu 'Amakihi, in some Koa this time, but more were calling. Almost all bids we saw however were either Japanese White-eye or Common Waxbills. A few small groups of Chestnut Mannikins flew past along the trail too. We stopped at one lookout along the way but failed to see anything here (had hoped for ‘Apapane), since there was little in the way of flowering trees, but at the next lookout, the Ohia trees below and along the adjacent ridge were flowering. More Common Waxbills and Japanese White-eyes appeared.
Kurt mentioned how that, in addition to looking for endemics, this spot was always worth checking in case the Mariana Swiftlets were around. They bred, or at least used to, in a tunnel just to the side of the freeway which was off to our right below the ridge opposite, and apparently since the freeway opened this prevented access to the nesting site with the best chances of seeing these birds being from where we were. Often flying in flocks, the best bet to see them was to scan the sky and ridgeline opposite hoping to see one with their distinctive flight patterns silhouetted against a light background.
Still no ‘Apapane, and we heard O'ahu 'Amamkihi, so I brought my binoculars up to my eyes, and to my complete amazement, I had a view of a tiny dark greyish brown swiftlet with slightly paler undersides flying away from me for a brief instant before it turned and I lost it. I saw something again which may have been it but lost it again and couldn’t be sure of the second time. The first view however was diagnostic – no other bird on the island has the same size and colour combined with the relatively short tail and long wings, and again the slightly decurved wings gliding away before flapping on a sharp turn was definitely swiftlet. Mariana Swiftlet, and I was stunned to see it but disappointed that Kurt missed it. Apparently this is a bird which no visiting birder should expect to see here, and I had not factored it in to my list of hopefuls.
Upon the return trip I saw two more male O'ahu 'Amakihi well, and we heard more even down into the carpark itself. Despite its weird mix of plants and sometimes slippery surfaces, this trail was definitely a winner for me. Another highlight was spotting a beautiful bright green Jackson’s Chameleon (Chamaeleo jacksonii xantholophus) – Kurt told me that he had seen these but they were usually more subdued in colouring, but then again with no predators to eat them, there would be no point hiding. Interestingly, a small skink which looked familiar in the forest turned out to be another Australian, Metallic Skink (Lampropopholis delicata), common even in gardens here in Sydney.
Salt Lake District Park – We stopped at this park to eat lunch. Much of the area was bare due to removal of dead wili-wili (Erythrina sanwichensis). These trees are currently being devastated across the archipelago as they have been attacked by an introduced gall wasp. We sat under some trees (not wili-wili) and observed a few birds whilst we ate. In addition to Zebra Doves, Red-vented Bulbuls and Pacific Golden Plover, we saw a few Yellow-fronted Canaries, a few Java Sparrows, a decent sized flock of at least 15 Saffron Finches, with males literally glowing, and large numbers of Chestnut Mannikins.
After lunch we headed around towards the south-east coast in hope of picking up a few seabirds (see above), stopped in at the Nu'upia Ponds in the Kanehoe marine base but not a single bird could be seen so we headed on up the coast to the Kahuku area.
Kahuku area:
Turtle Bay Sewerage Plant – We only had a brief stop here. There were plenty of Hawaiian Coots here along with stilts and hybrid ducks but no migrant wading birds were here, although this was the place where Kurt had first seen the White-rumped Sandpiper which we were hoping to see.
Fumi’s Ponds – A number of aquaculture farms are still found in this area and provide habitat for waterbirds, and Fumi’s seemed to be the most productive when we visited, along with the fact that this was the farm where the White-rumped Sandpiper and Spotted Sandpiper had been last seen. Some of the ponds were dry and others were full, but the waders preferred those with low water levels. We walked along the dykes between the ponds and checked them out, possibly breaking a few laws and regulations in doing so. Kurt had said that he always watched from the road, but others who had been there looking for these birds had walked around with little problem so we took our chances. In one of the ponds furthest north-east we managed to see 4 Long-billed Dowitchers and 2 Semipalmated Plovers, and eventually we managed to find the White-rumped Sandpiper in a shallow pond near the road, sitting with a flock of Sanderling. Plenty of the other more common waders here too (although we missed the Spotted Sandpiper), along with Cattle Egret, lots of Black-crowned Night Heron, and a few small flocks of hybrid ducks were in these ponds, but plenty more ducks were flying over to the adjacent James Campbell NWR. We also had nice views of Red Avadavat here too, a species which was quite abundant at this site, and some males were brilliant red. We saw a few birds of the endemic race of Common Moorhen in a pond behind the buildings just before we left.
Kahuku Beach and James Campbell NWR – Our last target was Bristle-thighed Curlews and we walked through a golf course and then in disturbed coastal vegetation bounded by the beach at Kahuku on one side and James Campbell NWR on the other. As soon as we entered this area from the golf course we saw the first Bristle-thighed Curlews. We eventually saw a few more of these, and then climbed the sand dunes to look for birds in James Campbell NWR, seeing more of the waterbirds seen earlier including a few more Moorhen. We packed ourselves up and Kurt drove me back to Waikiki after a long, but very productive and enjoyable day.
On the return journey down the Windward coast I managed to see a group of three Peafowl in scrub in from the road, and am not sure if these were of a “tickable” population or not.
Hawaii – The Big Island
I flew over to Kona and did a day tour with Hawaii Forest &Trail to the Hakalau NWR on 26/9 on the island of Hawai'i or the Big Island as locals call it. After nearly three hours of travel which actually only involved a 25 minute flight, I arrived at the office for the tour before it opened and had a quick look at some birds around the carpark. These included some House Sparrows, lots of Java Sparrows, what appeared to be yellowish finches although the light was too low still, indicating probable Saffron Finches, and the usual Common Myna, Spotted Dove and Zebra Dove. We were off at around 6:35am, with eight on the tour, all from the US excepting myself. I quickly added Yellow-billed Cardinal to my list as a couple flew past the car, and a dead and uncountable, but nevertheless beautiful, Peacock was on the road where we had been advised that they may be seen in the early part of our travel along the Mamaloa Hwy (190). Suburbs and wetter areas gave way to a more open dry forest dominated by another Australian import, Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta).
We stopped off at the Big Island Country Club to see if we could spot some of the introduced game birds and finches, and maybe a Nene. As we entered, Pacific Golden Plovers dotted the grass (where don’t these birds occur here?), and then I saw my first Northern Cardinal, then the first Erckel’s Francolins and Black Francolins of the trip. This was followed by a mixed group of finches in the roadside grass as we drove further, which included Java Sparrow, brilliantly coloured Saffron Finches and a few Red Avadavats, including a male with fairly heavy colouring. This last species has eluded me in three countries so far, so it was nice to finally catch sight of it. Two Nene flew past over a pond, and a covey of California Quail ran across the low ground as we approached. We turned around and headed back, and managed to spot some Black-crowned Night herons on one of the ponds, and a distant group of Java Sparrows which were accompanied by a few Nutmeg Mannikins, before we returned to the highway.
A few small fenced exclosures carry sad regenerating remnants of the original mixed dry forest, the most ravaged of all of Hawaii’s communities, which occurred in the lower elevations of the leeward parts of the larger islands. Elsewhere was grass (introduced), with occasional stands of all sorts of eucalypts. On to the Saddle Rd and we added a few more species such as Common (Ringneck) Pheasant, a flock of African Silverbill, Skylark, a pair of Kalij Pheasant, some Wild Turkeys, more of both Erckel’s and Black Francolins and California Quail, a few House Sparrows and House Finch near our breakfast stop at a park along the Saddle Rd, but none of the much-promised Pueo (the endemic race of the Short-eared Owl). Eventually we turned onto the Mauna Kea Access Rd and then onto the bumpy and slow Keanakolu Rd. After a while the surrounding vegetation changed quickly from pasture to almost solid gorse. There were still plenty of game birds here and Skylarks, and a few flocks of Yellow-fronted Canaries.
Finally, and with a fairly uncertain stomach, I arrived at the Hakalau NWR, in the Pua Akala tract. This area was part of an old cattle ranch, and consisted mostly of regenerating forest, and fragments of forest in pasture, but as we descended on foot down the trail the forest patches became thicker and more linked together. I'iwi were the first birds to appear, even as we were being briefed before our birding hike, and was the most common of the forest endemics seen that day. The adults are absolutely stunning in colour. Hawai'i 'Amakihi were heard, but it would take some time later to see one of these, and of course many of the small greenish birds in the trees were Japanese White-eye. Next on the list was a brief glimpse of an Hawai'i 'Elepaio, of the volcanoes race ridgewayi, and nearby we had great views of a perched dark morph Io or Hawaiian Hawk. Next we saw Hawai'i 'Amakihi which we had been hearing, and then ‘Apapane. Then we left the trail and walked into the regenerating pasture, walking only in the grass, most/all of which was exotic to Hawaii and included at least one Aust/Pacific grass, Microlaena stipoides. We soon had our first glimpse of 'Omao, one of two last remaining native thrushes of the archipelago, and views of another (immature) Hawai'i 'Elepaio.
The clouds dropped, mist descended and then shortly turned into rain – very light at first but getting heavier by the minute. More of all the birds we had seen before, including great views of 'Omao and Hawai'i 'Elepaio, and then a pair of 'Akepa, the male a stunning deep orange colour. We hung around an area within a short walk of a shelter shed, used during bird banding excercises, and we already lost three of our party to the weather – they gave up after a mere hour and a half and chose to wait in the shed. We carried on buoyed by the hope that Gary, our guide, had heard an 'Akiapola'au, but we didn’t find it (although we found another ‘Akepa) so retreated in the now heavy and freezing rain into the shelter. Once under cover I was drying off, and the outside weather looked less inviting, but then Gary called out that he had seen a creeper in a nearby tree, and, sure enough, I had my first brief view of Hawai'i Creeper.
Back to the lunch shelter, and then shortly five of us accompanied Gary further down the trail in search of 'Akiapola'au. Although once moving we were warmer, and now that we weren’t thrashing through tall grass my legs were drying off, the rain did get stronger. As we descended down the trail all sense of forest fragmentation disappeared as the track wound through more or less continuous forest. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that the vegetation really looked like some version of wet sclerophyll at home, since the phyllodinous Koa had large leathery leaves, and the Ohia looked a little like Turpentine from a distance only with smaller leaves, and the mesic understorey added to this impression of wet sclerophyll, although so many plants were different, and so different from the disturbed wet rainforest. I was lucky to see a rare lobeliad (Clermontia sp.), one of only six extant plants, all growing along this trail. Eventually we saw, rather than just heard, Red-billed Leiothrix, followed by another. We lost another tour member with a bad back, only as the rain had finally eased and the birds began to sing again. Minutes later Gary heard something and went crashing on a trail off the main track. After scanning some huge old lichen covered Koa trees, we saw a lot of activity involving groups of Hawai'i Creepers and 'Akepa, and then finally we saw a single 'Akiapola'au working its way over the main branches before disappearing down beyond our only angle of view. And that was it, no more further sightings of this species either at this spot, or indeed as we walked along, even though most others which had been harder to see earlier had now appeared close to the road so that all could see them. It was 4pm when we finally reached the van. The last of these endemic birds I saw was a single Hawai'i 'Amakihi sitting on the top of a gorse bush outside the refuge as we left the gate.
You’d think the birding was over, since I had been up for more than 12 hours by now, but I was still hopeful to see Pueo. The mist which had obligingly lifted for our last hours in the refuge descended again preventing views of potential owls quartering over the paddocks, but we saw more game birds, including another group of Kalij Pheasant. When we arrived onto the Mauna Kea Rd we were finally granted with the site of first one, then a second Pueo on the Saddle Rd. Further along, as the Saddle Rd crossed seemingly lifeless black lava flows, we flushed a covey of Chukar on the roadside. With 23 lifers for me and all of the endemics I had hoped to see on the trip, I was impressed to have had such a great day. I can thoroughly recommend Hawaii Forest & Trail’s Hakalau trip as a great experience and in particular Gary was an enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable guide. I may have stumbled exhausted in to my hotel room at 9:55, over 18 hours after I left, but I was still very happy.
[1] Actually Hawaiian ‘honeyeaters’, have now been shown to be unrelated to true Honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) with which they have been traditionally grouped, and in fact form a separate family (Mohidae) allied to a group including Waxwings, Silky Flycatchers and Palm Chat. For further reading see Fleischer, R.C., James, H.F. & Olson, S.L. (2008) Convergent Evolution of Hawaiian and Australo-Pacific Honeyeaters from Distant Songbird Ancestors. Current Biology 18 [24]: 1927-1931
Species Lists
*- asterisk indicates an introduced species
Locations visited:
ALT=Aiea Loop Trail BICC=Big Island Country Club
FP=Fumi’s Ponds HB=Hanauma Bay Ho=Honouliuli NWR JC=James Campbell
NWR
KB=Kahuku Beach Ko=Kona
KaP=Kapiolani Park MFT=Manoa Falls Trail
MP=Makupu'u Point PA=Pua Akala Tract, Hakalau NWR PM=Pouhala Marsh SLP=Salt Lake District Park
SRd=Saddle Rd TBSTP=Turtle Bay Treatment Plant W=Waiawa National Wildlife Refuge
WWF=Waiawa watercress farm
1) White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus): 1 seen from KaP whilst looking towards Diamond Head, flying towards downtown Honolulu direction (25/9) 2) Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster): 4 seen from roadside lookout near blowhole, (28/9) 3) Red-footed Booby (Sula sula): 3 seen from roadside lookout near blowhole, S of Sandy Beach (28/9), 1 seen distantly from roadside lookout near Makupu'u Point (28/9), at least 7 seen from same point but much closer (27/9) 4) Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor): Seen just outside KaP (24/9); inland from HB (27/9, 28/9); 1 near Sea Life park, north of MP (28/9) 5) *Cattle Egret (Bulbulcus ibis): Widespread on O'ahu and probably under-recorded by myself, but not seen on Big Island. Seen at KaP (25/9); seen at W, Ho, several at Sandy Beach Park, across from Hawaii Kai Golf Course, also at FP and JC (28/9) 6) Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax): Widespread on wetlands in O'ahu. Single bird seen at KaP (25/9) and nearby in Waikiki (27/9); 3 on pond at BICC (26/9); observed at W, WWF, PM, Ho, FP, JC (28/9) 7) White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi): Single bird observed at Ho (28/9) 8) (*) Hawaiian Duck (Anas wyvilliana) x Mallard (A. platyrhynchos) hybrids: Neither introduced nor endemic but part each, and only half a lifer really, these were reasonably widespread on the island– I actually saw 2 of these in the smallest of ponds in KaP (24/9). Also present at Ho, TBSTP, FP and JC (28/9) 9) Nene (Branta sanwicensis): (endemic) 2 observed in flight at BICC, also 5 flying seen from SRd (26/9) 10) Io (Buteo solitarius): (endemic) 1 dark morph bird perched openly in open country at PA (26/9) 11) *Black Francolin (Francolinus francolinus): Recorded at BICC and SRd (26/9) 11a) *Grey Francolin (Francolinus pondicerianus) (h): Heard but remained unseen at both W and Ho (28/9) 12) *Erckel's Francolin (Francolinus erckelii): Quite numerous in parts of Big Island, observed at BICC, SRd and along Keanakolu Rd to PA (26/9) – probably most frequent of game birds observed that day 13) *Chukar (Alectoris chukar): Covey observed on seemingly barren bare lava flow, SRd (26/9) 14) *Kalij Pheasant (Lophura leucomelana): Pair observed on edges of pasture on SRd, also 3 on Keanakolu Rd to PA (28/9) 15) *Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus): Observed from SRd and Keanakolu Rd (26/9) 16) *Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo): Observed from SRd and Keanakolu Rd (26/9) 17) *Common Peafowl (Pavo cristatus): Not sure if this should realistically be on the list – one bird from “tickable” population NE of Kona dead on Mamaloa Hwy (26/9); a few birds seen roadside from the highway along the Windward coast on O'ahu (28/9) very alive but perhaps not from “tickable” population? 18) *California Quail (Callipepla californica): 2 coveys observed at BICC, several coveys observed from SRd and Keanakolu Rd (26/9) 19) Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus sandwicensis): (endemic race) 4 in pond behind buildings at FP, and several at JC (28/9) 20) Hawaiian Coot (Fulica alai): (endemic) Fairly widespread in wetland areas on O’ahu, observed at W, WWF, Ho, TBSTP, FP and JC (28/9) 21) Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica): Abundant in pasture and also on shallow wetlands, observed at KaP (24/9, 25/9) even seen in flight from hotel veranda in Waikiki (25/9); observed on Big Island at BICC and roadside form SRd and Keanakolu Rd (26/9); recorded at W, WWF, PM, HO, FP, JC and between KB and JC (28/9) 22) Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus): 2 seen in shallow pond at FP (28/9) 23) Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni): (endemic race) Widespread on O’ahu where suitable habitat of shallow water present. Recorded at W, WWF, PM, Ho, TBSTP, FP and JC (28/9) 24) Wandering Tattler (Heteroscelus incanus): One of the more regular waders to visit the state but often appeared singly or in small numbers. Present at W, WWF, Ho and FP (28/9) 25) Bristle-thighed Curlew (Numenius tahitiensis): 6 birds present in land behind KB, adjacent to JC (28/9), “bristle” thighs quite visible backlit in late afternoon light 26) Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres): A relatively common wader, small flocks present at W, WWF, Ho and FP (28/9) 27) Sanderling (Calidris alba): One of the most abundant waders on O'ahu, small flocks present at W, WWF, Ho and FP (28/9) 28) White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis): A highlight of the trip, this bird had been staked for over a week before I arrived, but nevertheless was considered to be the first authenticated White-rumped Sandpiper for the state. Single bird in low pond associating with Sanderling at FP (28/9) 29) Dunlin (Calidris alpina): 1 at Ho (28/9) 30) Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus): 4 birds in shallow pond at FP (28/9) 31) White Tern (Gygis alba): Seen KaP (24/9, 25/9) and in Waikiki most days, including from hotel veranda; reasonably conspicuous as they fly over roads and past multi-storey highrises. 32) *Feral Pigeon (Columba livia): And they really are feral. A surprisingly high proportion of the birds around Waikiki were white (at least surprising in comparison with the normal multitude of grey shades here in Sydney birds). Abundant around Waikiki (most days); KaP (24/9, 25/9), but also at HB (27/9) 33) *Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis): Quite abundant in some areas (just like here in Sydney), although perhaps neither as abundant nor as widespread as the following species, possibly under-reported by myself. Recorded at KaP (24/9, 25/9); K and BICC (26/9); HB (27/9); Ho (28/9) 34) *Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata): Perhaps most abundant dove, certainly most widespread. Birds sound and look like the SE Asian Zebra Dove and not the Peaceful Dove of Australia, which, according to your taxonomic inclinations, are either split into 2 species or lumped together as two races of the one species. Very tame, and recorded at KaP (24/9, 25/9); Waikiki most days including from hotel veranda (25/9); K and BICC (26/9); HB, Kailua, MFT (27/9); W, Ho, ALT, SLP, TBSTP, FP and between KB and JC (28/9) 35) *Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura): 2 birds perched in a dead tree with Spotted Doves at Ho (28/9) 36) Pueo [Short-eared Owl] (Asio flammeus sanwicensis): (endemic race) After being told that we would be bound to see them, these eluded us for the entire trip to Hakalau, but eventually on the return trip we saw one over pasture on Mauna Kea Access Rd, and one on the SRd (26/9) 37) *Mariana Swiftlet (Aerodramus bartschii): 1 bird observed very briefly from lookout on ALT (where Ridge Trail starts) in flight (28/9) 38) Skylark (Alauda arvensis): Few on SRd, common in gorse infested pasture along Keanakolu Rd on way to PA (26/9) 39) *Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer): Abundant and widespread on O'ahu. Recorded at KaP (24/9, 25/9); HB, Kailua, MFT (27/9); ALT, SLP, TBSTP, FP and near KB (28/9). As with other abundant species, may have been under-recorded. 40) *Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus): Substantially less numerous or widespread as the former species, being recorded for MFT (27/9) and ALT (28/9) 41) Hawai'i 'Elepaio (Chasiempis sandwicensis): (endemic) Birds of the volcanoes race (C.s.ridgwayi) reasonably common at PA (26/9), with at least 8 observed, including adult males and females and 1 immature; 42) O'ahu 'Elepaio (Chasiempis ibidis): 1 immature on ALT, moving through Brushbox (Lophostemon confertus) (28/9) 43) 'Omao (Myadestes obscurus): (endemic) Reasonably common at PA (26/9) 44) *White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malbaricus): Adult and 1 immature at MFT (27/9); heard at W and ALT, and 1 adult observed at WWF (28/9) 45) *Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea): Heard throughout much of PA, but only 2 observed (26/9); 2 individuals observed but more heard at MFT (27/9); 2 individuals observed but more heard at ALT (28/9) 46) *Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos): 1 seen briefly and distantly, but white wing flashes and tail sides diagnostic, KaP (24/9) 47) *Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis): Widespread and abundant both O'ahu and Big Island, although absent from PA 48) *Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus): Even more widespread on land than previous species, across more habitats, including in high altitude forest interiors. Pretty much seen at most locations throughout trip and I probably would have seen it at the others if I waited longer. 49) *Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis): 1 adult seen at BICC, and another near rest stop on SRd, heard but unseen at PA (26/9); 1 seen at W and also at TBSTP (28/9) 50) *Red-crested Cardinal (Paroaria coronata): Quite common and abundant on O'ahu, especially in more open habitats. Recorded at KaP where quite tame (24/9, 25/9); HB (27/9); W, WWF, Ho and TBSTP (28/9) 51) *Yellow-billed Cardinal (Paroaria capitata): 2 seen from car near K (26/9) 52) *Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola): What appeared to be yellow finch-like birds in the carpark of Hawai’i Forest & Trail office, K, in the all-too-dark early morning light was probably my first sighting of this bird, but also a small flock was present at BICC (26/9); at least 15 were feeding on lawn at SLP (28/9). Brilliantly coloured birds. 53) *House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus): Widespread and across many habitats. Actually first lifer for the trip, since there was one on our hotel veranda at Waikiki when we arrived at the hotel (24/9) and around Waikiki most days, but also KaP (24/9, 25/9); near rest stop on SRd, and further along Keanakolu Rd (26/9); Also recorded Ho, ALT, TBSTP, FP (28/9) 54) *Yellow-fronted Canary (Serinus mozambicus): First seen for the trip in KaP which is a stronghold and where quite numerous (24/9, 25/9); also seen on approach to PA on Keanakolu Rd in pasture overgrown with gorse (Ulex europaeus), but also seen in grassy clearing in native rainforest at PA (26/9); also a few at SLP (28/9) 55) Hawai'i 'Amakihi (Hemignathus virens): (endemic) Abundant at PA (26/9), 2nd most common native forest bird at this site, last bird seen just outside reserve in top of Gorse bush on Keanakolu Rd 56) O'ahu 'Amakihi (Hemignathus chloris): (endemic) 4 seen although more were heard on ALT (28/9), mostly feeding around Swamp Mahogany, but also some in Koa 57) 'Akiapola'au (Hemignathus munroi): (endemic) 1 male seen climbing over branches of Koa at PA (26/9), last forest endemic added to list at this site and hardest to find 58) Hawai'i Creeper (Oreoemystis mana): (endemic) A couple of family groups and 3 singles of this bird recorded at PA (26/9) moving over branches 59) 'Akepa (Loxops coccineus): (endemic) A couple of family groups and a few pairs of this bird recorded at PA (26/9), males were a showy deep orange in colour 60) I'iwi (Vestiaria coccinea): (endemic) The most common native forest bird at PA when we visited (26/9), feeding mostly in flowering Ohia. We had some fantastic views of this stunning scarlet bird, which gets my vote as most beautiful Hawaiian endemic. 61) 'Apapane (Himatione sanguinea): (endemic) Another common bird at PA (26/9), 3rd most common forest endemic recorded there that day, often feeding in flowering Ohia 62) *House Sparrow (Passer domesticus): Found near urban areas but not necessarily numerous, and often outnumbered by other small finches, recorded at Waikiki from hotel veranda and KaP (25/9); Hawaii Forest and Trail office carpark, K, and near rest stop on SRd (26/9); HB and Kailua (27/9) 63) *Common Waxbill (Estrilda astrild): Common is the right name for this bird in parts of O’ahu, and I was surprised to see it in numbers even in forest. Seen at KaP (24/9, 25/9); W, Ho, ALT and TBSTP (28/9). Small enough it can disappear in even very short grass. 64) *Red Avadavat (Amandava amandava): Finally, after missing it in three other countries as both a native and an exotic introduction, I have caught up with this bird. 3 birds seen including 1 male in nearly full breeding plumage at BICC (26/9). Also saw many at FP (26/9) where the most common small finch, and great views of males in breeding plumage. 65) *African Silverbill (Lonchura cantans): Five birds seen from roadside in pasture off SRd (26/9) 66) *Nutmeg Mannikin (Lonchura punctulata): A few flocks seen at KaP (24/9, 25/9); feeding with Java Sparrows at BICC (26/9) 67) *Chestnut Mannikin (Lonchura malacca): Found in a number of habitats on O’ahu, including a flock at W, several birds in forest at ALT, and many in grass at SLP (28/9); 68) *Java Sparrow (Lonchura oryzivora): Reasonably numerous and ridiculously approachable at KaP (24/9, 25/9), amazing compared with how scarce and flighty they were on Bali; also seen at carpark of Hawaii Forest & Trail office, K, and at BICC (26/9); seen also at W, Ho and SLP (28/9)
Mammals
*Wild Donkey: A small herd was in pasture coastwards of the Mamaloa Hwy (Kohala district?) (26/9) *Indian Mongoose: quite visible at HB (27/9)
Reptiles
*Brown Anole: A lizard wandering near a planter box in the streets of Waikiki best matched this species (25/9) *Metallic Skink: I saw one of these in leaf litter under, appropriately enough, Swamp Mahoganies, on ALT (28/9). It looked just like one of the two common garden skink species (native) here at home, because it was! *Jackson’s Chamaeleon: I glanced at a branch of Paperbark at something bright green in colour which turned out to be this lizard. Very impressive even if introduced. *House Gecko: As throughout the Pacific and SE Asia, common around buildings.
