Tweeters, especially Tom, John, and Paul:
We were on the Big Island of Hawai'i from September 1 to 7 and offer the
following brief bird report for others who may find themselves there some day.
We carried two books and recommend them: Hawaii Audubon's _Hawaii's Birds_
(~$10) and Pratt's _Enjoying Birds in Hawaii_ (~$18). These books are both
slim, packed with info, and left no questions unanswered.
We rented a car and stayed in Hilo, Volcano, Wood Valley, Honoka'a, and Hilo
(again) on our circuit of the island. We skipped past the entire Kailua-Kona
coast.
Among the species we saw were these:
Endemics: 'I'iwi, 'Elepaio, 'Apapane, Amakihi, Oma'o, 'Io, Nene
Seabirds: Black Noddy, White-tailed Tropicbird
Shorebirds: Bristle-thighed Curlew, Black-bellied Plover, Wandering Tattler
Introduced, but cool: Hwamei (Melodious Laughing-Thrush), Red-billed Leiothrix,
Yellow-billed Cardinal
The "possible" honeycreepers we missed (Palila, Akiapola'au, Hawaii Creeper)
might
require a 4-wd vehicle or a tour guide. By failing to see them this time, we
set the stage for a future visit to the Big Island.
The endemics were not too difficult to see. We went up the Mauna Loa Strip
Road to its end, stopping a couple of times along the way. Once above 5000
feet, we heard 'Elepaio on each stop, but had great difficulty seeing them. At
the road's end is the beginning of a trailhead that leads to the peak, but by
walking just a short ways along this trail we got into open habitat with
scattered ohia trees. We "staked out" one of them and waited. Before long we
had seen Amakihi and Apapane, but hadn't found our main target bird, 'I'iwi.
Still, an 'Io (Hawaiian Hawk) soared over for a while and the views were
spectacular. Eventually, I scanned for a busier tree, found one, and we hiked a
short distance to get a good view. Once there, we found up to a dozen Apapane
and at least one 'I'iwi. That 'I'iwi chased one Apapane after another away from
various ohia blossoms, keeping the canopy very lively.
That was our only 'I'iwi spot, but we saw Apapane and Amakihi elsewhere
without much trouble. We also encountered about seven 'Io, including along the
coast at Honoka'a and Waipio Valley, and in Volcanoes NP at Kipuka Puaulu (base
of the Mauna Loa Strip Road). Our best looks at 'Elepaio, Hwamei, and leiothrix
were also at this kipuka.
Our only Nene sightings were flyovers not far from the park HQ and Volcano
Inn. They probably aren't all that hard to find on the ground, given a bit more
effort than we put into it.
The area around the Thurston Lava Tube provided our best Oma'o sightings, as
well as Apapane and Amakihi.
The Bristle-thighed Curlews were at South Point, as was the Black-bellied
Plover. We saw three curlews well and at close range and spied a couple of
others in the distance. Timing is everything when hoping for the curlews. They
are apparently regular in spring (April) and I wouldn't be surprised if fall is
good, too. I'm not sure if they winter here, as they do on the northwestern
islands.
Except for Black Noddies and White-tailed Tropicbirds, neither of which
required special effort, we saw no seabirds, really. I scanned to the horizon
from South Point and saw what probably were a couple of shearwaters, but they
were impossible to identify at such great distance. Even a scope may not have
mattered. Under different circumstances, South Point would probably be a
seawatching site.
We chose the Mauna Loa Road experience as the best birding on our stay. Good
luck to any who visit this remarkable island and thanks to those who offered
hints about birds and travel.
--
Scott and Christina Richardson
northeast Seattle
salix at halcyon.com