Hawaii-the Joy and the Sorrow

Our most recent expedition was to Maui and the Big Island in early
March. The islands are great places to bird, with habitat ranging from
wet forest to dry plains on different sides of the various islands and
opportunities to see some very exotic birds. The sad side is that many
of the endemic species are either extinct or rapidly becoming so. Since
our initial birding trip in 1990, the Nukupuu, O'u, Kamao, Oahu Creeper,
Poo-uli and Olomao have virtually vanished. The major cause of the
population crash is thought to be avian malaria carried by mosquitos, but
other contributors are habitat loss due to man and feral pigs, predation
by rats and competition from introduced species. There is hope, however.
Several large tracts of forest have been set aside as refuges by the
Nature Conservancy and by the Federal Government. Also one bird, the
Apapane, has developed resistance to malaria, stimulating research to see
if the resistance can be introduced to other species.

By planning a year ahead of time, we were able to arrange visits to
Wakamoi Refuge on Maui and Halalea Forest on Hawaii, both sites that
allow only one visiting group per month. On Maui we joined Doug Pratt,
who has written several site guides and bird guides for Hawaii and the
South Pacific, and Cris Steeman, a Belgian birder who has a special
interest in Hawaiian birds. Not only was Doug an expert on the local
birds, but he also kept us entertained with tales of his past forays. We
stayed in Kula Lodge, a very nice spot on the flank of the volcano. In
the evening we visited the crater and heard a number of Hawaiian Petrels,
whose call (aaah-o-ah) resembles the Hawaiian name O'ao. One flew
through the light of our flashlights giving us a good view. At this time
of year the Petrels fly in for a few hours at night to scout the area for
possible burrows. The next day, Doug led us on a tramp into Wakamoi
together with several interns from the Nature Conservancy. The hike was
not highly difficult but required some degree of fitness as we dropped
about a thousand feet on a rock and root strewn track. In the forest, we
found many of the more abundant honeycreepers, I'iwi, Amikihi, and
Apapane, together with a few Alauahios (formerly Maui Creeper). We heard
two Akohekohes (Crested Honeycreeper) and Cris had a brief view of one.
However we did not get a good look at the Akohekohe or the Maui
Parrotbill, both rare and endangered but present at the site. Ah well,
reason for a return. The forest itself, with blooming Ohia trees, ferns
and other foliage, was worth the trip.

At Kealia Pond, we enjoyed quite a show. Included were a Bufflehead and
a Common Merganser, both rare on the Islands, a female Garganey and a
Black-bellied Plover. The bird of the day was a drake Chiloe Wigeon, a
pretty duck with a white facial mask, green head markings and buffy
flanks. There was no doubt about the identification, which would be the
first sighting in the Northern Pacific, but the question remains about
whether the bird was an escapee, an issue that is now being studied. The
bird was wary and in sharp plumage, both good signs. Also seen on Maui
were a Kildeer, also rare, and three Semipalmated Plovers.

On Hawaii, we saw the usual spate of Francolins, Chukars, other game
birds, and Waxbills. At Aimakapa Pond and the Kona seawer ponds, there
were two more Buffleheads, two White-faced Ibis, one male Tufted Duck,
one Oldsquaw, one "Canoga" Mallard and one Pied-billed Grebe among other
waterfowl. It was a bit sad to see the Grebe, the last survivor of what
was once a sizable colony at the site.

We again joined Cris Steeman and were capably led into Hakalau Refuge by
Rob Paceco, a local bird guide. Rob had a great ear, detecting whisper
calls that none of the rest of us heard. This trek was again up and down
hill but the trail was in very good condition. There were once more many
I'iwi, Apapane and Amikihi as well as Elepaio, a perky little flycatcher.
Of particular interest were views of three endangered species, Akepa,
Hawaii Creeper and Akiapolaau. The Akepa is warbler-like and the Creeper
behaves similarly to Nuthatches. The Aki is a remarkable yellow bird
with a long decurved upper mandible and a short straight but extendable
lower mandible. It extracts nectar in mating season but more commonly
works the bark of Koa trees for insects. A male Aki gave us a splendid
show, sitting in full view and repeating both its call and its warbling
song a number of times. The flank of Mauna Kea on the return trip
produced numerous Chukars and Erckel's Francolin as well as four Pueo
(Short-eared owls).

Finally, we visited McCandless Ranch, where Kieth Unger ably showed us
the ranch as well as the recovery site for the Alala (Hawaiian Crow).
After a long period of bungled attempts to breed the Alala in captivity,
the Peregrine Fund is now successfully breeding birds for release on the
ranch. This activity is a splendid example of cooperative use of federal
and private resources and hopefully is not too late to save the species.
We had extended views of four wild birds, four of eight recently
released birds and two paired birds from a 1993 release. The latter pair
was being held in an aviary in hopes that they would successfully breed.
They attempted to breed last year but were unsuccessful. Also,
ironically, they were being held to protect them from predation by the
I'o (Hawaiian Hawk), another endangered species! Last year an I'o had
killed four birds. As a sign of the precarious status of the Alala, the
four wild birds that we saw represented 80 percent of the total wild
population of the species. We can only hope that they begin to prosper.



All in all the trip was most enjoyable and we hope to be able to repeat
it in the future.

Marty and John Hirth <Hirth at mme.wsu.edu>
March 1998