Hi Tweets,

Just got back from nine days in paradise-Kauai. I did a lot of "passive
birding" while I was there. In other words, I didn't go on any
birdwatching-specific trips per se, but kept my eyes peeled everywhere. We
stayed mostly on the north shore and in the lowlands, and did a LOT of
snorkeling. However, there are such wonderful species in Hawaii; the
birding I *did* do was a lot of fun. I can only imagine the species I'd
have seen if I had hiked up Waimea Canyon. Oh, well-there's always next
time!

At any rate, many wonderful bird varieties seem to have found me in any
case. Here's the list of the species I was able to positively identify by
sight. Hawaiian names, where I had them, are listed within quotation marks:

1. Cattle egret - breeding plummage
2. Common myna
3. Great frigatebird "Iwa" (they're really magnificent in flight!)
4. Hawaiian Coot "Alae Ke'oke'o"
5. Common Moorhen "Alae 'Ula"
6. Barn owl
7. California quail
8. Red junglefowl "Moa"
9. Japanese white-eye (flew into our condo; I had to perform a rescue and
release effort, so I got a nice view, and a few shed feathers as a gift!)
10. Spotted dove
11. Zebra dove
12. Northern cardinal
13. Red-crested cardinal
14. House sparrow
15. Chestnut mannikin
16. Nutmeg mannikin

Unfortunately, I was not able to photograph all the species I saw; and of
the ones I did photograph, not all of them came out. Such are the trials of
using a digital camera.

I've posted the photos up on the web. Some of the photos of the two
cardinal species are really charming. If you'd like to see them, they're
at: http://www.toller.org/hawaii/Wildlife/ulthm.htm. Please do not
distribute the photos without permission (unfortunately, past experience
dictates that I say that).

-Jacki Bricker
Woodinville, Washington