March 2022 marked the Field Guides return to Hawaii after a three year absence and was our first Hawaii tour to offer the guiding expertise of Mandy Talpas. Mandy's extensive background working with Hawaii’s bird species and cultural knowledge added a great deal to the tour.
Hawaii is a challenging place to visit. It features some fabulous pelagic bird species, as well as a number of unique Hawaiian honeycreepers, all descendants from early finch colonists that somehow managed to make it out to the newly forming volcanic islands. Over time, these pioneers radiated into some truly spectacular and diverse species. Sadly, this has been followed in recent times with the well-known introduction of mosquitos, bringing with them avian malaria and avian flu. The warming climate has driven the malaria-sensitive species higher into the mountains, causing problems for species on Kauai which have run out of mosquito-free refugia. Mammalian introductions like rats, cats, and mongoose have further hammered some of the bird life. The rate of loss is alarming in some instances. The Akekee, last seen on our 2014 tour, remains only in the least accessible depths of the Alakai Swamp. Sadly, the Palila proved elusive for the first time on a Field Guides tour and Mandy commented on how drastically its population had slipped in the past couple of years.
Thankfully, all is not doom and gloom. Hawaii remains a wonderful archipelago to visit, and the remaining Drepanid honeycreepers are delightful! We managed to see all three of the amakihis, including the declining Kauai Amakihi. But it was hard to beat the splendid mix of them at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, where IIwi and Apapanes serenaded us with their etherial and otherworldly songs. Toss in the colorful orange flash of Hawaii Akepa, the endearing Hawaii Elepaio, and the Omao, the only of Hawaii’s thrushes to remain relatively common, and it was a magical experience.
A lot of non-passerines were highlights on the tour. Spending time at the Kilauea Lighthouse overlook was magical with a mix of seabirds coming to and from nesting sites while others prospected over the cliffs. As this was happening, Humpback Whales were hanging out just off shore. Our brief visit with the Laysan Albatross family in Princeville gave us the rare opportunity to be up close with members of this highly pelagic group. Of course the pelagic trip was the culmination of Hawaii’s greatness as a seabirding destination! Our trip out of Kona scored a nice mix of pelagics with memorable encounters with Hawaiian and Bulwer’s petrels, along with the regulars, and quite a show of boobies bobbing around on the fishing buoy.
Of course, what made this trip more than anything else was the great camaraderie of the group. It was great to see some longtime friends and to make some new ones. And it was a treat to see the islands through Mandy’s keen eyes as well! Thanks also to Reg David, a longtime researcher specializing in Hawaiian birds for his wonderful historical insights into the birdlife of the islands. Hoping all are well and I look forward to future shared experiences!
KEYS FOR THIS LIST
One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant
CACKLING GOOSE (Branta hutchinsii)
A lone bird with a gimpy leg was present with the Nene at the Princeville Makai Golf Course.
HAWAIIAN GOOSE (Branta sandvicensis) [E]
Odd that Nene has not been adopted as its official name since in many other cases, there has been a move to adopt Hawaiian names.
NORTHERN SHOVELER (Spatula clypeata)
EURASIAN WIGEON (Mareca penelope)
A lone male was present on Kauai at the Kawaiele Wetlands. This species is a rare visitor to the islands.
HAWAIIAN DUCK (Anas wyvilliana) [E]
Sadly this species is subject to hybridization with introduced Mallards. We saw at least one such individual with the Hawaiian Ducks on Kauai.
MALLARD (Anas platyrhynchos)
CALIFORNIA QUAIL (Callipepla californica) [I]
WILD TURKEY (Meleagris gallopavo) [I]
RING-NECKED PHEASANT (Phasianus colchicus) [I]
KALIJ PHEASANT (Lophura leucomelanos) [I]
Well seen on the Big Island.
RED JUNGLEFOWL (Gallus gallus) [I]
GRAY FRANCOLIN (Ortygornis pondicerianus) [I]
Seen at the Waikaloa Skatepark and briefly as we were boarding the boat for our pelagic.
BLACK FRANCOLIN (Francolinus francolinus) [I]
After hearing a few, we finally connected with this species along the Saddle Road near the cement plant.
CHUKAR (Alectoris chukar) [I]
ERCKEL'S FRANCOLIN (Pternistis erckelii) [I]
ROCK PIGEON (Columba livia) [I]
SPOTTED DOVE (Streptopelia chinensis) [I]
ZEBRA DOVE (Geopelia striata) [I]
CHESTNUT-BELLIED SANDGROUSE (Pterocles exustus) [I]
COMMON GALLINULE (HAWAIIAN) (Gallinula galeata sandvicensis) [E]
HAWAIIAN COOT (Fulica alai) [E]
BLACK-NECKED STILT (HAWAIIAN) (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) [E]
PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER (Pluvialis fulva)
BRISTLE-THIGHED CURLEW (Numenius tahitiensis)
RUDDY TURNSTONE (Arenaria interpres)
SANDERLING (Calidris alba)
WANDERING TATTLER (Tringa incana)
GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL (Larus glaucescens)
A grungy immature bird was spotted flying along the coast as we arrived at the Kahuku Golf Course.
BROWN NODDY (Anous stolidus)
WHITE TERN (Gygis alba)
These elegant tree-nesting birds were a treat at Kapiolani Park. Others were seen at sea.
SOOTY TERN (Onychoprion fuscatus)
Great looks of this species on the pelagic trip, as well as more distant birds seen from shore on Oahu.
WHITE-TAILED TROPICBIRD (Phaethon lepturus)
The smaller of the two species we encountered, this one showed well for us at the Kilauea Lighthouse. We also had good looks at a loafing bird on the pelagic.
RED-TAILED TROPICBIRD (Phaethon rubricauda)
Great looks at the species on Oahu including birds on a nest.
LAYSAN ALBATROSS (Phoebastria immutabilis)
Unforgettable time spent with a family in Princeville, and a few more seen on the wing.
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS (Phoebastria nigripes)
One of these was flying past us on the north side of Oahu. Mandy explained that it was likely a bird that had been translocated to this area as a chick to imprint on a new breeding location.
MOTTLED PETREL (Pterodroma inexpectata)
One put in a quick appearance on the pelagic trip that was noted by several.
HAWAIIAN PETREL (Pterodroma sandwichensis) [E]
Several really good views of this endemic species.
BULWER'S PETREL (Bulweria bulwerii)
A few good looks at this distinctive, dark petrel on our pelagic trip. I was struck by its peculiar flight style, alternating between low, sustained skimming flight and then much higher arching flight.
WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER (Ardenna pacifica)
SOOTY SHEARWATER (Ardenna grisea)
NEWELL'S SHEARWATER (Puffinus newelli) [E]
Seen by Reg and perhaps a few others though gone in an instant.
GREAT FRIGATEBIRD (Fregata minor)
MASKED BOOBY (Sula dactylatra)
BROWN BOOBY (Sula leucogaster)
RED-FOOTED BOOBY (Sula sula)
CATTLE EGRET (Bubulcus ibis)
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON (Nycticorax nycticorax)
HAWAIIAN HAWK (Buteo solitarius) [E]
Bob pulled out an eleventh hour save on this species, spotting a soaring bird along Kaloko Drive east of Kona.
SHORT-EARED OWL (HAWAIIAN) (Asio flammeus sandwichensis)
Some nice studies of this endemic subspecies on the Big Island.
ROSE-RINGED PARAKEET (Psittacula krameri) [I]
Great views of this species at Kapiolani Park.
ROSY-FACED LOVEBIRD (Agapornis roseicollis) [I]
Rather washed out looking birds near Kona.
RED-MASKED PARAKEET (Psittacara erythrogenys) [I]
A few seen flying around in the hills above Kona near the end of the tour.
HAWAII ELEPAIO (Chasiempis sandwichensis) [E]
Good views of this species on both of our days in the highlands.
KAUAI ELEPAIO (Chasiempis sclateri) [E]
Good studies of this species right at the carpark at Kokee State Park where there was a pair nesting! This species is noticeably grayer backed than the other two.
OAHU ELEPAIO (Chasiempis ibidis) [E]
Mandy took us to a spot in the southeast corner of Oahu where this charming species was holding territory. After a bit of patience, we had a nice encounter with a pair of birds.
EURASIAN SKYLARK (Alauda arvensis) [I]
RED-VENTED BULBUL (Pycnonotus cafer) [I]
RED-WHISKERED BULBUL (Pycnonotus jocosus) [I]
JAPANESE BUSH WARBLER (Horornis diphone) [I]
WARBLING WHITE-EYE (Zosterops japonicus) [I]
RED-BILLED LEIOTHRIX (Leiothrix lutea) [I]
Most eventually got good looks at this attractive introduction, despite its skulking habits. This species is an Asian native.
CHINESE HWAMEI (Garrulax canorus) [I]
Another skulking species that some saw well when it was briefly exposed at the Waimea Canyon overlook.
GREATER NECKLACED LAUGHINGTHRUSH (Pterorhinus pectoralis) [I]
Seen by one or two on our morning quest for this species on Kauai.
COMMON MYNA (Acridotheres tristis) [I]
NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD (Mimus polyglottos) [I]
OMAO (Myadestes obscurus) [E]
Well seen at Hakalau, this is the one species of Hawaii's thrushes that seems to have a stable population.
WHITE-RUMPED SHAMA (Copsychus malabaricus) [I]
AFRICAN SILVERBILL (Euodice cantans) [I]
JAVA SPARROW (Padda oryzivora) [I]
Kapiolani Park provided our best views of this species along with a few at Sandy's Beach.
SCALY-BREASTED MUNIA (Lonchura punctulata) [I]
CHESTNUT MUNIA (Lonchura atricapilla) [I]
COMMON WAXBILL (Estrilda astrild) [I]
RED AVADAVAT (Amandava amandava) [I]
HOUSE SPARROW (Passer domesticus) [I]
PALILA (Loxioides bailleui) [E*]
APAPANE (Himatione sanguinea) [E]
A little overlooked, considering what a charming species it is, with an ethereal song and spunky personality. Great views on Kauai and the Big Island.
IIWI (Drepanis coccinea) [E]
This is about as iconic a bird as one could pick as being quintessential Native Hawaii.
AKIAPOLAAU (Hemignathus wilsoni) [E*]
ANIANIAU (Magumma parva) [E]
This little charmer proved to be a favorite at Kokee State Park.
HAWAII AMAKIHI (Chlorodrepanis virens) [E]
This species of amakihi is seemingly the best off of the three. We saw a number of them in the drier mamame forest as well as some at Hakalau.
OAHU AMAKIHI (Chlorodrepanis flava) [E]
This was the first native land bird that we got under our belts in the mountains above Honolulu. The few we saw were quickly dashing between flowering trees.
KAUAI AMAKIHI (Chlorodrepanis stejnegeri) [E]
Sadly, this species seems to be in a steep decline, becoming difficult to see in recent years. Thankfully for us, Nancy spotted one sitting quietly in an ohia that allowed us to scope it at length.
HAWAII CREEPER (Loxops mana) [E]
Reg and Mandy remarked on how well this species was doing at the moment at Hakalau. Refreshing to see a native species having some success here thanks to the amazing efforts that went in to creating the habitat.
HAWAII AKEPA (Loxops coccineus) [E]
We had splendid views of this orange colored species at Hakalau NWR.
HOUSE FINCH (Haemorhous mexicanus) [I]
YELLOW-FRONTED CANARY (Crithagra mozambica) [I]
WESTERN MEADOWLARK (Sturnella neglecta) [I]
NORTHERN CARDINAL (Cardinalis cardinalis) [I]
RED-CRESTED CARDINAL (Paroaria coronata) [I]
YELLOW-BILLED CARDINAL (Paroaria capitata) [I]
SAFFRON FINCH (Sicalis flaveola) [I]
SPINNER DOLPHIN (Stenella longirostris)
Some seen close to shore as we were setting off on our pelagic trip.
PANTROPICAL SPOTTED DOLPHIN (Stenella attenuata)
A few pods of these were seen on our pelagic trip.
HUMPBACK WHALE (Megaptera novaeangliae)
SMALL INDIAN MONGOOSE (Herpestes auropunctatus) [I]
AFRICAN WILD ASS (Equus asinus) [I]
WILD BOAR (Sus scrofa) [I]
DOMESTIC CATTLE (Bos taurus) [I]
DOMESTIC GOAT (Capra hircus) [I]
DOMESTIC SHEEP (Ovis aries) [I]
BROWN ANOLE (Anolis sagrei) [I]
GREEN ANOLE (CAROLINA ANOLE) (Anolis carolinensis) [I]
GREEN SEA TURTLE (Chelonia mydas)
One seen on the beach on Oahu seemed to be nearly or entirely dead. Its tracks suggesting it was attempting to return to the sea.
Totals for the tour: 91 bird taxa and 9 mammal taxa