Hawaii Birding - Part 5 - The Big Finale/Island

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Just Getting Started

The time had finally come to reunite with our daughter on the Big Island for the Big Finale of this Hawaii birding and touring adventure.

We hopped on our little plane in Molokai and made our third touchdown in Oahu in two weeks before boarding a Hawaiian Airlines flight to Kona.

Our daughter, Angelique, set us up with great accommodations at the place of her employment. I arrived on the Big Island with 58 birds. Aside from the birds that could not be seen on the other islands I had visited there was not much left to find. We could spend some quality time with Angelique and see part of the island that we had not seen on previous visits.

We started our trip with some amazing Mai Tai’s, conversation, and sunset at the Lava Lava Beach Club.

Circumnavigation and then Some

The next morning, we hit the ground running. We headed straight for Volcano’s National Park. They have a great visitor center and very good access along the crater rim of Kilauea. We hiked along the rim and down into the Thurston Lava Tube. We did not venture down into the crater as we were pressed for time. I was very happy to see many Apapane foraging and flying along the rim. There is also the Yellow-billed Cardinal (not a cardinal, but a tanager) which can only be found when birding Hawaii on the Big Island. It is quite common and was an easy pick-up.

While circumnavigating the Big Island on that first day, we also spotted the Kalij Pheasant. A beautiful import that is quite common on the Big Island but less common on other islands. This beautiful bird prefers higher elevation forests. It was introduced at a particular ranch in 1962 as a game bird. Those that managed to avoid the gun made their way around the island and are doing quite well.

Saddle Road Stops

One stop well worth making is the Pu’u Huluhulu Sanctuary on Saddle Road. This is publicly accessible and is a high elevation forest oasis in a barren landscape. While walking this area I added my first Hawaii Amakihi to my life list. In fact, we saw more than a dozen Amakihi and Apapane. I am also convinced that I saw a Hawaii Creeper, but the photos were out of focus so I decided not to report as this would be a very unusual sighting at this location.

From the Pu’u Huluhulu Sanctuary we drove down the road to the Kaulana Manu Nature Trail, a beautifully maintained and set-up location. We birded this trail and I was very excited to report my first Omao and Hawaii Elepaio. The Omao is a Hawaiian endemic thrush in the same family as American Robins. The Hawaii Elepaio is one of three Elepaio species in the Hawaiian Islands and are the only members of the Monarch Flycatcher family native to the 50 US states.

Still no Iiwi. A lady leaving the Kaulana Manu trail casually reported having just seen this bird “right over there”. I looked. No Iiwi.

Who Cares?

I want to change the subject quickly from birding Hawaii to useless trivia. Only on the Big Island have I ever seen such a precise and consistent differentiation between different styles of speed bumps.

There is the SPEED BUMP sign which indicates a bump with a sharp angle up and abrupt angle down covering only about 1 foot of road length.

There is the SPEED HUMP sign which indicates a lower angle of rise and decline which covers about 5 feet of road length.

And finally, there is the SPEED TABLE sign which indicates a lower angle of rise followed by a long flat surface followed by a gradual return to the original pavement level. This feature will cover about 10 feet of road length.

And there you have it.

Time for Clean-up

Now, there were still some nice Hawaii birds missing from my list. A hawk, an owl, a waxbill, and a plover not to mention the forest birds that were likely to only be seen on my upcoming guided day.

While sitting at a beach one day with my wife and daughter, enjoying a cold brew, I happened to look up into the sky. There were three birds soaring overhead. While this day was a non-birding recreation day (if there actually is such a thing) I still managed to sneak my binoculars into the towel bag. I grabbed my bins and confirmed my suspicions. Hawaiian Hawk. Check. Endemic to the Big Island and the only non-migrating raptor to be found in Hawaii.

Next, while driving to Kona for dinner, or drinks or shopping or some such nonsense, I noticed a National Park Service Unit called Kaloko-Honokohau NHP. We all agreed we should stop here and check it out. It is the site of a historic settlement. It also had some wetlands. It looked like the perfect place to find Pacific Golden Plover. We walked the trail all around and did not find the plover. As we were leaving, I had one final flash of brilliance. Why don’t I get off the trail and gain access to some areas that could not be seen clearly from the trail? Although there were no signs indicating that I should not do this and I certainly would not be walking on any ruins or sensitive land, I was the only one in my group that thought this was a good idea. I walked about 50’ off the trail with dirty looks from behind pushing me a little further. As I scanned the short grass, I realized that I struck gold, Pacific Golden Plover to be exact. Two of them hanging out giving me great looks and photo opportunities. Persistence pays off.

Next on the list was the Lavender Waxbill. This introduced bird can only be found on the Big Island. Following the eBird leads we went to Hokulia Shoreline Park. We searched all over this location to no avail. We dipped on the Lavender Waxbill despite reports from the previous day. We were treated to Burrowing Parakeets as an unexpected lifer and surprise. To access this park you must check in at the gate. The whole area is a gated community with a golf course and amazing homes. I am sure we all know the names of some of the homeowners.

By the way, if you want to see Wild Turkeys and Lovebirds, they can be found in the town of Waikaloa Village. The lovebirds typically hang out in the trees around the Chevron gas station and the grocery store next to it. The turkeys can be anywhere in town.

Hilo

We did spend three nights in Hilo, not so much to do any Hawaii birding but just to see Hilo. This is a town that has seen better days. The once luxurious hotels on the waterfront are now in various stages of dilapidation with squatting apparent in abandoned buildings. The town has borne the brunt of several serious tsunamis in the last century that have affected the economy of the town. The Hilton hotel is still in operation but is surrounded by seriously disturbing buildings and activities. Nothing made me happier than seeing my rental car undisturbed each morning.

On the bright side I picked up an unexpected Black Noddy foraging in the bay. I saw it while driving along the waterfront in Hilo and yanked the car over to identify the bird. Yay!

One of the reasons for staying in Hilo was to be closer to the main event, the big kahuna, the final frontier, the grand finale, the guided trip into the restricted access Hakalau Forest Reserve to hopefully see all the remaining native birds on the Big Island!

The Big Big Island and Hawaii Finale

We got an early start from Hilo and met our guide, Lance Tanino, at the entrance road. Still on my list: Hawaii Akepa, Iiwi, Akiapolaau and Hawaii Creeper. As previously mentioned, we saw plenty of featherless Hawaii Creepers in Hilo, but I was more interested in the ones with feathers.

As we unlocked the gate and entered the forest it was like being transported in time to 1000 years ago. Much effort has been made to return the forest to its original state and the success is apparent.

Within minutes of entering the forest, I, yes, I, before Lance, spotted the most difficult of the target birds, the Akiapolaau. Unfortunately, it did not hang around for the photo shoot. This bird has a most interesting foraging strategy and a beak evolved just for the purpose. The bird’s lower mandible is straight and stout, like a woodpecker. In fact, it hammers on branches just like a woodpecker. When it removes the bark and uncovers a grub hiding in a hole it reaches in the hole with its upper mandible, an exaggerated long, thin curved bill, and hooks the grub removing it from its liar.

The Akiapolaau is listed as endangered with approximately 1000 individuals remaining, all on the Big Island. It depends on two native trees for survival. It forages primarily in Koa trees and nests in Ohi’a trees. It also has a behavior of drinking sap from trees just as sapsuckers do. It will drill a hole in a tree with the lower mandible and return time and again to drink the sap.

The rest of the morning we had good looks and photos for all the other target birds plus the other forest birds I had already seen. We stopped for lunch, provided by Lance, and relaxed, enjoying the view. Lance warned me to keep my camera close by when he saw me set it on the table 10 ft away. Naturally, the guide was right, and I missed my best photo opportunity on an Iiwi which landed in a bush 20’ in front of me.

I discussed with Lance that we had seen all the target birds and that I would be ok with ending his guide service at that point.

I mentioned that I was going to look for Palila at the Palila Forest Discovery Trail where this critically endangered forest bird can be found and he decided to tag along. The Palila is the one forest bird in Hawaii that strongly prefers the dry forest on the opposite side of Mauna Kea. This was a dip and Lance confirmed it had been a few weeks since one has been seen at that location. Oh well, next time.

To access this trail requires signing a book and having a 4WD vehicle. You could make it with a higher clearance 2WD but the regulation requires the 4WD. The language on the sign mentions a permit to enter, but I found that this was for hunting, not hiking.

I casually mentioned that I was surprised that I had not seen the Short-eared Owls that are common and can be seen flying low over pastures during the day. He said, “follow me” and we ended our Hawaii birding adventure on a high note, when Lance stuck his finger out the door while driving and pointed to one owl working a field. Adventure over.

And what an adventure is was: 75 species, 52 lifers, 17 endemics, 28 days, 4 islands, one daughter!

I can highly recommend Lance Tanino as a guide. His knowledge of the forest and birds is amazing and he is happy to share. He is a serious and ethical person who cares deeply about the birds and their habitat. You will not be disappointed.