Birding in Honolulu and Vancouver
By Birding-Aus, on February 8th, 2014
Dear Birders, We are going to Honolulu and Vancouver in late May to early June and keen to go out with local birders. Could any one give us advice please or know of anyone who they could recommend ?Paid guides or tours would be great! Regards, Lindy and Nick Damoulakis Melbourne _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
I used to live on Kiuke’e place in Kailua (windward side of O’ahu) across the street from a tiny wetland now named the Ka’elepulu Wetland: http://www.kaelepuluwetland.com/ Surprisingly, this was always one of the easiest places in the islands to get good looks at several native waterbirds, including Stilt, Moorhen and Coot. During the winter, it was good for vagrant ducks from the mainland but not so much in northern summer. I used to notice a van would show up from this outfit somewhat regularly: http://www.oahunaturetours.com/ I can’t vouch for them but they’ve certainly been around for ages. There logo is the incomprable I’iwi…but there are no I’iwi on O’ahu – at least none that you can see. (The last I heard of them was a small family group spotted in a Christmas bird count on restricted military land several years back.) It’s a nice spot and a lovely drive from Honolulu so if you’re willing to drive, it’s an easy one. There are a couple of where to see birds in Hawaii books around, including a more-or-less recent edition by Doug Pratt, if you like that sort of thing. (I do.) If you’re after anything in particular, it’s easier to provide suggestions. O’ahu doesn’t have much bird variety but there are some lovely birds to be seen. You’re going to be there at a decent time for sea birds, so I’d say go for that. They regularly get a good range of terns, noddies, boobies (Brown, Red-footed and far less commonly Masked), Frigatebirds, the two common Tropicbirds (Red-tailed and White-taield) for that part of the Pacific (and exceptionally Red-billed for a couple of years running.) I’m not sure if that’s the right time of year for the Laysan Albatross at Ka’ena Point State Park. If it is, the long drive is well worth it. Otherwise, it’s a long drive. Kapiolani Park is very nice for a walk and good place for Canary, Java Sparrow (about my favorite bird on the island – and quite abundant in grassy environments like the university), and Fairy Terns (Gygis alba – not the same as the Fairy Tern here.) For native forest birds, the usual recommendation is Aiea Ridge Loop Trail, which can be quite good. Imagine it before the huge highway (H3) was put in, thus driving the O’ahu Creeper off the planet. Anyway, you have a chance at Guam Swiftlets (one known cave whose exact location is kept secret), ‘Apapane, ‘Amakihi, and Elapaio. By the way, the ‘ symbol is a real sound in Hawaii (“Hawai’i) but often isn’t used. You’ll see it written or not on official and unofficial materials. It’s pretty much the stop sound in “uh-oh” or “D’oh!” in English. The Elapaio looks and acts just like a Fantail and are a real treat. They’re never in huge numbers but you can sometimes find yourself very close to one or two. The Apapane is a great-looking little red bird that likes flowers. You’ll think it’s a Honeyeater. In fact, several now-extict Hawaiian Honeycreepers were until recently classed as Honeyeaters, but that’s been revised. The Amakihi is a lovely, small green bird that’s visible even at reasonably low elevations on the main islands. Try to familiarize yourself with the ubiquitous Japanese White-eyes as they really do blend into the Hawaiian bush. They’re not a native bird – it seem that this most widespread Pacific genus never made it to the remote Hawaiian chain…until they were introduced. In fact, coming from here, the White-eye shouldn’t cause you a lot of confusion as it’s pretty similar looking to our east-coast birds. If you want to stay closer to town, another good bet for forest birds is even reachable on The Bus. The UH Manoa campus is good for common introduced birds but you can do better further up the valley. (Manoa means “big valley”.) Up at the very top there is the Lyon Arboretum (very good) which is a nice spot for a visit and can be a good place for a lot of the introduced birds – including Shama. (They can also be lower down but they’re usually hard to spot in more crowded settings.) Right where you would go into Lyon, there’s a trail for the Manoa Falls. This is a popular trail, particularly on weekends but it still nice. Once you reach the falls, the trail keeps going up but few people take that stretch. As you might guess, that’s the better bet for birds. Apart from the Guam Swiftlet, you can potentially see any of the common native and introduced birds. Keep going up and you’ll hit a t-junction. Turn right and keep going through the bamboo stand and you’ll eventually get a ridge view. Keep your eyes out for Ohia a Lehue – a small, gnarly tree (Ohia) with red flowers (Lehue). They look to me like Aussie trees…but what I know about trees would fit neatly onto a very tiny piece of paper… Tip: It tends to rain more in the afternoon, particularly as you head up the mountains. Go for walks earlier in the day and prepare for slippery conditions on any trails on any of the islands. If you’re after particular birds, habitats, birds, or types of birds feel free to write for more details. P.S. If you don’t have a field guide, Audubon puts out a pocket guide that should be perfectly adequte. Doug Pratt’s comprehensive book may or may not be available. It’s still excellent although 25+ years old. Also, it covers such a huge territory it can get a bit confusing when you’re just on one tiny spec of land in the Pacific. _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
I’ve an indigenous Hawaiian friend for anyone interested in culture a as well as birds. Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow PO Box 71, Darwin River, NT 0841 043 8650 835 On 8/2/14 2:02 PM, “Robert Hamilton” < robhamilton2@optusnet.com.au> wrote: _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
Hi Lindy and Nick, I recently visited O’ahu and The Big Island and used the eBird hotspots to plan my birding. I chose those which fitted in with my family holiday plans and found them very useful. Regards, Rob On 08/02/2014, at 10:24 AM, lindy damoulakis wrote: Rob Hamilton Margate, Tasmania robhamilton2@optusnet.com.au _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
Hi Lindy, I’d recommend Russell Cannings for a guide in British Columbia. His email is russellcannings@shaw.ca. Cheers, Nigel On Sat, Feb 8, 2014 at 9:43 AM, Dave Torr < davidtorr@gmail.com> wrote: _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
birdingpal.org is a good source of local birders who will help visitors. I have used them many times and met some great people all over the world. On 8 February 2014 10:24, lindy damoulakis < ldamoulakis@lindyd.com> wrote: _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org