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Dawn Chorus: Birding Hawai'i's Special Places [1]

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Date: 2023-01-22

The 'apapane, a native honeycreeper, at the fount of its primary food source, an ‘ōhi‘a lehua flower.

I’ve been back over a week but I’m still on a Hawai’i high. My sister again extended an invitation to come visit her on the Big Island and I gratefully accepted….for two glorious months. We mixed it up — island-hopping to Kaua’i, taking side trips on the Big Island, and just chilling at her house near the ocean south of Hilo. Everywhere we went, she tolerantly indulged my “bird-nerding” (her term), which made my stay even more rich and rewarding. Today I bring you a Dawn Chorus full of aloha from a few of the beautiful areas I birded this winter.

First, let’s get oriented. Among the Hawai’ian Islands, the Big Island is by far the biggest at 4,050 square miles (~the size of Connecticut) and is the liveliest with 4 active volcanoes. The island’s range of elevations, from sea level to Mauna Loa’s 13,678-ft summit, creates an impressive variety of landscapes and ecosystems. Northeasterly trade winds bring higher rainfall to the windward side of the Big Island, and to its higher elevations. The wet montane forests on the windward side hold the greatest diversity and numbers of endemic Hawai’ian birds — and that's where I put my effort.

Island of Hawai’i and my birding excursions. Excursion #5 was on the island of Kaua’i.

1. Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park and Mauna Loa Access Road

This park is a national ..... no, international treasure. It stretches from sea level to the Mauna Loa Summit, encompassing 7 ecological zones (seacoast, lowland forest, mid-elevation woodland, rain forest, upland forest, subalpine, and alpine). I birded at the Kīlauea Iki Trail, the Kipuka Puaulu Special Ecological Area, and along the Mauna Loa Access Road. I focused on ‘ōhi‘a and koa forests, home to native honeycreepers. Early to mid-day, these forests were vibrant with the canary-like song of ‘apapane and Hawai’i ‘amakihi, 2 of the more common native honeycreepers. An added bonus was a sunset hike out Old Crater Rim Drive to see the newest eruption of Kīlauea!

The ‘apapane appears “painted” with the same crimson red of the ‘ōhi‘a lehua flower. (zoom)

Hawai’i ‘amakihi have a diverse diet, feeding on insects, small spiders, and the nectar of ‘ōhi‘a flowers.

Kōlea or Pacific Golden Plover is a “snowbird” that winters in Hawaii and nests in Alaska/Siberia. (zoom)

Erckel’s Spurfowl, a species from Ethiopa, was introduced to Hawai’i in 1957 as a gamebird. (zoom)

The Kalij Pheasant, gorgeous though it is, is another introduction to Hawai’i from Southern Asia. (zoom)

Kalij Pheasant hen (zoom)

Looking southeast from Mauna Loa Access Road Lookout, elev. 6,662 feet. Smoke is visible from the Kīlauea eruption left center. (zoom)

The reinvigorated Kīlauea Volcano eruption (zoom)

2. Christmas Bird Count at Pu’u Maka’ala Natural Area Reserve

My husband gave me a nudge and suggested I join a Christmas Bird Count in Hawai’i for Audubon’s 123rd. I got on the website and found openings for the Volcano Count Circle on December 18. I emailed the contact who hooked me up with a group covering the Kulani route. This was no ordinary group or route — this was a full day afield with Bret Nainoa Mossman, Avian Technician for the Hawai’i Island Natural Area Reserve System. Bret and his team shuttled a dozen of us birders to the Pu’u Maka’ala Reserve (behind locked gates!) in SUVs compliments of the Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

Bret inspects a flat of Cyanea (hāhā) of different species.

Bret first put us to work planting endangered Cyanea, members of the bellflower/lobelia family. In Hawai’i, honeycreepers and Cyaneads co-evolved in an intricate symbiosis involving nectar-feeding pollination and seed dispersal. Where habitat isn’t fenced, feral pigs, sheep, and goats decimate Cyanea, forcing honeycreepers like the i’iwi to lower elevations in search of nectar. At lower elevations honeycreepers come in contact with mosquitoes infected with avian malaria and pox, diseases highly fatal to native birds. Mass planting of Cyanea will provide honeycreepers with a reliable summer food resource and keep them at higher elevations where there is less exposure to disease.

After digging in the wonderfully spongy, cindery soil, we turned our attention to birding. Bret reminded us that we had a very good chance to see some of the endangered Hawai’i honeycreepers, so stay alert! And there it was — the honeycreeper I most wanted to see — the ‘akiapōlā‘au. This stocky little bird is known for its specialized bill with a long, decurved upper mandible and a short lower mandible. The unusual beak and its feeding behavior give it the nickname “Hawai’ian woodpecker.” As I watched this little “’aki” feeding, I was amazed at the rubbery flex of its upper and lower mandibles while it foraged for invertebrates.

‘Akiapōlā‘au excavating a morsel from a koa tree trunk. (zoom)

That bill! The aki uses its lower mandible to tap on wood to locate prey and chisel out a hole. The hooked upper mandible then expertly fishes out the prey. (zoom)

Shy little ‘akiapōlā‘au (zoom)

We got good looks at other forest endemics including the ‘apapane, Hawai’i ‘elepaio , Hawai’i ‘amakihi, i’iwi, ‘io, nēnē, and ‘oma‘o. But incredibly, we also got a fleeting look at an endangered Hawai‘i ‘ākepa (alas, no photo). Bret thought she might be the mate of the local territory male ‘ākepa his banders named “Jason Momoa” for being large, fit, handsome, and Hawaiian.

This list looks a lot different than my CBC bird list in Montana.

We eventually got the trifecta of endangered honeycreepers with a quick glimpse of the ʻalawī, or Hawai’i Creeper. The ‘alawī is a secretive and small olive-green and gray honeycreeper with a pale, sharp-tipped, conical, and slightly decurved bill and a blackish mask. They occur in only 4 disjunct populations on the Big Island: in ‘ōhi‘a-koa forests above 5,000 ft.

An ‘alawī makes a brief CBC appearance in the deep, dark, wet ‘ōhi‘a-koa forest canopy. (zoom)

This particular ‘alawī was banded with yellow color-coded leg bands. (zoom)

A male nēnē stands guard by his incubating mate (inside the shed). Fencing to exclude feral ungulates is seen in foreground, and a koa plantation is visible in the background. (zoom)

What a privilege to visit the Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve in the company of its stewards and such genuinely nice CBC birders! The amount of conservation work accomplished on this 18,730-acre reserve is impressive: restoration of ‘ōhi‘a-koa forests and other rare flora and fauna, fencing to exclude feral ungulates, invasive weed control, fire protection, watershed protection, and long-term resource monitoring. I talked with Bret Nainoa Mossman about the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (SB 2372, HR 2773), which he said would be a game changer for conserving Hawai’i’s biodiversity. RAWA would earmark an estimated $60 million annually to Hawai’i to assist in managing wildlife species and habitats in greatest need of protection. We lamented that the bill may languish in the 118th Congress given the new House majority.

3. Kaulana Manu Nature Trail and Pu’u O’o-Volcano Trail

These trails are nestled in the shadow of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, respectively. Though accessed at different mileposts along the Daniel K. Inouye Highway (Hwy 200), both meander into wet ‘ōhi‘a and koa forest vibrantly alive with native birds. Kaulana Manu is a 1-mile loop trail established in a 3,000-year old kīpuka (pocket of forest surrounded by younger lava flows). It was here I first observed i’iwi, ‘apapane, and ‘ōma‘o (Hawai’i Thrush).

Looking NW to Mauna Kea Summit from Kaulana Manu’s viewing platform. (zoom)

The stunning i’iwi — “the ambassador of Big Island honeycreepers” (zoom)

‘Apapane — never far from an ‘ōhi‘a flower (zoom)

The ‘ōma‘o (Hawai’i Thrush) has an amazing repertoire of songs and calls. (zoom)

The Pu’u O’o Trail is named for the now-extinct black and yellow Hawai’i ʻōʻō, whose decline hastened upon European arrival. The trail follows a likely prehistoric route along the east flank of Mauna Loa. I certainly felt the specter of ancient travelers on this trail.

Lava rock cairns mark this ancient trail. The crevice in lower center was venting hot air. (zoom)

About a half-mile on the trail you enter some very old kīpukas with towering koa and ‘ōhi‘a. The bird life here is astounding! I got better looks at i’iwi and my first good looks at the Hawai’i ‘elepaio, a charming, chickadee-like monarch flycatcher. Here I started connecting bird song to specific birds.

Curious i’iwi (zoom)

Grateful for this i’iwi who posed for 3 seconds. (zoom)

One of the few immature i’iwi encountered — so beautiful! (zoom)

Perfectly camouflaged Hawai’i ‘elepaio (zoom)

Hawai’i ‘elepaio — love the bristles near its beak (zoom)

4. Palila Forest Discovery Trail

My sis and I tied in a visit to this off-the-beaten-path trail on a trip to North Kohala (NW Hawai’i). Everything I read about the trail warned of the treacherous dirt road and need for 4WD, but those writers have obviously not traveled Montana roads. We navigated the road just fine in sis’s AWD Subaru and arrived at the 7,000-ft. trailhead by mid-morning. This is one of the largest tracts of high-elevation dry forest remaining in Hawai’i. This rare habitat is home to the critically endangered palila, a finch-billed honeycreeper dependent on māmane, an endemic tree in the legume family.

View looking east and upslope to the Palila Forest Discovery Trail and some of the most pristine high-elevation dry forest on the Big Island. Mauna Kea Summit rises above the māmane forest. (zoom)

The māmane/naio forest at Palila Forest Discovery Trail with snow-capped Mauna Loa in the distance. (zoom)

I walked the trail slowly to take in the strange habitat and key in on new bird song. I noted many ‘amakihi and the bizarre song of a species new to me — a Japanese Bush Warbler (nonnative).

‘Amakihis were abundant along the trail, feeding on the nectar of māmane flowers. (zoom)

Rounding a ridge, I spotted a pair of small yellow and gray birds atop a māmane tree with an unusual beak profile. A quick look in the binocs confirmed 2 palila just before they bolted down the ridge. What an incredible thrill! Since I didn’t get a photo, here’s a short video showing this beautiful bird.

5. Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Kaua’i

This was my and sis’s first visit to Kaua’i, and lordy it was fabulous! A must-see was Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge at the northernmost point of Kauai with one of the largest populations of nesting seabirds in the state. The refuge has moved to a reservation system, so we got tickets online. I honestly wasn’t prepared for such an adrenalin-soaked experience! The scenery was breathtaking, the wind was bracing, and the seabirds were everywhere! New species for me were Laysan Albatross, Red-footed Booby, and White-tailed Tropicbird. Our reservation window was supposedly limited to 15 minutes. Haha! We were there — in bird heaven — for nearly 3 hours.

The refuge sits on a former Kīlauea volcanic vent and includes an historic lighthouse and spectacular views from atop a 180-foot ocean bluff. Looking west with the gorgeous Nā Pali Coast in the far distance. (zoom)

Mixed roost of Red-footed Boobies and White-tailed Tropicbirds (zoom)

Red-footed Booby (zoom)

Red-footed Booby (zoom)

The refuge hosts a recently established and expanding nesting colony of Laysan Albatross. (zoom)

Laysan Albatross capitalize on wind and wave energy as well as aerodynamic design for efficient long-distance flight. (zoom)

Laysan Albatross have an impressive 6-foot wingspan and an unusually heavy body. (zoom)

Female Great Frigatebird — Polynesians navigated by a constellation named for ‘Iwahene, the Great Lady Frigate Bird. She flies around the celestial North Pole protecting her nest, the star Polaris. (zoom)

Great Frigatebirds — flying origami (zoom)

White-tailed Tropicbird, present year-round at Kīlauea Point (zoom)

Aerial elegance — White-tailed Tropicbird (zoom)

Disclaimer — this Chorus is but a small sample of all the adventures and photos taken during my time in Hawai’i. My visit happened to coincide with the eruption of Mauna Loa after its longest quiet period in recorded history (38 years). That seems like a good note to conclude on — or footnote for a future Bucket.

Mauna Loa eruption, December 2, 2022, early evening

(Thanks sis for an unforgettable, wondrous time)

Please share the bird aloha from your special places!

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