Hawaii Pelagic Trip - I am back home before the big storm hit

On our last day in Hawaii (Tuesday, 9/22) we spent 8 hours on a fishing boat off the coast of Kona (west side of the island).  Pelagic tours are a a special part of birding, because the birds that live this far out in the ocean are rarely seen on land.  Pelagic (to birders) is the area beyond the continental shelf (or shift) where the ocean is REALLY deep.  In Washington state this means that you have to go about 50 miles off the coast to get past the continental shelf.  In Hawaii, there is no shelf.  

a smoothed out view of  route we took - there was a lot of zigzagging
(that's Maui at the top and Hawaii on the right)

It was exciting being on a boat with an all female crew - it is estimated that only 8% of bird guides are female.  The captain / boat owner and first mate / spotter both grew up on Hawaii in fishing families and often win fishing (including spear fishing!) competitions.  They were both expert birders and knew seabirds.  Our local guide, Mandy, also had been on many pelagic trips in Hawaii, so her ability to distinguish  species from a distance in the glare of the sun was amazing.  We saw 15 different species, including one that has only been seen off the island of Hawaii once before!

Mandy (local guide), Momi (captain), Kay, Kamaile (1st mate), Tiffany (guide)

By the way, Kay, in the photo above, was celebrating turning 70 this year by looking for 700 species in 2026 in the United States.  She came on the trip with about 40 left to go - and finished the trip with 709!  That places her currently as 4th top birder in the U.S. this year, and there are still a few months to go.  Our guide Tiffany, broke the U.S. record for number of species in the lower 48 states in 2021 with 726 species.  

Blue-gray Noddy - only the second time this species has been seen near the island of Hawaii

Red-footed Booby

Wedge-tailed Shearwater

White-tailed Tropicbird

Blue-billed White Tern

Brown Noddy

Other than birds, we also saw Spinner Dolphins and Pilot Whales which both came close to the boat, flying fish (so awesomely cool!) and a huge tuna that jumped out of the water.

Spinner Dolphins

Spinner Dolphin

Spinner Dolphin

Pilot Whales

Pilot Whale

Spinner Dolphin

Pilot Whale

Flying Fish (not my photo)

Thanks for coming on my trip with me 💓

More Hawai’i endemics

 Tomorrow I am taking the day off from birding so the group can go to high elevation (9,000 ft.) to look for birds we couldn’t find at 7,500 ft. today - that’s just a little to high for me and the thought of getting sick and having to drive for an hour down a VERY bumpy/potentially washed out road is not appealing.

Tuesday, our last day on the island will be spent at sea.  We will be spending 8 hours on a boat looking for sea birds. 

I’iwi

Apapane (look at the white underpants he wears)

Kukanene - “Nene (the state bird) Poop”.
The berries are actually eaten by the Nene’s

Pua Kala (Hawaiian Poppy)

Mandy and our "Black Beauty" suped up 4-wheel drive van that can go through deep puddles and over washed out roads

places we birded on the big island

Hawaii - Waimea and Hakalau

Today we got very lucky and were permitted into Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge - the only NWR set aside specifically for endangered birds.  Hakalau is closed to the public - the only way to gain entrance is with a authorized guide.  This is the reason I signed up for the trip.  Then Hurricane Lala hit the Big Island mid-August and they closed the park due to roads being washed out and fallen trees.  Sadly, DOGE fired all but one employee at the park , and he was not able to complete the extensive repairs to the road on his own, so it’s been closed ever since.  But…Suprise!  Our local guide Mandy was able to pull some strings and we got access to a small area today.  We were the first people to bird Hakalau since Hurricane Lala!

Lawn Ninja, aka Common Mynah

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, female
This is the only place to see them in the U.S.  
They are native to Africa and Asia.

African Silverbill

Rosy-faced Lovebirds

Nene, the Hawaii state bird 

Hawaiian Hawk
This is the only raptor found in the state and it only lives on the Big Island.

Gray Francolin

Hawaii Elipaio

Hawaii Creeper

ʻAkiapōlāʻau

He is pecking holes in the branches and pulling out longhorn beetle larva.

More Oahu Birds

 Yesterdays birds.  Today I am taking the day off to take care of some little things - go to the post office, wash some clothes and re-pack, get a torn fingernail fixed, and venture over to the Moana Surf Rider Hotel to look at their antique photo collection.  Tropical Storm Norbert d

Wandering Tattler wintering from Alaska

Zebra Dove

Red-crested Cardinal

Saffron Finch

All the places we stopped to bird on Oahu

walked 8,512 steps, 3.54 miles
saw 1 rainbow
low 77⁰, high 90⁰
added 12 species, 1 endemic, 2 endemic sub-species, 1 lifer

#1500 Bristle-thighed Curlew

 There are only about 4,000 of these birds left in the world.  They nest in Nome, Alaska and then winter on islands in the Pacific Ocean.  This is the only place to find this birds in Hawaii - the spend winter on the north shore of Oahu next to a golf course and old Japanese cemetery.

Bristle-thighed Curlew

Oahu - Ko’olau Mountains and Walupe Valley

Starting off the trip strong with a new lifer right outside our hotel - Blue-billed White Tern #1,499!

Our guides - Tiffany and Mandy are VERY nature / ecological / ethically-minded.  We are staying at Hawaiian owned hotels and eating at Hawaiian-owned restaurants. 

Blue-billed White Tern #1,499

Oahu Amakihi (endemic)

Oahu Elapiao (endemic)

White-rumped Sharma (back view)

White-rumped Sharma (front view)

Red-vented Bulbul

Rose-ringed Parakeets

Common Waxbill

walked 8,886 steps, 3.64 mi.

saw 1 rainbow

logged approx. 15-20 species (will update when I get final count) - 2 endemics (only found on Oahu) and 1 lifer in 8 1/2 hours

low 75° high 90°