HAWAII BIRDING TOUR - Video Trip Report

Hawaii is familiar to many in North America, being a US state. However, the archipelago has also been familiar to wider world birders for years, due to a spectacular set of endemic species/subspecies confined to the islands-currently standing at around 44, many of which are both extremely-endangered, and very local. The state has widened its appeal to North American birders since 2017, with its insertion on to the ABA list. Yes, you can now count Hawaiian birds on your ABA list, which includes not only the endemics, but many other birds too. The islands are also rightly famous for stunning volcanic landscapes in which to bird in. We will visit three of the islands to search for iconic Hawaiian species, like the spectacular scarlet Iiwi and the odd Akiapolaau (a Hawaiian Honeycreeper with a uniquely-shaped bill). Alongside these songbirds are other equally appealing species, like the Nene or Hawaiian Goose, a species that has been brought back from the brink of extinction, the graceful Laysan Albatross, pristine White Tern, and the much sought-after Bristle-thighed Curlew, more readily seen here than in Alaska. On top of this are a series of countable, introduced birds of interest to ABA birders, like Kalij Pheasant, Red-crested Cardinal, White-rumped Shama, Red Avadavat, and Saffron Finch. The tour starts out in the state capital, Honolulu, an international hub on the island of Oʻahu, before moving on to the “Garden Isle” of Kauai. The tour then covers one more island in the archipelago, with the Big Island, before returning to Honolulu to finish.