Hawaii Time: Birds of Kauai - The Amazing Birds
I hope you enjoyed the birds in my previous “lanai’ blog… in this one, I’ll share the birds we met around the island. This island, known as the “garden island”, was beautiful at every glance.
First, here are the endemic, endangered forest birds that I met:
Kauai Elepaio (endemic to Kauai) - This perky little bird popped out and flashed that beautiful tail, tried to catch a bug or two, and made me so happy. :)
Apapane (endemic to Hawaii)
Akekee (endemic to Kauai) - Story time. I didn’t think I would see this bird. I was sort of frustrated on this hike. The weather was grey and drizzly, the birds were just not letting me see them, and overall, I was just frustrated. That Kauai Elapaio put on a little show, and started to turn things around. How could it not, so cute! We walked a little further along, and stopped to have a quick snack. As I’m munching on my snack, a bird dropped right out of the canopy, landed on a stick for just long enough for my eyes to register that is was a bird, it was yellow… and to whip my camera up and try to shoot a quick photo. And my camera battery died. I managed to get about 3 horribly out of focus photos in the fraction of a second that I had this bird in front of me.
What followed was weeks of trying to figure it out. I got into touch with a great person in Maui who knows the birds very well. She is also an eBird reviewer there and has some connections with people in the forest bird world there. She took my description of look and behavior, and an embarrassing photo, and got it confirmed by an expert or two. It was an Akekee. And here is my embarrassing photo, you can’t win them all!
Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge
This refuge is the largest and oldest on the island of Kauai. Since 1972, it’s been a place that several endangered species use for habitat and food. It has a large wetland area and also feature active agricultural land. The wetland agriculture and historic taro farming practices provide feeding and nesting areas for the bird populations. This beautiful place is really full of life.
Hawaiian Gallinule (endemic to Hawaii)
Hawaiian Coot (endemic to Hawaii)
Cattle Egret
Red Junglefowl
Black-crowned Night Heron
Hawaiian Duck (endemic to Hawaii)
Anini Beach Park
We snorkeled here and while we were drying off in the sun, this Wandering Tattler pranced by!
The Golf Course Birds
Golf courses are everywhere on the north side, and with golf courses come water and grass and plants that the birds love… so there are lots of birds!
Hawaiian Gallinule (endemic to Hawaii)
Pacific Golden-plover
Rose-ring Parakeet
Common Myna
Western Meadowlark
Chestnut Munia
Zebra Doves
The Hanakapi’ai Trail
This hike was amazing. We trekked along stunning coast lines, up a big hill, with bigger hills in view. Eventually, dropping down the hill, and onto a beach with a river flowing out to it. We rested our feet on the beach for awhile, then back up, and down the big hill!
Red Junglefowl
Black Noddy
Here are some flowers from the trail:
Poʻipu Beach Park
We stopped at this southern beach just to see what it would look like. We found ponds with some great birds, a beach with a Monk Seal and a Sea Turtle, and a cute spot to get some Shave Ice. I made a little friend at the shave ice place when mine dripped a little, and this Gecko came up for a sip!
Hawaiian Duck (endemic to Hawaii)
Hawaiian Stilt (endemic to Hawaii)
Cattle Egret
Great Frigatebird
This bird flew in and dove towards to water. It lifted back up with this red fish, then proceeded to drop it, catch it, flop it around, over and over again. It didn’t seem to want to eat as much as to play with its food! 😂
Red-crested Cardinal