11- 15 April Aloha Big Island
11 – 15 April Big Island pelagic trip, and clean sweep of the island specialty birds.
Following is a brief pictorial recounting of my first Hawaiian trip of the year: Big Island. The timing reflected the opportunity for a Kona one-day pelagic trip with Alex Wang. But I a few days of terrestrial birding provided a clean sweep of Big Island specialty birds – with exception of ‘heard-only’ Hawaiian Hawk – while birding Hakalau Forest Reserve with guide Lance Tanino – the place is off-limits to independent birders. Lance’s keen ears proved invaluable in picking out the hawk, and the ‘big one’ Akiapolaau. It was lots of fun and I highly recommend Lance to anyone wishing to visit Hakalau for the perhaps only option to see the highly contracted specialist forest birds such as Akepa, Omao, Hawaii Creeper, and Akiapolaau.

The outhouse of the Kailua Kona Reserve. I doubt that the architect, who took a design challenge to its most expensive and hideous result falls into the sort of ‘Triumph’ envisaged by the above banner.

View from Pu’u La’au Palila Discovery Trail – a most fabulous birding area, and perhaps the only place for ready views of Palila.

The diminutive, but totally awesome Akiapolaau. It uses its lower mandible for ‘wood-pecking’, and upper ‘hook’ for extracting insects from nooks and crannies.