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Itinerary

Day 1- Arrival and Orientation
Our tour begins on the Big Island of Hawaii, where we settle into Hawaiian life. Night near Kona.

Days 2 to 5 - The Big Island of Hawaii
We visit several localities around the Big Island as we search for the many specialties of the island. The Hawaiian endemics are our main targets. On one day we visit the superb Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, which preserves some of the finest koa and ohi’a forests remaining on the Big Island. Here there are still good populations of I’iwi, Akepa, Hawai’i Elepaio, Hawai’i Amikihi and Hawaiian Creeper. We also look for the truly bizarre Akiapola’au, a yellow-green honeycreeper that has one of the most amazing bills in the bird world. The bird feeds on insects hiding in trunks and branches. The lower mandible is used like a woodpecker’s bill - for chipping and chiselling into the wood until the insect larvae is exposed, and then the extraordinary upper mandible, which is long, thin and sickle-shaped, is used to extract the larvae. On another day, we visit Mauna Kea to look for the Palila, a large Hawaiian finch that inhabits the mamane forests on the upper slopes, and another subspecies of the highly variable Elepaio.

We transfer to the wonderful Volcano House Lodge in the Volcanoes National Park for the next two nights. The lodge is situated overlooking the spectacular Kilauea Crater, which has still active steam vents. In the early morning, the songs of the Omao, an endemic Hawaiian thrush, and the Apapane, a crimson honeycreeper with white undertail coverts, should greet us. We spend time looking around the park, for Black Noddies along the black lava seacoast, Nenes in the lava fields, Kalij Pheasants along easy and pleasant trails in the park, Melodious Laughing-thrushes rustling about in the undergrowth, and possibly Hawaiian Hawk just about anywhere cruising over the park. A must-see attraction of the park is the Thurston Lava Tube, a remarkable geologic phenomenon. Here, Omaos are more common than elsewhere, along with Apapanes and Elepaios.

Introduced species such as Eurasian Skylarks, House Finches and Red-billed Leiothrix occur here as well. In fact, we likely will encounter many introduced species during our stay on the islands; on the Big Island, we should encounter species as diverse as Yellow-fronted Canary, Lavender Waxbill, California Quail, Wild Turkey, Erckel’s Francolin and Northern Mockingbird.

Days 6 to 7 - Maui
After a morning of birding around the Big Island, we take the short flight to our next island, Maui, where we spend the next two nights. Maui is an island of two mountains joined by a narrow isthmus; we spend virtually all of our time in the more interesting east part of the island along Ma’alaea Bay.

We spend much of our time in the magnificent Haleakala National Park where we experience superb vistas and wonderful scenery. The vegetation at the summit is amazing, especially the fascinating silversword, which looks like a century plant but is actually a sunflower. Chukars forage at the higher elevations, and Short-eared owls cruise over the grassy slopes. In the park, we visit the Waikamoi Preserve, to find four honeycreepers – I’iwi, Apapane, Common Amakihi, and a Maui endemic, the Maui Creeper (Alauahio) and to search for two rarities that can be seen here - the Akohekohe (Crested Honeycreeper) and Maui Parrotbill, but luck is needed!

We take time to scan both Kanaha and Kealia Ponds for waterbirds, including Hawaiian Coot and Black-necked Stilt, Black-crowned Night-heron, and maybe some goodie that has dropped in. In 2003, we found a Ruff here. If birding becomes a little slow, then the marvelous scenery and natural wonders, such as the Iao Needle, will more than compensate.

Days 8 to 11 - Kauai
We take the afternoon flight to our next island, Kauai, where we spend the next four nights. Kauai is called the Garden Island because of its lush green vegetation, a product of its high annual rainfall. Because Kauai is fairly small, we visit much of the island, taking in Kilauea Point and its National Wildlife Refuge (the best place in Hawaii for seabirds), Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge for waterbirds, the Hanapepe area, and especially Waimea Canyon and the Kokee Region for a chance at many of Kauai’s endemic birds. Kauai is a wonderful island, and our days will be full of excellent birding and marvelous scenery.

We should do quite well for seabirds. Our list should include Laysan Albatross, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, White-tailed and maybe Red-tailed Tropicbirds, Great Frigatebird, both Brown and Red-footed Boobies, often close enough for excellent photographs. If we are lucky, we will find Black and Brown Noddies, and maybe another shearwater such as Newell’s. Wetlands on the island hold populations of stilts, coots, Hawaiian Ducks, Common Moorhens, and other waterbirds. Around the edge of the ponds Japanese Bush-warblers occur and White-rumped Shamas are in the denser thickets. Nenes are quite widespread, and we should find quite a few during our stay. We have a chance of seeing two species of owls on the island, Short-eared Owl and Barn Owl.

In Kokee State Park, we look for native forest birds. Some, such as Iiwi, Elepaio and Apapane, will be familiar to us, but others will be new. These include the Kauai Amakihi, Anianiau - a small, yellow, thin-billed honeycreeper, Kauai Creeper (Akikiki), Akekee - a yellow, finch-like honeycreeper, and there is always a chance, albeit very remote, of finding a great rarity such as a Puaiohi (a thrush).

Days 12 to 13 - Oahu
We reluctantly leave Kauai and fly to our last island, Oahu, where we spend two nights. Oahu is the hub of Hawaii, where most Hawaiians live, and most tourists come to stay. Nevertheless, there are some excellent birding localities, and we will visit some for Oahu specialties such as Oahu Amikihi and Oahu Elepaio.

We visit a city park where Common Fairy Terns breed - we should have superb views of these elegant terns - and exotics such as Red-whiskered and Red-vented Bulbuls forage. We drive along scenic coastlines to the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, where there should be a large and diverse gathering of waterfowl and shorebirds, including Bristle-thighed Curlew and often a rarity such as Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Nights in Waikiki.

Day 14 - Departure
The tour concludes in Honolulu in the morning after breakfast.

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What to expect

Our tour of four Hawaiian Islands is a wonderful experience, full of exquisite surprises - the marvelous endemic honeycreepers, superb seabirds, an amazingly diverse flora, breathtaking vistas, colourful marine life, and much more, amidst comfortable accommodations and usually pleasant weather. We stay for the most part in just one location on each of the four islands, using each as a home base from which to explore.

The tour is relaxed and leisurely most days. We start some days early, especially on the Big Island, in order to reach our birding destination before the morning activity wanes. We spend most days visiting specific areas on each island, and then walking along fairly easy trails. Some terrain may be moderately difficult, but we take them slowly and at a comfortable pace. Good hiking waterproof footwear is recommended for some trails; otherwise comfortable running shoes are fine for most other activities. The weather is mostly pleasant, at comfortable temperatures, but there will be rain on some days, and visits to higher elevations may encounter coolish and misty conditions. Clothing should be layered, and a light sweater and especially a waterproof jacket are highly recommended. And don’t forget a hat - Hawaii is tropical!

We visit some incredibly beautiful and scenic spots on this tour, and therefore there will be many superb photographic opportunities. We attempt to find as many endemic birds as possible; some of these are quite frankly astonishing, and offer a remarkable insight into the adaptive radiation of these birds on the various islands.

Our tour visits four of the main islands, Hawaii, Kauai, Maui and Oahu. Each island has its own special flora and fauna, and each its own special geology. It is no wonder the Hawaiian Islands rival the Galapagos as a natural laboratory of evolution.

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