[Tweeters] Hawaii birding RFI

[Jerry Tangren via Tweeters]

Not a complete answer…

—Take your scope. Every island presents seawatch opportunities. If you don't have one, get a hard sided case for carry-on. Study up on what pelagics can be seen.

—Sign up with one of the guides for the Hakalau Forest NWR. It's the best site for native landbirds, but requires a guide. Best money you will ever spend birding.

--On Oahu, make sure you visit the Japanese cemetery on the northwest shore, think curlew; and the Aiea Loop Trail.

--Of course, the Kilauea and Hanalei NWRs on Kauai; and the state parks at higher elevations.

--Buy the photographic Hawaii's Birds book, full of tips and recent information.

--Depend upon eBird. On Kauai we got most of the birds by virtually following the guided tours on eBird.

--Jerry Tangren, East Wenatchee


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________________________________
From: Tweeters <tweeters-bounces at mailman11.u.washington.edu> on behalf of Gary Bletsch via Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, February 4, 2026 7:53:24 AM
To: Tweeters Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Subject: [Tweeters] Hawaii birding RFI

Dear Tweeters,

In a few weeks, I will hang up my snow shovel and depart Western New York for Hawaii. I will ask the pilot to waggle the wings if we fly over Skagit County.

It's silly that Mrs. Bletsch and I never made it to Hawaii when we lived in Washington, but oh, well. We are finally getting around to it. I went there with my parents in August of 1973, six months before I started birding, so it will all be tabula rasa for me, as far as the birds go--not counting the hordes of introduced species, I reckon.

I have a few questions about birding in the Aloha State.

I. On just about any trip, I usually take my scope and tripod, but sometimes I do enjoy a break from the burden, and go with just binoculars and zoom camera (the later being what I call "the poor man's scope"). Will I kick myself if I leave the scope home?

II. On my bookshelf, the only field guide that covers Hawaiian birds is Peterson's A Field Guide to Western Birds,  second edition, 1961. That book has a little section on Hawaiian birds at the back. It is, of course, wildly out of date. Lots of the native birds shown in this book have either gone extinct, or have been split into various species endemic to just one island.

So, is there a Hawaiian bird book worth buying, or could I get away with just using RTP's old book, with the photos and text of Merlin as a backup?

III. We are visting Kauai, Maui, Hawaii, and Oahu. What would be the most important sites to visit?

IV. Any other suggestions?

Thanks for any help on this.

Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch


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