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--></style></head><body lang=EN-US link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'>Hello Gary and Tweeter Folk,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'>On my first trip to Hawaii in 1975 I was on a tour, which was okay for an introduction. I finally got a chance to go back in 2010, with a focus on birds, and with seeing flowing lava with my own eyes. My daughter who is not a birder but who is a very patient person, went with me. We did it on our own and had a great time and stored up a lot of fond memories! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'>Bird books I took: The Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific, by Pratt, Bruner, and Berrett.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'> Hawaii’s Birds, by Hawaii Audubon Society<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'>Plant books I took: A Pocket Guide to Hawai’i’s Trees and Shrubs, by Pratt<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'> A Pocket Guide to Hawai’i’s Flowers, by Peebles and Miyano<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'>I just checked on Alibris, <a href="https://www.alibris.com/">https://www.alibris.com/</a> and found both bird books. They didn’t have the plant books though, so I checked on ebay and found both bird books and both plant books. So all the books are still available, one way or another.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'>Regarding taking a scope...I avoid taking a scope anywhere these days, too much hassle to lug around, too much concern that it might be stolen. Plus, with cataracts becoming an issue, I can’t see well through a scope anyway. I use my binocular and Canon zoom camera (as you described it) instead. Yes, I might miss some stuff, but I still get to see plenty and have a good time. Guess it is a personal choice, eh? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'>Hope you two have a happy and safe trip, aloha, Lori Markoff, Citrus Heights, CA<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> Tweeters <tweeters-bounces@mailman11.u.washington.edu> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Gary Bletsch via Tweeters<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, February 4, 2026 7:53 AM<br><b>To:</b> Tweeters Tweeters <tweeters@u.washington.edu><br><b>Subject:</b> [Tweeters] Hawaii birding RFI<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>Dear Tweeters,<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>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 <i>tabula rasa</i> for me, as far as the birds go--not counting the hordes of introduced species, I reckon.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>I have a few questions about birding in the Aloha State.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>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?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>II. On my bookshelf, the only field guide that covers Hawaiian birds is Peterson's <i>A Field Guide to Western Birds, </i> 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. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>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?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>III. We are visting Kauai, Maui, Hawaii, and Oahu. What would be the most important sites to visit?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>IV. Any other suggestions?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>Thanks for any help on this.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>Yours truly,<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>Gary Bletsch<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></body></html>