2022 Birding Trip to Hawaii (Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island)
Hawaii has beautiful birds like this endemic subspecies of BNST in Kauai - Photo: Ilya Povalyaev We flew on Alaska Air from Vancouver to Honolulu via Seattle. We had been studying the recordings of David Kuhn's native Hawaiian forest birds for Kauai and the Big Island and felt prepared. We arrived in Oahu at noon and picked up our camper van that we rented through Airbnb. Honolulu by Air - Photo: Ilya Povalyaev We went straight to Fort Derussy Beach Park near Waikiki to see Manu-o -K ū or White (Fairy) Terns. It was a lifer for me but not for Ilya who had seen them in Oahu before. They are so beautiful with their big black eyes and all white plumage and blue based black bill. We were lucky to see 2 chicks! They were cute fluffballs!. These terns only lay one egg without a nest. They carefully balance a egg on a tree branch. It is quite the feat! The state of Hawaii goes to great lengths now to protect its native birds. I've included a photo of a protected nesting tree. Adu