Scenes from the Big Island - Pelagic and Forest Birding in Hawaii

We decided to sneak in a bit of birding whilst vacationing on the Big Island of Hawaii. After some research we found two unique habitats for birds on the island: the ocean and the rainforest. The ocean, with its rich tropical waters offering plentiful fish for ocean cruising birds and the coastlines inaccessible volcanic ranges for nesting. The second, the rainforest, with its dense canopies and lehua flowers to flit on and across.

For me, birding and photography was tough going in both! On the ocean, swaying back and forth on a boat while trying to find dots in the sky or between waves which turned out to be birds was mighty challenging. In the forest, the difficult lines of sight, tall tree’s and low light meant the majority of birds were up high and far off. Despite these struggles it was a fantastic experience. Below is an oversimplified picture book retelling of our birding time in Hawaii.

As the sun rose, we arrived for our Pelagic birding trip. While waiting for the rest of the group, we scratched about the parking lot. This wild chick and her Mom had the same idea.

Cruising out from the harbor, this lone bird cut a striking silhouette against the deep blue of the Hawaiian ocean.

The wedge-tailed shearwater, one of the two most common birds on the trip, was a challenging spot, cruising near the oceans surface and dipping into the troughs of waves.

“Boobies!” exclaimed a fellow birder without irony as we encountered a flurry of activity in the vast ocean. I stifled a smirk and focussed on the birds.

Spotting birds at sea was a real test of eyes and attention. Can you see the tropic bird in this image…?

Everything aligned - the stars, the birds and the boat to give us a closer view of that tropic bird. So cool!

A brown noddy sits comfortably on its buoy, unconcerned at how this is the only solid surface for miles (excluding the boat!).

Another buoy, another bird - two for two! No exclamation of profanities this time though. To aid birders’ enjoyment, I’d advocate for a uniform scattering of buoys as far as the eye can see off the Hawaiian coast.

Venturing into the rainforest in hopes of finding some of Hawaiis endemic birds, the honey creepers. The most common we saw was the ‘Apapane. From the look on his face, he seemed suspicious of our intentions.

I was excited to see this bird, even though it is invasive—the Japanese white-eye!

The thick forest canopies made clear sightlines difficult. Though we could hear the birds chirping, they rarely came out for photos. Here’s another view of a less disgruntled ‘Apapane.

In Volcanoes National Park I heard this bird chirping high up in the trees. Not a honey creeper, but nice to sight all the same. I think this is a Japanese Bush Warbler.

These forest birds moved fast! With the low light and dense foliage, we had to be quick on the draw to catch any images. I'm not certain exactly what this bird is (my guide shows many yellow honeycreepers), but I was excited to spot something different!