My spark moment with birds happened in Belize in September of 2018, but I didn’t download Ebird and really start my life list journey until the next February when I went birding in Oahu.
I had been out birding a few times locally, but I was really just stretching my legs and practicing with ID-ing birds I already knew like chickadees and cardinals.
Not long after we landed in Oahu I kept noticing these birds I knew I had never seen before – almost all black with a bright yellow beak. I’ll get to that ID later! I already regretted not knowing about Ebird before my Belize trip, so I decided it was time to download the app and start logging so I would remember all the birds on that trip!
The first birds I ever logged were at Pearl Harbor – I saw a common waxbill and a lot of rock pigeons. Hey, it counts! When you are first starting out almost every bird is a lifer!
Birding in Manoa Falls
Things got interesting when we headed over to the Manoa Falls area of the island. I saw a white-rumped shama, a flock of rose-ringed parakeets, and even a white cockatoo way up in the trees!
Non-native species were extremely common in Oahu. I’ve actually seen rose-ringed parakeets twice in my life, but never in their native habitat of India. I saw them on Oahu and in Barcelona, and they can be found in many other places as well.
The cockatoo was another interesting find as they are native to Indonesia and not necessarily known to be found on Oahu like the parakeets. After doing some digging I learned that they used to live at an arboretum in the area and some escaped in the 70s. It’s very possible that the one I saw was a hybrid between a white cockatoo and a salmon-crested cockatoo. While I would always rather see a species in their native habitat, it was still unexpected and very fun to see!
Ka’ena Point
Pack your sunscreen, some water, and get out to Ka’ena point if you are staying on Oahu and you want to see wildlife. It was a long hike in the sun but absolutely worth it. On this hike I saw a pacific golden plover and a stunning red-crested cardinal.
The highlight, however, was absolutely seeing the laysan albatrosses. You have to hike all the way out to the point and reach their protected area. In February there were chicks on the ground which was such a treat. The preserve is set up perfectly where I was able to get some really great views of these birds while also giving them plenty of space.
Out and about
Not all the birds I logged on this trip were on birding hikes!
While walking around Waikiki I saw a black-crowned night heron trying to catch a meal in a fancy hotel fountain. I also came across an Erckel’s Francolin (amazing name for a bird) on a pill box hike found on the southwest part of the island. They are native to Ethiopia but were introduced as a game bird in Hawaii.
Around the resort I saw spotted doves, zebra doves, red-vented bulbuls, and house sparrows. The bird I mentioned at the beginning of this post was a common myna, again an introduced species.
Overall, Oahu was a great introduction to logging species and really fun to explore! I know if I went back with the bird watching skills I’ve developed since, I would have been able to log a lot more but that’s ok!
Here’s a list of all the species I was able to identify.
- Rock Pigeon
- Common Waxbill
- White-rumped Shama
- Rose-Ringed Parakeet
- White Cockatoo (possible hybrid with Salmon-crested Cockatoo)
- Pacific Golden Plover
- Red-crested Cardinal
- Laysan Albatross
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Erckel’s Francolin
- Spotted Dove
- Zebra Dove
- House Sparrow
- Red-vented Bulbul
- Common Myna
