ARTICLES ON HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC BIRDS, BIRDWATCHING AND WILDLIFE
ARTICLES ON HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC BIRDS, BIRDWATCHING AND WILDLIFE
A Big Day Bird Count on Maui, 12th January 2005
by Kurt Pohlman
My main reason on going over to Maui was to see the Curlew Sandpiper reported by Lance Tanino and Pete Donaldson. And then check on some other migrants as well as to go up to Haleakala for some forest birding. It was later on, at the airport when I was tallying up the species totals that I realized that the count was rather high, especially when not really trying for a high number.
Arriving at the Kahalui Airport Terminal I had a singing House Finch in the rafters. Which also held some House Sparrows. After picking up the rental car I drove to the Kanaha ponds. Pulling into the parking lot the car headlights illuminated an adult Black-crowned Night Heron fishing in the shallows. With the approaching dawn the Common Myna birds started to squawk and call. In a smaller pond to the left of the parking held the only sand/mud in the refuge. So this is where I saw Five Black-necked Stilt squabbling in the shallows. The small spit of mud held a Ruddy Turnstone, some Sanderling, and a Dunlin that was being chased by one of the sanderling. Walking down to the Kiosk there was a Pacific-golden Plover and the only Duck in the large pond was a male Hawaiian Duck. Hawaiian Coots where scattered all around the ponds. And as I was leaving the Refuge there was Zebra Doves on the ground and a Spotted Dove on the telephone wire.
Black-bellied Plover in winter plumage, Kanaha Pond, Maui, January 12th 2005.
Photograph © by Kurt Pohlman
Getting through Kahalui traffic was no problem and soon I was at Kealia Wildlife Refuge. The place was full of Black-crowned Night Herons. The Cattle Egrets were starting to leave from their night time roosts. And soon I had both Black Francolin and Grey Francolin calling. In the big pond there were large flocks of Northern Shovelers and Northern Pintail and behind me in a Kiawe (Mesquite) tree were a pair of Red-crested Cardinal. Moving to the opposite end of the big pond I scoped a Black-bellied Plover on a far mud bank with some Pacific-golden Plovers. Next to the refuge headquarters there were some tall grass with ripening seedheads. It must have been good eating because there were Nutmeg Mannikins,Chestnut Mannikins and a great find was a flock of 30+ Orange-checked Waxbills! Behind them in the scrub was a male Northern Cardinal chirping away. The refuge ponds had a lot of mud showing and so it held the best diversity of species. Starting with one Wandering Tattler, four Long-billed Dowitchers, two Least Sandpipers, a Marbled Godwit, and one Curlew Sandpiper. Later the Black-bellied Plover joined them. I took a pass at the rest of the ponds and added a few other species such as three male Mallards and a Ring-billed Gull. As I was returning to take some more pictures of the Curlew Sandpiper a pair of Ibis flew over and landed in the SW corner of the refuge. They started feeding with two other Ibis already there. All the Ibis were too far away to ID to species but they were most likely White-faced Ibis.
Marbled Godwit at Kealia Pond NWR, Maui on January 12th 2005.
Photograph © by Kurt Pohlman
With things starting to slow down I decided to go up to Hosmer Grove just to check things out. On the way up Haleakala the Skylarks were very active and the slopes were alive with their song. At the Grove there weren't alot of Ohia in bloom and so the birds were few. But at the overlook there were some blossoms and a Iiwi flew in. Apapane also chose to come to the same tree. Amakihi were common in the sandalwood flowers. Along the path was a Red-billed Liothorix, and Japanese White-eye were very conspicuous. I was still searching for one last species and I found a male and a female Maui Creeper working their way through the understory. Up the slope of Haleakala for two more species. I flushed a male and female Ring-necked Pheasant but I couldn't find a chucker, although I put in a lot of time in searching for them. Driving by the Maui Sugar Mill there is a small pond that I often check. And It held a Green-winged Teal this time.
I still had a bit of daylight left before I caught my flight back to Oahu so I returned to Kealia W.R. I walked down the road this time and had at least 35+ Mourning Dove in the Kiawe scrub. On the outside of the refuge ponds in a flock of shovelers was a Blue-winged Teal, for the last species seen of the day. I was thinking on the flight back that I could go and see three more roosting species in Waikiki but I was tired and so I will leave the count where it is and break it another time.
Curlew Sandpiper at Kanaha Pond, Maui on January 12th 2005.
Photograph © Kurt Pohlman
Hawaii (Maui) 1/12/05 Species Total 43 (team), 110 miles by car, 1 mile by foot, Visiting Kanaha wildlife refuge, Kealia wildlife refuge, Haleakala and Hosmer Grove, Species of note: Curlew Sandpiper (R/S), Marbled Godwit (R/S)
Kurt Pohlman, O'ahu, Hawai'i, January 2005
