ARTICLES ON HAWAIIAN BIRDS AND BIRDWATCHING AND OTHER PACIFIC WILDLIFE

Hawai'i Birding Hotspots No. 7 - Hakalau NWR, Hawai'i

This is the first National Wildlife refuge to be established purely for the management of native forest birds and now includes about 16,500 acres of land. Hakalau Forest is one of the best birding spots in Hawai'i and is home to many endemic species, many which occur in larger numbers here than any other location. Public access is allowed into the nearby Upper Maulua Tract, on weekends and public holidays. You need to book a week in advance on (808) 933-6915 and to get the combination to a locked gate. The road beyond the gate needs a high clearance vehicle, but it is not far (ca. 2 miles) and could easily be walked. Maulua Tract has all the birds except Akepa.

Hawai'i 'Elepaio, 'Oma'o, I'iwi, 'Apapane, Hawai'i Creeper, Hawai'i 'Akepa, 'Akiapola'au, Hawai'i 'Amakihi and I'o (Hawaiian Hawk) can all be found in this amazing area, and in many cases without too much difficulty. I'iwi and 'Akepa seem to occur here more commonly than at any other site and one can almost imagine what it would have been like in a native forest a few hundred years ago.

The fantastic 'Akiapola'au is present in small numbers and can sometimes be seen foraging along branches and using its bill to hack and dig insects out from tiny crevices - it is certainly one of Hawai'i's most amazing birds. The Akiapola'au is restricted to windward Koa forest between 4,500 and 9,000 feet. The windward Mauna Kea population is apparently declining, the leeward Kona population has more or less disappeared and the population at Pu'u La'au supposedly consists of males only. The 1992 island-wide estimate of 1,500 individuals is probably an overestimate and the population today is probably less than 1,000 birds. The species is not numerous at Hakalau, but this is one of the best sites to observe them, and they can frequently be heard giving their distinctive.

The 'Oma'o is still a widespread and numerous species and often found at lower levels in areas where there is avian malaria, although its island-wide range has contracted in the past twenty years and is no longer found in areas such as Kohala, montane Kona or Hualalai. The population is probably stable, although declines in some areas have been observed. At Hakalau the birds can be seen quietly feeding on berries alongside the tracks, usually in small bushes or trees, where they can be surprisingly elusive and difficult to see, even if you know one is there!

The bright red male 'Akepa are unmistakeable and unmissable and occur at Hakalau in quite large numbers, and this must be one of the easiest locations on the island to observe them. The 1992 island-wide population was estimated at 14,000 and although the species is still common at some locations (such as Hakalau NWR), the species appears to be declining, both in numbers and distribution. Recently the species has been found more at the higher elevation locations and is an increasingly rare sight below about 5,000 feet. There are four sub-populations and inbreeding may be a significant factor in the smaller subpopulations.

One of three sub-species of Hawai'i 'Elepaio that occur on the Big Island, (sandwichensis, bryani and ridgewayi)occurs at Hakalau. The species may be declining slightly in numbers although the 1992 estimate of 207,000 island-wide has probably not changed a great deal. Population fluctuations are recorded with some regularity. Although the population is quite high, individual populations are at risk from any number of threats such as habitat loss and predation. Disease is probably less of a threat to 'Elepaio than it is to many other endemic forest species and at Hakalau birds can be seen and heard in the trees, often just above head-height, where they may follow you for a while along the refuge track.

Red-billed Leiothrix can often be found feeding amongst the vegetation, as well as the ubiquitous Japanese Whiteeye, although even this seems to be less common than at many other similar sites. I'iwi (left) appears to be more common here than at almost any other location in Hawai'i.

On the way up to the refuge there are several ranch ponds which hold Koloa (some re-introduced) and occasionally migrant ducks. Erckel's Francolin, Chukar, Kalij Pheasant, Turkey (below) and California Quail can often be seen from the road on the way to the refuge and very rarely there may be a Gambel's Quail, amongst the California Quail, an uncommon sight nowadays.

The best way of going to the refuge at present is to join a tour company visit, as they are often very successful at finding the birds and also their donations help towards the upkeep of this fragile area.

Please do not attempt to enter the refuge unguided as it constitutes trespassing and it may result in the disturbance and damage of this unique area and create further problems for the endemic species that reside here.

Understorey vegetation at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Hawai'i.

Christian Melgar. Worthing, West Sussex, UK. 2002.

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