WHERE TO WATCH BIRDS IN HAWAI'I -

PELAGICS

Pelagics have been a relatively under-appreciated activity in Hawai'i until fairly recently, which considering the Islands are surrounded by thousands of miles of Ocean, is rather perplexing. However, the rise in popularity of pelagic trips elsewhere in the World, such as North America, Europe, Australia and South Africa finally seems to have sparked interest in Hawai'i.

Many species of seabird have been recorded in Hawaiian waters, and often they are only a few miles from land. This is due to the fact that the continental shelf is not present in Hawai'i, as the Islands formed straight out of the depths of the ocean, resulting in very little land being present around the edge of the Islands.

Of course most of the seabirds that are recorded are those species that breed in the Hawaiian Island Chain, and the occurrence of each species is often dependent on their distribution whilst nesting. Most Shearwaters will be Wedge-tailed, most Boobies will be Red-footed. Boats from Midway are more likely to observe White Terns, Sooty Terns, Bonin Petrels, Christmas Shearwaters and Sooty Storm Petrels than boat trips from the Main Islands, however these species nest at Midway and can often be seen in their burrows or on their nests more easily than from a boat, and with the added cost of getting to Midway visitors may wish to simply observe these species on or from land. In the Main Islands boats most frequently go from Honolulu (O'ahu), Nawiliwili Harbor, Port Allen and Kikiaola Small Boat Harbor (Kaua'i), Lahaina (Maui) and Kailua-Kona (Big Island). Tour companies are often the cheapest way to get out to sea but may not offer the best birding opportunities, as they tend to cater for Whalewatching, snorkelling and general sightseeing. Fishing boat operators are usually more along the lines of what is required by pelagic birders but are often more expensive, especially if one wants to look solely for birds and not join an organised fishing trip. Many times fishermen and birders end up at the same locations, as birds often give away the presence of schools of fish, and so it is always worth asking if there is a spare place or two which might be going cheap. Above: Black-footed Albatross follows pelagic boat off Lehua Rock. Names of companies are not generally listed here as they frequently change itineraries and destinations, and not every boat tour will be of the birding variety. As said previously where you depart from will dictate what species are more or less likely to be seen, trips out of O'ahu will turn up White Tern, Gray-backed Tern and Masked Booby more frequently than those which start from the Big Island, and trips from the Big Island seem to turn up more Bulwer's Petrels than those from the other Islands. Pelagics from Kaua'i are more likely to turn up Newell's Shearwaters, Black-footed Albatross and Red-tailed Tropicbird. Of course, being Ocean-wandering seabirds means that anything can turn up anywhere, and at any time of year. Spring from March to May and Fall from August to November appear to be the peak times for numbers of birds and variety of species, but with so few pelagics having been undertaken in the past, there are large gaps in the knowledge of what species may occur and when. Pelagics conducted during the months listed above will at least produce most of the breeding species, whereas outside of these months the species list and numbers of birds present will undoubtedly be smaller, as most birds go quite some distance from the nesting areas. It seems likely that Kaua'i is probably the best Island to conduct Pelagics from as it has a wide variety of breeding species and is closer to the NW Chain breeding sites, and its isolation from the other islands and the deep trenches that surround it provide ideal feeding grounds. Back to Top of Page Species which have been recorded from pelagics in Hawaiian Waters have included the following species: (Some of these species have been recorded from vessels within Hawaiian Waters, but outside the scope of most boats on day trips). Those marked * are likely to be seen on any pelagic at the right time of year and from the right Island. Laysan Albatross* Black-footed Albatross* Masked Booby* Red-footed Booby* Brown Booby* Great Frigatebird* Red-tailed Tropicbird* White-tailed Tropicbird* Northern Fulmar Black-winged Petrel White-necked Petrel Mottled Petrel Bonin Petrel Cook's Petrel Stejneger Petrel Herald Petrel Hawaiian Petrel* Kermadec Petrel ? Juan Fernandez Petrel Murphy Petrel Bulwer's Petrel* Jouanin's Petrel Streaked Shearwater Wedge-tailed Shearwater* Buller's Shearwater Streaked Shearwater Flesh-footed Shearwater Sooty Shearwater* Short-tailed Shearwater Christmas Shearwater* Newell's Shearwater* Wilson's Storm-Petrel ? Leach's Storm-Petrel Band-rumped Storm-Petrel* Tristram Storm-Petrel Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel Red Phalarope* South Polar Skua Pomarine Jeager* Long-tailed Jaeger Arctic Jaeger Sooty Tern* Gray-backed Tern*? White Tern* Arctic Tern* Common Tern Black Noddy* Brown Noddy* Blue-gray Noddy Ring-billed Gull Laughing Gull Glaucous-winged Gull Above right photos: Humpback Whale, Hawaiian Spinner Dolphin (© Michael Nolan), Hawaiian Monk Seal, a species much more often seen resting on beaches than at sea like this one and Green Sea Turtle. Female Great Frigatebird, a commonly seen bird on Hawaiian pelagics. Most Pelgaics in Hawai'i will record between 10 and 15 different species, a trip recording over 15 species is good by Hawaiian standards! Best Time To Visit: Spring and Fall will produce the most species, but Summer and Winter may hold some surprises. Lehua Rock, North of Ni'ihau. Home to hundreds of Boobies, Noddies, Frigatebirds and Tropicbirds.

---