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Tuesday 23 March to Monday 5 April with Narca Moore-Craig and local guides as leaders Cost £2740 plus about £700 for flights Please click here for details and an explanation of the price breakdown |
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A tropical terrain of fire, mist, and rainbows, the Hawaiian Islands, born as volcanic seamounts, are the world’s most isolated archipelago. Only a few landbirds managed to colonize the islands, among them an ancestral finch, an ancestral thrush, a monarch flycatcher, and a hawk. From those humble beginnings has evolved an avian radiation without parallel. We’ll seek Kaua’i’s endemic birds in the remote Alaka’i wilderness, and those of the Big Island in the beautiful native koa and ohi’a forest of Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge. Adding to the splendor are the many introduced birds, most of which do not appear to harm the endemics. The saga of native Hawaiian land birds is also unavoidably the story of human-caused impacts. The engaging Nene, or Hawaiian Goose, still roams the Big Island’s lava flows only because a captive breeding program pulled it back from the edge of extinction. As we are charmed by the antics of an ‘Elepaio and the shimmering plumage of an I’iwi, we’ll be mindful of the important conservation work that has preserved at least part of this splendid avifauna. Offshore, the sea quickly becomes very deep, creating strong currents and upwellings where whales and other marine mammals abound. Weather permitting, we’ll voyage into those deeper waters ourselves to look for pelagic birds, to snorkel, and to enjoy the play of rainbows in the mist. This tour can be taken in conjunction with Hawaii: The Albatrosses of Midway Atoll. Day 1: The tour begins in London with a flight to Hawaii. Day 2: After arriving in Hawaii we'll take a local flight to Lihue Airport on the Garden Island of Kauai. We’ll transfer to our seaside cottages in Waimea, our base for the next four nights. Day 3: After an early breakfast, we’ll drive to Kilauea Point NWR, a refuge showcasing Hawaii’s seabirds. En route we’ll detour along a little-traveled road with chances to see introduced Japanese Quail and laughingthrushes. On arrival at Kilauea, we’ll 'scope for seabirds before undertaking the famous walk to Crater Hill, where Red-footed Boobies nest in profusion and graceful White-tailed and Red-tailed Tropicbirds float along the sheer cliffs. A small colony of Laysan Albatrosses nests atop an adjacent promontory. Wedge-tailed Shearwaters burrow under vegetation mere inches from the paved path, and reintroduced Nene patrol the lighthouse grounds. After lunch, we’ll drive to the overlook at Hanalei NWR and 'scope the taro ponds for waterbirds such as Hawaiian Stilt and Hawaiian duck before continuing toward Ha’ena State Park, where the dramatic Na Pali Cliffs loom overhead. We’ll return to Waimea for dinner. Night in Waimea. Day 4: Kaua’i offers the best pelagic birding in the main Hawaiian Islands. Weather permitting, we’ll leave the hotel early today for a seven-hour pelagic trip out of Port Allen, taking breakfast and lunch on board. Our boat will take us to the Na Pali Coast and the waters between Ni’ihau Island and Lehua Islet. As we cross the deeper water of Kaulakahi Channel, we’ll likely encounter Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, Black-footed and Laysan Albatrosses, and marine mammals. Rarer species such as Newell’s (Townsend’s) Shearwater and Hawaiian Petrel are possible. If seas are calm, we’ll have the opportunity to snorkel from the boat. We’ll be back at our hotel in time for an afternoon rest, swim, or relaxed walk on the beach before dinner. Night in Waimea. Day 5: After an early breakfast, we’ll ascend spectacular Waimea Canyon by way of one of Hawaii’s most scenic drives. Our goal is the native upland rainforest of Koke’e and the Alaka’i Swamp wilderness. Only here can we readily find the native forest birds of Kaua’i. ‘Anianiau, scarlet ‘Apapane, Kaua’i ‘Amakihi, and the sprightly Kaua’i ‘Elepaio are all possible. If we’re lucky, we may see our first I’iwi or find one of the rarer species such as ‘Akeke’e or Pu’aiohi. We’ll spend the entire day exploring these uplands, enjoy a picnic lunch, then return to our hotel in time for a break before dinner. Night in Waimea. Day 6: We’ll leave after breakfast for Lihue Airport, where we’ll catch a mid-morning flight to Kona on the Big Island. In the afternoon we expect to visit Kaloko Honokohau National Historic Park, which features archeological sites and petroglyphs among ponds and beaches; Green Sea Turtle, Hawaiian Stilt, and Hawaiian Coot are all possible here. Night in Kamuela Day 7: Today we’ll traverse the renowned Saddle Road, which runs between the volcanic massifs of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, and go birdwatching in dry forest and kipukas — refugia separated from the surrounding habitats by lava flows of varying age. Among the sites we’ll visit are the Pu’u La’au area for the chunky and strikingly plumaged Palila, and the Pu’u ‘O’o Trail in search of other native birds such as ‘Apapane and Hawaii ‘Elepaio. We’ll encounter a number of interesting introduced species along the way. Night in Kamuela. Day 8: We anticipate a great day in quintessential old Hawaii—the wonderful native forest of Hakalau NWR. Stately koa trees emerge from the rainforest canopy, and some of the red-flowering ohi’a trees are thought to be 1,000 years old. This ancient forest is designated a reserve specifically to protect native Hawaiian forest birds. Here we’ll have our best chance to see Hawaiian Creeper, ‘Akepa, ‘Oma’o, and I’iwi and, with luck, an ‘Akiapola’au, with its bizarre bill and woodpecker-like manner of foraging. Night in Kamuela. Day 9: We’ll depart after breakfast for the very scenic drive to Hilo; our route is good for Hawaiian Hawk. After a short walk in Kalopa Native Forest State Park, we may stop to scan the rocky shores at Laupahoehoe Point County Park. After lunch, we’ll drive to the end of the road near Kaimu, where lava flows through lava tubes into the sea, producing a towering column of steam and gases. A 30-minute walk to the observation point traverses old lava flows, where we can observe the early stages of plant colonization by pioneering ferns and ohi’a saplings. We’ll arrive in Volcano Village, our base for the next three nights, with time for a break before dinner. Night in Volcano Village. Day 10: We’ll spend this morning walking in the lush forest at Thurston Lava Tube and along the Crater Rim Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The trails offer more opportunities to enjoy Oma’o, ‘Apapane, and Hawaii ‘Amakihi. After lunch, we may take a drive to look for Hawaiian Hawk if we haven’t seen the species by now; there is also the option of a rest or a relaxed walk on trails near the village. After dinner we’ll head to the Jaggar Museum for an impressive night-time view of the glowing crater of Halema’uma’u. Night in Volcano Village. Day 11: After breakfast we’ll walk the one-mile loop trail at the auspiciously named Bird Park, an excellent location for seeing Kalij Pheasants, Red-billed Leiothrix, Hwamei, and Kamehameha Lady butterflies. We plan next to drive out Chain of Craters Road. Our post-lunch pursuits will depend on volcanic activity and whether our birdlist is missing any species - one possibility is a mile-long walk on Iliahi Trail. Night in Volcano Village. Day 12: Today we’ll fly from Hilo to Honolulu, where we will transfer to our Waikiki hotel, across the street from Kapiolani Park. The ethereal White Tern nests here, and the park also harbors a selection of introduced finches and doves, including Java Sparrow and Red-crested Cardinal. Night in Waikiki. Day 13: We’ll drive early to Kuli’ou’ou Trail, where we’ll walk to look for Oahu Elepaio, then return to the hotel for a mid-morning breakfast. After check-out we’ll drive up Tantalus Road to look for Oahu Amakihi, then on to Honolulu Airport, to connect with a flight back to London where the tour ends on Day 14.
The ground arrangements for this tour are organised by our American associates WINGS.
E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.
Last updated August 2009 |
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