BirdingGirl

We ended up changing our flight from Oahu to the Big Island so we could have a full day of hiking and be able to set up camp before it got dark. It was pretty rough catching the 6:15am hotel shuttle to HNL (especially after being out really late) but it was worth it when we arrived on the Big Island. Unlike Oahu, the minute you leave the airport you are greeted with breathtaking views of volcanic lava flow. We picked up some groceries and then headed straight to the trailhead at Waipio Valley. Here's a picture of the valley at the start of the hike: Here are the birds we captured pictures of. Yellow-billed Cardinal: Hwamei: Japanese White-eye: Yellow-billed Cardinal: Black-Crowned Night Heron: Yellow-billed Cardinal at the black sand beach: Yellow-billed Cardinal at the black sand beach: It was really hard to identify the other birds we hear and saw briefly, especially since we were hiking at the same time. But it was a great trip and an exciting first hike for our trip. Plus, it...

We flew into Honolulu and stayed in Waikiki for three nights. There were some really colorful birds, especially in the gardens of the hotels on the beach. I didn't get pictures of many of them but I'll share what I have for Waikiki city birds: Rock Dove: House Finch: These next pictures were taken on the lawn of the state buildings in Honolulu. We had to take a cab-ride there to get our camping permits, but luckily we got something extra out of the trip! The second picture of the Myna bird I'm not so sure that's what it is. I can't find anything else that matches it so that's my best guess. I'm sure with time I'll be able to identify it and change it if I have to. Seeing them side-by-side I'm not so sure since the second bird definitely doesn't have yellow legs or the mark around its eye. Common Myna: Red-vented Bulbul: (thanks for the anonymous tip!) Kolea (Pacific Golden Plover):

I got back from my trip last Wednesday but I've been busy catching up at work and haven't had a chance to post until now. The trip was amazing and we saw some pretty cool birds. I don't have pictures of them all, but I'll do an official bird count naming everything we saw once all of my Hawaii posts are done. I'm planning on organizing my posts by island and then by area. We went to Oahu, the Big Island and Kauai so some islands will have more posts than others based on what we did while we were there. Oahu, for example, will only have one post since we stayed in Waikiki and didn't spend much time birding.

I've been so busy getting ready for Hawaii I haven't had any time to get out in the field and take pictures of birds. Luckily I'll have plenty of time on the plane to study up on using my camera . I knew I really was going to need a water-resistant camera bag so I did some research online and then ended up getting the Lowepro Rezo TLZ10 Camera Bag at Staples. I didn't have my camera with me but I have a pretty good idea of what size it is and all I really cared about was the water resistance since we'll be in a pretty wet climate. I already read in my manual that it's smart to protect it from condensation and moisture by keeping it in a Ziploc bag, which is what I did while birding in the winter. I'll be sure to report how the bag and the Ziploc baggie method worked out. I hope I have some stellar pictures to post!!!

Take the Test Your Knowledge of Global Warming quiz courtesy of the National Audubon Society Website. I finally got around to watching Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth a few nights ago so I had most of the answers fresh in my mind, but it's a good review nonetheless. Also found in this section of the site is information about global warming's impact on wildlife and birds specifically. These include changes in migration timing, range and loss of habitat. Here's an excerpt from the Audubon site: Under two scenarios of global climate change, there will be major shifts in the ranges and abundances of many of the 150 common bird species in the Eastern United States over the next 100 years or so; 50-52% of species will decrease in abundance by 25% or more, while 37-40% of species will exhibit range reductions of 25% or more. Another impact is the effect on pest outbreaks when changes in bird migration patterns cause insectivorous birds to miss the peak of seasonal bug popul...

I haven't had much time to post lately since all of my free time lately has been devoted to getting ready for Hawaii (we leave the 25th). However, now that all of the flights and rental cars are booked I can start to relax a little. I'd like to do some research in the next couple of days on the types of birds I can expect to see so I can spot them while we're out there. We're traveling to the Big Island for my friend's wedding that will take place in Volcanoes National Park. After the wedding my boyfriend and I are going to Kauai for the last two days of our trip. We'll be in Hawaii for 10 days total- can't wait!! My friend and her fiancé live on the North Shore of Oahu and he has been really helpful in sharing his birding knowledge with me. He gave me a list of birds I can expect to see and I've already started referencing my Audubon book to see what they look like and on what islands they are found.

Our last two trips to Blue Hills revolved around birding. We chose our hikes based upon areas we thought would be good for birding- low-lying fields and wetlands. We took it slow, listening for birds and stopping for long periods of time to locate birds and line up shots. This trip was a different story-- the focus of our trip today was strictly hiking. We spent time on the Skyline Trail, as well as Green woodland loops and the orange Massachuseuk Trail. The Skyline is probably the most popular trail so we saw lots of other hikers today, including an organized group. It felt good to be doing a strenuous hike again. We went up Tucker Hill on a few different occasions, and our pace was certainly much faster than it had been when we were birding. Who would have guessed that we'd get our best bird picture to date! My boyfriend takes the credit for this one: We were making our way along the Green loop when I spotted him just as we turned a corner. He was sitting on top of a fallen tree ...