Birds Gone Wild: September 2013

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Kauai Part 5: Loose ends (#262-267)

So here it is, the final Kauai post! These are birds we saw around the island in various places. This was a good six months ago, and things are getting a little fuzzy in my brain, so this one will be short and sweet.

First off, we spotted this little house sparrow on our first day hanging out with a bunch of doves and "common" birds on the grass in Hanalei, where we held a geocaching event. This is one of the few birds we saw that we also have at home. [Introduced]

These java sparrows were spotted at someone's feeder on the way to Kilauea Lighthouse. I think it was the only time we saw them, so I'm grateful for that. They are pretty cool I think!

#262: Java Sparrow; Kilauea, Kauai; March 2013 [Introduced]

The chestnut mannikin was the most common of the mannikins and they were easy to spot, especially out on lawns. We always saw them at the school and church in Hanalei and also near the roundabout at Princeville.

#263: Chestnut Mannikin; North Shore, Kauai; March 2013 [Introduced]

These little plovers were quite common as well and were just starting to come into their breeding plumage. I had a hard time identifying them but Anne helped us out.
#264: Pacific Golden Plover; Kapaa, Kauai; March 2013

The white-rumped shama was a really special bird with the most amazing song. You often heard them before you saw them, but I managed to catch this adult in Hanalei.

#265: White-Rumped Shama; Hanalei/Kalalau Trail, Kauai; March 2013 [Introduced]

The others I only heard along the Kalalau trail. This one seems to be a juvenile.

I managed to get a recording of their song--it's really something. They also making a clicking sound that often caught our attention so we'd try to look for them.

We also saw these little guys at the first beach on the Kalalau trail and again at Hanakapa'i Falls.

#266: Wandering Tattler; Kalalau Trail, Kauai; March 2013

I already mentioned the chickens all over Kauai, but if you look closely, this one looks quite different. However, I guess you can safely assume that most of them have got some crossbreeding with chicken in their family tree. I asked Jim Denny how you can tell the difference and if you are looking at a pure Red Junglefowl. His answer was, "have it DNA tested!"

#267: Red Junglefowl; Ke'e Beach; March 2013 [Introduced]

On our last day we did an aerial tour of the island. At the airport we heard this guy singing away non-stop. I've recorded a Northern Mockingbird before and posted the song. I've re-uploaded it because the site I was storing it on went down, but it's neat to listen to for comparison. They have totally different "learned" sounds. The Mexican bird made short sounds and this birds has longer "songs." Really amazing. I recorded for over 4 minutes and he gave no signs of stopping. His repertoire was unreal! [Introduced]

This brings me to the end of the trip. Kauai was absolutely magical and I really fell in love with it. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up there again...I do still have to find the I'iwi after all!