Wetland and Coastal Birds of Maui

Hawaiian Stilt

The Hawaiian Stilt or Ae'o has declined and some factors include that it was a popular game bird prior to 1939 and habitat loss. More wetland is being destroyed to make way for agricultural crops and 31% has vanished in the last 110 years. The introduction of mongoose, rats, cattle egrets and feral cats has also had an impact and many young stilts fall victim to predators, many of which wouldn't be here if they weren't introduced by us. They lay a clutch of up to four eggs and regularly pretend to be injured to distract potential predators.

White Faced Ibis

The White Faced Ibis measures between 46-50cm and has a 1 metre wingspan. These waders are a rare winter visitor from North America and have been seen on all main islands except Lanai. All birds seen in the Hawaiian islands have been juvenile with dull plumage and a slight sheen on their wings. They use their long curved bill to feed on leeches, snails and crayfish. Kealia Pond, on Maui's south coast often rewards with good sightings of this Ibis.

Hawaiian Coot

At around 35cm in length, the endangered Hawaiian Coot is similar to the North American Coot in appearance. Like many other ground-nesting Hawaiian birds it is threatened by introduced predators on Maui, like the Asian Mongoose. It's population is now thought to be down to around 2000 birds.

The Coot's habitat includes freshwater lakes and coastal lagoons, with Kealia Pond being a favoured spot on Maui.

Long Billed Dowitcher

Long Billed Dowitchers migrate huge distances from their breeding grounds in the Arctic Tundra of North America and Siberia. A rare visitor to Maui from their Alaskan breeding grounds, some birds arrive in October and depart back to Alaska by the end of April.

Occasional Long Billed Dowitcher sightings also occur in western Europe and I have a picture of a Dowitcher taken at the Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire, England in late July 2012.

Ruddy Turnstone

The Ruddy Turnstone is a small wading bird of the Sandpiper family about 22-24cm in size. Turnstones are a common winter visitor to Maui - again from their Artic breeding grounds. Breeding birds have reddish brown upper plumage, but most birds seen in Maui are in their winter non-breeding plumage. Ruddy Turnstones feed on insects, small crustaceans and worms in freshwater and tidal pools.

Sanderling

At about 18cm in length, the Sanderling is a common winter visitor to Maui from its breeding grounds in Alaska. It frequents coastal mudflats and sandy beaches, often in large groups. Sanderlings travel huge distances from their artic breeding grounds, having frequently been recorded some 3000km - 10,000km from their summer home in the Canadian Tundra.

Wandering Tattler

Similar in size to a Pacific Golden Plover at about 26cm, the Wandering Tattler breeds in rocky areas close to mountain streams during the summer in north west Canada and Alaska. Watch out for them on rocky areas of Maui's shoreline and beaches. This bird was photographed on Kamaole Beach, Kihei. Wandering Tattlers get their 'wandering' name due to their large range - with birds having been recorded wintering as far afield as the California coast and the Hawaiian islands, and some even travelling as far as South America, the South Pacific and Australia.

Pacific Golden Plover (Kolea)

The Pacific Golden Plover can be found all over Maui during the winter months, and is often seen catching insects on grassed areas such as golf courses. This bird was photographed on a Wailea golf course.

At 26 cm in size, it is similar to the American Golden Plover, but with longer legs and a more yellow colouration to its back.

Black-Crowned Night Heron

At 64cm in length, the Black Crowned Night Heron is a year-round Maui resident. It is notable for its attractive plumage, stocky appearance and long white head plumes which get erected during greeting and courtship displays.

The male (pictured right) has a black head, with a dark grey back together with lighter grey underparts. The female has lighter brown upper parts. They frequent the waters edge and are an effective ambush-predator of small fish, crustaceans, frogs and aquatic insects.

Cattle Egret

Introduced to Hawaii in 1959, the Cattle Egret is abundant on Maui. It can be seen in abundance within urban areas where it hunts small insects on grass verges and is equally at home near bodies of water, where it feeds on small insects.

The Cattle Egret is a large member of the Heron family - with about a 90cm wingspan. It gets its name through its close association with large grazing animals where is feeds off ticks and insects - often sitting on the animal's back in the process.

Nēnē

The Nēnē is the official state bird of Hawaii and is endemic to the Hawaiian islands. It is only found on of the islands of Maui, Kaua'i and Hawaii. They are a descendent of the Canada Goose (but slightly smaller at around 63cm in length), and are protected under State Law and have an endangered status. It is estimated that there are some 250 birds living on Maui and around 800 in Hawaii as a whole and the bird is the subject of a significant conservation effort. The best chance of seeing a Nēnē is on a golf course or a grassed area inside Haleakala National Park.

The picture (right) was taken at the Haleakala Park Ranger's accommodation opposite Hosmer Grove, where this bird was grazing.

Brant Goose

The Brant Goose is a rare winter visitor to Hawaii. This bird was spotted at Kealia Pond, Maui - a long way from its summer breeding ground in the Yukon Delta of Alaska and its normal wintering region which spend southern Alaska to California.

It is a small goose measuring 55 - 66cm with a black head and neck and a characteristic white patch on the neck.

Black Noddy

The Black Noddy is a member of the Tern family found in tropical and sub-tropical regions, across the Pacific.

A stronghold for the bird on Maui is the rocky outcrops and ledges of Waianapanapa State Park close to Hana in the east of the Island - where this picture was taken. The birds are present in large numbers and can be seen fishing from the trail.

The Black Noddy can also be found at Hookipa on Maui's north coast.

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Forest Birds of Maui

Maui Amakihi

The Maui Amakihi is only found in native forests above 4,000 feet, and Hosmer Grove just inside Haleakala National Park is a stronghold.

These endemic Honeycreepers are the most common native forest bird and some have been domesticated and will feed from your hand without much enticement (like the one pictured right on a Hosmer grove picnic table). Females are a duller greenish-grey and all sexes vary from 11-12cm.

I'iwi

The I'iwi is fairly common on the Big island, Kauai and Maui, whereas it is rare on Molokai and Oahu, and may be extinct on Lanai.

This honeycreeper lives at an elevation of 4,000 feet and above and is shy and secretive. They lay between 1-3 eggs that are incubated for 14 days, then the chicks fledge at 22 days. I'iwi's have uniform black wings and tail, bright scarlet plumage and a long, curved bill that fits perfectly into Lehua and Lobelia flowers. Juvenile birds have green, yellow and black speckles. The best time to view I'iwi's is when the weather is cloudy, but not wet, as the flowers open up and produce more nectar. In warm sunny weather the nectar tends to dry out.

The I'iwi had a special place in Hawaiian culture. It is believed that feathers from over 30,000 of these birds were used to make 1 cape for the chief. They caught the birds by hiding in bushes and holding a favourite flower of the I'iwi, and when the bird inserted its bill, they pinched and captured it.

Apapane

The Apapane are known for their variant songs, including whirs, chirps and clacks. In fact, males are the only sex that sing and even sing whilst incubating. There are 10 recorded song patterns and 6 different calls.

On Maui, the current population is around 110,000 individuals, with most living on the slopes of Haleakala.



Although Apapane are the most common of the red Honeycreepers, they are still under threat from introduced predators, such as rats and mongoose, and diseases spread by mosquitoes such as Avian pox and Malaria.

Maui 'Alauahio

The Alauahio (or Maui Creeper as it is also known) is restricted to the high slopes of Haleakala and is relatively easy to see at Hosmer Grove (picture: right). Males are a yellowy-green, and lemon yellow below, some resembling a small warbler. Females are duller, and more streaked on the breast. Unlike other Honeycreepers, the Alauahio rarely takes nectar. Instead, they forage around trees and branches for insects. They are often seen travelling in pairs or small family groups.

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Hard Times for Garden Birds

The onset of a particularly cold snap this week has brought in a few new garden bird visitors as food is becoming harder to find elsewhere. This Pied Wagtail was busy clearing up the crumbs dropped by other birds feeding on the Suet Balls. Pied Wagtails are one of my favourite birds - bold and full of character.

It's more difficult to get good pictures in the dull light of winter - this shot was taken with the Canon 100-400mm lens wide open at F5.6 and the camera set to ISO800, which results in a grainier image.

Foraging Jays

Jays are incredibly busy this time of the year burying acorns and foraging for food. They often fly around in small groups and this bird was part of a pair which was seen close to our house digging up acorns from the lawn opposite.

Jays are clever, resourceful birds and will often visit a bird table, particularly for peanuts which they then stash for the harder times of winter. They have a darker side though as, in Spring, part of their diet includes young fledgling birds.

Great Spotted Woodpecker Feeding

Window Feeder Experiment

We were interested to see which birds would feed from a Sunflower Feeder mounted right next to our kitchen window.

For the experiment the window feeder was positioned just 10cm from the glass, so we were sure that many birds would be put off by the proximity of the house and us humans walking around inside peering at them!

To our amazement, a whole variety of birds visit the feeder, some even feed when we stand still right next to the window! So far we've had a Nuthatch (pictured), lots of Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, a Marsh Tit and a Robin visit.

It is interesting that sparrows are not on the list of visitors, so the sunflower hearts tend to last that bit longer now!

Migrating Goldfinches

The autumn season seems to be the best time of the year to see Goldfinches, as some birds head down to Spain to escape the cold winter weather of northern Europe.

This time of the year, quite large groups of migrating Goldfinches (sometimes twenty or more) congregate on Greenham Common feeding off seed-heads and we are lucky enough to get quite a few on our Nyjer and Sunflower feeders.

The Goldfinch has to be one of the UK's most striking garden birds and this picture - taken this morning shows the stunning red face and yellow wing stripe plumage of these birds.