Raptors of Hawaii

There are only two native species.



Pueo(Asio flammeus sandwichensis)
photo by Brooks Rownd

Look familiar, my fellow mainland-ers?
This is the hawaiian subspecies of the Short-eared Owl. This endemic race occurs on all main islands, but is most common on Kaua'i, Maui, and Hawai'i. There has been a recent sighting of a Pueo on O'ahu. I hope one or two hang out on that island while I'm there. The State lists this owl as endangered on O'ahu. This guy is also known as the Hawaiian Owl.

Habits are fairly similar to the mainland nominate. Active at dawn and dusk and sometimes midday.
*During the winter, down in north and central Texas, is when I have seen the Short-eared. A cool owl(aren't they all?), it has what's often described as "moth-like" flight. I most often see them at Union Grove WMA, near Salado, TX*

The Pueo often hovers while searching for prey.


photo by Brooks Rownd

I always enjoy what the owl brought to native cultures around the world. The first time I actually looked into the eyes of a Barred Owl(Stryx varia), or it looked toward me, I had a clear understanding for such reverence.

The Pueo was worshipped as a god and revered as a guardian spirit by the ancient Hawaiians.(Hawaii's Birds, Hawaii Audubon Society,2005)

The familiar Barn Owl (Tyto alba), not pictured, was introduced from North America in the 1960s for rodent control.


'Io (Buteo solitarius)
photo by Brooks Rownd

Also known as the Hawaiian Hawk, this endemic is widespread on the island of Hawaii. Unfortunately for me, not so widepspread on O'ahu.

A smallish Buteo of 13-17 inches in length, 'Io are often observed soaring in updrafts of forests, grasslands, and cane fields.(Hawaii Birds, 2005)

The Hawaiian Hawk occurs in 2 phases; a light phase as above picture, and a dark phase, as below. Both light and dark phases occur in about equal numbers.(Pratt, Bruner, Berrett 1987)


'Io, dark phase
photo by Brooks Rownd

The 'Io is a symbol of royalty in Hawaiian legend.

Other raptors that occasionally visit the Islands include the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) and Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), not pictured.

Bee Assassins

Yellow-bellied Bee Assassin(Apiomerus flaviventris)

Those in the genus Apiomerus are known as bee assassins for their habit of lying in wait at flowers. Sticky hairs on their front legs help them grab prey.

I didn't get a picture of its front. Lets pretend they look sticky.

I wonder if this guy is curious, like the rest of the country, where all the European honey bees have gone. I'd wager it feeds on additional flower-visiting spp.

Orb Weaver spiders..

such as this Golden Garden Spider(Argiope aurantia) are out in full force in central Texas, as are many species of grasshoppers. Hmm, coincidence?

Nearly all species of spiders, including these two, are harmless.

These spiders belong to the order(Araneidae) and can be a bit startling on first encounter because they can be as big as saucers.



Black and Yellow Argiope(A.aurantia), female

Hawaiian Honeycreepers

I'iwi (Vestiaria coccinea)
photo by Oahu Nature Tours
Spectacular examples of adaptive radiation evolution exist in the Hawaiian forest birds

The HI endemic family(Fringillidae, subfamily Drepanidinae), the "Hawaiian honeycreepers", in particular include species with a remarkable diversity of colors, shapes, and bill structures.














'Apapane(Himatione sanguinea)
photo by Oahu Nature Tours

Sadly, many species have seriously declined and are now extinct or endangered. Loss of habitat, a common issue around much of the world, has decreased many species.

Island ecosystems, by their very geographical nature, are quite fragile. Diseases and predation by introduced rats, mongoose, and feral cats are serious threats.

There are a variety of forest ecosystem that support the remaining honeycreepers. Dominated by trees as koa(Acacia koa), 'ohi'a(Metrosideros polymorpha), mamane(Sophora chrysophylla), and naio(Myoporum sandwicense)

Rainfall in native forest varies from less than 50" to more than 450" per year. Some forest birds are localized and rare, while others, like the 'Elepaio and 'Amakihi, are wide spread and occupy a variety of forest types.
O'ahu 'Amakihi(Hemignathus flavus)
photo by O'ahu Nature Tours

Other groups of passerine birds represented in Hawai'i's endemic avifauna include a genus of monarch flycatcher(Monarchidae), an old world warber (family Sylviidae), and thrushes(family Turdidae). There are others, but should be included in another post under another title, perhaps.


O'ahu 'Elepaio(Chasiempis sandwichensis ibidis)
genus monarch flycatcher (Monarchidae)
photo by O'ahu Nature Tours

The species that are illustrated here by photograph are ones that I pretty much plan(okay, hope) to see on a guided hike through a rain forest on O'ahu.

That is also why I included the threatened O'ahu subspecies of 'Elepaio, not a honeycreeper like the others, but a member of the monarch flycatcher family.

As one can imagine, I am very much looking forward to hunting for endemic(and often threated or endangered) O'ahu species before I fly out to work with squawking, scratching, largish seabirds in the French Frigate shoals.

Both experiences will be wonderful, just two slightly different shades of wonderment. The latter of which I'll be working 6 days a week.

My camera(a great device, but it isnt a Bazooka telescopic lensed dSLR) is loaded with plenty of gig space and charged battery packs. Paper and pencil at the ready.

I don't know how much I'll be able to update this site while out there.

Thanks to friends and family for your support.

One week away.

Mahalo Nui Loa and Aloha!

Tattle Tale

painting by John James Audubon

First, a question....What genus has the majority of various governing bodies decided these guys are in; Heteroscelus or Tringa?

I'll go with Tringa for brevity, ease of speaking and writing.

The Wandering Tattler or 'Ulili(Tringa incanus) is a common winter visitor to the main islands of Hawai'i. Arriving in the Islands by August and leaving for Alaskan breeding grounds in late April or May, where it breeds chiefly on gravel streambeds. That can't be too comfortable.

Some non-breeding birds may oversummer in Hawai'i. (Hawaii's Birds, 6th ed., Hawaii Audubon Society)

During my first few days,getting the opportunity to hang out on O'ahu, I think it will be a real kick to see some of these Alaska and tundra breeders that winter in Pacific Islands. Perhaps someday I can see them in all their breeding plumage splendor in the far north of mainland North America.

The Wandering Tattler often teeters and bobs while it feeds.
Tattlers are generally solitary (I can understand that) but are sometimes found in pairs or small flocks. The Wandering Tattler also winters on rocky coasts from northern California, south to Pacific Coastal Mexico.

The Gray-tailed Tattler (Tringa brevipes) is a rare migrant to the Islands from Asia.

Hopefully an 'Ulili or even its gray-tailed cousin will cross my path while I spend my few days on the Main Islands.

I haven't seen, or been called, a tattler since my younger sister and I were growing up.

Another bird I am eager to see on NW Islands, Hawai'i

picture from O'ahu Nature Tours

Bristle-thighed Curlew (Numenius tahitiensis)

This curlew is a fascinating bird with a population of only around 10,000. They breed on inland tundra in a very small area in western Alaska. Check out your field guides or reference books. Wow. Small range.

They winter on small tropical islands across a large expanse of Pacific Ocean. This includes the NW HAWAIIAN IS.

During winter, the Bristle-thighed Curlew undergoes a molt that leaves them flightless, which I find amazing. Historically, their remote Pacific islands winter range presented no predators. **Check out the small map above. Red indicating their summer breeding ground on inland tundra on a small area in w.Alaska. The arrows indicating wintering grounds.**

Well, that has changed on many of the islands of their winter range. This leaves them extremely vulnerable to predation by predators, such as cats, dogs, and other mammals introduced to some Pacific islands.

Hawaiian Islands, including Northwest Hawaiian Islands chain

The Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge starts from the E to include Nihoa and ends to the NW to include Pearl & Hermes Atoll.

The project area I'll be working on is within the French Frigate Shoals. It is about at the halfway point between the big island of Hawai'i and Midway Atoll. (Midway atoll actually does not belong to the State of Hawai'i. An airstrip is still maintained there for trans-oceanic flight emergencies. Ask a WWII, Pacific Theater, Vet about that little coral rock. Oh, and listen.)


**SCROLL DOWN TO "NEXT CHAPTER.." TO READ A LITTLE OF MY NEXT JOB.**

French Frigate Shoals

Tern Island is in NW corner.

French Frigate Shoals is a typical coral atoll whose shallow lagoon is bordered by a barrier reef. The barrier reef is seven miles across at it's widest point and 19 miles along it's longitudinal axis to result in approx. 140 square miles of shallow lagoon of which only 73 acres is emergent land area.

12 sand islets make up the shoals, these are composed primarily of coral sand and rubble. Of these 12 sand islets only 4 contain considerable amounts of vegetation, these are Tern, East, Whale-Skate, and Trig. The rocky volcanic remnant called LaPerouse Pinnacle **see pic in side bar**marks the atoll's highest point at 135 feet. This rocky promintory is the last vestage of an ancient island believed to be 11.7 million years old.

Next Chapter.....

White Tern(Gygis alba)

On 29 August 2007, I will be flying out to the Hawaiian Islands Archipelago to work as a Seabird Field Assistant, for 4-5 months, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Pacific Islands/Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge. I will actually be stationed on a 37-acre atoll known as Tern Island, which is in the French Frigate Shoals of the Northwestern island chain, Hawai'i. This small island of emergent coral rock is ~ 500 nautical miles northwest of Honolulu, O'ahu.

I will be assisting refuge staff with/by:
-Conducting seabird population surveys throughout French Frigate Shoals
-Continuing the Station's ongoing seabird banding program
-tracking seabird phenology
-Managing one or more of the Station's ongoing seabird monitoring studies
-Participating in alien species control and eradication efforts, and assist with the clean up of hazardous marine and other human created debris
-Monitoring sea turtle reproduction on Tern Island
-Various maintenance and administrative tasks

The island provides essential breeding habitat for 16 pelagic seabird species. "Pelagic" and seabird are two words that are pretty much redundant. "Pelagic" birds are ocean-going voyagers that spend their entire lives over water, that is except for breeding, nesting, and raising young. For those activities, many of them utilize remote islands. This island could fairly be judged as remote.

Here is the list of species that breed on Tern Island..., this is fun just to type..:

Black-footed Albatross (Diomedea nigripes)
Laysan Albatross (Diomedea immutabilis)
Bonin Petrel (Pterodroma hypoleuca)
Bulwer's Petrel (Pterodroma bulwerii)
Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus pacificus)
Christmas Shearwater (Puffinus nativitatis)
Sooty Storm-Petrel--Tristram Storm-Petral (Oceanodroma tristrami)
Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda)
Blue-faced Booby--Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra)
*Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster)
Red-footed Booby (Sula sula)
Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor)
Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata)
Gray-backed Tern (Sterna lunata)
*Blue-gray Noddy (Procelsterna cerulea)
Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus)
Black Noddy (Anous minutus)
Fairy Tern--White Tern (Gygis alba)

Note; * not known to successfully nest on Tern Island, but known within French Frigate Shoals and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

Two other species make Tern Island home:
- Hawaiian green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) [THREATENED]
- Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi) [ENDANGERED]

This assignment will begin on September 4th and last through part of January.

I'll be spending a few days before the 4th with family friends on O'ahu. There exist a couple of Hawaiian endemics, atleast on the northside, I would like to try and find.

So, after a long flight later this month, that's where I'll be. To borrow from Bob Seger, "There I go, turn the page...."

Lake Waco Wetland Wood Stork

Not a picture you would want to frame on the wall, I know. Still, it further documents this bird in the county, which is noted as Extremely Rare or having occured less that 10 times.

I encountered this juvenile/subadult, you can tell the age by the yellow bill, while walking in 100 degree heat looking for nothing in particular. I also encountered 2 Roseate Spoonbills(Platalea ajaja), 1 American Avocet(Recurvirostra americana) amongst an enormous number of Great Egrets(Ardea alba). The first 2 species an uncommon species in the area as well. But with the copious amounts of rain the state got earlier in the summer, who know what other waders found their way up here?

Wood Storks(Mycteria americana) are incredible birds, particularly when encountered in larger numbers. They are the largest wading bird encountered in North America measuring in a about 40 inches in length and sporting a 61 inch wingspan. Seeing a group of these guys take off in a stiff morning wind, without a wing flap, is a quality experience.

Flocks forage in fresh water by slowly walking, with bill held open and down into the water ready to close on contact with prey, generally fish. They are often in a line walking together to onside, slowly...then pivot and turn the opposite way in unison. A remarkable syncronized behavior.

The bird pictured outside of Waco, TX was a lone juvenile, hangin' con las garzas.

It doesn't take long for flood conditions to turn to mudflats. It's been 100+ degrees in this area. Looks to continue for some time.

Minnesota Morning

Kandiyohi County, MN
Lake Florida

I just returned from the Land of 10,000 Lakes last night. It was a wonderful time to spend with 4 generations of family, from all over the country. The big draw was my cousin's wedding reception. This also coincided with an annual fishing trip that unites 3 generations on one outing. That tree begins with a WWII veteren, and a treasure whose value is beyond illustration on this silly weblog, my grandfather Sgt.Maj. M.W.York, USMC (Ret.)

This picture was taken sitting on the back porch of a cabin.

I can hear the rustle of the Cottonwood(Populus spp.) leaves far down the shore, getting louder and louder, announcing that a breeze is coming.

The familiar nasal-laughing "Ha....Ha" calls of a White-breasted Nuthatch(Sitta carolinensis)fill the back patio that looks toward this lake.

The incessant twittering of Chipping Sparrows(Spizella passerina)remind me, in surround sound, that residents in neighboring cabins have kept their feeders stocked with seed.

Common Loons(Gavia immer)have become close companions these few days; whether on fishing trips, or just helping me greet the mornings. Their calls, somewhat like the Aves' version of an elk bugling, stretches across the lake. As they swim, they stick their head, eyes-deep, into the water reminding me of a snorkler. They are always checking for fish I assume. Perhaps, though, they just like to look as well. That, I understand.

The Common Loon (G. immer) will then dive. They are powerful swimmers.

A few seconds pass. Then one minute, two...three, I lose track of time. How long has it been under water? It always emerges in a far different, and distant, location than I expect. One could make up a game, "Where will the loon surface." No wagering, ofcourse.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds(Archilochus colubris)resume their daily aerial dog-fighting.

Canada Geese(Branta canadensis)are very prevalent in this area. They are in such great numbers, they are often considered a nuisance out here. I wonder how Canada Geese consider Human Beings(Homo sapien)?

The incredibly aerodynamic Barn Swallow(Hirundo rustica)will perch on the the dock occasionally. Even so, it continues its quizzing, questioning chatter that always ends with an insect-like bleat.

I watch a pair of White-Breasted Nuthatches forage down, up, and upside-down the trunk and branches of this impressively large Cottonwood tree. The birds probe the deep crevices in the bark looking for insects. All the while giving their nasal "Ha.....Ha" call. It is almost as if they are bragging to me, "Ha..., look, we can defy gravity a second way as well. We can walk up a vertical tree trunk. Ha...,what can you do?"

I can watch.

The most well known and perhaps "patriotic", on this contintent atleast, of the family of thrushes(Family Turdidae)hops along the grass nearby. Silent this morning, the American Robin(Turdus migratorius)adds to the palette of color.

Cottonwood seeds float by as if a child across the lake blew the largest tufts of dandelion seeds he has seen. The spherical fluffs float by on that gentle lake breeze.

A female American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla)allows her tiny presence to be known to me, fanning her tail while perched is a unique behavior shared by the genus of redstarts Myioborus.

It is a good morning, indeed.