The archipelago’s first Killdeer in nearly a decade was found on Kauaʻi at Kawaiʻele State Waterbird Sanctuary, which has hosted a number of rarities over the years. In contrast to the relative paucity of gulls last winter, this season saw Bonaparte’s, Franklin’s, Ring-billed, and Short-billed Gulls continuing at their respective autumnal locations, along with the more typical over-wintering Laughing and Glaucous-winged Gulls. In addition to these, a first-winter California Gull was added to the mix. Only five such birds who made their way to the archipelago have been considered substantiated, due in part to their striking similarity to other, more commonly observed first-year larids. The Hawaii Region’s first White Wagtail— discovered in Oct and one of only two ever found in the central Pacific—continued on Midway throughout the entire winter period.

Despite the luster and excitement associated with contemporary vagrant birds, it is the native Hawaiian honeycreepers which are most highly treasured by local and visiting birders alike. Themselves derived from an ancestral flock of vagrant cardueline finches, the honeycreepers evolved into a stunning array of over fifty species. Two thirds of this remarkable diversity has already been lost to extinction. The species which remain today cling to existence in the high-elevation refugia of their respective islands, but still they face a variety of introduced threats such as habitat loss, predators, and disease. While these effects are synergistically disastrous, it is arguable that in recent years mosquito-borne avian malaria has brought the most devastation, as warming temperatures have allowed the insects’ ingress into ever-higher areas that were once untouchable. Five species—Palila, Kiwikiu, ʻAkekeʻe, ʻĀkohekohe, and ʻAkikiki—have experienced particularly precipitous population declines and the best available data indicate that we may lose the first three within the next decade. Kauaʻi’s unassuming but deeply charismatic ʻAkikiki, by far the most critically endangered of the bunch, is already functionally extinct in the wild but clung on to existence this winter: the banded individual known as “Pakele” was encountered a handful of times, now alone on her territory. Efforts to implement landscape-level mosquito control on multiple islands truly represent a race against time… and extinction.

Waterfowl through Swiftlet

Both of the Hawaii Region’s long-term-resident Snow Geese—at Princeville Makai Golf Course on Kauaʻi and at Waiākea Pond on Hawaiʻi Island—continued at their respective locations this winter (m. ob.). An additional Snow Goose was reported on Maui, at Keālia Pond NWR–on 5 Feb (Hadassah Heimann). A banded Cackling Goose was photographed at Kauaʻi’s Kīlauea Point NWR on 15 Nov (Michael Simmons). While only the last six digits of its band number were depicted in photos, they matched those of the individual whose full band number—1547-20019—was reported at the refuge in Aug 2018 (Jennifer Rothe). Subsequent communications with USGS indicated this bird was already an adult when it was first banded at Kīlauea on 11 Oct 2005, making this individual an impressive 19 years old at minimum, with an equally long history of visitation to the islands. In another impressive example of lengthy stays, Hawaiʻi Island’s Cackling Goose—which has been more or less continuously reported at Kealakekua Wastewater Treatment plant since at least Feb 2011—continued throughout this winter season. Brant was at Nuʻupia Pond on Oʻahu’s Marine Corps Base 31 Jan–20 Feb (Donald Dehm, Peter Donaldson, Richard May, Michael Young, Kurt Pohlman, Lance Tanino, Andre Sharp, Richard Fischer, John Alexander, Paul Block, Chris Brown).

Up to three Blue-winged Teal were observed on the north shore of Oʻahu at James Campbell NWR and Kuilima Wastewater Treatment Plant 5 Dec–6 Jan (Eric VanderWerf, Peter Donaldson, Richard May). By 27 Jan only one of the teal remained at the refuge (Braden Farris, Lance Tanino, Kurt Pohlman, Michael Young). A female Gadwall hung around Oʻahu’s Pearl Harbor NWR 29 Dec–29 Feb (Richard May, Michael Young, Kurt Pohlman, Lance Tanino, Eric VanderWerf, Chris Brown). Mallard freely hybridizes with the native Hawaiian Duck on most of the main Hawaiian Islands; however, the most recent available data indicate that hybridization appears to still be a relatively rare occurrence on Kauaʻi (Wells et al. 2019). Nonetheless, the appearance of a drake Mallard, like the one observed in full breeding plumage at Hanalei NWR 27 Jan–6 Feb, is always cause for concern (Keane Sammon, Jennifer Rothe, Stephen Rossiter, Jeff Joffray, Jenn Joffray).

Both of windward Oʻahu’s late-November Canvasbacks continued at their respective locations—Kaʻelepulu and James Campbell NWR—through the end of spring (m. ob.). Another Canvasback was discovered on Kauaʻi’s Wailua Reservoir on 29 Dec (David Roberts) and was regularly observed there until 5 Feb (Lora Leschner, Sharon Somers, Jenn Joffray, Jeff Joffray, Miles Mcevoy, Keane Sammon, David Hanna, Jennifer Rothe, Stephen Rossiter, Mel Goff, Jeanne Goff, Justin Hite, Fiona Lilly, Greg Hertler). The Redhead seen at Oʻahu’s James Campbell NWR in the latter half of Nov was frequently reported there through the end of Feb (m. ob.).

First seen at Honuʻapo on 25 Nov, Hawaiʻi Island’s Harlequin Duck was reported regularly at that location throughout the entirety of the winter season (m. ob.), save for 23 Jan when it was encountered at Liliʻuokalani Gardens in Hilo (Christian Reynolds). This bird was not only the first Harlequin Duck ever recorded in the southeastern Hawaiian Islands; it may also have been the southernmost record of the species to date anywhere in the world. Maui joined in on the explosion of recent Long-tailed Duck activity in the last couple of years with the county-first report of the winter-plumaged adult male at Keālia Pond NWR on 11 Dec (Nathaniel Watkins). The bird was regularly reported through the end of the winter season, often resting on the bank and allowing surprisingly close approach (m. ob.). This bird was only the seventh live Long-tailed Duck ever documented in the Hawaii Region.

The female Bufflehead at Kauaʻi’s Kawaiʻele State Waterbird Sanctuary continued in the Mānā Plains through 8 Jan (Adrian Burke, Bobby Brittingham, Jennnifer Rothe, Keane Sammon). Pearl Harbor NWR’s Bufflehead continued through 21 Jan (Tim Waters, Michael Young, Dana Sterner, Kurt Pohlman, Richard May, Peter Donaldson, Kristen Martin, Eli Martin, Mario Farr, Joe Veverka). The North Shore of Oʻahu hosted up to three Buffleheads at James Campbell NWR and surrounding areas, with sightings spanning the entire winter (m. ob.). Maui’s Keālia Pond NWR was also a hotspot for Bufflehead activity throughout the winter (m. ob.), with an impressive six individuals reported on 3 Feb (Lance Tanino, Michael Young) and 21 Feb (Rebecca Bicker). Hawaiʻi Island also had a high count of six Buffleheads at Kealakehe WTP on 8 Jan (Reginald David), though Bufflehead activity persisted in this section of the Kona Coast throughout the winter (m. ob.). While these numbers fall short of the highest-ever count of Bufflehead in the Hawaiian Islands (12 individuals on Oʻahu in 1938; Pyle & Pyle 2017), they still made for an above-average year.

A female Hooded Merganser was reported from Oʻahu’s Royal Hawaiian Golf Club on 26 Dec (Belinda Clifton) and 22 Jan (Braden Farris). Hilo’s long-term resident Pied-billed Grebe continued at Waiākea Pond throughout the spring period (m. ob.). Pied-billed Grebe was also encountered elsewhere on the Island of Hawaiʻi: at Hāʻena Beach on 30 Dec (Thane Pratt) and at Hōkūliʻa Shoreline Park on the leeward side on 9 Dec and 11 Feb (Nicole Carion, Michael Carion). First introduced to Oʻahu in the 1960s, a small population of Mariana Swiftlet persists in the upland reaches of the island. Two swiftlets were seen flying above ʻAiea Ridge Trail on 21 Dec (Akshay Sharma).

Shorebirds

Black-bellied Plover was at Oʻahu’s Kahuku Aqua Ponds on 17 Dec (Michael Young), Maui’s Kanahā Pond 18–28 Feb (Rebecca Bicker, Nathaniel Watkins, Wendy Swee, Kerim Arat, Kelly Corman, Jen Corman, Drake Nylund, Carice Jameson, Kurt Garver, Richard Rowlee, Charlene Fan, Chris Brown), and Hawaiʻi Island’s Opaeʻula Pond 14–19 Feb (Lance Tanino, Sherman Wing).

A Killdeer was photographed at Kauaʻi’s Kawaiʻele State Waterbird Sanctuary on 17 Jan (Jim Denny). While the ornithological archives contain several dozen records of the species in the Hawaiian Islands since the early 1900s (Pyle & Pyle 2017), this Kauaʻi bird was the first confirmed in the islands in nearly a decade: Killdeer was last found on Maui in early 2016 (Ron Martin, Christopher Warren). The closely related (though more frequently observed) Semipalmated Plover was also at Kawaiʻele SWS 6–30 Jan (Andre Golumbeski, Eryn Woernley, Jim Denny, Keane Sammon, Mandy Talpas, Maria Sabatini, Richard May).

On the north shore of Oʻahu, a Whimbrel—presumably the same individual which had been reported several times at James Campbell NWR in autumn—flew over the refuge on 5 Dec (Eric VanderWerf). Red Knot continued at James Campbell NWR 4–6 Jan (Michael Young, Richard May, Peter Donaldson, Caleb Hancock) and Pearl Harbor NWR 28 Dec–1 Jan (Richard May, Jeorg Graf, Nathaniel Watkins, Peter Donaldson, Michael Young, Kurt Pohlman). Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is a relatively common fall migrant through Hawaii but winter records are rare (Pyle & Pyle 2017). This winter’s lone report of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper was on 6 Dec, of an individual continuing from fall at Hawaiʻi Island’s Kealakehe WTP (Reginald David).

Sanderling is a relatively common overwintering species in the southeastern Hawaiian Islands. However, flocks that were notably large for Kauaʻi were observed on the Mānā Plains this winter. High counts included 45 individuals on 8 Feb (Michael Simmons), 42 on 21 Dec (Adrian Burke, Bobby Brittingham, Jennifer Rothe), and a whopping 64 on 22 Dec (Keane Sammon): the highest count on Kauaʻi to date. Counts of over 40 have been achieved on at least three prior occasions on the island, the most recent of which occurred in Dec 2015 (Pyle & Pyle 2017).

Dunlin was at Hawaiʻi Island’s Kaloko-Honokōhau NHP on 23 Jan (Alexander McDonell). Maui’s Keālia Pond NWR also hosted Dunlin 5 Dec–28 Feb, with two birds being seen sporadically in Dec and Jan (Michael Simmons, Jared Bensen, Nathaniel Watkins, William Clark, Herb Elliot, Wendy Swee, Steven Fuller, Ruth Gronquist, Lauren Thunstrom, Joe Thunstrom, Michael Young, Lance Tanino, Rebecca Bicker, Sierra Downes, Mandy Talpas, Katie Studholme, Elisha Miller, Charlene Fan). In the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Dunlin was also observed in a mixed species flock at Laysan Island on 10 Feb (Anna Vallery) and on Midway Atoll 26 Dec–5 Jan (Jonathan Plissner, Bob Arrigoni, Bettina Arrigoni, Breck Tyler, Robby Kohley, Eric VanderWerf).

Least Sandpiper was observed foraging alongside Sanderlings at Kauaʻi’s Salt Pond Beach Park on 7 Dec (Jim Denny, Adrian Burke). Pectoral Sandpiper primarily occurs in Hawaiʻi as a fall transient, but winter records are less common. Pectoral Sandpiper was at Hawaiʻi Island’s Kealakehe WTP 6 Dec–29 Feb (m. ob.) and at Oʻahu’s James Campbell NWR 27 Jan (Lance Tanino, Kurt Pohlman, Michael Young, Braden Farris). Midway Atoll also saw reports 4–15 Dec (Jonathan Plissner, Calvin Grigal, Joelle Buffa Clyde Morris, Bob Arrigoni, Bettina Arrigoni). Short-billed Dowitcher was reported foraging alongside Long-billed Dowitcher, its more common cousin, in Kauaʻi’s Mānā Plains Forest Reserve on 29 Feb (Jim Denny).

Wilson’s Snipe was sporadically encountered on Midway Atoll on 8 Dec–11 Jan: likely the same individual observed in fall (Bob Arrigoni, Bettina Arrigoni, Joelle Buffa Clyde Morris, Jonathan Plissner, Calvin Grigal, Breck Tyler). Wilson’s Snipe also continued at Oʻahu’s James Campbell NWR 5–23 Dec (Eric VanderWerf, Kristen Tanski, Halli Macdonald, Alex Macdonald, Linda Bulmer, Zach Klein, Peter Donaldson, Richard May). The bird was reported one final time on 3 Feb (Brad Garner).

As in fall, at least one Gray-tailed Tattler persisted at Midway Atoll throughout the winter (Jonathan Plissner, Joelle Buffa Clyde Morris, Calvin Grigal, Bob Arrigoni, Bettina Arrigoni, Nicholas Minnich, Eric VanderWerf, Robby Kohley, Breck Tyler, Lisa Brouellette). A high count of three individuals was reported on 3 Jan (Nicholas Minnich). While this species is more expected in the Northwesterns given their closer proximity to the Gray-tailed Tattler’s Siberian breeding grounds, individuals do show up in the main islands. This winter, Salt Pond Beach Park on Kauaʻi also featured a Gray-tailed Tattler 11 Dec–29 Feb (Chris Boccia, James Boccia, Meredith Swartwout, Herb Elliott, Nicole Carion, Michael Carion, Adrian Burke, m. ob.).

Lesser Yellowlegs was at Oʻahu’s Pearl Harbor NWR 3 Dec–4 Jan (Tim Waters, Michael Young, Peter Donaldson, Richard May), and an individual was observed at adjacent Pouhala Marsh on 1 Jan (Kurt Pohlman). On the Island of Hawaiʻi, Lesser Yellowlegs was reported regularly at Kealakehe WTP 2–14 Dec (Reginald David, Nicole Carion, Michael Carion, Lance Tanino, Debra Hill, Inez Whipple, Corinna Honscheid, Oliver Komar). Lesser Yellowlegs flew past Keāhole Point on 16 Dec (Lance Tanino, Jodie Rosam).

In the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, four Red Phalaropes were found in the lake on Laysan Island (Kauō) on 10 Feb (Anna Vallery). One of the individuals was apparently stuck in foam lining the periphery of the lake and was relocated to clear water, after which it rejoined its conspecifics (Anna Vallery). In the Main Hawaiian Islands, Red Phalarope was encountered during cetacean field research in Kauaʻi’s Kaulakahi Channel on 11 Feb (Robin Baird, Stephen Rossiter). Red Phalarope was also reported from Maui’s Keālia NWR 14–15 Dec (Wendy Swee, Thomas Nalli, Judy Rudolph, Nathan Heath, Matt Strimas) and another individual was observed on a pelagic out of Kona, Hawaiʻi Island, on 25 Feb (Mandy Talpas, Chris Brown, Leslie Sours, Jenny Bowman, Ken Bales, Jan Bryant, Kathryn Clark, Tyler Meneely, Christopher Cline).

Gulls through Tropicbirds

A Bonaparte’s Gull on Maui was initially found preening at the Kaʻanapali golf course on 15 Dec (Heather Buttonow), where it was seen a second time on 29 Jan (Nathaniel Watkins). First-winter Franklin’s Gull continued at Hawaiʻi Island’s Keāhole Point 16 Dec (Lance Tanino, Jodie Rosam), 26 Dec (Lance Tanino, Joachim Gonzalez, Barbara Leary, Sherri Hughes), and 25 Feb (Reginald David). The Franklin’s Gull at Maui’s Kanahā Pond Wildlife Sanctuary continued until 7 Jan (Matt M., James Boccia, Nathaniel Watkins).

Short-billed Gull continued on the northwestern shoreline of Hawaiʻi Island, primarily spending its time between Mauna Lani and Waikōloa (Merry Miller, Peter Rigsbee, David Bates, Michael Carion, Nicole Carion, Joachim Gonzalez, John Lynch, Lance Tanino, Reginald David, Sherman Wing, Alex Meilleur, Lee Gregory, Sam Preer, Dale Wilde, Peter Donaldson, Richard May, Christian Reynolds, Alexander DeBear, Kelly Kozar, Stephanie Levins, Chris Farmer, Allan Robbins, Ron Pozzi, Chris Brown). It was also once reported several miles inland, at Waikōloa Village Golf Course, on 6 Jan (Nicole Carion). Both Common and Short-billed Gulls—the resultant species from the 2021 Mew Gull split—are exceedingly rare in the Hawaii Region; only three prior records exist from the Main Hawaiian Islands and all are from Oʻahu and Kauaʻi, making the Hawaiʻi Island bird a first for that county.

This winter was a stellar one for Ring-billed Gull. November’s bird continued along the same stretch of coastline on Hawaiʻi Island 3 Dec–24 Feb (m. ob.). It was also seen farther south along the coast, at Kekaha Kai State Beach on 9 Feb (Claire Stuyck) and at Kaloko-Honokōhau NHP on 16 Dec (Rebecca Dewhirst, John Lynch), 30 Dec (Joachim Gonzalez), and 9 Feb (David Bates). Ring-billed Gull was also photographed on the windward side of Hawaiʻi Island, at Lokowaka Pond, on 25 Jan (Sherman Wing). On Maui, a Ring-billed Gull was spotted at Kaʻanapali Golf Course on 29 Jan (Nathaniel Watkins), and was thereafter regularly reported at Kanahā Pond NWR 31 Jan–12 Feb (Rebecca Bicker, Lance Tanino, Michael Young, Kevin Spencer, Greg Hertler, Mandy Talpas). A second individual was reported there on 9 Feb (Rebecca Bicker).

A first-year California Gull was photographed in the company of Glaucous-winged Gull—a more expected visitor—at Hawaiʻi Island’s Lokowaka Pond 19–20 Dec (photo Sherman Wing, photo Alex Wang, Thane Pratt). There is a paucity of records of this species in the Hawaiian Islands: Pyle & Pyle (2017) consider only five records as being substantiated, the most recent of which was from Maui in Jan 2003. White Tern, rare near Kauaʻi, was reported flying east past Kīlauea Point NWR on 11 Feb (Scott Downes, Sierra Downes) and three birds were involved in a large feeding flock of Red-footed Boobies off of Waipouli Beach on 27 Feb (Jeremiah Trimble). Two Gray-backed Terns flew past Oʻahu’s Japanese Fishing Shrine during a 6 Feb seawatch (Lance Tanino, Michael Young).

Caspian Tern returned to Oʻahu’s Nuʻupia Pond 4 Dec–14 Feb (Lance Tanino, Eugene Bee, Erin Layer, Peter Donaldson, Richard May, Reginald David, Lance Tanino, Kristen Martin, Teal Clarke, Rowan Clarke, Ben Hoffmann, Kellen Apuna, Benjamin Costella, Kurt Pohlman, Win Ahrens, Michael Young, Mandy Talpas, Andrew Sharp, Richard Fischer). This site has seen an overwintering Caspian Tern almost annually since 2002. Common Tern was photographed at Oʻahu’s Pouhala Marsh on 20 Feb (Chris Brown). Red-billed Tropicbird was spotted at its usual stretch of Oʻahu coastline on 1 Jan. Reports were frequent in the area through the end of the winter, with two individuals being observed on occasion (m. ob.). Native to the eastern Pacific, the long-recurring rarity has been observed annually at this location since 2018, and sporadically even prior to that.

Albatross through Petrels

One of Midway Atoll’s most famous residents returned to the island on 3 Dec. This bird, a Laysan Albatross originally banded as an adult in 1956, is now at least 73 years old. Over the course of her lifetime, she has survived the devastating 2011 tsunami, laid 50-60 eggs, fledged 30-some chicks, and flown at least 3 million miles. Nicknamed “Wisdom” for her incredible longevity, she is the oldest-known wild bird in existence (Powell 2024). Her longtime mate, “Akeakamai,” has not been seen on Midway during either of the last two breeding seasons. However, this winter “Wisdom” was observed displaying with a new, unbanded male on 24 and 25 Dec (ACAP 2024). Black-footed Albatross, which breeds in the northwestern part of the archipelago but is uncommonly observed in the southeastern part of the Main Hawaiian Islands, was encountered off the Kona Coast of Hawaiʻi Island on 17 Feb (Mandy Talpas).

Hunted nearly to extermination at the turn of the 20th century, Short-tailed Albatross persisted on the Japanese island of Torishima. Over the years, a handful of the Torishima birds have shown up on Midway Atoll. Efforts began in Oct 2000 to initiate a social attraction project, which came to fruition when a pair successfully hatched a chick on Midway in Jan 2011: the first confirmed nesting of this species outside of Japan (Pyle & Pyle 2017). Midway’s famous Short-tailed Albatross pair, “George” and “Geraldine,” returned in fall for yet another nesting season, and the female was seen incubating on 17 Dec, in the company of a subadult (Joella Buffa Clyda Morris). This season’s chick—the pair’s fifth—was believed to have hatched on Christmas Eve (ACAP 2024). A proper family reunion occurred the following day, with both adults and their 2019 chick—banded AA08—all seen together (Nicholas Minnich).

Leach’s Storm-Petrel was observed on a 25 Feb pelagic out of Kona, Hawaiʻi Island (Mandy Talpas, Chris Brown, Leslie Sours, Jenny Bowman, Ken Bales, Jan Bryant, Kari McPartland, Kathryn Clark, Tyler Meneely, Christopher Cline). Tristram’s Storm-Petrel breeds in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and translocations have been conducted to James Campbell NWR on Oʻahu. However, a Tristram’s Storm-Petrel flew within 10 feet of a whale-watching boat south of Kauaʻi on 13 Jan (Amanda Spears).

Murphy’s Petrel breeds in the south-central Pacific Ocean and migrates through—but is uncommonly observed in—Hawaiian waters. However, on 12 Dec a bird was observed again on the ground near the generator on Midway Atoll (Breck Tyler, Bob Arrigoni, Bettina Arrigoni, Joelle Buffa Clyde Morris). Murphy’s Petrel has previously been observed exhibiting similar behavior at this exact location in Aug 2014 (Robby Kohley), Aug–Oct 2015, Oct 2016 (Pyle & Pyle 2017), Apr 2017 (Kristina McOmber), May 2018 (Jonathan Plissner), and Oct 2023 (Heather Fairlamb, Nicholas Minnich, Anna Vallery, Jonathan Plissner, Calvin Grigal, Nereus Rankin). Mottled Petrel regularly passes through the Hawaii Region while transiting to and from its breeding areas in islands south of New Zealand. The vast majority of records therefore occur during spring and fall. However, an out-of-season individual did a fairly close flyby of a boat in waters between Kauaʻi and Nihoa on 29 Dec (D. Newell).

Sulids through Raptors

Two Masked Boobies were seen flying together in the Kaulakahi Channel west of Kauaʻi on 7 Dec (Matt M). The species breeds on several offshore islets in the Main Hawaiian Islands but is only sporadically encountered around Kauaʻi. Brown Booby is common in the Hawaiian Islands, with the dark-headed “Foster’s” being the expected subspecies. However, a frosty-headed “Brewster’s” Brown Booby was photographed passing Oʻahu’s Makapuʻu Point on 3 Jan (Cadeo Scott-Shipper, Jayden Scott-Schipper, Mallika Scott). Another individual was seen foraging with a flock of Red-footed Boobies during a 29 Feb seawatch at Kēōkea BP on the Island of Hawaiʻi (Lance Tanino, Annette McClellan, William McClellan).

A juvenile Great Blue Heron flushed from the vicinity of the Cattle Egret roost at Lokowaka Pond on the windward side of Hawaiʻi Island 14–15 Jan (Lance Tanino, Michael Young, Sherman Wing). Great Blue Heron was also reported from Maui’s Keālia NWR on 8 Feb (Kevin Spencer). Both records may pertain to the same individual, as there is some precedent for multi-island stopovers for this species (Pyle & Pyle 2017). The Northern Harrier reported during the 16 Dec Christmas Bird Count at Kauaʻi’s Hanalei NWR was the only record of the species in the Hawaiian Islands this winter (Bobby Brittingham). Hawaiʻi Island’s male Belted Kingfisher continued at Lokowaka Pond and was observed there on 7 Dec (Alex Wang) and 11 Dec (Lance Tanino).

There were a number of Peregrine Falcon sightings in the Hawaii Region this winter. On Midway Atoll, a bird was observed on several occasions 12–26 Feb (Nicholas Minnich, Chris Forster, Calvin Grigal, Lisa Broullette). On Kauaʻi, sightings occurred at Salt Pond BP on 10 Dec (Matt M), at Kīlauea Point NWR on 14 Dec (Meredith Swartwout, Jackie Guzy, James Boccia, Chris Boccia), at Hanalei NWR on 29 Dec (Akshay Sharma, Benjamin Vizzachero), and at the Mōhihi Waiʻalae Trail on 13 Jan (Justin Hite). Waikīkī, the recent nexus of Oʻahu Peregrine Falcon activity, did not disappoint this winter, with sightings at the Kalia Tower Hilton on 3 and 9 Dec (Michael Walther), at Kuhio BP Waikīkī on 28 Jan (Matthew Roorda), and at nearby Fort Derussy BP the following day (Iris Winslow). Sandy Beach Dunes Park at the eastern tip of Oʻahu saw a peregrine report on 3 Feb, followed by another at Pearl Harbor NWR on 20 Feb (S Hall). Maui had one sighting at Keālia Pond NWR on 17 Jan (Nathaniel Watkins).

Passerines

Chestnut Munia is native to Asia but was brought to the Hawaiian Islands as part of Oʻahu’s caged bird trade in the 1930s (Pyle & Pyle 2017). The first wild flock was detected at Pearl Harbor NWR in 1959, and over the following two decades, the species naturally dispersed across Oʻahu as well as neighboring Kauaʻi. Chestnut Munia appeared on Maui in 1997 and within ten years became fully established on that island as well (Pype & Pyle 2017). Given the dearth of records from Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi, and Kahoʻolawe, as well as the coincident timing with the first appearance of other caged bird species on Maui, it is likely that this introduction did not result from natural dispersal. Aside from an outlier at Volcanoes NP in 1984 (Glenn Dunmire), the first reports of Chestnut Munia on Hawaiʻi Island didn’t start trickling in until 2015, when small numbers were seen in the vicinity of Pepeʻekeo along the Hamakua Coast (Sherman Wing, Thane Pratt, Lance Tanino, Gret Foust). Encounters since then have centered around that area, with numbers typically hovering around a dozen individuals, though winter reports (especially in 2019) generally trended higher—up to around three dozen. However, this winter saw record numbers of Chestnut Munia for Hawaiʻi: 40 on 27 Dec (Sherman Wing), 60 on 2 Jan (Sherman Wing), 85 on 3 Jan (Lance Tanino), and a whopping 140 on 8 Jan (Alexander DeBear).

The Hawaii Region’s first-ever White Wagtail—originally found in autumn—continued on Midway Atoll throughout the winter season, splitting its time at various locations around the island. The bird was seen at the cargo pier on 9 Dec (Bob Arrigoni, Bettina Arrigoni, Jonathan Plissner) and at the inner harbor on 21 Dec (Jonathan Plissner). Reports at the water catchment spanned 10 Dec–11 Jan (Joella Buffa Clyda Morris, Jonathan Plissner, Bob Arrigoni, Bettina Arrigoni, Eric VanderWerf, Robby Kohley, Chris Forster) and the bird also spent time at the brackish seep off and on between 27 Dec and 27 Feb (Calvin Grigal, Bob Arrigoni, Bettina Arrigoni, Breck Tyler, Nicholas Minnich). White Wagtail breeds across Eurasia and occasionally shows up as a vagrant along the Pacific Coast of North America; however, outside of occurrences on Iwo Jima and the Northern Mariana islands, records in the central Pacific are virtually nonexistent.

The Hawaiian honeycreepers are as spectacular as they are vulnerable. Island endemics, which often have limited ranges and small population numbers to begin with, have little defense against introduced threats like predators and disease. Mosquito-borne avian malaria has wreaked particular havoc on many of the Hawaiian honeycreepers in recent years as the non-native insects have encroached upon higher-elevation refugia previously too cold and inhospitable to harbor them. ʻAkikiki, the most critically endangered honeycreeper, underwent particularly precipitous population declines in recent years. It was announced in July of 2023 that only five individuals were known to persist in the wild on Kauaʻi (Dennison 2023). On 14 Jan, video was obtained of the banded female known as “Pakele,” now apparently alone on her breeding territory (Justin Hite). She was still present there—and still alone—on 10 Feb (Justin Hite). Palila, the last remaining member of the original 16 “finch-billed” Hawaiian honeycreepers, once occurred on multiple islands but is now relegated to dry native forest on the slopes of Mauna Kea on the Island of Hawaiʻi. Encounters occurred at the namesake Palila Discovery Trail and higher elevation areas almost weekly during the winter. A high count of 12 Palila was obtained on 20 Dec (Henry Chiu, Henry Witsken), which is especially notable given that the current population of Palila is now estimated to be under 300 individuals.

ʻAkekeʻe, Kauaʻi’s endemic cross-billed honeycreeper, experienced a 98% population decline 2000-2012, and the most recent estimates put the global population at 638 individuals (Paxton et al., 2022). Given its penchant for foraging high in the canopy, as well as the convergence of its calls with more common Kauaʻi forest birds (Paxton et al., 2019), ʻAkekeʻe is notoriously difficult to pin down. However, ʻAkekeʻe was identified by a seasoned observer on 13 Jan, calling and singing along the Mōhihi-Waiʻalae Trail, and a pair was observed vocalizing and foraging together in the ʻōhiʻa canopy the following day (Justin Hite). Calls were again heard in the area on 10 Feb (Justin Hite) and two birds were seen 24 Feb (Jeremiah Trimble, Jennifer Trimble). Given the lack of successful breeding in captivity for ʻAkekeʻe, landscape-level mosquito suppression via the Wolbachia incompatible insect technique will be particularly important for this species as well as other forest birds critically threatened by avian malaria (Paxton et al. 2022, Birds Not Mosquitoes). ʻAkekeʻe is forecast to go extinct in the wild within the next decade, along with ʻAkikiki, Kiwikiu, and ʻĀkohekohe if current population trends are not reversed (Paxton et al. 2022).

Saffron Finch, first reported on Maui in Feb 2010 (Pyle & Pyle 2017), maintained its foothold on the island. As in previous years, sightings were densest around Kīhei and Wailea (m. ob.). However, there were continued reports from Kula (John Lieva, Herb Elliott, Diane Hall), as well as sightings in the far west at Honolua Bay, along the Kakekili Highway in the northwest (Sze On Ng), and an apparent mated pair at Hana in the far east (Carice Jameson, Kurt Garver).

Citations

Agreement for the Conservation of Albatross and Petrels. “George and Geraldine, the long Short-tailed Albatross pair on Midway Atoll, have a new chick.” Accessed 9 Jun 2024. https://www.acap.aq/latest-news/george-and-geraldine-the-lone-short-tailed-albatross-pair-on-midway-atoll-have-a-new-chick

Birds Not Mosquitoes. Accessed 3 Mar 2024. https://www.birdsnotmosquitoes.org/

Dennison, D. “Only Five ʻAkikiki Left in Mountains of Kauaʻi and Their Chances of Survival are Slim.” Department of Land and Natural Resources. 13 Jul 2023. https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2023/07/13/nr23-114/

Paxton, K. L., E. Sebastián-González, J. M. Hite, L. H. Crampton, D. Kuhn, P. J. Hart. 2019. Loss of cultural song diversity and the convergence of songs in a declining Hawaiian forest bird community. R Soc Open Sci. 14:6(8):190719. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31598249/

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Report processed by Andrew Keaveney, 24 Jul 2024.