Jan 18: We left the house after an early morning session at the fitness center our 12:35 flight to LAX was about 20 minutes late
After checking into the Embassy Suites near the airport we went for a walk around the neighborhood There were not any restaurants near by so we had dinner at the hotel
Jan 19: early morning (7:15) flight to Honolulu We left the hotel at 5:15 No lines at check in nor TSA
Our 5+ hour flight was pretty uneventful and landed early
We were able to check into our hotel right away we headed out for a nice long walk, a bit of birding, lunch and a little nap!
We headed out at 4 to go to the Honolulu Tavern for a local brew then picked up the most delicious pork plate. We enjoyed our dinner in our room. We found the local convenience stores ABC. Oh yes we gave them a lot of money through out the trip!
Jan 20: MLK Day. we began the day with a very filling breakfast . It was very good, Corned Beef Hash, eggs, Pancakes, bacon and sausage at our hotel restaurant
We headed to the beach and walked in the opposite direction from yesterday beautiful paths although a bit crowded at 7:30 am
The Duke!
The MLK Day parade came down the road as we were heading back to prepare for a fun afternoon on the beach we rented chairs and an umbrella
Eric had to try the boogie board. it was a bit tougher than he thought...
Dinner at Lulu ‘s for an okay dinner
Jan 21: Before we checked out of the Hilton at noon and checked into the Queen Kapi’olani Hotel Where we will meet up with our tour group at 6:00 pm. We had another great breakfast at the hotel Spam!!
Rosie the Robot brought us our breakfast!!
Then we headed back up to Fort Darcy area, finding a few new birds. A quick break at the pool then checked out
The trees are marked for nesting White Terns
Our room was not ready so we dropped off our luggage with the Bellman and headed to lunch we headed for the beach area and found The Barefoot Beach Cafe ordered mango smoothie and a pork quesadilla Oh my gosh !! The absolute best tasting pork ever!!!
We then walked around for a few hours before checking in to our room
Diamond Head in the background
Beautiful view with a balcony Diamondhead on the left, the ocean on the right and the zoo right in front !!
We met our group at 6 then dinner in the hotel, there are 7 clients and our guide Mandy Karen and Sjorid are from Brooklyn NY, Maria and Craig from OK City, Craig’s brother Deron from San Diego
Dinner was delicious and meeting the group was very fun should be a great tour.
Wed Jan 22: We met up at 6:15 for breakfast Rain in the forecast today
never far from SPAM
Jan 23: our day to tour the Island.
Jan 24: Surfing is what Hawaii is all about
Jan 25:
Spam: its what for breakfast!!!
I had a half of sandwich leftover from lunch... too tired, needed some down time and some alone time...
Jan 26: Our Pelagic birding day. There were a few others that joined us on the boat.
Jan 27: After breakfast we headed to the airport to fly to Kauai
Wednesday Jan 29 we had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel then went looking for 2 local birds we had both by 8:10!! We hit 10,000 checklists for the USA
Back to the hotel for a bit of down time before heading to the airport with Karen and Sjoerd.
We all had lunch before getting our flights to Honolulu
our flight was scheduled to leave about 35 minutes before theirs
we arrived in Honolulu at 3:00 , got a taxi to the Embassy Suites.
We got 57 new life birds! on this trip. We missed a few Pelagic birds but all in all a wonderful tour. and a great guide. We ended up at #32 in the ABA area which is all of USA including Alaska and Hawaii. Probably will slip real quick once we return to Arizona.
After checking in we went walking and enjoying the location
Manager’s reception was kind of lame but we did enjoy the boiled peanuts
Span Musubi for dinner!
A great nights sleep
Thursday Jan 30: storms all day we had a good breakfast at the hotel then walked a few miles before returning to the hotel before the storm hit Time for a NAP its been two weeks since we had a down day it rained off on n all day
we managed to get out in the afternoon for another walk, got some delicious cookies from Honolulu Cookie Co. Went across the street for a nice dinner at the Outrigger Bar
Friday Jan 31: our final day in Hawaii!! We took an all day tour around Oahu. it was the same route that we took with the birding group. We were picked up at 6:50 am. We were one of the first pickups, full bus!!
Chinamans hat
There were many stops including lunch at
We taxied to the airport in plenty of time to walk around inside before boarding our flight. Tried to sleep but not enough time...
We arrived in LAX at 5:15 am. our flight to Tucson was at 9:30. plenty of time to walk around, rest and enjoy the airport...
We arrived in Tucson by 11:30, home by 12:15. what a wonderful trip, a bit tiring but fun. We do have a bit of a hard time with tours and being with people 12 hours a day but it's the only way we are able to see the birds.
So on the first day of our tour, 1 hour into the tour the guide, Mandy, realized Eric was the one to watch. He is a great spotter with good hearing. By the 3rd day she asked if we wanted to move to Hawaii and guide with her. So flattering but no thanks. We enjoy our freedom and we are not really people people...
This is our tour, we are spending 2 nights pre and post the tour on Honolulu.
ALL-INCLUSIVE 9 DAY HAWAII BIRDING TOUR WITH MANDY TALPAS
Day 1: Arrival Day in Honolulu, Oʻahu
Upon arrival in Honolulu (HNL), take a shuttle, or cab, to the Queen Kapiʻolani Hotel in Waikīkī, where Mandy will have already reserved a room in your name. Check in is any time after 3pm. We will gather in the lobby at 6pm to meet new friends before our welcome dinner together.
Night in Waikīkī
Day 2: Birding Oʻahu
This morning we start our day in Kapiʻolani Park, next to our hotel, to admire visiting Pacific
Golden Plovers and Honolulu’s city bird, the beautiful White Tern. While exploring the park we are sure to encounter a myriad of introduced species among the banyan and rainbow shower trees, such as Common Myna, Red-crested Cardinal, Red-vented Bulbul, Yellow-fronted Canary, Java Sparrow, Common Waxbill, Spotted Dove, Zebra Dove, and Rose-ringed Parakeet. After breakfast we will leave the city behind and enter the rainforests of the Koʻolau Mountains in pursuit of Oʻahu’s endemic honeycreeper, the Oʻahu ʻAmakihi, before we transcend down into the valleys to search for the endangered Oʻahu ʻElepaio. While on our endemic bird adventure we will most likely encounter Whtie-rumped Shama, noisy flocks of Red-billed Leiothrix, an occasional Red-whiskered Bulbul, and chattering Warbling White-eyes.
Night in Waikīkī
Day 3: Birding Oʻahu’s North Shore
Today we journey up the picturesque
windward side to experience the serenity
of Oʻahu’s North Shore in search of
visiting shorebirds, such as the
Wandering Tattler and sought-after
Bristle-thighed Curlew. While cruising the
coastline, famous for world class surf
beaches and secluded coves with basking
sea turtles, we are sure to find some
flashy finches, such as the Saffron Finch
and Chestnut Munia. The North Shore is
also home to some of the last family farms on Oʻahu with crops of coffee, cacao, eggplant, papaya, pineapple, banana, and even scattered shrimp farms with Black-crowned Night Heron, the endemic Hawaiian Coot, Common Gallinule (endemic subspecies), and Black-necked Stilt (endemic subspecies).
Night in Waikīkī
Day 4: We will fly to the Big Island after breakfast to bird Saddle Road for Short-eared Owl (endemic subspecies), Eurasian Skylark, Chukar, California Quail, Wild Turkey, Erckel’s Spurfowl, Black, and Gray francolins and more. From the high elevations of Pu`u La`au along the slopes of Mauna Kea, we will drive through Waikoloa in search of more introduced species, like Chestnut- bellied Sandgrouse, African Silverbill and Red Avadavat.
Day 5: Birding Big Island’s native forest
Experience Hakalau aka Hawaiʻi’s honeycreeper heaven! Hakalau Forest NWR is a publicly restricted montane cloud forest refuge and is home to many of Hawaiʻi’s endangered plants, native arthropods, and endemic birds. We will search for the unique
Alawī (creeper), the gorgeous day glow orange , the stunning long billed
, the ʻIo (Hawaiian Hawk), Hawaiʻi , and ʻŌmaʻo ( Island’s endemic
thrush) with beautiful I’iwi, Amakihi, and
ʻApapane all over the blossoms of ancient 'Ohi'a
trees enshrouding us. We will bird Saddle Road on
our way to the refuge looking for Short-eared Owl
(endemic subspecies), Eurasian Skylark, Chukar, California Quail, Wild Turkey, Erckel’s Spurfowl, Black, and Gray francolins and more with a stop in Waikoloa in hopes of more introduced specialties, like Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse and African Silverbill.
Night in Kona
Day 6: Pelagic Birding off Big Island
We embark on a pelagic birding charter out of Honokohau Harbor with an experienced local captain for Black Noddy, Brown Noddy, Sooty Tern, Brown Booby, White-tailed Tropicbird, Great Frigatebird, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, and Bulwer’s Petrel with hopes of finding: Masked Booby, Hawaiian Petrel, Black- winged Petrel, Mottled Petrel, Juan Fernandez Petrel, White-necked Petrel, Newell’s Shearwater, Christmas Shearwater, Leach’s Storm Petrel, Band- rumped Storm Petrel, all three jaegar species, South Polar Skua, incidental cetacean sightings, and more!
Night in Kona
After breakfast we fly to Līhuʻe and discover the beauty of Kaua'i’s north shore in pursuit of impressive seabirds along Kīlauea Lighthouse NWR’s stunning coastline and more endemic water birds amongst Hanalei NWR’s historic loʻi ponds. While scanning the rugged cliffs of Kīlauea covered with Red-footed Boobies and surveying the skies for Brown Booby, spectacular Red-tailed and White-tailed tropicbirds, majestic Laysan Albatross, and soaring Great Frigatebirds, we will enjoy up close views of Hawaiʻi’s state bird, the Nene (Hawaiian Goose). We will then explore Hanalei valley’s lush important bird area for more of Hawaiʻi’s endangered water birds, such as the Hawaiian Duck.
Night in Kapaʻa
Day 8: Birding Kaua'i
We embark on a rainforest adventure with astounding views of Waimea Canyon, the Pacific’s Grand Canyon, on our journey into Kōkeʻe State Park to find Kaua'i ‘s endemic Kaua'i ʻAmakihi, ʻApapane, ʻAnianiau, and Kaua'i with hopes of a glimpse of the rare
. Other forest birds we should encounter in Kōkeʻe include Red Junglefowl, the skulky Japanese Bush Warbler and melodious Chinese Hwamei. Night in Kapaʻa
Day 9: Birding Kaua'i and Departure Day from Lihue, Kaua'i
On our last morning on Kaua'i we will search for the rare Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush and any of Kaua'i’s specialty species we haven’t already found before we check out at 11am.
HOTEL ACCOMODATIONS: Enjoy unparalleled views of the mountains and the ocean at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel, Sheraton Kauai Coconut Resort, and the central location on The Holiday Inn express in historic Kailua- Kona. These beautiful locations feature guest rooms with complimentary high-speed wireless Internet, in room refrigerators, and private lanais just outside the hustle and bustle of the city. https://www.queenkapiolani.com https://www.royalkona.com
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lihsk-sheraton-kauai-coconut-beach-resort/
About the Physical Requirements & Pace: To reach the highland forests where the native birds are found and searching for pelagic birds by boat, will require us to start some of our days early, as we’ll want to be near our destinations before the typical Hawaii trade wind patterns bring afternoon showers and light wind. Other departures will be more leisurely, but we do make sure we are out in the morning when bird activity is highest and the heat and/or chance of rain is lowest. Much of our birding will be easy walking on roads, wide trails, and boats. The Koʻolau valley trails, where we will search for Oʻahu ʻElepaio, can often be rocky, humid, slippery, muddy and buggy with a gradual and slight elevation gain. The Alakaʻi, bordering Kōkeʻe, is montane wet forest, with temperatures ranging from 50 -80 degrees Fahrenheit around 4,000’ above sea level, and is still known to be one of the wettest places on Earth. Hakalau Forest NWR, where most of Hawaiʻi’s remaining endemic forest birds live, is also a montane rainforest. Even if it’s not raining, it will most likely be wet, slippery and muddy with temperatures ranging from 50 -70 degrees Fahrenheit around 6,400’ above sea level. Quick dry layers, sun protection, rain gear and waterproof hiking shoes with good grip and ankle support are recommended. Birding along the coastlines will be within short walks from the van. You should be able to easily get in and out of a van (sometimes repeatedly), and be comfortable walking at least two and a half miles, some of it on slopes where traction may not be the best and where footing is uneven. You should be prepared to bird in hot and humid environments, expect some mud and rain, and realize the highlands can be quite brisk or even cool. Sea conditions on the pelagic trips can range from calm seas to moderately rough, so you must have decent balance and an ability to steady yourself on a moving boat. Those with balance and stability issues should bring collapsible walking sticks and those who find it difficult to stand for long periods of time should bring a small travel stool.
This is an all-inclusive tour which includes comfortable accommodations, safe transportation, expert guiding, park entrances and delicious local meals from dinner at 6pm on day 1 through breakfast on day 9. Flights into Honolulu (HNL), out of Lihue (LIH), airport transfers, alcoholic beverages, laundry, items of personal nature, and gratuity are NOT included.
The cost is $6,950 based on double occupancy and the single supplement is $1350 *NO REFUNDS within 45 days of the arrival day of the tour.
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