This is an old thread, but I passed through Hawaii a few weeks back for
about five seconds and picked up a few more details I wanted to pass along.
I was sick and didn't get out birding, but ran into good news and bad news
on the same day. First the good news: The Big Island is starting a birding
festival and "birding trail." The first festival is this September on the
24th & 25th.
https://hawaiibirdingtrails.com/
The birding "trail" isn't a track, it's a route and lots of information
using existing infrastructure. Sounds like a great idea! (Other places in
the USA and around the world have done well with such ventures.) It isn't
all done, but you can read a summary here:
https://hawaiibirdingtrails.com/hawaii-birding-trails/
Good for everyone that's making birding more visible (economically and
otherwise) and accessible on the islands!
If you're interested in seeing the endemic birds of Hawai'i island, go
soon. That's the other piece of news, the Ohi'a trees are dying on the Big
Island of "ROD" (Rapid O'hia Death.) A fungus attacks the trees and they're
dead in a few weeks. Devastating. So far, the problem is isolated to one
island...but there's every chance it will spread. (Hawaii doesn't have a
great record when it comes to containing invasive species. Cough. Cough.)
It's hard to describe what a big deal Ohi'a are in the Hawaiian ecosystem.
Despite having record-breaking levels of plant diversity (rivaled by New
Caledonia), the trees of the Hawaiian forest are dominated by Ohi'a. Its
rainforest, but it feels more like groves of trees - much more like the US
mainland in that respect than any tropical rainforest (or
Australian...anything.) Without the Lehua blossom (flowers in Hawaiian
often have names distinct from their plant), a lot of creatures don't eat.
So, if you want to see the endemics on the Big Island, go. The island is
fantastic and the birds are amazing.
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