Bird man here. Aside from relaxation, beaches and geo-caching, a major highlight of my Kauai trip was to the engage in some bird research. I had done a bit of reading up prior to, but really knew nothing about the local bird culture. I immediately bought "Hawaii's Birds" and set about learning up on Kauai's birds. My first two observations were as follows: 1) How many birds and bird song there is around here. Definitely a tropical feel. My second observation was how few different species of birds make up the population here. Apart from the water birds, every bird you see at sea level in Hawaii is a non-native species. 80% of the birds you do see are 5 of the following: House Sparrow, Spotted Dove, Zebra Dove, Common Myna and Red-crested Cardinal. After 5 days of thought, I prefer the greater species albeit fewer numbers that home birding offers. Below are a few pictures that I've taken if the local feathered ones.
Think of this guy as the Hawaiian version of the Stellar's Jay. Beautiful but shameless in his begging!
Interesting to see the common Cardinal has established itself in Hawaii but has not on the West Coast of Canada.(They are very common in Eastern Canada).
Hawaiian State bird. They have the appearance of a Canada Goose.
By no means is this bird a rooster in Kauai. It is known as the Red Jungle Fowl. They are everywhere around here. Also a shameless beggar!
