I Used to Hate Birds

Kapiolani Park turned out to be a great place to find birds...  One morning there was a lone Pacific Golden-Plover standing by the pond.


After my first visit to the park I continued on to Diamond Head.  The hike up wasn't too bad until the very top which consists of steep staircases and a dark tunnel.


The view was sweet.


I saw my first scorpion on one of the concrete walls at the top.  A petite Asian lady came over next to me to see what I was taking a picture of and consequently let out a scream that almost made me drop my camera.  It was funny.


On the way back down I saw some wild cats.


Also saw a couple Japanese White-eyes:


I watched one a few days later digging into a tree next to the Honolulu Zoo.


An extremely common bird on Oahu is the Cattle Egret.  I saw them all over the place including the farmer's market, flying over the ocean, on the Mokolua Islands, and standing on the back of a sheep at a farm near the north shore.



Also at the farmer's market I saw some amaz…

My first morning in Waikiki I noticed the White Terns.  They were mostly flying in pairs over the ocean, often synchronized, and then flying overhead to trees behind me... They are one of my new favorite birds.





The next awesome bird up is the Red-crested Cardinal.  I first caught sight of some at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve where I went snorkeling for the first time.  Snorkeling was rad, but no photos because my camera was safely locked in a teeny locker.  Here is the cardinal:


At Kapiolani Park:


At a farmer's market near Diamond Head there were some with brownish crests, young ones?


At Hanauma Bay I got nice views of a Red-vented Bulbul, one of many I saw on this trip...


After I hiked Diamond Head I sat down to eat a granola bar.  The second I pulled it out of my bag, this bulbul plopped down next to me...


And a photo where you can actually see its red bum:


Oahu has tons of wild fowl, which I found surprising.  Not sure if they all fall under the "junglefowl" category…

I have no idea where to even start with my trip to Hawaii.  There were birds everywhere, all the time, even some bold House Finches that strutted right into my hotel room from the balcony.  There were lizards and fish and turtles, and even mountain goats.  It was insane and awesome. 

Alright, I suppose I will start with the first photo I took in Honolulu on a walk from the shuttle stop to the ATM.  My first new bird of the trip: Zebra Doves!


I saw these guys everywhere I went.. One morning I walked out on a boardwalk and found a guy letting them land on his arm.


They were even on Manana Island in Kailua Bay:


One of the cutest birds around was the Java Sparrow.  I saw lots of them, but only on random lawns around Waikiki.  My friend referred to them as mini-puffins.  I liked that.




I saw one that had something weird going on...


Kind of gnarly.  Another bird I saw around the lawns were Common Waxbills.  Also adorable.



Yet another super common bird was the Common Myna...


There were a lo…