Oahu Part 1- Kona Brewing Co.
One way to celebrate turning 40 is to run a marathon. That was Tomas’s bright idea of how he wanted to spend his birthday this December. Months ago he signed up for the Honolulu Marathon and trained diligently. I would be going along for the ride, no running this time for me. But birding? All new birds in Oahu?! Twist my arm.
Also, sunshine. Or so we thought, but we flew into Honolulu on a very soggy day.
At least it’s warm rain?
Even still, minutes after exiting the plane I had binoculars and camera out ready. But why can’t I see anything? Everything is blurry! New birds were so close, but I couldn’t see them because the warm air and humidity had fogged up my optics. What if there’s a rare bird there that I won’t ever see again!
Eventually, the fog cleared a little, and these were the first birds to greet us.
Red-crested Cardinal
Black-crowned Night Heron
Common Myna
Airport birds! None of them rare, but exciting in the moment nonetheless. And two lifers right off the plane is a good start. Tomas nudged me out of the airport to pick up the rental car and we drove downtown to get his running packet. The marathon was scheduled in two days so we had time to explore the island first. And once we learned there was a Kona Brewing Co on Oahu, we knew what our next destination would be.
Cheers to birding in new places
And lucky for me Zebra Doves are also patrons of the brewery. Life bird while drinking beer indoors! (new list?) They ran around under the tables looking for scraps and hopped out onto the patio.
At this time I looked outside to the cloudy skies across Koko Marina and noticed something flying far in the distance.
I think I recognize that shape. Frigatebird!
Look closely, as this the best photo I could get of this female Great Frigatebird.
And as it turns out, this was also the only Great Frigatebird of the whole trip. I’ve seen a Magnificent Frigatebird flyover once in Florida, but this was my first Great. (differences between the two here). Lesson learned, to find new birds, find a brewery. The skies darkened further so we grudgingly called it a night and checked in to the Airbnb.
It was tough to sleep (because it was 80 degrees in the room) but also because I was pumped to explore more of Oahu’s birds. Much more to come.
Mahalo,
Audrey
Frigatebirds! Can’t wait for more photos of everyone else you spied.
Now those are the lifers I like the ones that are right there no search involved pretty cool! Hawaii is the only US State I can’t wait to see what else you find…already a good idea with Airbnb as expensive hotels being one of the stumbling blocks along the way!
Oh and I think Sondra meant that Hawaii is the only US state she hasn’t visited yet.
Argghhhh such a teaser! I want more! That foggy myna shot is pretty sweet in the meantime though.
I can’t wait to read the rest of your Honolulu adventure! I was there for the first time this year & look forward to comparing our bird lists!
That’s awesome! There are some great birds there!
I’ve been waiting for this!!! Bring on the Hawaii birds!!
There is limitless material on those islands!! So glad you were there too!
I recently discovered your blog and had to weigh in on the Zebra Dove in the bar… “Birds Sitting On The Bar Where I Am Currently Drinking” is actually a list that I keep, and it has three entries: Mourning Dove, Mallard, and Cedar Waxwing.
Entertaining posts!
Awesome! Thanks for reading. And I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that list is a good idea. 🙂 Cheers!
[…] drive for one bird” someone told me. I don’t know if it was the vacation hangover from Hawaii, the long winter, or because it’s a new year, but I was craving adventure and when another […]
[…] business and a great excuse to return to paradise. This trip was so fun. I’ll never forget the first foggy steps off the plane, the Great Frigatebird at Kona Brewery, my first Pacific […]