I left “My Life along the Gulf Coast” for a few days with my husband and headed to Oahu, HI with binoculars in my carry-on.  I’m glad I did.  Not only was the trip awesome and fun, I was able to add to my birding life list.

Here’s what I saw: Common Fairy Tern, Feral Pigeon (totally white or slightly browned on the breast), Pacific Golden Plover, Common Myna, Zebra Dove, Spotted Dove, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Yellow-fronted Canary, Red-crested Cardinal, Yellow-billed Cardinal, Red Junglefowl cock, Red Junglefowl hen, 5 Junglefowl chicks, Common Waxbill, and the Red-billed Leiothrix.

Red=crested Cardinal

Bulbul

I’m very excited about these additions to my list.  These birds were beautiful to see and while I couldn’t photograph all of them, I did get a few photos.  The Plover was in a park which I spotted with binoculars.  The Leiothrix was on a STOP sign across the street from the Pearl Harbor parking lot. The Myna, Zebra & Spotted Doves, Feral Pigeons, Cardinals, and Junglefowl were very common on Ohau. Rock Pigeons are very common around the U.S. and the white Feral Pigeon (a descendant) is listed in H. Douglas Pratt’s A Pocket Guide to Hawai’i’s Birds as Native Hawaiian.  The Bulbuls were both spotted on Diamondhead, and both the Waxbill and Canary were in trees on the North Shore.  There were other common birds there: house finche, cattle egret and house sparrow. My one disappointment is that I didn’t get to see the Hawaii state bird, the Nene, which looks like a goose.  And while I’m sure ducks were everywhere, I just didn’t notice them.

One day I’ll return to Hawaii and take a nature birding tour so I can have a chance to see the rainforest birds.  Until then, I have my additions to my birding life list and wonderful memories.