Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge is nestled between Kīhei and Ma‘alaea towns and features a coastal salt marsh habitat. Start your trip at the Visitors Center to learn all about the area and its feathery inhabitants. Nearby, the Kanuimanu Ponds offer an up-close view of waterbirds. A must-see is the Coastal Boardwalk that offers a ...
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The Kanahā Ponds were designated a State Wildlife Sanctuary in 1951 and provides a safe habitat for many native and vagrant waterbirds. Located near the Kahului Airport and the main towns of Kahului and Wailuku, this site is an easy escape to view nature.
A side trip on the road to Hana is always an adventure! The Wai‘ānapanapa State Park is a perfect rest stop steeped in Hawaiian culture. The off-shore rocks and cliffs provide excellent sightings of shore and seabirds, viewable from ancient shoreline trails.
Kahakapao Recreation Area is a mountain biker’s paradise. An extensive network of hiking trails, biking trails, and biking skills amenities are favorites of the Upcountry community. A mix of native koa/‘ōhi‘a and exotic trees provides a unique birding experience.
The Polipoli Springs State Recreation Area hosts a diversity of outdoor activites including hiking, camping, and hunting. The large Recreation area encludes several hiking trails that take you through various native and exotic forest habitats. As such, a wide variety of birds can be seen in this area.
The Nature Conservancy’s Waikamoi Preserve is an exclusive birding destination. On reservation-only guided hikes, you can see some of the rarest birds in world here. The ‘ākohekohe, with its feather crested head, is only found in this area.
Named after Hawai‘i’s first Superintendent of Forester, Ralph Hosmer, this grove of eucalyptus (planted by Ralph in 1909) and the adjacent nature trail though sub-alpine shrubland provides an excellent venue to sign Hawai‘i’s colorful native forest birds.
High up on the cliffs of Haleakalā Crater is the Leleiwi Overlook. On the short trail to the overlook, you may see nēnē and other native and common birds. From the lookout, you may glimps soaring tropic birds and seabirds returning to their burrows at night.
The waters off the Kona coast offer some of the best sport fishing available. And where there’s fish, there’s seabirds. Chartering a boat from Honokōhau Harbor is a good way to view these acrobats of the sky and sea up close. And you might catch a fish while you’re at it!
One of the best locations to see seabirds, without getting wet, is the Hawaiʻi’s Island’s western most point, Keāhole. This rocky point is also a good example of coast strand and the shorebirds that inhabit this type of ecosystem. This area is within the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaiʻi (NELHA) and is accessed by driving ...
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Some of the best bird watching on the island can be found at ʻAimakapā Fishpond. This wetland area provides habitat for an amazing variety of birdlife, including some species that are not found anywhere else in the world. Other species can be found spending the winter months in the fishpond, having traveled to Hawaiʻi from ...
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This cloud forest is a cool retreat from the hot Kona coast. A lush ʻōhiʻa and hāpuʻu tree fern forest, this undeveloped trail is a real gem. Access the official trailhead from the end of Makahi Street (off Kaloko Drive). Park on the side of the road and be respectful of neighboring properties.
The Puʻu Waʻawaʻa Forest Reserve is home to a diverse dry ʻōhiʻa forest mixed with many endangered and rare plants. The ʻŌhiʻa Trail takes you through some of these forested areas where a wide variety of native and exotic birds have found a home. Be sure to check in at the Hiker Check-in Station for ...
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This stretch of Old Saddle Road through Waikiʻi Ranch offers good viewing of pasture and dry open area species. This area is a good spot to see pueo and chestnut-bellied sandgrouse. This is a fast road with many blind turns. Be sure to give plenty of warning before pulling over, and pull over completely off ...
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Take a journey through Mauna Kea’s high-elevation dry forest. High above tropical rain clouds, this forest has adapted to an extremely dry and cold climate normally found on continents. You will see plants and animals found nowhere else in the world as you explore this special place. This forest is one of the last large ...
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