Hawaii Bird Tours

09/28/2026

An ʻaeʻo (Hawaiian Stilt) is hard to mistake: black-and-white plumage, a needle-thin bill, and pink legs that seem to go on forever. In fact its name means “one standing tall.” We’re waiting for the day this subspecies of Black-necked Stilt will be recognized as standing on its own as a species.

Those legs are made for wading through shallow wetlands in search of insects, crabs, and small fish. And while the ʻaeʻo looks wonderfully elegant, nesting parents can put on quite a performance. They may call, dive, or even pretend to be injured to draw a threat away from their young.

We appreciate their beauty and grace - and theyʻre great targets for photographers!

09/27/2026

09/26/2026

We love celebrating milestones with our tour groups, and this was a big one!

Kay Hawklee set out to see 700 species in the ABA for 2026, for her 70th birthday!

She reached her milestone with us on September 22nd! The day started off at 6:30 am when we pulled out of the slip with Captain Momi and her sister, 2nd mate, Kamaile, with their company, “Ocean Encounters”.

Nature Ninja Birding Tours led a tour to Hawaii with trip leader Tiffany Kersten and local guide Mandy Talpas of Hawaii Bird Tours, and on our 9th day of the tour, we were on a pelagic tour with an all-woman crew!

Little did Kay know when she booked a trip early in the year with Tiffany Kersten, who broke the record for the lower 48 in 2021, that she would be doing a big year and that the Hawaii birding tour ending with a Kona Pelagic with Tiffany and Mandy would be so epic?!

Her number 700 for the year was a lifer Bulwer’s Petrel; followed by another lifer - a Black-winged Petrel. The astounding 3rd really rare bird was a Blue-gray Noddy (only the 2nd record in this area of the Big Island - they breed on the NW Hawaiian Islands).

Check out our trip report!
https://ebird.org/tripreport/561161

For those interested, we will be running the same trip again in early September 2027.

09/26/2026

09/25/2026

ʻŌhiʻa lehua has long been a symbol of strength and resilience in Hawaiʻi, which feels especially meaningful today.

As we head into the weekend, our thoughts are with everyone on Hawaiʻi Island as a major hurricane approaches. We hope our friends, neighbors, communities, wildlife, and forests weather the storm safely.

May there be calmer skies ahead.

09/24/2026

What a way to wrap up 10 days of birding Hawaiʻi.

We had such a great time welcoming Tiffany Kersten and her Nature Ninja Birding Tours crew to the islands, with Tiffany and Mandy leading the group from Oʻahu to Kauaʻi to Hawaiʻi Island.

There were plenty of memorable birds along the way, but a couple of milestones made this trip especially fun. Kay reached bird #700 in her Big Year! 🎉

And apparently there are still Hawaiian birds Mandy hasn’t seen. 😂 Our pelagic delivered a Blue-gray Noddy, a lifer for Mandy and a pretty special bird to encounter in the main Hawaiian Islands.

Great birds, muddy trails, time at sea, a rainbow or two, and a group of people who were genuinely fun to spend 10 days birding with. That’s a successful tour in our book.

Mahalo to Tiffany and the whole Nature Ninja crew for coming to bird Hawaiʻi with us. We loved having you here!

09/21/2026

🐦 Manu Monday: Meet the ʻAlae ʻUla! ❤️

Small bird, big legend! The ʻAlae ʻUla, or Hawaiian Gallinule, is an endemic Hawaiian subspecies found only on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi today.

But this wetland bird also holds a special place in Hawaiian moʻolelo. According to tradition, the ʻalae guarded the secret of fire—and the demigod Māui discovered that secret by watching the bird, ultimately bringing fire to people. Its bright red frontal shield is said to bear the mark of that encounter to this day. 🔥

Today, the ʻAlae ʻUla faces a very different challenge: surviving as Hawaiʻi’s wetlands have disappeared or changed. Protecting and restoring these precious habitats gives this remarkable bird a fighting chance.

Next time you spot that flash of red moving quietly through a wetland, remember—you may be looking at the bird that brought us fire. 🔥🐦