ODE TO A FALLEN SPECIES

 

Today we are on Kauai.  We are on our way to points west and I stopped to get a lifer bird (or more).  I saw a Red Avadavat, a countable exotic, it was an okay view.  I was not enthused, essentially today as I had received some unhappy news from Adrian, a young guy who I hired to drag my around the top of this island 

I had three major bird memories of my big year in 2016. I wrote at the time, "One was finding an akikiki, on Kaua’i now critically endangered, the population has declined from around 3000 in 2012 to less than a thousand now. I suspect this little forest bird on Kauai only has a few years left to go and it will be gone for good. It feeds by probing bark for insects and is restricted to Alaka'i swamp area."

Sadly, what I wrote a week short of 8 years ago happened.  The population of the Akikiki has crashed and as of this summer the wild population was estimated as just 2-3 birds, JUST 2-3 BIRDS! and this past summer, was declared functionally extinct.  Sigh...sob sob!

here is another photo from 2016

Of course we did not see one today, we also did not see a 'Akehe'e, which lost 98% of its population between 2000-2012 and by 2021 a little of 600, today....?

So, this bird is probably never going to be seen by ne or even anyone else shortly.  The cause, currently avian malaria, from introduced mosquitoes, from decades of deforestation by first the king selling forests, then American mainlanders trying to suck every buck from out here, buying up and exploiting the land, short term thinking, silly plans of trying to introduce exotic birds and on and on.....and on.  

We did not start this trip on Kaua'i, we started on Maui, we went up the volcano, saw the four most likely endemics without much difficulty, three i got nice photos of and the nene of course.  I also saw a ghost, a rare bird (I believe) but alas no photograph and so bigfoot, Elvis, UFO, and the bird I will not even name, that I saw, I shall keep my eyes out if anyone posts one, but .....I think I missed a chance of a lifetime and as such, I shall just never mention it again, 2 nights of nightmares is enough, what if's and what I could have done different....Here is what I did see.

apapane

Hawaii amakihi

I'iwi

Hawaiian Goose the Ne'ne

So, I am melancholy thinking about lost birds, missed birds, and well, a slow photographer, but alas tomorrow will be more stories and more intrigue as Olaf and Silja head west across the Pacific Ocean to points unknown.

The endemic Kauai birds are dying as I speak and to be honest there seems little hope.  

more and happier notes from the road later

Olaf