Experience the best of Hawaiʻi and its beautiful birds with local experts on our favorite island!

The Big Island is where most of our endemic birds are still found, with seven species of honeycreepers (five endemic to the Island itself), our state bird, the Nēnē, its own species of endemic thrush, monarch flycatcher, the only Island with Hawaiian Hawk, in addition to typically some of the calmest ocean conditions.

After years of working for bird conservation groups and world renowned tour operators, Mandy Talpas is thrilled to have founded Hawaiʻi Bird Tours in 2017, when Hawaiʻi was added to the ABA. Mandy has been pioneering pelagic birding in the Islands for over the past 10 years and is honored to team up with a local captain and crew during when they've previously encountered both of Hawaii's endemic seabirds, Newell's Shearwater and Hawaiian Petrel with good chances of Bulwer's Petrel. We've also had Black-winged Petrel, Mottled Petrel, Cook's Petrel, White-necked Petrel, Juan Fernandez Petrel, Kermadec Petrel other times of year. Again, we are trail blazing pelagic birding in Hawaiʻi and continually learning more about our residents, breeders, and our trans-equatorial migrants. Christmas Shearwater, Buller's Shearwater, Flesh-footed Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Leach's Storm-Petrel, Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, all three jaegers, South Polar Skua, are possible with resident White-tailed Tropicbirds, Brown Noddy, Black Noddy (melanogenys subspecies), Red-footed Booby, Brown Booby, Cocos Booby, Masked Booby, Great Frigatebird and breeding Sooty Terns, Blue-billed White Tern, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, incidental cetaceans and more!

(Our endemics forest birds are usually vocal this time of year, as this is the beginning of our breeding season and in addition to our shorebirds overwintering in Hawaiʻi)

Mandy has been pioneering pelagic birding in Hawaii for over the past 10 years and is honored to team up with a local captain and crew during when they've previously encountered White-necked Petrel, Kermadec Petrel, and Christmas Shearwater.

Black-footed Albatross, Laysan Albatross, and Red-tailed Tropicbirds are possible but breed on other Hawaiian islands and usually feed much further North. We've also had Black-winged Petrel, Mottled Petrel, Cook's Petrel, Juan Fernandez Petrel, and Hawaiian Petrel other times of year. Again, we are trail blazing pelagic birding in Hawaii and continually learning more about our residents, breeders, and our trans-equatorial migrants.

Buller's Shearwater, Flesh-footed Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Leach's Storm-Petrel, Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, all three jaegers, South Polar Skua, are possible with resident White-tailed Tropicbirds, Brown Noddy, Black Noddy (melanogenys subspecies), Red-footed Booby, Brown Booby, Cocos Booby, Masked Booby, Great Frigatebird and breeding Sooty Terns, Blue-billed White Tern, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, incidental cetaceans and more!

Meet by Honokōhau Small Boat Harbor: 74-425 Kealakehe Pkwy #4, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 no later than 6:20am (we are usually back to the harbor around 2:30pm)

If you booked the lodging and transportation add on Mandy will pick you up at 6am at Royal Kona Resort and drop you off immediately after our pelagic adventure (15 -20 minutes from the harbor).

We begin our day on a quest for Hawaiʻi ʻElepaio and Hawaiʻi ʻAmakihi, with hopes of finding Hawaiian Hawk and one of the last critically endangered Palila. (Palila returned to an accessible area ~7,000' above sea level for the first time in over 4 years in Spring 2026; (after over 4 years of unsuccessful searches) their population plummeted from over 1,000 individuals to less than 350 individuals). On our way to the sub-alpine dry forests of māmane, 'iliahi, and naio at elevations of 7,000’ -9,000’ above sea level, we will bird Saddle Road for Short-eared Owl (endemic subspecies), Eurasian Skylark, Chukar, California Quail, Wild Turkey, Ring-necked Pheasant, Erckel’s, Spurfowl, Black and Gray francolins, Japanese Bush Warbler, Nēnē (Hawaiian Goose) and more. From the high elevations of Pu`u La`au along the slopes of Mauna Kea, we will drive through Waikoloa for a quick lunch stop and search of more introduced species, like Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Red Avadavat, Warbling White-eye, Yellow-billed Cardinal, Yellow-fronted Canary, African Silverbill, and more. 

Meet Mandy in her black custom off-roading 12 passenger 350 Nissan (Black Beauty): at 6:15am by Kona Safeway OR at 7am by King's Shops Vintage Coffee on May 11, 2027 (unless you buy the lodging & transportation add on package from Royal Kona Resort, which will meet at 6am in front of the lobby).

We should return to Kona between 4:30 and 6pm.

Mandy has been pioneering pelagic birding in Hawaii for over the past 10 years and is honored to team up with a local captain and crew during when they've previously encountered White-necked Petrel, Kermadec Petrel, and Christmas Shearwater.

Black-footed Albatross, Laysan Albatross, and Red-tailed Tropicbirds are possible but breed on other Hawaiian islands and usually feed much further North. We've also had Black-winged Petrel, Mottled Petrel, Cook's Petrel, Juan Fernandez Petrel, and Hawaiian Petrel other times of year. Again, we are trail blazing pelagic birding in Hawaii and continually learning more about our residents, breeders, and our trans-equatorial migrants.

Buller's Shearwater, Flesh-footed Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Leach's Storm-Petrel, Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, all three jaegers, South Polar Skua, are possible with resident White-tailed Tropicbirds, Brown Noddy, Black Noddy (melanogenys subspecies), Red-footed Booby, Brown Booby, Cocos Booby, Masked Booby, Great Frigatebird and breeding Sooty Terns, Blue-billed White Tern, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, incidental cetaceans and more!

Meet by Honokōhau Small Boat Harbor: 74-425 Kealakehe Pkwy #4, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 no later than 6:20am (we are usually back to the harbor around 2:30pm)

If you booked the lodging and transportation add on Mandy will pick you up at 6am at Royal Kona Resort and drop you off immediately after our pelagic adventure (15 -20 minutes from the harbor).

Experience Hakalau aka Hawaiʻi’s honeycreeper heaven! Hakalau Forest NWR is a publicly restricted montane cloud forest refuge and is home to many of Hawaiʻi’s endangered plants, native arthropods, and endemic birds. We will search for the unique Hawaiʻi 'Alawī (creeper), the gorgeous day glow orange Hawaiʻi ʻAkepa, the stunning long billed ʻAkiapōlāʻau, the ʻIo (Hawaiian Hawk), Hawaiʻi ʻElepaio, and ʻŌmaʻo (HawaiʻiIsland’s endemic thrush) with beautiful I’iwi, Hawaiʻi ʻAmakihi, and ʻApapane all over the blossoms of ancient 'Ohi'a trees enshrouding us. We will obviously be birding our way all the way in and out of the refuge for any target species we haven't already tracked down on land, but today we easily be one of the highlights of the week, despite off-roading for an hour in and out of the refuge.

Meet Mandy in her black custom off-roading 12 passenger 350 Nissan (Black Beauty): at 6:15am by Kona Safeway OR at 7am by King's Shops Vintage Coffee on May 13, 2027 (unless you buy the lodging & transportation add on package from Royal Kona Resort, which will meet at 6am in front of the lobby).

We should return to Kona between 4:30 and 6pm.

Mandy has been pioneering pelagic birding in Hawaii for over the past 10 years and is honored to team up with a local captain and crew during when they've previously encountered White-necked Petrel, Kermadec Petrel, and Christmas Shearwater.

Black-footed Albatross, Laysan Albatross, and Red-tailed Tropicbirds are possible but breed on other Hawaiian islands and usually feed much further North. We've also had Black-winged Petrel, Mottled Petrel, Cook's Petrel, Juan Fernandez Petrel, and Hawaiian Petrel other times of year. Again, we are trail blazing pelagic birding in Hawaii and continually learning more about our residents, breeders, and our trans-equatorial migrants.

Buller's Shearwater, Flesh-footed Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Leach's Storm-Petrel, Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, all three jaegers, South Polar Skua, are possible with resident White-tailed Tropicbirds, Brown Noddy, Black Noddy (melanogenys subspecies), Red-footed Booby, Brown Booby, Cocos Booby, Masked Booby, Great Frigatebird and breeding Sooty Terns, Blue-billed White Tern, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, incidental cetaceans and more!

Meet by Honokōhau Small Boat Harbor: 74-425 Kealakehe Pkwy #4, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 no later than 6:20am (we are usually back to the harbor around 2:30pm)

If you booked the lodging and transportation add on Mandy will pick you up at 6am at Royal Kona Resort and drop you off immediately after our pelagic adventure (15 -20 minutes from the harbor).