Big Birdie Bonus

I'o aka Hawaiian Hawk

The birdie above I saw on the big Island of Hawaii. When I woke this morning, as far as I knew, the hawk had no standing for my American Birding Association (ABA) birding area, i.e., North America. After all, Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean (check your map, I'm damned near sure of my facts). You with me so far? The I'o didn't count. Neither did my sightings of...

Kauaii  'Amakihi...

Apapani....

or this awesome Kauaii Elapaio. 

Really. As I ate my omelet this morning, these Hawaiian birds had no place on my ABA life list.





Then, today, in the course of reading endless quantities of gawdawful news on Twitter, I stumbled over something elating. The ABA OK'd Hawaii for it's ABA area! My Hawaiian birdies... suddenly, they count! Whoo hooo! Of the top, I thought I'd be able to count them all which is silly as many of them are already counted, e.g., the Golden Pacific Plover, Wild Turkeys and the like, as I've seen them in the former ABA area. I'm currently counting the Great Frigatebird, Red-footed Booby and White-tailed Tropicbird because they aren't exclusive to Hawaii, but they weren't introduced, they are in Hawaii all on their very own.

A 'got there on its very own' the Great Frigatebird

So, that puts eleven new birdies on my life list, with a few more in future. The ABA committees of stuff-beyond-the-keen-of-ordinary-birders have to decide which of these sorts of birds will count.




Birdies that were brought into Hawaii because expats 'missed' the birdsong or looks of the birds back in their homelands. Idiots! The expats, not the birds.





Examples are this cutie, a Red-crested Cardinal or...

This exotic Indonesian expat birdie, the White-rumped Sharma.

Or this Saffron Finch looking like a wanna-be canary



Depending on which of the introduced birds the committee decides are 'established' I may be able to add an additional eleven birds or so.



Eleven new species on my ABA area life list today, and didn't even have to leave the house. Cool with awesome sauce.