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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, October 16, 2003

Spot a bird watcher? In Hawai'i, that's a wild-goose chase

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Advertiser Staff

Bird watching in Hawai'i is for the birds.

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study says Hawai'i has the lowest percentage of bird watchers in the nation. Only 9 percent of people in the Islands classified themselves as bird watchers, compared with 22 percent nationally.

Linda Shapen of the Hawai'i Audubon Society said Hawai'i is not in a major migratory path for birds — except for a few shorebirds that visit annually — and there is very little bird education to inspire interest. Besides, she said, native birds live in forests, and Hawai'i residents are more beach-oriented. And, the best spots for observing rare native birds are on the Neighbor Islands.

Shapen said there are no formal bird-watching clubs in Hawai'i, except for the Audubon Society, which organizes monthly field trips, not always to look at birds.

Montana leads the nation in the percentage of residents who are bird watchers, with 44 percent, followed by Vermont and Wisconsin. Joining Hawai'i near the end of the list are California, Texas, Georgia and Nevada.