First light was spent at the Pu'u O Kila Lookout to watch for any Newell's Sheawaters that might be leaving their burrows for the ocean, but clouds enshrouded most of the area. I did get a mediocre look at an 'Apapane (ah-pah-PAH-nay") in a tree next to the lookout.
In the Koke'e Lodge area, I saw my first 'official' Red Junglefowl with young.
The Alakai Swamp area was our main destination where we would search for the rainforest endemics of Kaua'i. This area is known as one of the wettest places on earth, averaging around 450 inches of rain per year, and it lived up to its name. It rained the whole first day and most of the second. Along the Camp 10 Road, there was an Erckel's Francolin. I steered our SUV down the primitive road around holes and rocks until we couldn't safely go any farther. We parked and hiked to the trailhead and then hiked the Alakai Swamp Trail 1-1/2 miles to the junction with the Pihea Trail. We intended to cross the stream about a quarter-mile farther along the Alakai Swamp Trail to look for Puaiohi (poo-eye-OH-hee), but the water was so deep and rushing so fast that there was no way we would be able to. It would be another unfortunate situation that forced us to concentrate on the area before the stream instead, which was unsuccessful. Finding 'Akeke'e (ah-kay-KAY-ay) and 'Akikiki (ah-key-KEY-key) were long shots at best, and we had no luck with them either. We did manage to find Apapane, Kaua'i 'Amakihi, and Kaua'i 'Elapaio.
We searched the area until early afternoon and then slogged back to our car and back to the cabin to dry out a little before heading down for a look at the Waimea Canyon, also known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific." There, the clouds broke enough for some sun and accompanying rainbows next to the 800-feet high Waipo'o Falls.
Next to the road opposite one of the lookouts, I finally got great looks at a Japanese Bush-Warbler.
We continued down the mountain to Paakahi Point near Hanapepe to do some seawatching. Wedge-tailed Shearwaters were moving by in good numbers. A Barn Owl was seen over the adjacent Port Allen Airport. Then at dusk, it was back up the mountain to the cabin.
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