Always Running A-fowl

Our neighbors across the street have a pterodactyl.

At least that's the conclusion I came to shortly after I moved in. And I've been listening to the thing screeching a few times a day for most of the 280 or so days since.

I figure it's not outside the realm of possibility, given the Jurassic-like forests here and on the rest of the islands. Still, Larry thought I was crazy because the thing never squawked when he was around. 

But he's also the one who at one point remarked, "There are no birds here." So I think we can agree his powers of observation are flawed. 

Because there are birds everywhere. 

I'm not even counting the omnipresent roosters, hens, and chicks. If you've been to Maui you know what I'm talking about. 

They're constantly strutting through neighborhoods, darting across streets, and strolling through shopping center parking lots. 

(And contrary to what you've been told, roosters as alarm clocks is a fallacy. They crow whenever and however often they like.)

The Polynesians who settled Hawaii brought junglefowl with them. Europeans brought domestic chickens. Several cultures brought fighting chickens. The birds bred and were released or escaped and now there is a strong population of feral fowl all over Maui.

This was a recent posting on Craigslist

But there are also the egrets I see every morning on my walks, the doves that are constantly stalking across our yard, and the only birds remotely approaching the number of feral chickens--the myna birds.

I set up a bird feeder many months ago to keep the cats entertained, so we get a steady stream now of sparrows and finches. 

I'm no ornithologist, but I know Maui is an important migration stop for birds. Recently, I've seen a growing number of cardinals.  A few months ago, I visited the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge; a protected wetland area with an ever-changing population. I saw an early-season black-crowned night heron and was super excited.

This must be what real bird-watchers feel, I thought.

It was almost as exciting as taking my penguin-loving friend visiting from California a couple of weeks ago to see the resident penguins at the Marriott resort. 

That's right, seven penguins living in an open enclosure in the hotel lobby!

So whether they were brought here or made their way here on their own, it's obvious Maui is as much home to feathered friends as it is to the rest of us. (Despite Larry's blinders.)

Oh, and the pterodactyl? 

Larry says he caught a glimpse of a supersized parrot-like creature in a large cage on that neighbor's front porch. Given that their front porch is hidden behind a forbidding wall of foliage, I remain unconvinced.

Then again, it's Maui. Anything's possible.