George, Mollee and Alvaro chat together for the first time on Life List. Mollee introduces herself, and the amazing rooftop tent! Alvaro mentions his first June trip to the Farallon Islands, CA. George “cancels” on Subaru at the Philly flower show. But the main discussion is about the Aloha State. Mollee gives us her impression as a first-time birder to Hawaii. George impresses us with his fish knowledge. And we all discuss how Hawaii is amazing, and also a conservation emergency zone. Some native species have become quite rare in just a decade! Climate change is causing the “mosquito line” to move up in elevation, carrying avian malaria with it. We discuss GMO mosquitos and perhaps mosquito birth control through technology! Hawaii has its conservation success stories, especially when considering the native seabirds. Mollee also had her lifer pelagic in Hawaii. We chat about pelagics in Hawaii vs North Carolina, vs California. Shorts on a pelagic, vs freezing cold on a pelagic. And can you pull off the “Jaques Cousteau look?”

Topics covered include: Pop-up tents, Philly flower show, Hawaii bird conservation, Hawaii sea birding, Mollee’s first pelagic, the Atlantic’s first Wedge-tailed Shearwater, and pelagic birding in general. 

Highlight bird species: I’iwi, ‘Akeke’e, ‘Akikiki, ʻAkiapōlāʻau, Chickens, Moas, Hawaiian Petrel, Bulwer’s Petrel, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, South Polar Skua, Black-capped Petrel, Newell’s Shearwater. 

Locations mentioned: West Virginia, Farallon Islands (CA), Big Island, Kauai, Hatteras pelagic birding

Links: 

• Farallon Islands and pelagics with Alvaro
• Mosquito Birth Control
• Pacific Rim Conservation – Bird Conservation in Hawaii
• Oikonos – Seabird Conservation in Hawaii
• Alvaro’s Hawaii trips
• North Carolina pelagics with Brian Patteson 

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Thanks to Kowa Optics for sponsoring our podcast! Want to know more about us? Check out George's company, Hillstar Nature; Alvaro's company, Alvaro's Adventures, and Mollee's company, Nighthawk Agency, to see more about what we're up to.