Come hear an interesting and educational talk about Hawaiian birds by a long-time birder and RBAer, Dominic Sherony. Not a travelog, although there will be some great photos, we will learn about the history of a number of Hawaiian birds, both endemics and introduced species–just in time to make your plans for winter vacations!

Recently, the ABA has added the birds of the Hawaiian Islands to its “ABA List”. This might encourage more birders to develop an interest in this distant island chain. The birds and plants of Hawaii are remarkable and the birds have adapted to the unusual plant communities.

In approaching the subject of the birds as an overview, three main subjects will be covered: the origins and history of the endemic birds and the relationship between the honeycreepers to their environment, the reasons why different bird species were introduced into Hawaii and their historical success, and finally a brief look at the breeding seabirds and wintering shorebirds of Hawaii.

Dominic Sherony was born and grew up in northern Illinois and attended University of Detroit and Illinois Institute of Technology, completing degrees in Chemical Engineering.  He worked for Xerox Corporation for 31 years after graduate school. In that period, Dominic took up bird watching as a hobby in 1972 and has been an active birder since, especially after his retirement.  Dominic has many and varied interests in birding including leading local trips.  He was a member of the New York State Avian Records Committee for eleven years, and was a region co-coordinator for the NYS breeding bird atlas. Dominic has written numerous papers about birds, volunteers at a Braddock Bay Bird Observatory,  enjoys the challenge of photographing birds, and occasionally give talks.