I've noticed that I've been seeing 'Io more and more these days. One day recently, when I was down in Hilo, I saw 'Io on 3 separate occasions (admittedly there is no way to know if they were the same bird):
-one crossing high above Hwy 11, heading over to the KTA shopping center.
-one skimming over the trees towards the downtown park as I was driving away from the Hwy 11/Hwy 19 intersection.
-and another that I heard and glimpsed while in the open-air section of the Hilo library. I heard a Mynah squawking and I looked up to see a dark-bellied hawk flying away.
I've also been noticing them often in Volcano soaring above the forest, usually when I'm driving on the Hwy near the park. I also see them occasionally perched on utility poles within the neighborhood here. I don't remember seeing 'Io quite so often when I was younger. I'm not sure if this increase in sightings is due to my heightened awareness of birds in general, or if this is reflecting an increase in abundance.
But even with all these sightings, I'm ashamed to say that I'm not sure what the status is on their ESL de-listing. I know there was a hubbub about it, for reasons both ecological and commercial, but I don't know what the outcome was. The hawks certainly seem to be doing okay, but the only data I have are our collective observations. In my opinion, the threats that put a species on the ESL in the first place need to be addressed before the species should be de-listed. But it's definitely a happy thing that the 'Io seems to be doing so well. I wonder if a possible gamebird population boom has had a subsequent effect on 'Io population numbers. If we could find 'Io nests, we could pick up pellets and analyze them to see what the birds are eating, then compare these findings with similar studies from a time when 'Io were fewer in numbers. Perhaps Kalij Pheasants (especially young Kalij) make up a larger percentage of their diet these days.