A birdwatcher's oasis, the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge harbors native waterbirds year-round and hosts migratory ducks and shorebirds from October to April. In the rainy winter months Kealia Pond swells to more than 400 acres, making it one of the largest natural ponds in Hawaii. In summer it shrinks to half the size, giving it a skirt of crystalline salt (Kealia means 'salt-encrusted place').
You can view the pond from the boardwalk on N Kihei Rd, as well as from the refuge's visitor center off Mokulele Hwy at the 6-mile marker. In both places, you're almost certain to spot wading Hawaiian black-necked stilts, Hawaiian coots and black-crowned night herons – all native waterbirds that thrive in this sanctuary. The visitor center occupies an abandoned catfish farm with footpaths atop the levees that separate the old fishponds, a layout that allows you to get very close to the birds, and this is also the best place to see wintering osprey, a majestic fish hawk that dive-bombs for its prey in the fishponds.
