I’ve made a couple of recent visits to the Palila Forest Discovery Trail, on the slopes of Mauna Kea, in search of palilas, an endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper. On one of those visits I was lucky enough to see this bird.
I wrote here about the first time I saw palilas, in late 2017. Those birds were feeding on immature mamane seed pods, one of their main foods. But the bird in this photo has what I think is a naio flower in its grip. The fruits and flowers of naio, otherwise known as false sandalwood, are the other main foods of the palila.
For more information about palila and the Palila Forest Discovery Trail, go to dlnr.hawaii.gov/restoremaunakea/palila-forest-discovery-trail/.
Graham's Island 
Lovely shot of a lovely bird. Makes one feel one is intruding into its domain.
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The few I’ve seen have never looked bothered by my presence. I’ve noticed that animals in protected areas seem to be aware of this distinction and are noticeably more relaxed than those that aren’t.
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What a beautiful bird. Thanks for the link to the trail. Do you see many other people on the trail since it is not easily accessible?
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I usually have the trail to myself. Occasionally I’ll see one or two other people, or a worker there, but it’s never busy. The 4-wheel drive access road does serve to reduce the number of visitors I think.
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Sounds like just the type of place I would enjoy spending time at without too many people around.
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It is, and if the weather’s fine, the views towards Mauna Loa, Hualalai, and Maui are great too.
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Beautiful Graham!
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