Category Archives: Birds

Fish for breakfast

A juvenile black-crowned night heron catches a fish

I was running early to work recently, so I decided to stop in Kawaihae, as I often do. With more time, I’d have gone for a walk along the coast, but I had only 15 minutes so I plumped for a visit to the south end of the harbor to see if there were any herons around.

A juvenile black-crowned night heron looks for a fish

I found two there, but one quickly disappeared. The other stood on a rock in shallow water, a popular fishing spot for them. I took a few photos and noticed the heron leaning forward. It had spotted something. An instant later, it plunged into the water and then emerged with a fish on its beak. It returned to the rock and paused. The fish appeared to be impaled on the heron’s beak, but extracting the beak risked losing the fish before it could be eaten.

A moment later, the heron hopped over to the small beach where I was. There, it popped the fish into the air and swallowed it in one slick movement. This whole sequence took less than three minutes. The heron stayed on the beach and I returned to my car and headed off to work, very glad that I’d stopped by.

A juvenile black-crowned night heron eats a fish

Yellow-billed cardinal and a coconut

A Yellow-billed cardinal feeds on a coconut

This yellow-billed cardinal found an opened coconut on a beach and tucked in to the tasty remnants left behind.

Ruddy turnstones in flight

Ruddy turnstones take flight at Upolu Airport in Hawaii

I saw these ruddy turnstones, picking through the grass at one end of Upolu Airport, when they suddenly they took to the air and wheeled away toward the ocean.

Sunny zebra doves

A pair of zebra doves resting on a branch

A pair of zebra doves enjoy the late afternoon sun as they rest on an exposed tree branch.

Posted in response to Becky’s July Squares challenge theme of ‘Trees.’ See more responses here.

Red-billed Leiothrix

A red-billed leiothrix, with a can-do attitude, strikes a pose on a tree branch.

Posted in response to Becky’s July Squares challenge theme of ‘Trees.’ See more responses here.

The great outdoors

A view of Hualalai from the water — Hualalai from the water.

A sailboat enters Kawaihae Harbor — A sailboat returns to harbor.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Great Outdoors.’ See more responses here.

In Hawaii, people spend a great deal of time outdoors. It’s common for people to have an outdoor kitchen, sometimes their only kitchen, sometimes a second one where a barbecue is the featured cooking apparatus. Carports often feature chairs and tables with cars parked elsewhere. The lanai, or deck, is as well-used as any room in the house.

Outdoor activities are popular here, too. Many involve the ocean and its inviting water: swimming, snorkeling, paddling, and of course surfing. Plenty of people go fishing and hunting, longtime sources of food for the table.

Palm tree on the coast in Hawaii — Palm trees on the coast.

The Powerline trail in Hawaii passes through trees — Palm trees on the coast.

For me, experiencing the great outdoors primarily involves hiking and snorkeling. Hiking isn’t especially popular here, especially along the coast where it can get quite hot. I get strange looks when I hike the length of popular beaches togged out in hiking gear, including shoes, hat, and fanny pack loaded with water. For most, the beach is a place for stretching out and broiling in the sun, not actively working up a sweat.

A Hawaii Amakihi perched on the end of a branch — Hawaii Amakihi

A great frigatebird flies low over some trees — Hawaii Amakihi

The vast majority of photos on this blog are taken in the great outdoors. These photos are a small selection of things I’ve seen while out and about, from sweeping views to birds and bugs.

A view of Kohala Coast from Koai'a Tree Sanctuary — A view of the south Kohala Coast from Koai’a Tree Sanctuary

View of Mauna Kea from Pu'u Wa'awa'a bench — A view of Mauna Kea from Pu’u Wa’awa’a.

Ring-necked pheasant in the grass

I saw this ring-necked pheasant scurrying through the tall grass off Old Saddle Road. It doesn’t exactly blend in with its surroundings, not a good trait for a game bird.

Hawaiian stilts nesting

Hawaiian stilts at Kohanaiki Beach Park in Hawaii

A Hawaiian stilt sits on a nest at Kohanaiki Beach Park in Hawaii

A Hawaiian stilt at Kohanaiki Beach Park in Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Pink.’ See more responses here.

I saw these two Hawaiian stilts at Kohanaiki Beach Park. They were in a pond at the south end of the park and, when I arrived, one was already making a lot of noise. I think this was because another person was walking on the path bordering one side of the pond. My arrival meant that the wading bird kept up its noise as it moved across the pond, away from the bird on the nest.

I took some photos and moved on. When I returned from my walk, 90 minutes later, all was quiet. The bird on the nest was still there, the other was gone. I looked around and saw the other bird in a neighboring pond, at which point, the bird saw me. It immediately began making a lot of noise and then flew back to the pond where the nest was. After a splashy landing it gathered itself, gave me a long look and then began wading along the edge of the pond, probing for snacks. It occurred to me that this bird’s very demonstrative behavior was mostly to get my attention and, by doing so, draw it away from the nesting bird. It kept up its noise, kept moving away from the nest. When I left, the bird quietened immediately. Hawaiian stilts are known for robustly defending their nests and also for such acts as feigning injury to draw attention away from the nest.

The Hawaiian stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) is considered a sub-species of the North American black-necked stilt. In Hawaii it’s called the aeʻo. It’s an endangered species and, while the population is considered stable or increasing slightly, it’s estimated that the total population is less than two-thousand birds.

In the little-known-fact department, the Hawaiian stilt’s long, pink legs are the second-longest legs in proportion to their bodies of any bird. Only flamingos rank above them in this regard.

A Hawaiian stilt lands at Kohanaiki Beach Park in Hawaii — Here I am.

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii