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/.
Wild turkeys are often seen wandering through pasture land in small groups. In the photo above, a large male shows a female what a fine specimen he is. In the second photo, a mother guides her chick through the long grass.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Something Red.’ (See more offerings 
A yellow-fronted canary perches on a Leonotis leonurus plant before taking off again. Leonotis leonurus is also known as lion’s tail, lion’s ear or wild dagga. it’s native to South Africa.
This pair of nene (Hawaiian goose) were grazing when they noticed the mongoose (above). A mongoose isn’t a real threat to an adult nene, but it’s a real menace to a nene’s eggs and chicks. Though these birds weren’t nesting in this area and didn’t have chicks with them, Their protective instincts kicked in and one of the birds chased the mongoose away (second photo).
This scenario was repeated a few times before the mongoose lost interest and wandered off. Mongooses are very quick and will use this tactic of feints and retreats to wear out their intended victim. In this case, like the nene, it appeared to be more going through the motions in preparation for the next time it encounters a nene nest or chicks.
House sparrows made it to Hawaii in the 1870s and are firmly established here. Where I see them most is at restaurants open to the outdoors, a common occurrence here in Hawaii. The sparrows mostly hop about scavenging tidbits from the floor. But sometimes the sparrows are bolder and savvy diners will remain alert during their meal or risk French fries disappearing from their plates.
I saw these two saffron finches at Pu’u Wa’awa’a. The one seemed to be checking out a nicely-appointed knot hole in a tree while the other bird sat on a branch offering a different opinion.
Graham's Island 