A peek of a Japanese white-eye sitting on a clutch of eggs in its nest.
Category Archives: Birds
Cattle egret hunting
Another post on the theme of ‘Glow,’ this week’s WordPress photo challenge.
I looked out of the window early one morning, and saw this cattle egret staring intently, as they do, into fallen leaves bordering the yard. After a few minutes of that, a sudden lunge was followed by the top photo. That’s a green anole wrapped around the egret’s beak as it struggled, unsuccessfully, to get free. The photo on the left shows the egret swishing the anole back and forth, in an effort to finish it off.
I doubt the anole was happy, but the egret certainly glowed in the morning light.
Great frigatebird
I often see great frigatebirds on my afternoon walks along the North Kohala coast. Usually, they’re coming from the west with the wind and sun at their backs. I rarely spot them until they’re passing me and by the time I’m organized, they’re disappearing into the distance.
My nadir in these encounters occurred recently. I was watching a turtle from the cliff when a large shadow passed over me, quite startling me. I looked up and around and a great frigatebird swooped by, maybe six feet directly overhead. My best chance for a close up zipped away into the distance, but I had to laugh. It was almost like a cartoon encounter.
This is a different bird, one I saw early enough to get a decent photo.
Zebra dove plumage
The plumage of birds at rest often has a wonderful layered look to it. This zebra dove is no exception.
Grey crowned crane
The grey crowned crane hails from eastern and southern Africa. It is decidedly not something seen everyday in Hawaii, unless you visit Pana‘ewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens just outside Hilo. The zoo bills itself as the only natural rainforest zoo in the United States.
While I was there, this crane was getting in some serious preening.
For more information about Pana‘ewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens, go to hilozoo.org.
‘Ōma‘o
The Big Island’s ‘Ōma‘o is one of two endemic thrushes left in Hawaii. The other is on Kaua‘i. There used to be distinct species on each of the islands, but the others are extinct. These birds live mostly on the wetter eastern slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. This one was seen on the Pu’u O’o Trail off Saddle Road, which is probably near the westernmost limit of its range.
House finches
This pair of house finches, the male on the left and female on the right, was flitting about Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park. They’re common birds here, as in many other places, but there’s something about this photo that I’m really happy with.
For more information about Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, visit https://www.nps.gov/puho/index.htm.
Watch out for that cow!
No, not a kamikaze cattle egret, but one gliding in to join the throng milling around the cows, waiting to snatch a tasty insect rousted by their grazing.
Graham's Island 