Mass Audubon
Hawai'i President's Tour
2/9-18/2010

Hawai'i (Big Island)

Bristle-thighed Curlew (more photos) shortly after landing at Kona

Green Sea Turtles basking on the beach

Hawaiian Stilts

Wandering Tattler

Nutmeg Mannikin

Saffron Finch

Yellow-billed Cardinal

Pacific Golden Plover

Sacred Hawaiian structures from my hotel balcony (hotel was built before cultural laws)

A little Green Flash at sunset

Melanistic Ring-necked Pheasant

Hillsides of invasive Gorse on the flanks of Mauna Kea

Sign at the top of the Pua Akala tract at the Hakalau NWR

Hawai'i 'Elepaio

Birding Pua Akala

Singing 'I'iwi

'Oma'o

Hawai'i 'Akepa

Betty and Helen

Seeking temporary shelter as the fog/cloud rolls in.

Gray Francolin under hotel bird feeders with

Java Sparrows and Zebra Doves

Birding in the back country of a country club

Eurasian Skylark

Getting gussied up to go look for Palila on Mauna Kea - we're stylin'

Hawai'i 'Amakihi

Palila

Heading off on the lava trail in search of 'Akiapola'au

'Akiapola'au

'Ohi'a flower

Susan photographing people looking at

a volcanic vent on our way to Kilauea. That evening we visited the Volcano National Park after dark to see

Pele's fury - the gas vent of Kilauea Volcano's Halemaumau fire pit

which looks less ominous but still lethal in daytime.

Kamehameha Butterfly

We visited the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center where the staff are doing captive
breeding work on several endangered Hawaiian birds, including:

The 'Alala or Hawaiian Crow

Palila

and Maui Parrotbill.

We had a great behind-the-scenes tour.

We headed down the Chain of Craters road, seeing lots of lava

Pahoehoe (left) and aa (right) lava

Rob doing a lava primer

View from the new road

View of the old road - oops

Old flows vs. the sea

Sea arch

Understatement

Other statements

Black (Hawaiian) Noddy nest on the sea cliffs

Tree hole - lava flowed around the trunk

Kilauea Iki Crater

Looking across Kilauea Iki Crater toward the gas plume from Halemaumau

Down in the Thurston Lava Tube

With the forebearance of Pele

'Apapane

Our last bird on the Big Island was Kalij Pheasant

 

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