Wildlife
This trip took place at a time when I was not "seriously" into bird photography. I was interested in wildlife in general, but not particularly in birds, thus, I did not get as many bird pictures as I am hoping now (all the more reasons to retake the trip in the future).
(Click on each image to see the high-resolution version)
But I managed to take some wildlife pictures. This Cattle Egret was taken on Oahu.
One sad thing about Hawaii, espeically on the populous Oahu, is that it is overrun with non-native species. The following birds are all such birds. Some, like the Red-crested Cardinal, are strikingly beautiful, but they are a nuisance and displace native birds.
But in Kona on the Big Island, we saw many Green Sea Turtles. These gentle and trusting creatures are endangered. I wish they continue to find sanctuary on these islands!
Another pretty reptile we saw in a restaurant on the Big Island was the Green Anole. Pretty it may be, it is also an invasive species.
But the true highlight of (unintentional) bird watching was a Nene or Hawaiian Goose, we saw in Hilo. Once nearly driven to extinction, it was brought back by the famed British ornithologist and conservationist, Sir Peter Scott. We were very lucky to see this one on our last day in Hilo before it took off and flew away. I wish it well!
Back on Oahu, in Hanauma Bay, I tried, for the first time, to take underwater pictures using a waterproof point-and-shoot digital camera. The pictures are not great, but I would not have gotten anything otherwise. It was an interesting experiment.
Cattle Egret
Red-crested Cardinal
Spotted Dove
Zebra Dove
Zebra Dove
Common Myna
Green Sea Turtle
Green Sea Turtle
Green Anole
Green Anole
Nene
Nene
Tropical Fish
Tropical Fish
Tropical Fish
Coral
