Birds of Hawaii Photographic Guide
A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Hawai’i: The Main Islands and Offshore Waters
This photo guide is organized into five sections based on a general categorization of where the birds are found. These sectors are Urban, Country, Forest, Wetland, and Seabirds. Each bird has a general description of the bird along with notes about the bird’s natural history. This information consists of a mixture of habitat, population status, behavior, seasonal appearance, and introduction background. For the last forty years, Jim Denny has been a resident of Kekaha, Kaua’i, and his photos have appeared in textbooks, conservation literature, and popular magazines including Audubon, Smithsonian, and National Geographic.
Winner of the Ka Palapala Poʻokela Award 2011 for Excellence in Natural Science.
Kauai History and Luau Tradition
The traditional luau feast was eaten on the ground. Lauhala mats were rolled out and a beautiful centerpiece of ti leaves, ferns, and native flowers was laid the length of the mat. Bowls filled with poi, platters of meat were set out, and dry foods like sweet potatoes, dried fish or meat covered in leaves were laid directly on the ti leaves. Utensils were never used at a luau, instead everything was eaten with the fingers. Poi of various consistencies was referred to by the number of fingers needed to eat it… three finger, two finger, or the thickest, one finger poi.
Royal luaus tended to be elaborate. One of the largest ever was hosted by Kamehameha III in 1847. The list of foods prepared included 271 hogs, 482 large calabashes of poi, 3,125 salted fish, 1,820 fresh fish, 2,245 coconuts, 4,000 taro plants and numerous other delicacies. The Hawaiians cooked using an underground oven called an ‘imu’. They would begin by digging a shallow pit and line it with sand and mats. A fire was started and lava rocks were added. When the rocks became red hot, they were arranged in the bottom of the imu, and several rocks placed inside the body cavity of the pig. A layering of banana stalks, pig, damp banana leaves, and damp mats were then sealed with several inches of sand. The steam from the rocks, mats, stalks and leaves would slow cook the meat for the entire day of the feast, producing mouth-watering morsels of cooked pork.
Orchid Paphiopedilum Care
Paphiopedilums (pronounced paff-ee-oh-PED-ih-lum) originate in the jungles of the Far East, and are refered to as the lady slipper orchid. They are one of the most intriguing of all orchids with waxy, richly colored blooms that sometimes last for months.
Paphiopedilum Light
They require a bright location but protect from mid-day sun, as in the home in an east or west window, or near a shaded south window. Leaves should be a medium-green color. If they are too pale or yellowish, the plant could be getting too much light.
Paphiopedilum Temperature
These orchids are separated into warm-growing mottled-leaved types, and the cool-growing green-leaved types. Warm-growing types should be kept at 75 to 85 F during the day, and 60 to 65 F during the night. Cool-growing types should be kept at 75 to 80 F during the day, and 50 to 60 F during the night.
Paphiopedilum Water
These orchids should never dry out in between waterings. Water must be available at the roots constantly, not soggy, but never dry.
Paphiopedilum Humidity
Humidity should be moderate, between 50 and 60 percent, which can be maintained in the home by setting the plants on trays of gravel, partially filled with water, so that the plants never sit in water.
Paphiopedilum Feeding
Fertilize on a regular schedule, but care must be taken to avoid burning of the fleshy, hairy roots. Use half-strength applications every two weeks, or one-quarter strength at every watering. It’s important to flush with clear water once a month.
Paphiopedilum Potting
Potting should be done about every two years, or as the medium decomposes. Ideally, they should be repotted immediately after flowering.
Previous – Orchid Oncidium Care
Next – Orchid Phalaenopsis Care
Kauai Hike – Awa’awapuhi Trail
The Awa’awapuhi Trail promises a trek through dense jungles, dry landscapes, and (weather permitting) incredible sweeping views of the Na Pali Coast. Found in Koke’e State Park this trail winds through a highland forest with occasional ridge top views. Different from most trails, it’s all downhill to the grassy point that overlooks the sheer cliffs of Awa’awapuhi and Nualolo valleys resting 2,500 feet below. The trail starts at an altitude of approximately 4,120 feet and ends at the lookout around 2,500 feet. And, you guessed it… it’s a consistent uphill incline on the way back.
The Na Pali-Kona Forest Reserve area is managed as wilderness because of the rich variety of native dryland plant species thriving in it. After the first mile-and-a-half the forest begins to dissipate and the barren terrain of Na Pali comes into view as you begin to get glimpses of the Awa’awapuhi Valley. At about the three mile mark you approach the junction with the Nualolo Cliff Trail. Continue straight ahead to the end of the trail and inspiring panoramas from a 2,500 foot perch and picnic area. Besides fellow hikers, you may run into a few mountain goats that like to cling to the steep slopes. Clouds permitting, you should get a breathtaking view of the luscious green Awa’awapuhi and Nualolo Valleys, leading out to the deep blue Pacific Ocean. It is the view of the folding spires of Na Pali that makes this trail so exceptional. The grassy area at the end of the trail provides an excellent place to picnic, but be careful not venture too close to the edge since the ground may not be safe.
Directions: Take Hwy 550 up to Koke’e State Park. The trailhead is about 1.5 miles past the Koke’e Museum at a parking area near the highway 17 mile marker. You will see the Na Ala Hele sign shown at the beginning of the video.
Trail Length: 3.25 mi.
Difficulty: Difficult
Elevation: 1180 ft
Humpback Whale Tail Slap
The most powerful part of the whale’s anatomy is it’s tail. By smacking it forcefully on the surface of the water, Humpbacks produce loud clapping sounds with big splash displays. Humpback whales will float vertically in the water, with their head pointing downward, meanwhile raising their tail out of the water and slapping their flukes against the surface. It’s common to see humpbacks slapping their tails several times in a row, which can be heard for great distances by other whales.
Hawaiian Birds and Laysan Duck Conservation
The Laysan Duck is a great conservation story that progresses from decline, to near-extinction, and back to recovery. Laysan ducks were originally widespread in the NWHI as well as on the islands of Hawaii, Molokai, Oahu, Maui, and Kauai. But by 1860, the ducks disappeared from all but Laysan Island. Like many isolated island species, the Laysan Duck evolved in an environment lacking mammalian predators, surviving within the smallest geographic range (1.6 square miles) of any duck species worldwide. Laysan Island gained federal protection in 1909, with the establishment of the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge. However, devastation of the island’s vegetation by introduced domestic rabbits brought the duck to the brink of extinction in 1912, with an all-time low population of 7 adults and five juveniles.
After many domestic rabbits starved and the remaining ones were eradicated by biologists in 1923, the ducks began to recover, increasing to a population of about 500 individuals by the 1950s. Congress passed the Endangered Species Preservation Act in 1966, and in 1967 the Laysan Duck (Anas laysanensis) was declared an endangered species with federal protection. However, the severe 1993 El Niño drought and food shortage reduced the number of ducks back down to about 100.
In 2004 – 2005, 42 Laysan Ducks were translocated to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge to restore a second population of ducks in the wild. The creation of a second population reduces the risk of extinction by random catastrophes such as drought, hurricanes, tsunamis, disease outbreaks, and accidental introductions of non-native plants and animals. With some help from constructed wetlands, the population on Midway Atoll is now more than 200 individuals. Researchers monitoring the Midway population have found that the ducks are breeding at an earlier age, and laying more eggs than birds on Laysan. This suggests that the abundant habitat and food available on Midway has stimulated greater reproductive effort in the ducks, which provides optimism for the success of this population.
Biologists plan to establish at least five additional populations on predator-free Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and predator-controlled sites on Main Hawaiian Islands. The goal of the recovery program is to conserve and recover the species to the extent that it may be down-listed from endangered to threatened in the near future, and ultimately, that the population be healthy enough to no longer require federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.
