White-tailed Tropicbird

It seemed like that at every waterfall we visited (which were many) while in the Hawaiian Islands, there were these gorgious white birds with long tails circling the the sky above waterfalls. They were in constant motion and always at heights that were impossible to get a good photo (Below - a bad attempt at photographing  one). When I asked a local the name of these birds I was told "White Tropicbird."  At first I though they were pulling my leg - that would be like calling a blue bird we see in the Rocky Mountains, a Blue Mountainbird or a Mountain Bluebird ... oh.

This is the best photo I captured of the perpetually in-motion White-tailed Tropicbird at Wailua Falls, which was the waterfall used in the opening scene of the old television show "Fantasy Island."; Kauai, Hawaii; 7/11/08.

Wailua Falls on the Island of Kauai was used in the opening scene of the old TV show, "Fantasy Island."; Hawaii; 7/11/08.

Well the true name is indeed, a White-tailed Tropicbird. The Tropicbird is a large white bird  with a long black bar on upperwing coverts, and a black loral mask which extends through and past its eye. Its bill is yellow to orange and its unique trait is its extremely long white tail streamers that can be up to seventeen inches long. Its legs and feet are yellowish, with black webbing on the toes. These birds breed on windward sea cliffs on oceanic islands throughout the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans as well as the Caribbean. (Below - for a better view of this beautiful bird - not my photo)

A better view of a White-tailed Tropcbird; Google Images. http://www.itsnature.org/air/birds-air/white-tailed-tropicbird/

Red-billed Leiothrix

Red-billed Leiothrix

The Red-billed Leiothrix is a beautifully marked bird with bright coloring. The adults have bright red bills and a dull yellow ring around their eyes. Their backs are dull olive green and have a bright yellow-orange throat with a yellow chin. They have forked tails. Female Leiothrix are similar to males but with a duller shade. Juveniles have black bills and gray coats. This Leiothrix is also known for its loud melodious songs. We ran across one on the Judd-Nuuanu Trail on Oahu (Above).

Red-billed Leiothrix are native to Southern Asia and are now found on most of the Hawaiian Islands with the exception of Kauai, which ironically it was first introduced to in 1918. Sometime later, these birds were introduced to the other islands. Leiothrix prefer to inhabit underbrush's at all elevations with a cover of dense vegetation near the ground. Some birds have been found at elevations of 9,000 feet. Flocks of Leiothrix's have been known to fly up to elevations of 13,500 feet for a short period of time. These birds favor areas with at least 40 inches of rain.







Common Waxbill

A small flock of Common Waxbills at Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii; 6/25/08.

The Common Waxbill is another bird that we observed only on the island of Oahu; indeed, doing some research it has only been seen in a couple of specific locations only on Oahu (and not found on the other Hawaiian Islands). We saw a small flock (Above) of these birds while exploring Hanauma Bay on Oahu's Southeast corner. They are a very pretty member of the Finch family with gray-brown upperparts and lower breast, and bellyline - also sporting very fine barring on back, wings, sides, lower breast, belly, and tail. What gives Waxbills a striking look is its Red beak, eyes and mask surrounded by white cheeks, throat, and upper breast (Below). Some have a rosy-pink patch on the belly.
 

A Common Waxbill sporting its bright red mask and beak; Oahu, Hawaii; 6/25/08.

 
Common Waxbills are usually observed pecking at the ground - on lawns, grassland, and cultivated fields. Sometimes they will be found in clearings of forests and marshes.

Red-vented Bulbul

This Red-vented Bulbul was very aggressive toward other birds as they competed for birdseed on the grounds of the Bed & Breakfast we stayed at in Oahu, Hawaii; 6/25/08.

We saw several Red-vented Bulbuls (Above) while on Oahu. It is a Blue Jay sized bird with dark brown body, black head with a crest, a white rump and red vent (under the tail behind the legs). They are considered an invasive pest on the island of Oahu. Apparently they haven't found their way onto Maui or Kauai, but there have been limited sightings on the Big Island. They are considered a pest because they are not native to the Hawaiian Islands, and cause considerable damage to Hawaii's fruit orchards and orchid Farms. They not only eat and destroy fruits and vegetables, but also eat the petals and bulbs off of very rare and expensive orchids. They were introduced from India, and are relatively common throughout Asia from China to Pakistan. Bulbuls also are very aggressive to other birds, chasing them away and taking over their habitats.

White-rumped Shama

White-rumped Shama; Oahu, Hawaii; 6/27/08.

The White-rumped Shama (Above) is a beautiful songbird with a long tail that is common in the forests of the Hawaiian Islands. We heard and saw them often on the island of Oahu. They were imported from Asia and were originally a captive bird used as pets, but eventually escaped captivity and have established a healthy wild population. They are very territorial, and the size of the tail may determine the size of the territory, with larger tailed birds (Below) having larger territories. Territories include a male and female pair during the breeding season with the males defending the territory. The White-rumped Shama is a famous songbird with wide-ranging songs and notes which are loud, melodious and shrill. They are known to imitate the calls of other birds. We always enjoyed hearing them sing while hiking through the forests of Hawaii.

The large tail of this White-rumped Shama may suggest that it rules a larger territory than another Shama with a smaller tail; Oahu, Hawaii; 6/28/08.

Common Mynah

The Common Mynah was imported from Asia, and is quite widespread in Pacific Islands and Australia. In the U.S. there are pockets in Southern Florida where it is rather common.

Common Mynah, Oahu, Hawaii; 6/25/08.

A couple of summers ago, Val and I had the fortunate oppurtunity to spend a couple weeks in the Hawaiian Islands.  Not surprising, the Islands are a host of many birds that are not seen (or at least not very frequently) in North America. Now that I have become more interested in bird photography, I regret not being more of a birder while I was there, and I did not capitalize on some great opportunities, but in the next couple weekends I will highlight some of the birds I did manage to capture.

One of the birds that is a common sight (especially on Oahu) in the Islands is the Common Mynah Bird (Above) which might be compared to our Starling or American Crow - some people would consider a nuiscance and a noisy beggar residing in urban areas thriving on human handouts and garbage.  However, the Mynah is quite striking in appearance with its black head, brown body and bright yellow beak and cheek, which gives it a look of having a perpetual scowl.  When in flight (Below), the Mynah's bold white markings on the wings and tail contrast brilliantly with its dark body. I wish that I had a better photo to capture its flashy feathers in flight.

The Common Mynah coming in for a landing; Oahu, Hawaii; 6/25/08.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

NOTE: Now that I am busy with school again, I will probably be posting to this blog only on weekends. It's been a great summer. Hope you enjoyed my summer blog about birds - pass it on to friends if you enjoyed it - let me know what's good about it and what's not good, so I may improve.

Ruby-throats are the only hummingbirds in this part of the country, and last summer I caught a glimpse of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird flitting in and out of our petunias now and then, so this summer I put up a hummingbird feeder with the hopes of attracting them to be a regular visitor to the house. I really didn't see the level of the hummingbird nectar in the feeder going down much during June and July, so I figured that the summer heat spoiled the nectar and the hummingbirds were not interested. A month ago I cleaned out the feeder and put in a fresh supply of nectar , but only a small amount so that it would not be in the feeder very long. Sure enough, within the day a pair of Ruby-throats became regular visitors - several times a day, and now I replace the nectar each week as it gets depleted. Now that they are visiting frequently, my goal is to get a good photograph, before they take off for their winter homes in the Tropics.

Below are photos I took of Ruby-throats when we spent a Memorial weekend in a cabin in Upper Michigan near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior back in 2007.

A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird on the back deck of a cabin in the north woods of Upper Michigan near Lake Superior; 5/27/07.

The angle of light creates the glow of the "ruby" throat; 5/27/07.

A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird lacks the "ruby" throat of its male counterpart; Upper Michigan, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore; 5/27/07.