I is for I'iwi: an endemic honeycreeper on Maui

I know when I buy a new bird book which birds become a target. 

Here in Hawaii the common birds tend to be the introduced 'aliens' and hold little real interest to me. 

However, the section in my Birds of Hawaii by Jim Denny that draws me is the endemic forest birds - obviously the most sort after too - and Hawaii's isolation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has created a high degree of adaption and a whole new subfamily, the honeycreepers!

Of these, I wanted the I'iwi, apart from its cool name it is fabulous with its deep red colour and the contrasting black with a hint of white. It is the long, deeply decurved bill with its funky salmony red colour that makes it a rock star here on Maui.

We landed early from Big Island this morning and the John's drove us out to Hosmer Grove on Haleakala with I'iwi's as the target and we were treated to a spectacular birding fest. 

Most happy with this lifer.

O is for Ohi'a lehua: a special tree in Hawaii

The Ohi'a lehua is an evergreen flowering tree in the myrtle family and it is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It grabbed my attention as soon as we landed. The red flowers are beautiful as are the fruits which look like woody capsules and contain numerous tiny seeds. The leaves feel leathery with an oval shape and the bark becomes silver grey, a quite wonderful tree indeed.

We have seen these trees in the high altitude tropical rain forests where they grow huge as well as small shrubs starting life on a lowland lava flow!

I read that these trees probably evolved here in Hawaii from plants that originally came from New Zealand, they are from the same genus and look similar. And I also fell in love with the New Zealand pohutakawa!

Even more important is this tree in the higher altitudes, is the source of nectar and insect prey for the Hawaiian endemic birds. Fred has captured some beautiful images of the tree and some of these birds.

Maui Amakihi, an endemic honeycreeper.

Juvenile Apapane

D is for Devastation Trail: Volcano National Park, Hawaii

Pu'u Pua'i created after the 1959 eruption of Kilauea Iki.

A late afternoon stroll along the Devastation Trail was a stark reminder of both the power and the impact of an eruption.
It's 57 years after Kilauea Iki erupted and the is landscape is still barren with only a hint of recovery.

Reamrkable devastation after Kilauea Iki eruption.

PS - a D at last on my travels....