Kauai 2014: day 9

Gloomy day that was much improved by the chance to photograph a sandpiper along the beach as the tide was going out. Lots of pics again today, so I'll jump right on in.

These first few shots were taken at slightly longer range than the majority of those I'll be featuring, but I liked how they provide a sense of scale (and of how windy it was that day):

Tossing down a bite to eat:

Strolling along a riffle:

Check out those waves in the background:

And now some closer looks at the bird:

Grabbing another bite to eat—I think it was hunting small crabs:

Continuing to stalk the reef:

I didn't even realize there was a hole that deep right there:

I really liked the droplet you can see at the end of its beak:

Managed to catch a bit of a reflection here:

Stretching those wings:

Liked the ripple you can see in this one:

Another reflection that caught my eye:

In this one, it still has a bit of water in its beak:

Time for a bit of preening:

Back to the search for food:

A bit of motion blur, but I liked the dynamic quality it brought to this photo:

Yeah, that's the spot...

Some more reflections:

Diving back in:

One more look at the bird with a morsel in its mouth:

And just to keep things interesting, a photo of a butterfly I spotted on some flowers as I returned to the house:

Kauai 2014: day 7

Lots of photos today, most of them taken during a trip to Lumahai Beach. So I'll just get right to it.

Looking at the beach from the path down:

A few photos of the beach, this time with people so as to give a sense of scale. This is actually only one half of the entirety of Lumahai; the other side will be featured in a future post:

A closer look at the rocks in a quiet moment:

And a sequence I loved, as the foam poured over the same section of rocks:

More looks at the water moving over the rocks:

If you look closely, you'll see a bird standing on the edge of that hillside:

More looks at the shore; basically, I picked images where the spray, waves, or patterns on the beach caught my eye:

Loved this twister of a spray:

Bringing some sand up over:

More random looks at the shoreline:

Quick sequence as a wave came over the top of the rock above:

Later shots of another wave coming over with even more enthusiasm:

A last look at this part of Lumahai:

A couple of shots taken looking straight up into the foliage as we walked back up the path from the beach:

And looking down at the ocean from the cliff above:

When we returned home, I decided to walk over and take a couple of photos of the waterfall as it looked a day later:

As you can see, after only a few hours without rain, the smaller waterfall is no longer there:

Walking back to the house, I happened to hear, and then see, this white-rumped shama not too far away from the driveway, giving me the chance to snag some good closeups: 

Puffed up a bit:

Time for a bit of preening:

Sorting out that one obstinate feather: 

One final beauty shot to close out this lengthy post: