Kauai 2013 day 7

A much quieter day, which we all needed after the excitement (and drinking) of the day before...

A Japanese White-eye working some of the flowers next to the house:
 

Beauty shot of a flower for my friend Sarah K.:

My attempt at some landscape-type pics of the ocean:

While not much of this one is in focus, I liked the sense of motion you get from that bit of blurriness:

A sharper photo of the water coming in—if you look closely at the leading edge, you can see particles of sand being drawn up by the wave:

Obligatory surfer shot:

You know that if a dog goes by I'm going to try and get some photos of it:

Playtime at the beach!

Not the best photo, thanks to the haziness, but if you look in the middle you can see a waterfall running down diagonally from left to right:

Finally, a couple of shots of a White-rumped Shama that was perched in some foliage we walked past on our way back to the house:

Kauai 2013 day 6: Luau

This epic photo extravaganza of a day finally draws to a close with some pics from my first luau. It took place at Tahiti Nui, a well-known bar that's been around for 50 years—although I suspect many folks know it best as the bar George Clooney met Beau Bridges at in The Descendants. The atmosphere was very welcoming—we all received shell necklaces upon our arrival, and the mai tais were free for the first hour. So, really, the fact that any of these photos are clear is a tribute to auto focus technology. First up, a look at the unveiling of the star of the evening: the kalua pig. They invited everyone to come out and watch as it was uncovered, and I managed to snag a spot off to the side that gave me a terrific look at the process:

Peeling off the top layers:

Then the banana leaves:

And finally, paydirt:

Cutting up the meat:

From my iPhone, a shot of my dinner and dessert. I took a sample of just about everything in the buffet, including the kalua pig, teriyaki chicken, sticky rice, potato salad, garlic bread, tossed salad, salmon, ceviche, and probably a couple of things I've forgotten. Although poi enjoys a certain reputation, I dipped the pork in it and thought it was perfectly fine. Dessert included coconut pudding, rice pudding, and some fruit. And, of course, a mai tai to help wash it all down...

Next came the performances, starting with a couple of dances.

Yes, the little girl was just as adorable as she seems:

This woman, who works at Tahiti Nui, performed a traditional Hawaiian song and dance with an absolutely gorgeous smile:

Back to the group dances:

A quick lesson for those brave enough to go up on stage. Note that my location remained the back of the room:

A closer look at the youngest performer:

Of course, no luau would be complete without the coconut bra ensemble...

When the dancers were on breaks, the musicians kept right on going:

Possibly one of the most striking outfits of the evening:

And of course, no luau would be complete without fire:

After the lights went down, I decided to try an experiment. I went with a wide aperture and a slow shutter speed, and did my best to hold the camera steady. I have to admit, I was pretty delighted with the results;

The faster he twirled the stick, the more interesting the light trails became:

One final look at the light show:

All in all, a really fun evening. I highly recommend the experience.

Kauai 2013 day 6: Tropicbirds

The final bird photos from this particular day are of Tropicbirds, a bird I haven't had much of an opportunity to get decent closeup photos of during previous trips to Kilauea. There are two types of Tropicbirds that can be seen around the Hawaiian Islands: the Red-tailed and the White-tailed, both of which I had a chance to photograph on this particular trip. First up, some Red-tailed Tropicbirds:

As I've not yet mastered the intricacies of photographing white birds against gray clouds, I had to rely a bit on Photoshop to lessen the shadows on a few of these pictures. One of these days I'll figure it out...

The White-tailed Tropicbird is a bit more active and a bit more common at Kilauea Point. While their bodies and wingspans are a bit smaller than their Red-tailed cousins, their tails are actually a bit longer. They also have a yellow beak, rather than red, which helps when you're on your computer trying to figure out which ones are which a few hours later:

This one provides a better sense of the streamer-like tail these birds are known for:

Not the clearest shot, but I liked the contrast of the white bird against the cliff side:

The selections in this last group of photos aren't the greatest in terms of focus or overall clarity, but I thought they provided a decent look at the birds as they approach the cliff. White-tailed Tropicbirds set up their nests in rock crevices or burrows on cliff faces; in fact, very little is known about their breeding biology because their nests tend to be so inaccessible. While they usually breed from March to October, it appears that during our time there in early February they were beginning the nesting process, as a later look at my photos—specifically the way the tails of some of the birds are flared out—suggested to me that they were flying right up to the rock face, if not landing for a brief moment before departing again:

Finally, I even managed to snag some shots of a pair of birds that seem to have already picked out the perfect spot to raise their next baby:

In this last shot, the female bird's beak appears to be open—maybe she's reminding her mate to pick up the groceries on his way back home?

By the way, most of the info about these birds accompanying my posts comes from Hawaii's Birds, a book from the Hawaii Audubon Society that's been an invaluable resource for me in writing these entries.