Kauai 2012: Lighthouse visit the first, part 2

Wow. I didn't realize how long I'd been procrastinating on finally getting these pics up until I went back to make sure of what the first post from this day was titled. Sorry about that. These shots were taken during our first visit to the Kilauea lighthouse as I looked out toward the ocean, hoping to spot some humpback whales. I noticed some sort of activity involving at least two birds flying around the island just off the lighthouse shore, so I figured I'd take photos of 'em and sort out what was going on later. It ended up being quite the visual story all told, and the result is a monster of a post, featuring 35 images in all. What I discovered after downloading and examining the photos is that I'd captured a Great Frigatebird hot on the heels of a Red-footed Booby. My trusty guide to Hawaiian birds tells me the native Hawaiians coined their own name for the Great Frigatebird: 'Iwa, which means "thief." They chose the name because of the Great Frigatebird's habit of hassling boobies, terns, and shearwaters until they finally dropped whatever food they'd managed to catch, usually snagging their prize in midair, and I was lucky enough to capture this very practice in photos (I've cropped in many of the images quite a bit to provide a bit more detail; the results aren't always the clearest of shots, but I think they're still pretty interesting). In this first pic, a look at the 'Iwa and booby against the waves during one of their many flights across the island:

A few closer looks at the 'Iwa harassing the booby:

In this one, you can see a bit of the fish sticking out from the side of the booby's blue beak:

Finally, the booby decides to land on the island itself, presumably to finally escape the 'Iwa's attacks:

Down on solid ground, the booby probably thinks it's finally safe. However, that bird you can see coming in from the lower right corner, a Nene (aka a Hawaiian goose), most definitely has an opinion about this new bird's presence on the island:

And that opinion would be: "Get the &#@% off my lawn!"

This encounter definitely reinforced my long-held belief that I never, ever, want to p!ss off a goose:

Clearly, the booby has no choice but to take to the air once again. However, as you can see by the shadow in the upper right of the photo, it won't be getting much of a reprieve:

I like to imagine the goose is saying, "And STAY off!"

The booby's morning gets even worse when another 'Iwa joins the pursuit:

I zoomed in on this one because I liked the booby's tail flare:

I thought this one came out particularly well—I figure it must have been one of those moments when I'd just recaptured the focus:

The same pic as above, cropped even more to highlight the 'Iwa and the booby:

Then, believe it or not, a third 'Iwa joined the fun. At this point, you have to believe the booby's thinking, "Yes, by all means, let's make this EVEN MORE CHALLENGING!":

The third bird was either out of the frame or at the very top edge of it for these next few shots, so I cropped in a bit more:

Now the third 'Iwa is coming back for another pass:

I really liked how this one, featuring all four birds and their shadows, came out:

These next two frames are sequential (shots 632 and 633 of the day), and together they provide a sense of how quickly all of this was happening. In the first, although it's a bit difficult to make out, you can see that the booby still has the fish in its beak:

And in the second, it's clear that the 'Iwa just beneath the booby is now in possession of the prized meal: 

In this shot, the 'Iwas are already peeling away from the booby, presumably to fight amongst themselves for the fish:

And finally, a new chase is already underway for the three 'Iwas as the booby continues on. I hope it managed to catch another fish before too long—and that it was able to consume it in peace:

Hummingbird hub

Mom and Dad's place has apparently become a kind of Grand Central Station for Ruby-throated hummingbirds of late; Dad counted at least seven different birds while I was there for dinner on Monday night. Most of the time, they were either chasing each other or sitting and watching a feeder, waiting for another bird to try and feed so they could chase it away. The birds get so caught up in their battles, you'd swear at times they're about to collide with the feeder, or the tree, or us humans sitting on the porch. But, luckily for me, they did also on occasion sit and eat, allowing me the chance to get a few photos as they refueled for the next skirmish.

 A couple of shots of a female at the feeder:

A slightly raggedy-looking young male. I was intrigued that from one angle, his throat feathers looked almost black:

When he turned his head to watch his companion on the feeder take off, though, it was a totally different story:

One last closeup on the male:

The female on the feeder in this shot is keeping a very watchful eye on another female hovering on the periphery in the upper left corner of the frame:

A couple of shots of a female defending "her" feeder, her tail flared out to make herself look larger and more threatening:

Finally, one of my luckiest catches ever. I'd zoomed in to take a shot of a male on the feeder, and just as I clicked the shutter button a female swooped in to kick him out of his spot. As I said, a very lucky break for me:

(Rusty) Red, white and blue

I photographed this family of Bluebirds while house-sitting for my parents about two weeks ago, and it dawned on me yesterday that today would be the perfect day to post them, what with the male fitting in with the holiday's color scheme and all. In fact, I took the majority of these pics right upon arriving at their place; I noticed the male Bluebird dart out of a bush next to the garage as I pulled up, and, as experience has taught me that birds tend to see cars as another part of the landscape, I just stayed right in my driver's seat and waited to see if it would return. As you can see, I wasn't disappointed:

The female wasn't quite as active as the male on this particular day, and even when she did flit over closer to my spot she tended to keep toward the back of the foliage. This was one of the few close-up shots I got of her from my automotive vantage point:

The male and female hanging out on the far corner of the roof:

A young Bluebird checking out the rain gutter, both outside...

And in:

A closer look at the youngster:

Both adult Bluebirds also spent a fair amount of time in the blue spruce that sits in front of the house; if nothing else, it appears it was a good spot to do a bit of grooming:

Aaahh... that's the spot:

A beauty shot of the male sitting up on the corner of the garage:

And finally, you can now say you've seen a Bluebird perched atop a Wild Turkey's head; whether you mention that the turkey was a weathervane is completely your call:

Snapping to it

I spotted this beauty of a snapping turtle on the edge of Mom and Dad's driveway last night; I took this first photo from my car, having stopped my car right next to her upon realizing I was not, in fact, looking at a really big rock. In the lower left corner, you can see a small hole dug in the dirt of the driveway, one of about a half-dozen we could see to either side of her—evidence of her search to find a good spot to lay her eggs:

A look at her from the side:

I was trying to get her tail in this shot, but it was fairly well hidden in the grass:

And finally, a nice close-up look at the turtle's head—in particular, the very striking color and pattern of her iris:

La bella luna

Just wanted to share a photo of the special visitor I noticed outside of our office building this morning: the beautiful Luna Moth. I obviously can't be positive, but there seem to be a few shreds of its cocoon still clinging to its back and one of its left legs:

Very, very cool thing to see.

Back in black

Just wanted to share some photos of a black squirrel that's been stopping by my feeder for a little over a month; I don't know if the April day I took these was the first time it was here, but it was the first time I happened to notice it.

Scouring around underneath my feeder:

And when it went up the tree that's just to the right of my window; I did my best to compensate in Photoshop for the reflection on the right side of the frame that hindered my attempts to get a clear shot, but it's still slightly evident in the finished products:

One last close-up for the road:

Lady Slippers

Well, tonight my mom told me that if I didn't update soon there would be dire consequences, either for her computer or for me. So, in order to ensure my continued good health, a couple of photos I took a week or so ago of some yellow Lady Slippers growing at the edge of their property. I didn't notice it at the time, but there also a single dandelion seed in the lower left of this image:

A closer look: