Capturing the Moment

Vestiaria coccinea Scarlet Honeycreeper, "I'iwi"    The I'iwi, or scarlet honeycreeper is one of the  best known species of Hawaiian endemic finch species. Usually it is just seen as a red flash as it disappears into the native forest, however with a little (or a lot) of patience you may be lucky enough to see an I'iwi land and feed on a colorful tree.   The honeycreepers here in Hawaii are all descendants of one finch ancestor. Think about Darwin sailing to the Galapagos islands and finding a dozen or so different finch species there, all filling different niches, eventually leading Darwin to his theory of evolution. If he would have come to the Hawaiian islands instead, Darwin would have found 54 different species of finch, and most likely would have come to his conclusion of evolution years earlier!   Not all species have survived as well as our I'iwi, and even those are regulated to the high elevation patches of native forest. Thanks to the in...

Rocky outcropping in Kawai Nui Marsh    The Kawai Nui marsh is the largest wetlands in Hawaii at a little over 800 acres. I've seen people walking far out through the marsh over a levy but I've never stopped to really search for the trail head. Heidi and I searched for a bit and found a trail leading to this big, lava rock outcropping. It provided a great view over the marsh and even a little trail down to a fresh water pool, but no access deeper into the marsh. Secret Swimming Hole   After admiring some of the beautiful flowers growing around the trail we got some advice on where to find the trail to the levy. Our local advice proved much better than our smart phones so we were soon on the path leading out into the Kawai Nui marsh. Heidi checking out the levy Mountains and Marsh   It is always interesting hiking through a part of the islands that is so unique. There are so many different environments here from rainforest, to desert, to wetland...