Capturing the Moment

  A spinner dolphin leaps high out of the water as a local boat looks on. Today we spent the morning exploring the picturesque, and historical Koloko-Honokohau National Historic Park. At one time, an ancient Hawaiian village thrived here, with numerous fish ponds, fresh water springs, and plenty of coastline to fish and collect shells from. However, lava flows from nearby Hualalai Volcano covered and destroyed most of the village. Now the area has been turned into a National Historic Park. There are paths through the lava flow, connecting the visitor center with the inland brackish fish ponds and the beach. My goal today was to share the history and beauty of the place with my guests. I wanted to show them the remnants of an ancient heiau or temple, some petroglyphs in the rocks, and also the fish ponds, some of which have been rebuilt. But another big mission was to go birding. Different birds can be seen out over the water, along the shoreline, in the strip of forest, and in the ...

  2 MIN READ 354 WORDS Wondering Tattler stalking through the tidepools. Koloko-Honokohau National Historic Park is a real hidden gem here on the Kona coast of the Big Island, Hawaii. There was an entire village here, surrounding very important fish ponds, including fresh water springs which would have been vital to life in ancient Hawaii. Lava flows, including one from 200 years ago, have flattened most of the village, but some historical remnants remain. The salt water fish ponds now play home to hungry sea turtles and migrating shore birds. The inland brackish pond is home to endemic waterfowl like Hawaiian coots and Hawaiian black necked stilts. Bird enthusiast are learning that this can be a wonderful place for bird watching. I've seen 18 species of birds here in the span of one morning. You have the benefit of having different ecosystems including offshore, coastal, tide pools, a strip of forest, and a brackish pond. The more ecosystems they have, the more diversity of animal...