Capturing the Moment

Breaching Humpback Whale   If you are a wildlife lover and think Hawaii has not much to offer then think again. On a recent trip to Maui I was able to see some of the biggest wildlife and some of the smallest in the same day. Right now the oceans are thick with humpback whales mating and having babies. I saw quite a few in between Lana'i and Maui on my flight in from Honolulu. And I couldn't wait to get up close on one of the whale watching boats with my friends at Pacific Whale Foundation. Mom and Baby   The whales did not disappoint. On a two hour whale watch I saw breaches, tail slaps, peduncle throws, pec slaps, fluke up dives, and brand new babies. I still think that Maui has got to be one of the best places in the world for whale watching during the months of February and March. I'iwi (Honeycreeper) out in the open I'iwi bird feeding   Seeing 40 ton animals launching out of the water is pretty amazing, but my other goal while on Maui was t...

Forest in the Mist Welcome to the Maui cloud forest   Hiking through a cloud with soaring trees slowly fading away into the mist makes you feel like you are no longer on a tropical island. The temperature can plummet below freezing overnight and the wind makes the cloud come to life like a slow moving white river flowing through the forest. Enter the cloud belt, 7,000ft up on the slope of Haleakala volcano. Endemic birds like the I'iwi or scarlet honeycreeper chase each other from tree top to tree top bringing a stark red contrast to the misty green of the cloud forest. Juvenile I'iwi (Scarlet honeycreeper) A bright red flash hails the coming of an I'iwi bird Hossmer's Grove is a beautiful campground and nature trail through a one hundred year old experimental forest. Pine, spruce, cedar, and eucalyptus still stand and wage war against the native fauna in the delicate ecosystem. It borders the Haleakala national park where rangers fight hard to hold the...