I’ve been chatting with family in Hawaii a lot lately so I thought that I would paint a Red-crested cardinal. He ended up with a more intense stare than I intended but when I started looking at them closely they kinda do look like intense birds.
I think the head looks a little like a kids baseball team logo but that amuses me.
Go Cardinals!
Supplies used: Sakura Micron Ink Pens
A couple of cuddly Java Sparrows. I’ve been really into these birds after visiting Hawaii recently.
Supplies used: Sakura Micron Ink Pens
Hawaii has a few more dove species (Mourning, Rock, Spotted, and Zebra) than San Diego does. Although you can see Spotted Doves here, I haven’t had the pleasure yet so I was excited to see them in O’ahu.
I was struck by how much smaller the Zebra Doves are compared to a Spotted Dove (which is similar in size to a Mourning Dove or Pigeon). You can see in the pictures above the size difference. Man, the zebras were everywhere! It’s like Hawaii’s pigeon (although it has those too). The zebras also varied a lot in shade (see above pics) which surprised me.
Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron at Byodo-In Temple in the Valley of the Temples in O’ahu. This is one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever been, despite the crowds of visitors. My husband found this heron staying perfectly still on the edge of a small side pond. You would have mistaken it for a statue for as long as it we stared at it without any moment.
Kinda freaked out this Red-vented Bulbul in O’ahu by sneaking up on it at a picnic table. It flew out onto this bush and seemed kinda peeved with me being there. Probably just hangry.
There was an abundance of Pacific Golden Plover all over the area we were staying. If you’ve ever seen one stateside, this is not what you are used to it looking like. It’s winter coat is very different than it’s plumage for the rest of the year.
I’ve been going back and forth comparing these photos to the Black-bellied Plover since they are SO similar in their nonbreeding plumage. I can’t seem to find any good distinguishing marks between the two other than the black-bellies have a white stripe on their wings during flight, but obviously that doesn’t help with these photos. Let me know if some of these are labeled wrong. Thanks!
Ok, really red vents, but that’s not as good of a title. I saw quite a few Red-vented Bulbuls and Red-whiskered Bulbuls while in O’ahu. Unfortunately, that’s not a good thing because they are a fairly destructive invasive species (info here and here) in Hawaii.
I was constantly struck at how colorful many of the invasive species were. I guess with so few predators, you can be as colorful as you want.
Red-crested Cardinal in O’ahu. I kept thinking it looked like a normal cardinal but it wearing a gray coat and white scarf… because this is how my brain amuses itself.
Proof that somethings are only boring because you are used to them.
O’ahu is covered with these Common Myna, but I had a great time watching them anywhere we happened to be eating outside (they seem smart like grackles and hang around where humans drop food). Toward the end of the trip, the newness of the myna started to wear off and I found myself looking out for other birds instead…which got me thinking how you stop paying attention to things you’re used to and search for new things instead of appreciating what you already have.
A deep thought from just looking at birds.
If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission
Discover. Grow. Make a difference.
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