Today is my last full day on the Big Island of Hawaii. I decided to get up well before sunrise and look for the Hawaiian Pueo … a sub-species of the mainland Short-Eared Owl which colonized Hawaii not too long after Polynesians arrived from the South Pacific. Not only did I find one owl, but two very cooperative birds which hunted for almost three hours. In fact, the owls were still “on the hunt” when I decided to leave … an amazing time for me. The birds were rarely more than 35 yards away! (learn more about this owl) All the photographs and video are of the same bird and hunting sequence. (video link for email subscribers)

Some vacations are just wunderbar! I grew up eating fried SPAM, and still love same. Imagine my surprise and glee when exploring back roads on the Big Island of Hawaii yesterday when I found this sign!!! (very near the southernmost point in the United States … not just the Lower 48).

Actually as we left Bowman’s Guest House yesterday morning, after a delightful stay of ten nights with Kent and Melanie, I convinced Molly that I might be allowed a quick bird right outside the gate. My five minutes were well spent, as the Java Sparrows posed nicely for me.

Our last dinner was a picnic on the Pacific Ocean where these Yellow-Billed Cardinals were a photographer’s dream in terms of image locations. We also watched sperm whale breaching completely out of the water, and performing some great flipper flapping (more on this fantastic sight later in its own post).

In closing, not only did we find SPAM on the South Point Road, but when I spied a small pond next to the road I finally was rewarded with seeing the Hawaiian state bird … the Hawaiian Goose or Nene.

We are now on the real touristy side of the island … quite the contrast.

This morning I went hiking near our guest house shortly after sunrise, and as noted before our lodging is a nature lover’s paradise. We are nestled on 6.5 acres between a state park and a wildlife preserve. The sounds of nature put us to sleep each night.  Browse to Molly’s post which explains how we followed the Bowmans from Alaska to Hawaii … with a 15 year interlude (her post has lots of pics of our guest house).

Anyhow, back to birding. As I started my hike I could hear a Hawaiian Hawk screaming in the distance. Following my ears after a 1/2 mile walk I found a juvenile Hawaiian Hawk begging for breakfast. Although I spent over 30 minutes with this youngster, it was evident that Ma and Pa Hawk expected the Juvie to hunt on its own this morning. Before providing this morning’s pics and video, I realize I never gave the link in a prior post explaining this birds royal link … thus “The Bird that Soars in the Heavenly Space” You will be browsing to Ka Wai Ola … “which has been serving up news for the lāhui since 1980, covering the people, issues and events important to the Native Hawaiian community.”

Juvenile Hawaiian Hawk  (video link for email subscribers)