John Harvey Photo

Kealia Pond

Go to Slide Show Smaller Images Use up that jet lag


Boardwalk In Morning
Hawaii is a few hours west of Vancouver so you find yourself waking up a little earlier than usual.  Sure, you can do the sleep in thing, but a lot of Hawaii is really interesting at sunrise so why not take advantage?  We had a rental car and Kealia Pond is only a few minutes drive from our resort so I left in the morning while everyone else was sleeping.


Hawaian Stilt Out Of Water
It's really hard to argue I'm not a birder.  As far as I can tell, when birders travel, they want to have a few lists - what are the endemic birds (and where to see them) and where are the birding hot spots (and what do you look for).  I didn't do a lot of research on the first - Hawaii has lost a lot of amazing birds, but still has a lot of treats.  The second - where to the hot spots are - is easy to work into a trip.  Kealia Pond was one such hot spot and it lists two interesting birds - the
Hawaiian Stilt and the Hawaian Coot.

Hawaiian Stilt IReflectedHawaiian Stilt In Flight

Kealia Pond makes seeing the Hawaiian Stilt easy - there are potentially hundreds in the area and they are very easy to pick out.  Within a minute of getting out of the car, I had a photo I was happy with.  As I walked further into the reserve, I noticed Herons - what turned out to be Night Heron's in the trees looking for fish.  Night Heron's are like an old friend you keep bumping into - there is a reliable pair close to where I live, but I have also see them in Taiwan and now Hawaii.  I'll be happy to see them again some day.

Night Heron Behind BranchesJuvenile Night HeronNight Heron On Top Of Bush

Hawaian Coot

After a bit more searching, I did find a Hawaiian Coot.  Small black birds in the water are a little harder to spot, but we have Coots in the lower mainland and the behaviour seemed very familiar.


After that, it's take in the sights.  I was surprised to see the local pigeons weren't rock pigeons, but they are invasive.

  Dove On The GroundDoves In The Marsh
 
Monarch

Not to be outdone, but there were lots of butterflies as well.  Being in the morning, the butterflies tend to perch for a few seconds more than they do when they are fully warm. 


A few days later we drove by and Helen wanted to walk around.  It was about 2 in the afternoon in the heat of the day and there was nothing to see - almost nothing in the ponds and the insects were moving impossibly fast.  It's funny how much a place changes over the course of a day.

Resort | Kealia Pond | Haleakala | Road to Hana | Snorkeling | Surfing
 
 


Night Heron Behind Branches
Species: Nycticorax nycticorax (Black-crowned Night Heron)
Altitude: 13m (42 feet)
Location: Go To...
Hawaian Stilt Out Of Water
Species: Himantopus mexicanus knudseni (Ae'o, Hawaiian Stilt)
Altitude: 9m (29 feet)
Location: Go To...
Doves In The Marsh
Species: Spilopelia chinensis (Spotted Dove)
Altitude: 16m (52 feet)
Location: Go To...
Boardwalk In Morning
Altitude: 13m (42 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: boardwalk, Hawaii
Dove On The Ground
Species: Spilopelia chinensis (Spotted Dove)
Altitude: 16m (52 feet)
Location: Go To...
Hawaiian Stilt In Flight
Species: Himantopus mexicanus knudseni (Ae'o, Hawaiian Stilt)
Altitude: 10m (32 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: bird in flight, Hawaii
Hawaian Coot
Species: Fulica alai (Alae Keo Keo, Hawaiian Coot)
Altitude: 13m (42 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: bird, Hawaii
Night Heron On Top Of Bush
Species: Nycticorax nycticorax (Black-crowned Night Heron)
Altitude: 13m (42 feet)
Location: Go To...
Monarch
Species: Danaus plexippus (Monarch)
Altitude: 17m (55 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: butterfly, Hawaii
Hawaiian Stilt IReflected
Species: Himantopus mexicanus knudseni (Ae'o, Hawaiian Stilt)
Altitude: 10m (32 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: bird, Hawaii, reflection
Juvenile Night Heron
Species: Nycticorax nycticorax (Black-crowned Night Heron)
Altitude: 14m (45 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: Hawaii(5), bird(2), boardwalk(1), reflection(1), bird in flight(1), butterfly(1)
From: John Harvey Photo > Blogs for 2023 to 2005 > Maui > Kealia Pond
From: John Harvey Photo > Trips out of the Country > Maui > Kealia Pond

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