HAWAI'I

I travelled to The Big Island of Hawai'i to work for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with an endangered bird: the 'alala, commonly known as the Hawai'ian Crow.  These species is critically endangered.  I would spend 5 days a week in the rainforest, living at 4800 feet, where I would track the crows using radio transmitters.  My weekends were spent in Volcano, which is a small village that abuts Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.  This park is home to Kilauea Volcano, the worlds most active volcano.  I took the opportunity to hike out to the lava on 3 occasions...it truly is a spectacular sight.  Every visit would be different.  Watching and hearing lava enter the ocean is an incredible experience.  How often does one have the chance to see land being created, before their eyes?

After 9 months of working with the crows, I joined another project and worked with the 'io: The Hawai'ian Hawk.  Trapping hawks is an energizing experience. 

Below are pictures from my jobs, and from travelling around the Big Island, and the other islands in the chain.

A hapu'u tree fern frond, prior to unfolding- shot in Volcano, Hawai'i

A Hawai'ian sunset- shot on Thanksgiving day weekend at the King Kamehameha Coconut grove on the island of Moloka'i.

The Thurston Lava tube, in the national park. 
Lava will often flow underground, and leave
behind large, long tubes after drying out. 
The tube is approximately 5 metres high.

A natural bridge of lava is formed at the ocean- shot in the national park.

A Hawai'ian honu'ea (Hawksbill turtle) hatchling takes its first steps towards the ocean at Kawa.  This species is endangered: fewer than 35 females are thought to nest in the Hawai'ian islands.

Click here to go to the next page on Hawai'i.

Click here to return to my homepage.