Flora & Fauna of Maui & Hawai'i Island - January-February 2020

From mynah birds to Franklins, who like to bury themselves in sand, to the nēnē (Hawai’in goose) hanging out on golf courses, to all types of reptiles, crustaceans & fish, to winter flowers galore & palm trees swaying in the wind, it was a sight to behold. Mongooses appeared twice but they were too quick for me to capture with the camera. Feral cats were abundant on Maui.

Mynah bird. We saw a lot of them. This was the start of the "Big Steve" Memorial Trail, high above Lahāina.

Black-crowned night heron. Also found in Marin County.

Franklin. This one, and its nearby pal, liked themselves buried in the dirt.

Now on Hawai'i.

This froggie just sits there. Lots of them found in the morning, flattened on the road.

Nēnē or Hawai'ian goose. Official bird of the state of Hawaiʻi.

I had read, "The nēnē is exclusively found in the wild on the islands."

At the Wiliwili Festival, this gal told me that nēnē were often found on golf courses. I played a game here & won the yellow sticker!

Nēnē "en situ," on the golf course at Hulalālai.

Crab that didn't make it back to the ocean.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Macademia nuts from Āhualoa Farms. They made the best prepared nuts & Hamakua Coffee.

We don't see this at our local CVS.

About as close to octopuses as we were going to get.

See "The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness" that Nomi was reading while we were in Hawai'i.

We saw many whales cavorting but not really breeching.

One big eel appeared but quickly slithered away.

Tide pools at the beach of Hualālai.

In this & the next photo, I thought these were rocks until they moved. Look carefully & you can see the tracks.