Jan 2, 2008

Lifebirds #2 and #3 - The Big Island of Hawaii

After “finding” (after-the-fact) a dull and familiar bird as my first lifer on the island of Maui, birds two and three were positively exotic. (See Lifebird #1 for an explanation of how this Hawaiian invasive came to kick-off my list.)

Still on our honeymoon, and shortly after landing on the “Big Island” of Hawaii, Joann and I ate seafood at the Bubba Gump’s a quarter mile or so from our condo on Ali’i Drive. As we enjoyed a great view of Kona Bay and the Pacific, this small, striped Zebra Dove—lifer number two—landed on the retaining wall a few feet from our table.

I found a pair of colorful Java Sparrows on the morning of our first full day on the island: lifebird(s) number three. This photo was taken from our Kailua-Kona condo’s lanai. Later in the day, Joann and I visited the famous Keck Observatory and the other famous telescopes atop Mauna Kea, 14,000 feet above sea level.

Species	Zebra Dove / Geopelia striata
Where	At Bubba Gump's in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii
When	June 25, 2003
Species	Java Sparrow / Lonchura oryzivora
Where	Near our lanai in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii
When	June 26, 2003
With	Joann
Number	2 - 3