On several past visits to Hawaii I have tried to find and photograph native Hawaiian honeycreepers like the ‘apapane. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any birds on those trips. Finally during a visit two weeks ago I found an ‘apapane on the loop trail at Hosmer Grove on the slopes of Haleakala on Maui, and managed to snap a few photos of the bird. The bright colored little birds were a challenge to photograph as they don’t sit still for very long, flying from flower to flower sipping nectar.

It was great to add a new bird to my life list, especially with a few photographs to document the encounter! Next trip I hope to find and photograph an ‘I’iwi another somewhat rarer honeycreeper that has an amazing looking curved bill.