long-tailed cuckoo in an aito tree
My birding day started with coffee, and while I was enjoying my coffee and reading internet news on the porch of my bungalow, I caught a glimpse of something zipping by through the trees along the beach.
The wingbeat and flight path was not like a seabird, and I immediately jumped for my camera since I knew it must be a Long-tailed Cuckoo. Although you hear these birds quite often, it is rare to get a good look at one, and I had never gotten a good photo.
These birds are very wary and blend in we will the trees, but I did manage to finally get one shot at a distance before it flew off.
So then it was off to Motu Reiono where White Terns are staking out nesting sites (actually just a bare branch), and hover around nervously as you pass by.
Adult white phase Red-Footed Booby
Also saw a beautiful adult white phase Red-Footed Booby – that is with a white upper body rather than the normal gray feathers.
Normal red-footed booby
Up on the northern coast, along the shore of Motu Hiraanae, the Frigatebird colony (which has both Greater and Lesser Frigatebirds) was in full swing, with chicks, juveniles, and adults all in attendance.
