Hawaiian Red Jungle Fowl

This is a handsome fellow - Hawaiian Red Jungle Fowl - I photographed on the island of Kauai.   Most of the true red jungle fowl are found on Kauai, primarily at Koke'e State Park and Alaka'i Swamp.  They are shy birds of dense rain forests.    They were brought to Hawaii by the first Polynesians and are called "Moa" in Hawaiian.   They are not as widespread now, and many have bred with other chickens so a true red jungle fowl is hard to find.   There are some feral jungle fowl on Oahu and the other main islands.   

Sometimes it seems like there are more wild roosters and chickens on the islands than there are people !   You see them almost everywhere, and some are so use to humans that they are almost tame.   Below is a painting of mine of a not so wild rooster that I photographed  right on the beach at Hanauma Bay on Oahu.  One of his female companions thoughtfully laid an egg right in front of me while I took photos !  I am not inclined to eat their eggs, however, and they say the wild chickens themselves are pretty tough to eat cooked.   

"Hanauma Bay Resident"

12" x 16" Acrylic on gallery wrap canvas

Available painting

I have only painted one red jungle fowl, and that was a miniature and can be found at my other blog by going here  .   I intend to paint more jungle fowl and other roosters in the future.

Hawaiian Gallinule At Hamakua Marsh, Oahu

Hawaiian Gallinule

The Hawaiian Gallinule is a subspecies of the common moorhen.   It is endangered and is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands....now limited to Kauai, Oahu, and Molokai.  The population today is probably only in the hundreds.   This photograph and the ones below were all taken at Hamakua Marsh in Kailua, Oahu.  

The one photo gives a good glimpse of their rather large feet.  I had a big surprise when I took the following two photographs of the same bird at the marsh .

This is not a juvenile Hawaiian Gallinule, but just a mostly white adult which must be rather rare.  I contacted the Hawaii Audubon Society and sent them these two photographs and they informed me that it was an adult and that another one had been seen at Kahuku on Oahu.  Rather pretty bird, I think.  

This is a view of Hamakua Marsh.  It was a grey overcast day when I took this photograph; the color there can be quite beautiful at times.

"Making Ripples"

24" x 24" Acrylic on gallery wrap canvas

This is an available painting of mine of the Hawaiian Gallinule at Hamakua Marsh. 

There will be more posts about Hawaii's endemic birds (and others as well) very soon.  I enjoy all wildlife, but birds are very special to me for some reason.   

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Surprise at Hamakua Marsh Oahu

"Surprises are the joy of living.  Surprises directly touch the soul.  Good surprises energize and bad surprises teach."  - Alev Oguz

Black-Necked Stilt or Ae'o

Capturing these stilts in flight was one nice surprise at Hamakua Marsh on a visit there last month. I visit there often and this was the first time I got a good shot of them in flight.   They are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and are similar to the mainland USA race, although there is more black on the neck and lower face than on the ones found in North America.   There were several at the marsh the day I took this photo; the marsh is located in Kailua on Oahu not too far from Honolulu.   

Black-Crowned Night Heron or 'Auku'u

The Hawaiian form of this bird is pretty much the same as those found in North America.   What a great surprise to view this photo on my computer and to realize I had captured the quick turn of its head at just the right moment.   These Black-Crowned Night Herons are found on all the Hawaiian Islands and every time I have visited Hamakua Marsh there have been several of them there.   I have also seen them at Waikiki and several other places on Oahu.

Hawaiian Coot or 'Alae ke'oke'o

The Hawaiian Coot also may be found on all the main islands.  I will include more photos of them and other birds found at the Hamakua Marsh in a future post.  

Hamakua Marsh - Kailua, Oahu

This is one view of the area on a cloudy, wet day with Hamakua Marsh being to the right.  Well, the main  marshy area is to the right.   

Black-Necked Stilts and Mallards

 I will make another post of Hamakua Marsh very soon.   Hope you enjoyed your visit here today !

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

White-Rumped Shama Thrush

The photos above are of male White-Rumped Shama Thrush.   They are quite beautiful and have a wonderful rich song.   They were first introduced from Malaysia to the Island of Kauai in 1931 and on Oahu in 1940.  It is rather a large bird....9 to 11 inches.   

The above photo is a female Shama Thrush that has bitten off more than she can chew.... a creepy centipede.   Notice that the female is duller in color than the male and has a bit smaller tail.   Below are a couple of my photos of baby Shamas.

As of this date, I have only painted one Shama Thrush.   Below is the reference photo and the painting.

Shama Thrush

12" x 12" Acrylic on panel

One of the reference photos for the acrylic painting above.

All of the shown photographs were taken at two different botanical gardens on Oahu, but occasionally I have seen Shama Thrush elsewhere on the island.  They are not backyard birds and tend to stay primarily in forests.   One time I saw a handsome male Shama at a well landscaped restaurant in the suburbs of Honolulu.   

These photos were taken when my camera was fairly new and I was just learning how to use it.  But the photos are at least clear enough to give you a good idea of the coloring, etc., of this much loved bird. 

Blue Heaven Cattleya Orchid

I fell in love with this orchid and had no choice but to purchase it !   It is a cattleya orchid by the name of Blue Heaven, although in reality it was more of a pale lavender than a blue color.    I am sad to say, that after blooming it died on me; I am not very successful at growing orchids.   Other plants, yes; orchids, no.  However, I was able to capture it in many photographs.   Below are a few more shots I took.

Below is one of many still life setups I photographed of this orchid for use as a reference for a future painting.  I realize that yellow pot doesn't really work very well in this photo as well as the fact that the green pot with the orchid does not fit into it properly,  but I had no orchid ceramic pot large enough to do the job.  Besides, I can use artistic license and paint the pot another color and make it fit when I compose the painting.

"The flower that follows the sun does so even in cloudy days."  - Robert Leighton

We can take a lesson from that quote, or should I say from the flowers themselves.   

Waikiki Sunrise

"There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope." - Bern Williams

"Climb up on some hill at sunrise.  Everybody needs perspective once in a while, and you'll find it there." - Robb Sagendorph

Both of these photos were taken on the same morning at Waikiki.   There is always something very tranquil about a sunrise.   These photos are very inspiring and I hope to paint from them before too long.  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said "Talent develops in tranquility."  It is important to keep your art studio quiet and tranquil so you can concentrate on the work at hand.   However, many artists play music to paint by, including myself....but not always.   I prefer soft classical music but sometimes I just want perfect quiet while I create.   

Although this blog is intended to be of  primarily nature and wildlife as well as landscapes and seascapes, it is impossible not to include buildings and people from time to time.   On this post I was primarily focusing on the sunrise, of course.   Below is a  photo of wildlife found at Waikiki Beach.

Black-Crowned Night Heron 

These herons are unique to the islands, but closely resemble the USA mainland's Black-crowned night herons.   They are literally to be found everywhere; this fellow found a nice perch on a warning sign about dangerous surf.   It is about time I painted another portrait of this bird.   

"Gotcha!"

12" x 16" acrylic

The above painting of a Black-crowned night heron won an award in a local art show not too long ago.  It is still available for purchase.   

More sunrise paintings will follow at an another time .   Enjoy!

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Residents Of Waikiki (Waterfowl and Koi)

"O Lord, what a variety of things You have made!  In wisdom You have made them all.  The earth is full of Your creatures."  Psalm 104:24

Drake Wood Ducks

White-faced Whistling Duck

Black-Necked Swan

Lesser Flamingos

Hungry Koi 

These photographs were taken at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki and are a sampling of some of the non-human residents there.   I go there as often as I can to just enjoy them and take new photos.  Below is a view of Diamondhead, an extinct volcano, as seen from the beach at the Hilton.

This will be a good reference photo for a new painting.   I hope you enjoyed your visit here today and please  return again soon.

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com