Whenever we practice Tai chi on Thursdays under the monkeypod tree we are surrounded by a variety of birds. There are definitely a whole array of finches that I suspect are not supposed to be in the islands and are descendents of pretty little birds that some bird lover let loose unthinkingly.
There are also cardinals, NO pigeons, sparrows, doves and a lot of egrets that gracefully walk around the park and often come quite close to stare curiously at us.
Lately there have been four of these black and white birds that we've all been noticing.
There's always four of them. After about a month of seeing them I brought my longer lens camera. Although the egrets come ridiculously close, these new birds keep their distance.
One of our Tai chi friends, Cal looked up the bird and discovered that it is a Hawaiian Stilt and belongs here in Hawaii as well as California and has even been seen in Florida. Its Hawaiian name is A'eo.
The funny thing is they always arrive about half an hour into our practice session unlike the egrets who seem to have no schedule.
I'm glad I was finally able to get these photos. Well, to be honest Art got them for me. He's the one who stealthily snuck up on them to snap these photos. I have no luck with taking bird photos. They must think an elephant is trying to come and attack them.
I do enjoy birds, just not pigeons and bulbuls. Despite the fact that our neighbor has stopped feeding them, they still come in hoards and sit on our roofs waiting for a hand out. One nasty bulbul actually chopped off a large bud off of mom's cattleya orchid that she'd been nurturing for a long time. She was in near tears.
Art and I went and bought a large roll of bird net to put around her orchid shed. I hope it works.
There are also cardinals, NO pigeons, sparrows, doves and a lot of egrets that gracefully walk around the park and often come quite close to stare curiously at us.
Lately there have been four of these black and white birds that we've all been noticing.
The funny thing is they always arrive about half an hour into our practice session unlike the egrets who seem to have no schedule.
I'm glad I was finally able to get these photos. Well, to be honest Art got them for me. He's the one who stealthily snuck up on them to snap these photos. I have no luck with taking bird photos. They must think an elephant is trying to come and attack them.
I do enjoy birds, just not pigeons and bulbuls. Despite the fact that our neighbor has stopped feeding them, they still come in hoards and sit on our roofs waiting for a hand out. One nasty bulbul actually chopped off a large bud off of mom's cattleya orchid that she'd been nurturing for a long time. She was in near tears.
Art and I went and bought a large roll of bird net to put around her orchid shed. I hope it works.
Good story and photographs. I couldn't help but worry though about the large group exercising under that tree coupled with all the birds and wondering about bird "droppings" interfering with the process.?.
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, I HAVE worried about the birds deciding to use us as their toilet, but so far no one has taken a hit.
DeleteI hope at least the nasty bird ate the orchid and did not just snap it off for no reason! The photos are so beautiful, I wish I could say I practise Tai Chi under the Monkeypod tree, sounds so exotic.
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly why Mom was so infuriated. The bulbul did not eat the bud. It merely pecked at the stem until it snapped clean off. It didn't even try to eat it. It's as though they merely take pleasure in tormenting her. I can still hardly believe they were strong enough to snap such a thick stem.
Deletethe battle of the birds...a lovely place to do tai chi!
ReplyDeleteWonder if the A'eo mate for life like swans, to explain why you see 4. If you see the egrets or A'eo imitating your tai chi moves, your instructor has an amazing talent. Guess the birds in the trees don't "splat" on your class. Gentle little hug to Mom. Shucks.
ReplyDelete(Even with watering, the 106 degree Kansas heat, actually "fried" some of my hibiscus buds. But two of them bloomed with edges that looked like melted plastic. Guess I needed those little cocktail umbrellas to protect them from the sun.) DrumMajor
They did look like couples. And it's always without fail four of them. One of the birds is a bit more independent but the other three always hang together... sort of like humans if you watch them. The egrets are just everywhere, no rhyme or reason.
Delete106? Arrrghhh... that's awful! My granddaughter says Illinois had 70 degrees yesterday. They could hardly believe it.
They are pretty birds. And Art did a great job of capturing them. It is a fine place to practice tai chi. I hope the bird net does the trick for the orchids.
ReplyDeleteYou're all wearing the same white shirt dark pants. Perhaps 30 minutes into the class, your tai chi moves beckon the Hawaiian Stilt to visit. Birds of a feather...
ReplyDeleteL. from W.
Too funny.... but now that you mention it....
DeleteI'm just wondering if like the kolea, it will migrate eventually too. It's the first time I've seen them though.
Interesting those native birds. so sorry about your mom's orchid, is the the one that bloomed after so many years?
ReplyDeleteNo, the cattleya is a much more beautiful orchid. It's also taken a very long time to bud though. Mom has had an awful time with those birds.
DeleteThe stilt is a perfectly-named bird in English, and I'm sure the Hawaiian name means something, too. "On time" maybe?
ReplyDeleteAwful about your mother's orchid. So glad you and Art put bird netting over her orchid house.
K
Henry Hank Chapin
ReplyDeleteThose "pretty little birds" may be Java Finches. They look for weak spots in the air holes under the roof and build nests in YOUR ATTIC. I'm having my air holes fixed today and the man found TWO nests, each as big as a basketball. What a fire hazard! In my previous house, my son took out SEVENTEEN bags of Java inch nests that accumuated over the YEARS and we had no idea. Yes, I said SEVENTEEN BAGS.
On the other hand, the Hawaiian Stilt is one of the prettiest birds I know of and it is definitely indigenous and should be highly respected as such.In fact I am officially naming the Hawaiian Stilt or a`eo as my aumakua (family totem in Hawaiian) as of today along with the honu, the sea turtle.
We must have millions of those Java finches in the islands now. I see them everywhere in swarms. Seventeen bags? Good grief!!! That's incredible!
DeleteAw, that's too bad about your mother's orchid plant. So sorry to hear. And congrats to Art for such great photography.
ReplyDeleteIs there something about tai chi that makes it important to do it with others? I've just always seen people practicing in groups. I know people take yoga classes, but often people do yoga alone in their homes. Do people do tai chi alone?? This may be a silly question.
ReplyDeleteActually it's a class that we're taking on Thursdays so we all meet to learn from Mr. Pong. Of course, you can do it alone, but it's so much more fun to do it with friends. My husband often practices by himself almost every morning. I'm not quite as good a student. Alas...
DeleteHa Ha, Kay, you and I are the same with our bird photography! They must think I am an elephant too!
ReplyDeleteLove these bird photos! Please thank Art for taking them and thank you for posting them.
Love to look at the birds.
That is just such a beautiful tree that you all stand under.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen those birds before...they look really neat. I must admit though that i have this great phobia of birds....it's kinda crazy. Mr. Pong eh? I think he was doing free classes in mililani and i signed up on a wait list several years ago and was never called. Oh wells...
ReplyDeleteShaka sherry
Thank you for the class - teacher :)
ReplyDeleteI was naming my boat A'eo, and I thought I better learn what it meant first, I searched thru 30 websites before I found your explanation - so thank you!
In case your wondering why I would name my boat after a bird, Im actually naming after the house I sold on A'eo street - I used that money to by my boat. (I am a Realtor and used my commission check)
FYI, My wife was born and raised here(local girl) and several other friends that have been here 20+ years, and no one knew the meaning.
Speaking of boat names, my friend in Illinois was planning to buy a boat named Kintama from a Japanese businessman. Him asked me what it meant. With my limited Japanese ability, I looked it up in my dictionary. I figured kin is gold and tama is bullet. The dictionary confirmed it so that's what I told Jim and he bought the boat. A while later I proudly told my mother on the phone how I was able to do the translation. The was silence on the phone and some choking sound. Mom was aghast! I didn't know. I guess I didn't have to know since I don't have that male organ on me. How embarrassing. I had to tell Jim that the real meaning was probably because the businessman thought it was a private joke to proclaim he had the "balls" to be successful. Sigh... Never ask me to do a translation. Yikes!
ReplyDelete