Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Manu o Ku

A  L  O  H  A !
Manu o Ku

White Tern (Gygis alba) 

The official bird
of 
Honolulu City & County



        








    “Manu-o-Ku

 is a natural choice for us,

 because its home

 is the entire 

City and County of Honolulu

which encompasses Oahu 

as well as the 

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands;

In addition, this handsome bird 

has been a traditional

 wayfinder and guide

 for Polynesian voyagers 

of ancient times

 as well as today.”

Honolulu Mayor, Mufi Hannemann 

April 2, 2007
Public Remarks

This vast territory
makes Honolulu
the largest county
in the USA
(in miles covered)


Northwestern Hawaiian Islands 

Papahanaumokuakea Marine Nat'l Monument

is a

World Heritage Site

(link).  








Manu o Ku
 return to Waikiki
in the late afternoon
after long days 
fishing at sea.

They mean evening
and rest
are come
once more.

Breeding pairs nest
in the trees
of Honolulu Hale
(City Hall)









As the (former) mayor said,
Manu o Ku
has been our neighbor
our benefactor
our gift
for generations!





"There are joys 

which long to be ours. 

God sends 10,000 truths, 

which come about us

 like birds seeking inlet; 

but we are shut up

 to them, 

and so they bring us

 nothing, 

but sit and sing

awhile upon the roof, 

and then fly away." 

Henry Ward Beecher


> < } } (°>
What is YOUr "Official" Bird?

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Thanks for visiting!
                       Warmly, cloudia


22 comments:

Akelamalu said...

Beautiful birds. :)

Couture Carrie said...

Such gorgeous birds!

Happy 4th, fellow CC!

xoxox,
CC

Brian Miller said...

oo i like that next to last one...the action shot in flight....very cool...love the white with black as well makes them pop...

happy 4th and aloha from va

Anonymous said...

More graceful than doves. Your "wood-cutting" version of a photo is unique!
My blue jays bask in the sun on a grassy slope in the backyard. They'll sit with their back and wings spread open to sun. At least the neighborhood cat doesn't catch them! DrumMajor

21 Wits said...

Aloha Cloudia! So purely beautiful!

Adam said...

a wonderful bird

Charles Gramlich said...

the bird itself is a hai ku.

TexWisGirl said...

they are handsome!

Myrna R. said...

The official bird of New Mexico is the roadrunner. Not as pretty as yours. Commonly seen, on the road of course.

Love that last poem, and the pics are great.

Cloudia said...

Wonderful flock of comments! Thanks

LONDONLULU said...

That is lovely, I actually didn't realize the City and County of Hon. had its own bird, shame on me! Beautiful captures of this ancient wayfarer and guiding light:)

Hattie said...

Many birds here. Almost all introduced species but wonderful to have. And aren't we an introduced species ourselves!

Kay said...

I learn so much from you, Cloudia. I didn't know about this beautiful bird.

I was wondering why I hadn't heard from my brother in a couple of days. My sister-in-law just wrote me to tell me she'd broken her leg at work on Monday. You'd think he could have told me! Sheesh! I guess that's another reason why he hadn't been opening his e-mail.

Bob Bushell said...

All of them, they are beautiful.

Erika said...

They are nice. Ciaoo

Elephant's Child said...

That white is so clean it almost shines in the dark. Beautiful.
The emblematic bird of our city is a gang-gang. Like many of our birds it is pretty but it's voice has been compared to the creaking of a rusty gate...

Rajesh said...

Very beautiful.

SandyCarlson said...

Stunning! The birds and the story are beautiful. So good to be here, Cloudia!

Cloudia said...

wonderful thanks

magiceye said...

Manu o Ku is such a beautiful bird!!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

I love the White Tern Cloudia, have not seen before so merci beaucoup :) our national bird is the Black Swan.

Cloudia said...

Thanks!