Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Birds of the Imagination

A  L  O  H  A   from   Honolulu!
 In Such a Place as This

" Art enables us to 
find ourselves and 
lose ourselves 
at the same time. "
Thomas Merton

" Pictures must not 
be too picturesque. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson









 Queen of Hearts?

“ Jo had learned that
 hearts, like flowers, 
cannot be rudely handled,
 but must open naturally…” 
                     Louisa May Alcott












Hawaiian name, KOLEA
[KO-LAY-AH,
   its call in flight]

 Ai no ke kolea a momona hoi i Kahiki
 Hawaiian proverb

'EATS a lot, the kolea,
till fat and sleek,
then rows for
it's old home.'
[my literal translation]


These birds Summer on the 
treeless tundra of western Alaska
 til late August when they depart for Hawaii 
migrating at altitudes up to 20,000 feet. 

They are thought to average 
fifty miles per hour.

 Most birds who migrate over 
vast oceans soar and glide.
The Kolea can do neither 
but must continuously 
beat wings twice per second
 for about fifty hours 
over some 2,500 miles 
of open Pacific!
No, they do not swim
or rest on the water-
Do you know of a bird 
who works harder to migrate?



 "Imagine that flight you made 
from L.A. to Honolulu—
only without the plane." 

Dr. Oscar "Wally" Johnson, 
 Montana State University
ornithologist 



Linking to


Thank YOU
for making the flight!
              Warmly, cloudia





23 comments:

PerthDailyPhoto said...

I've often wondered how birds manage those incredibly long distances over oceans, especially the small swallows, outstanding occurance!

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Well, they really enjoy their annual vacations in Hawaii!
~

TexWisGirl said...

oh, that must be brutally taxing for them! amazing they do it!

Teresa said...

I'm so glad my daily flight to Hawaii is pretty effortless! And I don't need a plane ;) Thanks for sharing the beauty of Hawaii with the world.

21 Wits said...

Wow, truly they are something indeed! Thanks for sharing them, I had no idea. They do have the life though, Alaska until it's time for Hawaii!

William Kendall said...

A beautifully colourful bird!

Nancy Chan said...

It is pretty tough on the birds, and some do not make it. But this is nature's way that they migrate.

Spare Parts and Pics said...

What a truly amazing (and inspiring) migration!

Cloudia said...

It delights me to see all YOU exotic visitors! Thanks

RedPat said...

Birds are incredible!

Tom said...

Quite the colors. Aloha Tom The Backroads Traveller

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

A real beauty. Yes birds and their migration are a wonderful thing

Halcyon said...

What beautiful color!

eileeninmd said...

Hello Cloudia, what a beautiful bird..It has a pretty Hawaiian name. That is one long flight, they make it look so easy.. I wish I could fly! Enjoy your day!

Mari said...

The colors and patterns look great.

Adam said...

nice quotes

Anonymous said...

Pretty birds. That must be an exhausting migration.

Cloudia said...

Thrills me to see YOU stop by here - like colorful lovely birds you are!

eViL pOp TaRt said...

The kolea is absolutely gorgeous! An impressively long flight!

magiceye said...

Wonderful post!!

Namaste /\ from Mumbai
Aloha!!

Bob Bushell said...

The birdlife is so wonderful, knowledge of flying 1000 miles or more is beyond me.

Cloudia said...

Thanks, dears

Snaggle Tooth said...

Never heard of this special bird! thanks- So amazing what they do. Several geese species fly over 4000 mi per year from the Arctic all over Europe, n Africa each year. Whooping Cranes too. I recommend the film, Jaques Perrin's, "Winged Migration" to feel as tho you traveled with them- I still have it on VHS. My kitty likes it alot too.
Aloha!