I hiked to the Waimea Valley last week and encountered this Hawaiian Moorhen (Gallinula galeata sandvicensis). This bird is an endangered subspecies of the American Moorhen (Gallinula galeata), which subspecies is endemic to Hawaii. Its Hawaiian name is alae ula and lives only on the islands of Kauai and Oahu. This secretive waterbird can be found in freshwater marshes with dense vegetation. There are only few hundred Hawaiian Moorhens left in the wild and the Waimea Valley is the home of a small population of this bird.

When I saw this bird in the undergrowth I set up my equipment to take some photos of this rare creature. Fortunately, this specimen wasn’t shy, it stood on the small rock looking at me and didn’t care about the clicking noise, not even the flash. I had fun taking photos of this beautiful bird.

Gear: Canon EOS 7D, Canon 70-200mm F/4 lens, Canon Speedlight 430EX flash, handheld