The Oahu Amakihi (Chlorodrepanis flava) is one of the most unique birds on the planet, because it can be found only on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. It is the member of the Hawaiian Honeycreepers. This entire group of birds is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

In February, after a long awaited time and a lot of hard work, I finally was able to take my first amakihi photo at Waahila Ridge State Park in the Koolau Mountain Range. That image was of a juvenile bird and I was very happy with it, however, I’ve always wanted to photograph an adult male amakihi, which has a beautiful yellow plumage. In the last few weeks, I’ve visited the area several times and I’ve seen many male amakihis, but I was unable to take any photos of these birds. It seemed very difficult to photograph these creatures, because they are usually found high in the tree canopy and move very fast. A few weeks ago, on one of my hikes, I finally found a relatively calm male amakihi as he perched in the branches of the Hawaiian endemic Koa tree (Acacia koa) and I was fast enough to take my first image of a male amakihi. Although this photo is not my most eye-catching bird shot, I’m very happy with it. 😀

Gear: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 300mm F/4 L lens, Canon 1.4x extender, handheld