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Project Noah Nature School
Branta sandvicensis
Found in the wild only on the islands of Hawaii, Maui and Kauai. Scrub, lava - there was a pair here on the lava just beside the Chain of Craters Road in Volcanos National Park on the Big Island. We were just looking at the different lava formations when we heard a goose give a quiet, questioning honk and looked around to find it looking at us. What a gift! We quietly took some photos and held our breath, hoping that staying still would disturb them less than turning around and going to the car. Eventually they flew off into the mist and "vog" and left us with a wonderful feeling!
State bird of Hawaii.
Spotted on Mar 25, 2013
Submitted on Apr 8, 2013
3 Comments
Yes, the only other wild sighting I have of them was years ago at a golf course on the Big Island and we were told to get off the private property so didn't get the good look I was hoping for. I thought if I stayed on the road, they wouldn't mind, but they sure didn't like me watching the nene! Haven't gone back to a golf course since:)
Wonderful story! I was looking for these when I was on Chain of Craters Rd too but didn't have any luck. I saw some nenes in captivity, though.
I was so excited to see these birds that I didn't notice he was banded until looking at this photo! He was pretty far away and everything is in shades of mist and lava!