Picture Of The Week 12-20-10

Where: Oahu, Hawaii • Ka'ena Point Natural Area Reserve

Notes: Sometimes birds have jumped in front of me as if to say, "take my picture, please!" Other times it takes miles of hiking or waiting for hours on end to get a shot. There was not much waiting time to capture this photo, but there was definitely a journey involved. I was grateful we got a reasonably early start on the two and a half mile trail that morning, because the return trip back to the parking lot was getting pretty hot and dry. The trail seemed much longer than the posted distance. This was due to the uneven footing and need to zigzag back and forth across the road to avoid the vast mud filled pools, created by off road vehicles. We had been warned to take water, and I was glad we did. The hike was difficult, but well worth the effort. Not only did we see our target bird, but also saw Hump-backed Whales breaching, plus a couple of endangered Monk Seals. At about the same time that we arrived at Ka'ena Point so did the ranger and a volunteer. He was very informative about the new predator guard fence being constructed to keep the Mongoose and Black Rats out of the Albatross nesting colony. He showed us to the area where the birds nest, then we continued on that trail to the end of the peninsula. Ka'ena Point is the most western point of the island of Oahu.

Equipment: Canon EOS 40D • Canon 100-400mm Zoom L Series Lens • 1.4X Converter • Manfroto Tripod • 3' Shutter Release Cable

Exposure: Shutter Speed = 1/60 second • Aperture = f 5.6 • Exposure Mode = Aperture Priority • Focus Mode: One Shot • Lens (Focal) Length = 680 mm (340 mm w/ 1.4X converter) • ISO = 800 • Aprox. Camera Distance = ~XXX Feet • Date Shot: XX-XX-10

©2010 Robert W. Schamerhorn. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.