For such a short trip, Maui commanded my camera’s undivided attention. Here are features of my Maui trip, Part 2, dominated by wildlife:

A beautiful green sea turtle rested on the beach. We tried to respect its privacy while capturing his beauty on camera.

Pink flamingo on grounds of a Maui resort

Chickens and roosters at edge of rainforest, running into the parking lots. Made me laugh. 🙂

Pink flamingo on grounds of a Maui resort

No shortage of chickens and roosters

Our hotel grounds in Hawaii showcased this black beauty.

Pink flamingos on grounds of a Maui resort

I’ve included pink flamingos and a black swan in my collection. I doubt either is native to Hawaii but it was nice to see such beauties in the west coast resort area of Maui. On the east coast of Maui, chickens and roosters popped out of nowhere and ran across roads or out from deep rainforests. They were unexpected and amusing.

Lastly, we were surprised to come upon the green sea turtle who rested on a beach on the east coast. Fellow tourists alerted us to this rare viewing opportunity as soon as we stepped on the beach. They said we might miss it, so Mark ran ahead of me with camera in hand and took a few photos. When I caught up to him, I didn’t see anything where his camera was pointed. All I saw were a bunch of large black rocks strewn across the beach.

“Where is it?” I asked. I expected something smallish with an obvious trail in the sand where the turtle made its way on shore. Mark had to practically draw me a picture before I could see it. There, right before my eyes, no more than ten feet away,  was this large Hawaiian green turtle. I’ve never encountered a reptile this big before, so was hesitant when Mark asked me to pose nearby the turtle to give a sense of scale. I did so by tiptoeing a considerable distance behind it. I settled for sitting on a rock about ten feet behind it. What an honor.

Common sense should prevail when taking photographs of wildlife. Generally speaking, enthusiastic photo takers are advised to stay 15 feet away from the turtles and use a zoom lens if necessary to capture the ideal shot. The green turtles of Hawaii are considered an endangered species and have many natural and unnatural threats to their lives. We need to try our best to not cause them any unnecessary anxiety. I hope I did not cause any in this case.

Happy Trails,

Sue J.

See other recent posts related to my trip to Maui, Hawaii:

Maui, Hawaii: Stunning, By Land or By Sea (Part 1)

Snow in Hawaii: Worth the Trip