Keauhou Bird Conservation Center, Big Island of Hawaii, USA; June-August 2008

Hawaii. It’s all about palm trees, beaches, and girls, right?

Nope, nope, and, nope. At my house, it was usually cold and raining, and the beach was hours away. And, though I did live with five girls, none of them wore coconuts (probably for the best). Bird conservation isn’t always the slickest profession.

But there was a volcano continuously erupting less than five miles from my bedroom, and an incredible national park right out the back door. My subjects, a few dozen Alala (Hawaiian Crows), lived in a series of swank, walk-in aviaries nearby. Peering in through the bars, it was hard to reconcile that each individual bird – similar to mainland American Crows, with thicker beaks and hoarser calls – represented one of the most endangered species on the planet.

If you ever see a Hawaiian Crow, pass on my regards. I’ve definitely cared for it or one of its ancestors.