So many Naked Boobies

We finished our Thursday by driving to the end of a local road with a great view of the Kilauea Lighthouse.  It was a spectacular scene.  What was totally unexpected was seeing so many naked boobies!  We were elevated above the beach below, but even from this vantage point, it was clear I was seeing more boobies in one place than I've ever seen before.  Mona didn't want to show her boobies, which is totally understandable since I'm not talking about female breasts.....I'm talking about the Red-Footed Booby which nests on the cliffs here.  Get your mind out of the gutter 😁.  In addition to its distinctive red feet, this Booby has a turquoise beak which also sets it apart.

Red-Footed Booby

Besides the great view of the lighthouse, what's actually at the end of this road is the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge.  This is also the northernmnost point of the Hawaiian islands.  This refuge protects the nesting areas of numerous sea birds that call this home.  In addition to the Booby, we also saw Red-Tailed Tropicbirds, Great Frigatebirds, and the endangered Hawaiian Goose which the locals call Nēnē. The Laysan Alabtross is another bird that lives here, and we saw a pair resting on the adjacent cliffside through a spotting scope set up by the staff.

The lighthouse isn't open for touring, but it still makes for a great photo.  It was built in 1913 and has guided mariners for over a century.  We were here for an hour at most as the public access portion of the refuge is fairly small.  It was mesmerizing watching all of the birds as they dove towards the water in search of their next meal.  I took way too many photos trying to capture the various birds in flight.  These are some of my best shots.

Red-tailed Tropicbird

Evidence that the Booby's feet are indeed red

Great Frigatebird, whose wingspan can reach seven feet