Red-tailed Tropicbird

KILAUEA POINT on the northern coast of the island of Kauai is a National Wildlife Refuge and a treasure. The bluffs surrounding the ocean headland are home to hundreds of nesting Red-footed Boobies as well as Laysan Albatrosses. Among the half dozen pelagic species I’ve photographed there are Red-tailed Tropicbirds, one of which I chose for cover of my book Aves. These birds and their white-tailed cousins often change altitude while making broad circles around the headland. They are small and fast, so getting them in focus and tracking them as they circle is athletic—and great fun. On a visit last spring, my wife remarked how happy I looked.

AT MID-DAY, the sunlight was strong, but the sky was heavily clouded. When the wind is brisk, the birds—like seabirds everywhere—like to catch the updraft against the bluff, which carries them up to eye level. This angelic bird had caught the updraft and was hovering about twenty feet above me. I don’t know if it was eyeing something to eat below or perhaps just using the power of the wind to take a break from its energetic circling. I had cranked up the shutter speed and shot rapid fire to catch the birds’ swift movement. When I returned to our rental and saw this frame, I actually let out a cry of delight. The white bird against the white sky struck me as graceful in its flight and fragile in its delicately structured wings and feet. A publisher once told me never to design a white cover—I guess they get dirty in bookstores—but I couldn’t help myself.

Nikon D500, 500mm lens, 1/5000 sec, f8, ISO 450