[Composed 1/4/2026]
On our way from the Kapalua Tidepools to the aquarium we stopped by our hotel for a potty break. Leaving the hotel, we passed by a hula show in the lobby that was already in progress.
The family friendly event pulled us in, and I found myself thoroughly engrossed in the show. Unlike the the 3 hour extravaganza the hotel hosts in the evening, this show featured adults and kids from local clubs. It was a mix of storytelling, music and dance. Sure, it was a bit corny, but something about it was equally wholesome and entertaining.
Ultimately, the pull of the aquarium and other activities we had for the day got the best of us and we left the show early. But kudos to the Westin for high quality, free entertainment like this.
On our way to the aquarium, we stopped at the Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge has both a main area as well as coastal boardwalk. Seeing the boardwalk first, we stopped there.
The boardwalk is relatively short, just about .3 miles long. And for most of it, there wasn't a ton to see. I was just about to call the short trail a bust when we came upon a small pool. There, we came upon an Ae`o, a Hawaiian stilt bird just chilling. These birds are both endemic to Hawaii and on the endangered species list. Unlike their hyperactive cousins in Hosmer Grove, they're glad to stand still while you snap pictures of them. This, combined with the mirror effect offered by the water, makes them especially photogenic. Coming up on this guy totally made the boardwalk a worthwhile destination.
From the boardwalk I was able to see the main refuge in the distance. From this vantage point, there were quite a few black specks in the ponds. Looking with my binoculars, it appeared that there were tens, if not hundreds of Ae`o in the ponds there. We didn't have time to explore the main refuge, but my guess is that it would have offered quite a few more specimens for us to watch.
Still, the short boardwalk did the job nicely.
Nearby the Ae`o, enjoying the same water feature, we came across this guy:
I do believe he's a wandering tattler, or ʻŪlili. If so, what he lacks in snazzy plumage, he makes up for in mad skillz.
This relatively small bird has Alaska(!) as its breeding ground. That means it commutes some 2,800 miles between its winter and summer home. Not only is it covering this massive distance, but it shows incredible navigational skills by opting to return to the same location year after year. Finding a 50 mile wide spec of land among 2,800 miles of land-markless ocean is all but an impossible task. And yet, it completes it without giving it a second thought. Staggering.
And if that weren't enough, Wandering Tattlers like to mess with traditional gender roles: moms make the babies, but leave the nests before the dads, leaving the dads to raise the little ones. What's next? Are you going to tell me that the dads stop and ask directions on their migration? Yeah, never going to happen.
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