This photo is another example of the problems a very amateur photographer like me has in photographing Hawaii's birdlife. The forests have a thick canopy, making it very hard to get enough light for a decent shot, although I'm sure some more expensive camera gear would fare much better. The Hwamei, or Melodious Laughingthrush is a shy Chinese native, heard much more often than seen. Although I did get several decent glimpses at the bird, photo-ops were very hard to come by. This image was taken in the beautiful Hule'ia Stream Valley, a great place to get a look at both this and the even more secretive Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, another Chinese native and one that is found in Hawai'i only on Kaua'i. Although the image is terribly exposed, the long tail, uniform coloration (actually a rich rusty brown), yellow bill, and bold white spectacles can be seen.