The weather has been dreadful here this last two or three weeks. Recently, we had another of a series of flash flood warnings. Seemed like a good time to explore this dry river bed!
Flash flood warning
Author Archives: Graham
Abstracts: Raindrops
Raindrops bead up on a curved window.
Common Waxbill feeding young
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Feeding the Birds.’ See more responses here.
There’s one kind of bird feeder that has stood the test of time. An example of it is this Common Waxbill feeding a couple of youngsters.
Two scoops
If you were expecting ice cream, sorry to disappoint. Just a couple of large scoops for some very heavy equipment.
Bee on Lantana
A bee forages on a colorful Lantana flower.
Lizardfish lunch
This Reef Lizardfish snagged itself a prospective lunch. The trouble is, its lunch is a Whitespotted Toby and, like all pufferfish, one mode of defense is to inflate itself so it can’t be swallowed. This toby has done just that and the lizardfish will have a hard job getting that down.
If it is successful, it might still be in trouble since another of the toby’s defenses is a skin toxin which renders it, at best unpalatable, and at worst, deadly!
A traditional sail
This little sailboat is a modern rendition of a traditional Hawaiian style. The two hulls are common in various forms in Polynesian culture and the sailing rig features a Hawaiian Peʻa sail, otherwise known as a Crab Claw sail. These sails used to made from the woven leaves of Hala trees.
On this boat, the sail is made from a modern material and it’s speedy progress through the water wasn’t down the the light breeze, but rather an outboard motor, which is also not traditional!
Kalij Pheasant
Recently, I heard a soft chucking noise up in a Kiawe tree that was certainly not from one of the usual residents in the area. So I grabbed my camera and circled the tree trying to locate the source. It turned out to be this female Kalij Pheasant, a bird I almost always see on the ground.
The pheasant clambered through the branches as I tried to get a clear shot. Eventually, it found a good spot and stayed still, as pheasants do, and I was able to get close enough to snap a couple of photos.
Kalij Pheasaants are native to Southern Asia. They were brought to Hawaii in 1962 as game birds.
Graham's Island 