I like Java sparrows. With their big pink beak, white cheeks, and pinkish ring around the eyes they have a cheerful air about them. They’re an introduced species, from Indonesia, and quite common on all the islands.
Author Archives: Graham
Banana stalk flies mating
This is a pair of banana stalk flies (Telostylinus lineolatus) mating on a …wait minute, that’s not a banana stalk. In fact it’s the spadix of an Anthurium schlechtendalii or Pheasant’s tail.
I had to hunt around a bit to identify the insect, but found useful information at whatsthatbug.com. One thing I liked was where it stated, “With enormous eyes, this tiny, tropical, stilt-legged fly maintains a confident distance from human approach, by swiftly running around the blind-side of whatever surface it is on.” This made me laugh because that was EXACTLY what this pair did when I tried to photograph them.
Signs: Falling coconuts
This view is the best for determining if any coconuts are falling. A roundish object getting rapidly larger is a good sign that they are indeed earthbound. Getting such a photo is not without danger, but that’s all part of life in the tropics.
Storm in the channel
Heavy rain in the Alenuihaha Channel, between Maui and the Big Island, rumbles towards shore. Those cows are going to get a dousing.
Bluestripe butterflyfish
Most butterflyfish have some sort of eye camouflage, so the bluestripe butterflyfish is unusual in having none. The diagonal blue stripes also make it stand out from the crowd. And where most butterflyfish have relatives in the Pacific, the nearest relative of the endemic bluestripe butteflyfish, is the east coast of Africa
In my attempts to identify what I see in the water, I use John P. Hoover’s book The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals. His website is hawaiisfishes.com.
May Day is Lei Day
May 1 has been celebrated as Lei Day in Hawaii since 1929 and is a celebration of Hawaiian culture. Each island has a different lei. The Island of Hawaii (the Big Island) features the Ohia blossom.
Plumeria flowers such as these, still attached to the tree, are often used in leis because of their fragrance and rich colors.
Makalawena beach
One of the things I like about the Big Island is that there’s so much variety in a relatively small area. It boasts 8 out of 13 possible climate zones (depending on whose definitions are used). It goes from sea level to almost 14,000 feet.
I’m happy to satiate my wanderlust right here on the island, traveling to see the outpourings of our most active volcano, climbing to the windswept summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, and of course, sweating it out on the coast.
The beaches and surf are hugely popular with tourists, but it’s almost always possible to find a sparsely populated, or even empty beach with a bit of walking. Makalawena, on the Kona coast, is one such spot. It requires a hike in, half an hour or so, but offers golden sand and a number of smaller pockets of sand where a person can soak up some sun and take a dip. Paradise indeed.
Balanced rock
I just liked how this rock was balanced when I was out walking along the coast.
Graham's Island 