Author Archives: Graham

Unknown's avatar

About Graham

I take photos when I'm out and about, recording life on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Gold dust day geckos slithering by

A gold dust day gecko slithers over a larger gecko.

I love watching geckos in their daily activities. This can vary from the comical – those goofy expressions, to the impressive – leaping into space and landing safely, to the disturbing – an adult swallowing a young gecko.

Then there are things, such as in the photo, that I don’t entirely understand. I watched as the two geckos approached each other thinking a display of aggression was on the cards. Instead, the smaller gecko slithered over the larger one. I don’t know whether this was part of a mating ritual or one of the ways the smaller gecko acknowledges the territorial rights of the bigger one.

 

Ghost tang

A yellow tang is joined by a white variant.A white variant of the usually yellow tang.

Yellow tang are one of the staple reef fish in Hawaii. They often putter around in large shoals in the shallows, and since they’re entirely bright yellow, except for a white tail spine, they’re easily visible from shore. The white variation seen here is very unusual. I’m not sure why some are white, but I’ve read that it might have to do with stress or disease.

These photos were taken in the same location, a few months apart, but I think it’s the same fish as the markings appear identical.

Kiholo turtle collage

A collage of turtles photographed in Kiholo Bay

Since this week’s WordPress photo challenge is ‘collage,’ I thought I’d see just how much I’ve forgotten about Photoshop Elements, or how much I never knew. The answer is a lot, on both counts. Still I had fun figuring a few things out and I like this collage of turtle photos, taken the last time I was at Kiholo.

Mauna Kea rain

Cloud and rain on Mauna Kea

Mauna Kea is a mecca for astronomers because it boasts clear skies more than 300 days a year. That doesn’t mean Mauna Kea doesn’t get rain, just that it falls more on the lower slopes.

This photo shows the access road, a little way below the summit, socked in with clouds and steady rain. It was a little better at the top, but still very cloudy and not a day for seeing stars.