On a recent walk, I noticed a lot of bees about. When I poked my head through a hedge I saw this hive, which was where they were heading to, or coming from. I think this might be the first hive I’ve seen here, though I know there are a lot on the island. They’re just not in places where people tend to walk by, which is probably a good thing!
The Manago Hotel is a well-known spot on the island. It opened in Captain Cook back in 1917 and has been in business ever since. But recently, it was announced that the building is being acquired by a Honolulu-based nonprofit organization, which will convert it into affordable housing for people working for community services.
The hotel has its own restaurant and that will continue to operate in the new arrangement. This will be good news to many, since the restaurant is renowned for it’s pork chops, which I can verify are excellent.
This week’s Sunday Stills monthly challenge is ‘Green.’ See more responses here. Captions on photos.
This Spotted Pufferfish was in the open when I first saw it, but it quickly disappeared under a ledge before I got a photo. I waited though, and sure enough, it couldn’t resist a peek to see if I’d gone.
Hawaii Island Retreat sits on a steep cliff on the windswept North Kohala coast. There are a couple of public access trails leading down to the coast there. One passes in front of the main building and this is where this swing can be found.
I think I could be happy rocking back and forth there for an hour or two or three, and disembark a more balanced and contented individual!
For more information about Hawaii Island Retreat, go to hawaiiislandretreat.com.
The Nene (Branta sandvicensis) is native to Hawaii and is the state bird. It’s believed to be a distant relative of the Canada Goose but is much smaller. Nenes spend most of their time on land rather than in the water. Because of this they have evolved different characteristics than other geese. Their feet feature less webbing than other geese and they have claws suited to providing grip in rocky areas where they are often found. However, like most geese they can often be found on golf courses!
When they fly, they will typically make loud honking noises, but walking on land as these two were, they make a variety of very pleasing burbling noises as they move along. Nenes are herbivores and feed on a variety of grasses as well as berries and fruit. They’re also one of those birds that mate for life.
Nenes are considered the world’s rarest goose, with a current population of less than 5,000. But this is a vast improvement from the 1950s when it is believed that there were only 30 or so birds here on the Big Island. Recovery has been aided by official protections and breeding in private reserves. Kauai was the center of this recovery, mainly because there are no mongooses there.
Nenes have been on the Endangered Species list since 1967, but their recovery has been such that they are now listed as ‘Near Threatened,’ which means they are no longer considered to be near extinction, but could quickly return there if the situation does not continue to improve.
One thing of note about these two birds is that neither of them have bands on their legs. Many birds have identifying bands that allow those monitoring the population to know where they come from and where they’ve been.
Posted for Bird of the Week LIV. See more responses here.
I sometimes think orchids don’t look real but, to use a line from Seinfeld, they’re real and they’re spectacular!
The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 132.
You can see more responses here.
Graham's Island 