Author Archives: Graham

About Graham

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

Finally, another monk seal

A Hawaiian Monk Seal rests at Upolu on the Big Island of Hawaii

Back on January 25, I posted photos for The Numbers Game that included an old monk seal photo. At the time I thought, I should run this because it’s been ages since I saw a monk seal.

That afternoon, I went for a walk at Upolu and saw this monk seal. I didn’t notice it at first because monk seals tend to blend in well with the rocks they rest on. But when I got closer, I realized what I was looking at. It’s been two and a half years since I last saw one, so maybe I’m out of practice.

I took photos, with a view to being able to identify the seal. I could see red tags in both tail flippers, but the seal’s position left me unable to see what was on the tags. Luckily, just before I left, the seal moved and I was able to get one shot from which I could read the identification.

A Hawaiian Monk Seal tag at Upolu on the Big Island of Hawaii

The seal’s tag read M36, and I sent this photo along with others to the Marine Mammal Center, which tracks monk seals around the islands. I was happy to get a response telling me this monk seal is a female, born in 2020 on Kauai. What was really nice to hear was that she is the pup of BOO, a monk seal I saw several times back in 2016 in the company of I05 (affectionately known as Igor). It’s been almost five years since I saw I05, which could mean bad news or simply that he moved elsewhere. He was not typically a social seal!

Two Hawaiian monk seals tussle in a tide pool. — BOO and IO5 at Upolu in 2016. Original post here.

Yesterday, I went walking at Upolu for the first time in a week and saw the same seal in the same place. I doubt she’s been there the whole time, but perhaps she’s going to make this stretch of coast her new home. One can only hope.

Wires

Power lines against a blue sky in Hawaii

I was wandering the neighborhood looking for photo opportunities and liked the sky with its puffy clouds. I thought the wires along the main highway into Hawi provided a good contrast.

Posted for Bushboy’s Last on the Card photo challenge. See more responses here.

Feather-legged Fly

I was photographing bees on a tree heliotrope in Kawaihae when I saw this fly. It’s a new one for me, so I was happy to get decent photos and to be able to identify it afterwards.

This is a Feather-legged Fly (Trichopoda pennipes). It’s one of those flies which lays its eggs on host bugs, such as leaf-footed bugs and stink bugs. On hatching, the larvae make for the bug’s interior and develop safely within. The end product is a new fly and a dead bug. Because some of the bugs it uses as hosts are crop pests, it’s considered a beneficial insect.

The bottom photo shows why it got its name!

The Numbers Game #6

Lake Waiau near the summit of Mauna Kea.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar and then post a selection of the photos that turn up.

This week’s number is 127. As with last week’s post, three of these photos haven’t run before.

You can see more responses here.

An adult Black-crowned Night Heron in Hawaii — An adult Black-crowned Night Heron.

A pair of Saffron Finches in Hawaii — An adult Black-crowned Night Heron.

Bat Plant

Bat Plant (Tacca nivea) gets its name from its appearance, large white petals above dark flowers and long bracts, which look like a bat face. I love the plant and the name!

Some things to do on the Big Island

Skydivers in the air above Hawaii — Try skydiving, whether you’ve ever done it before, or not.

Paddleboarders in the waters off Hawaii — For something more mellow, there’s paddleboarding, at least on a morning like this one.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Something to Do.’ See more responses here.

There’s plenty to do here on the Big Island, with outdoor activities available year round. Here’s a selection.

Canoe paddlers practice in the waters off Hawaii — Another paddling option is in canoes…

A fisherman tries his luck in the waters off Hawaii — Perhaps a spot of fishing is more your style.

Going for a swim in Hawaii — There’s lots of places to go for a swim.

Sunbathing on a beach in Hawaii — Or you could kick back, relax, and do nothing, which is still something, right?

Blackfin Chromis

Blackfin Chromis are small damselfishes that gather around coral heads in fairly shallow water. They disappear into the coral and crevices if approached. The black anal fin and black lower edge of the tail are an easy way to identify this fish.

Hello, mate

On a recent walk, I noticed the Seven-spotted Lady Beetle in the top photo, wandering around on the ground.

Two Seven-spotted Lady Beetles in Hawaii

Soon, a second one came into view, then turned around and headed off again.

A minute or so later, it reappeared and, without so much as a “Hi, my name’s Frank. And you?’ he climbed aboard. The two of them lurched about on the little rock, so I took my leave, and left them to it.

Two Seven-spotted Lady Beetles mating in Hawaii

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii