Category Archives: Animals

The Numbers Game #51

Smoke hangs in the sky off the Kohala Coast Hawaii — Smoke from a brush fire colors the sky over the North Kohala coast

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 172. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A Gold dust day gecko licks its eye — Got to keep those eyes clean!

A woman sitting on a red car in Hawaii — Got to keep those eyes clean!

A Yellow-fronted Canary perched on a twig in Hawaii — A Yellow-fronted Canary keeps watch.

An Emerald Cockroach Wasp in Hawaii — A Yellow-fronted Canary keeps watch.

Anole versus gecko

A Green Anole and a Gold Dust Day Gecko confront each other in a territorial display in Hawaii

I was alerted to an ongoing dispute between a Green Anole and Gold Dust Day Gecko outside the kitchen window. By the time I got there, the two were had moved away, but were still squabbling. I grabbed my camera, thinking that by the time I got outside, the fracas would be over, but that wasn’t the case. The two were still going at it.

When it comes to territorial disputes, an anole puffs out its dewlap. If that doesn’t work it will act aggressively towards the intruder. A gecko leans over to one side to make itself look bigger and pokes out its tongue. These two went through the full repertoire, with the anole making a few mouth-open lunges.

In the end, the anole wandered off to the end of the overhang and the gecko headed back the way it came from. It wasn’t clear whether there was a winner or loser in the exchange but neither was hurt, which is not unusual in these encounters.

The Numbers Game #50

Gullies on the side of Kohala Mountain are illuminated by early morning sun — Early morning light on the Kohala Mountain hillside.

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 171. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A switchback on the Kilauea Iki Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park — A Gold Dust Day Gecko on a pink banana.

A Common Waxbill feeds on cane grass seeds.

Hawaiian Stilts in a pond at Kaloko-Honokahau Park — A Common Waxbill feeds on cane grass seeds.

The shadow is coming

I took this at Kawaihae Harbor because the shadow made me think of a giant, alien praying mantis approaching. Yes, these are things I think about!

The Numbers Game #49

Kiawe trees and Muana Kea telescopes silhouetted against an early morning sky — A view of telescopes on Mauna Kea from Mahukona.

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 170. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A lion statue with a air of sunglasses — A cool lion at The Hilton.

A firefighting helicopter drops water on a brush fire in Hawaii — A cool lion at The Hilton.

A Sonoran Carpenter Bee clambers through agave attenuata flowers — A Sonoran Carpenter Bee on an Agave Attenuata.

A couple performs on the beach at sunset in Hawaii — A Sonoran Carpenter Bee on an Agave Attenuata.

What big eyes you have

This Fiery Skipper Butterfly, which I think is a male, rested obligingly in a hedge for a short photo shoot

The Numbers Game #48

The lava cone and lake at Kilauea Volcano in late 2021 — Activity at Kilauea Volcano in November of 2021.

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 169. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.