Category Archives: Birds

Photos afloat

A tug and barge enter Kawaihae Harbor in Hawaii — A tug and barge enter Kawaihae Harbor in the early morning hours.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Afloat.’ See more responses here. Let’s start with boats.

Strong winds whip up whitecaps in Kawaihae Harbor in Hawaii — Even in a sheltered harbor, staying afloat isn’t always easy.

A Coast Guard buoy ship in the waters off Hawaii — Even in a sheltered harbor, staying afloat isn’t always easy.

But they’re not the only floating things.

A Hawaiian Coot swims in a lagoon in Hawaii — A Hawaiian Coot afloat in a pond, oblivious to the need for a bit of personal grooming.

A diver down flag in the waters off Hawaii — A Hawaiian Coot afloat in a pond, oblivious to the need for a bit of personal grooming.

The Numbers Game #31

A pueo snags a meal. A favorite encounter of mine, the original post ran here.

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

Winging it

A Great Frigatebird flies off the Kohala coast in Hawaii — A Great Frigatebird glides over the ocean off the Kohala coast.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Wings.’ See more responses here. Let’s start with the birds.

A Northern Cardinal Juvenile launches off a branch in Hawaii — A Northern Cardinal juvenile coming to get me!

A Hawaiian Nene spreads its wings — A Northern Cardinal juvenile coming to get me!

There are many winged insects too.

A Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly perches on a stalk in Hawaii — The delicate wings of a Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly.

Two Passion Vine Butterflies flying in Hawaii — The delicate wings of a Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly.

You can also find wings in the water

Three eagle rays swim in the ocean off Hawaii — A trio of Eagle Rays cruise through coastal waters.

A coastal manta ray swims in the ocean off Hawaii — A trio of Eagle Rays cruise through coastal waters.

And there are other wings too.

A pair of metal wings on the ground in Hawaii — A broach of emblem found lying in the grass.

A UPS plane flies overhead in Hawaii — A broach of emblem found lying in the grass.

Coming through

A semi truck passes on a raised highway in Hawaii

There’s a sandy area inside Kawaihae Harbor that’s used for parking. Some are military vehicles, invariably inside fences. Most of the rest are trailers, hauled to and from the nearby port by semi trucks. The road they use dips down through a low spot that’s covered in water at high tide.

I stop by there to see if there are any herons fishing in that area. There usually are. My interest is in the herons, but it’s something of a sight to turn and see these large vehicles rumbling past, seemingly above my head!

The Numbers Game #30

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

I’m red, white and blue for you

A sign on a business in Kailua Kona Hawaii — The sign above the ABC Supply Company building in Kailua Kona. These letters always make me think of Elvis Costello’s song, Brilliant Mistake, which includes the lyrics: ‘She said that she was working for the ABC News. It was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use.’

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Red, White, & Blue.’ See more responses here.

Here’s my selection this week with captions on the photos.

A Ring-necked pheasant in Hawaii — A Ring-necked Pheasant.

A Yellow-billed cardinal in Hawaii — A Ring-necked Pheasant.

An inflatable snowman outside a store in Hawaii — It’s not too early, is it?

St Augustines Episcopal Church in Kapaau, Hawaii — It’s not too early, is it?

Franklin’s Gulls

I’ve posted before about how gulls are a rarity in Hawaii. I’ve only seen a couple in my time here. But recently, two birds, which I believe are Franklin’s Gulls, have been hanging around the small reservoir near the place where I work.

Usually, the gulls seen in Hawaii are individual stragglers, so to see two together is unusual. The other interesting thing is that the markings of these two appear to be the gulls’ breeding plumage. I wondered if they were nesting up there, but when I went to look, saw no sign of them.

The Numbers Game #28

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

A Scrawled Filefish swimming in the waters off Hawaii — Scrawled Filefish.

A Flowery Flounder swimming in the waters off Hawaii — Scrawled Filefish.

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii