Category Archives: Birds

The Numbers Game #88

A green turtle swims in the waters of the Big Island of Hawaii.
A Green Turtle swimming by, taken from shore while waiting for a tour boat.

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

Citrus Swallowtail Butterfly.
A Java Sparrow giving me the look.
A warning sign even though there are no wild donkeys here anymore.
Surf breaks at Mahukona in North Kohala.
High surf at Mahukona.
A crescent moon and palms in black and white
Crescent moon and palms.
Unloading a barge at Kawaihae harbor.

The Numbers Game #87

A Nutmeg Mannikin snacking on cane grass seeds.

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

A very small flowery flounder
A very young Flowery Flounder, just a couple of inches long.
A pueo or Hawaiian short-eared owl sits on a post
A wide-eyed Pueo.
Yellow boat on blue water.
A green anole on a ti plant
A Green Anole looking down.
A red ginger curving up.
A showy yellow hibiscus.

The Numbers Game #86

Cattle Egrets fly past the wind turbines at Hawi Wind Farm.

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

Water cascades down the rocks on the North Kohala coast.
A converted school bus in Hawaii
Cool bus!
A pu'u alongside Old Saddle Road on the Big Island, Hawaii
Early morning pu’u.
A gold dust day gecko and green anole on yellow bamboo
A Gold Dust Day Gecko and Green Anole on yellow bamboo.
Hibiscus “Blue Bayou.”
High winds blow dirt down the hillside at Kawaihae.

Winging it

A Black Witch moth in Hawaii
The beautiful wings of a Black Witch Moth.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Wings and feathers.’ See more responses here.

A Wandering Glider Dragonfly in Hawaii
A Wandering Glider Dragonfly wandering over a mud puddle.
A Monarch Butterfly on a Balloon Plant in Hawaii
A Monarch Butterfly and Balloon Plant flowers.
A Great Frigatebird flying in Hawaii
A Great Frigatebird glides along the coast.
Two Hawaiian Noddys skim the ocean in Hawaii
Hawaiian Noddies skim over the ocean.
Three nenes flying in Hawaii
Nenes in formation.
A Franklin's Gull flying in Hawaii
A Franklin’s Gull.

The Numbers Game #85

The port at Kawaihae at sunset
Lights at the Port of Kawaihae.

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

Large Orange Sulphur Butterflies mating.
Cabbage butterflies not mating.
Birds bathing in a pond at Place of Refuge
Bath time.
One of the pools at Pu’uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park.
A Manta Ray moment.
Sunset with palms.

Kalij Pheasant

A Kalij Pheasant in Hawi, Hawaii
A Kalij Pheasant in Hawi, Hawaii

I usually see Kalij Pheasants on hikes off Saddle Road or in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. I don’t remember ever seeing them at home, so I was surprised when I saw two striding down the driveway. One immediately headed into cover, but other carried on for a while before slipping into the cane grass.

The Numbers Game #84

Spinner dolphins off the coast of Hawaii Island
Spinner Dolphins swim by.

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

A Pacific Golden Plover in summer plumage.
Raindrops on a passion flower in Hawaii
A Passion Flower and raindrops.
The old Kohala Girls School sits on land at ‘Iole in North Kohala.
Colors and shadows at the old Kohala Girls’ School.
A Hawaiian stilt feeding in a pond in Hawaii
A Hawaiian Stilt fishing!
A shadow on the beach.
The roof of Costco in Kailua Kona, Hawaii
From last week, the roof of Costco!

Royal feathers

An endemic I'iwi bird in Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Feathers.’ See more responses here.

When the Polynesians first came to Hawaii, they brought with them many plants and animals for use in their new home. They also brought with them their traditional skills, one of which was feather work. Feathers were made into capes and helmets, as well as used in standards and staffs. These feathered items were mostly reserved for Hawaiian royalty, the ali’i, and were considered a status symbol, showing how powerful they were.

Red and yellow were the main colors used so the I’iwi (pictured) and Apapane were coveted for their red feathers, while yellow feathers came from Ō’ō and Mamo birds. These latter two birds are now extinct, but not because of feather collecting. Introduced predators and diseases, together with loss of habitat, are the primary causes.

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Simply Red. See more responses here.