This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Animal or Bird in farm or zoo.’ See more responses here.
Pana’ewa Rainforest Zoo, in Hilo, is the only zoo on the island. It’s quite small, but is definitely a family-friendly destination. We like to visit once in a while to see the zoo’s star attractions, Sriracha and Tzatziki, a pair of Bengal Tigers. Captions are on the photos.
An Emu having a good hair day.A Red Tegu lizard.Peacocks wander the grounds looking for tasty snacks.Yellow-spotted Amazon River Turtles.Tzatziki, staying cool in the shade of a stand of bamboo.
This is one of the many benches in the zoo representing animals that live there. These are ‘Alalās, the endemic Hawaiian Crow. There are no longer any ‘Alalās in the wild and just over a hundred in captivity. The building behind this bench is one of the few places where these birds are bred, with a view to reintroducing them in the wild. So far, attempts to do this have failed, for a variety of reasons including disease and predation. One of the current projects is a release on Maui where Ios, Hawaiian hawks, a major predator of ‘Alalās, are no longer found.
Another orchid from last year’s Hilo Orchid Show. This year’s show is in a couple of weeks and I plan on visiting again. Might have to do a couple of months of orchid photos!
Posted for Terri’s Flower Hour. See more responses 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 749. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.
Hawai’i Amakihi.Entrance to the Kohala Tong Wo Society.Early morning from Kohala Mountain road, looking towards Mauna Kea.The entrance to the fish pond at Kiholo.A wind turbine undergoing maintenance.Brush fire at Lapakahi State Historical Park.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Groups.’ See more responses here. I’m going under the water for this. Captions on the photos.
A school of Hawaiian Silversides.Yellowfin Goatfishes drift in tight groups as they rest during the day.A school of Convict Tangs spills over the edge of a ridge.Crocodile Needlefishes cruise near the surface of the water.Raccoon Butterflyfishes hang in the water.Blue Goatfishes and Bluefin Tevallies often hunt with an octopus or, here, a Whitemouth Moray Eel.Yellow Tangs feedings.
A Manta Ray swims by, just below the surface of the water.
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 748. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.
Purple Coral.A Nutmeg Mannikin feeding on Cane Grass seeds.A Mourning Gecko that recently lost its tail.The Anawa, a Dutch built superyacht owned by a Brazilian billionaire.A tug enters Kawaihae Harbor.A view on the North Kohala coast.
This week’s Sunday Stills color challenge theme is ‘Red, White, & Blue.’ See more responses here.
Yesterday marked the 250th anniversary of Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America. This photo encompasses some of how Hawaii came to be part of this nation.
The statue is of King Kamehameha 1. He was born in Kohala and was the Aliʻi (chief) who, in 1795, united all the Hawaiian islands under one ruler. This rule, under him and his successors, lasted until 1893. It was overthrown in a coup by the ‘Committee of Safety,’ who were mostly of U.S. descent, and supported by the U.S. military. The Committee declared a Republic of Hawaii with the intent of having the U.S. taking over, which it duly did in 1898. It remained a territory of the U.S. until August 21, 1959 when it became the 50th state.
The flag on the left is the USA’s stars and stripes. On the right is Hawaii’s state flag, featuring the British Union Jack in the top corner. That’s there because of the British influence with the Hawaiian royalty. This dates back to Captain James Cook, who was the first European to make contact with the Hawaiians. Subsequently, British advisors and support helped the Hawaiian Kingdom come about and survive. There’s a story that in 1812, when the U.S. and Britain were at war, King Kamehameha designed this flag with elements of both nations’ flags, so as not to offend either. Alas, there’s no evidence for this assertion!
So how do Hawaiians feel about celebrating July 4th? Well, I’m not Hawaiian, but any day that’s a public holiday is welcomed, and any excuse to set off fireworks is popular too, though it was surprisingly quiet here last night! I know some Hawaiians who served in the U.S. military who are proud of being part of the U.S.. I also know there are others who want to see Hawaii restored as an independent nation. No doubt, there are many in between. However, I don’t expect to see the return of the Hawaiian Kingdom any time soon.
I saw this trailer parked in one of the small cemeteries in Hawi and immediately wondered what they were putting in there. It’s not refrigerated so I hope it’s not what I first thought of!
Posted for Bushboy’s Last on the Card. See more responses here.
Graham's Island 