Let’s face it, octopuses are just plain odd. They change color in an instant. They disappear while you’re looking at them. They shoot off with surprising speed. They disappear into cracks where you wouldn’t think you could lose a paperclip. And, while looking right at them, they will change shape, oozing out tentacles to redistribute themselves in some other place.
Posted in response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ See more responses here.
False Kamani (Terminalia catappa) is believed to have been introduced to Hawaii before 1800 and is now widespread here, particularly on beaches and shorelines. This one was at Spencer Beach Park and was heavy with green almond-shaped fruits as well as riper deep pink ones.
What caught my eye was that the ripe fruits had been gathered and used to ornament the battlements of a sandcastle below the tree. I thought they gave it an odd but distinctive look.
Posted in response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ see more responses here.
Had I been a little quicker on the uptake, I’d have run this photo the day after this post. I found this attention seeker in Kawaihae, hoping to lure passers-by to stop for ice, water, and shaved ice. He’s always smiling and he’s got eye-catching dance moves, too!
Posted in response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ See more responses here.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Feed the Birds.’ (See more responses here.) We don’t put bird feeders out here so I was going to go with a selection of birds feeding out and about. But a few days ago, I was reminded that, while we don’t put out bird feeders, it doesn’t mean we don’t have them around.
Right now, the cane grass bordering the property has gone to seed and has been attracting birds. Seeing them is one thing; getting photos another. The cane grass is up to 10 feet high and the little birds that feed on them are notoriously skittish and will take off in an instant. I’ve found my bathroom window to be a good spot for photography – as long as it’s clean! The window looks out at the level of a lot of seed heads, but they’re usually in motion because of the wind and the little birds working them over. And other stalks of cane grass swish back and forth, obscuring my view of the birds and playing havoc with my focusing.
However, I was lucky enough to get photos of two recent visitors. The top trio of photos show a Common Waxbill stripping a seed head that was nicely illuminated and in an open spot right across from the window. The bottom three show a Nutmeg Mannikin. This one hopped around more, but stayed long enough that I was able to get several photos.
Both waxbills and mannikins generally travel in small flocks. This waxbill was the only one I saw clearly, but I saw others flitting about and could hear them in the vicinity. The odd thing about the mannikin was that it was the only one I saw or heard. Also, as the sun went down, I went outside to see if I could get better shots from a different angle. This bird did not seem bothered by my presence. Normally, mannikins would disappear at my appearance (I don’t take it personally!). I suspect this one was a juvenile that was, hopefully temporarily, separated from the flock and hadn’t learned about the many dangers facing it.
Also posted in response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ See more responses here.
I have to admit I have no idea what the attraction is to knotting a pair of shoes together and lobbing them over phone or power lines. I saw this pair on Old Saddle Road, which is basically in the middle of nowhere. Mind you, I can see why a person would want to get rid of these shoes!
Posted in response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ See more responses here.
I encountered this grasshopper while walking at Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site at Kawaihae. As I approached, the grasshopper held its ground and I immediately thought of the Black Knight in Monty Python’s Holy Grail movie. Unlike the Black Knight, this grasshopper finally pinged off to the side and let me pass, all it’s limbs still intact!
Posted in response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ See more responses here.
I don’t often take photos of people, but this couple, on the shore at ʻAnaehoʻomalu Bay, caught my eye, as they did of pretty much everyone else at the beach at that time. It would have been hard to miss them.
They started out on the end of a rock wall that juts out from the beach, putting them squarely in everyone’s line of sight. Then, after I’d moved on, they moved on too and ended up squarely in my photos of the actual sunset.
The reason for their odd behavior can be seen in the photos – that little tripod with the camera on top. They were videoing themselves, of course. They’re probably highly paid influencers, social media stars, or well known edgy artists. I don’t know, being ignorant of all those things, but since they were performing on a public beach, I had no qualms about taking photos. I wish them well and I was smiling through the the whole thing. I noticed other people were, too.
If these had been photos of me and my wife, you would know that we are very close to the end of times. It’s hard for me to imagine a less likely scenario. Which is probably why I labeled the photos ‘Sunset poser couple.”
Posted in response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ See more responses here.
This month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme is ‘Odd.’ (See more responses here.) I have resisted the temptation to post 28 selfies, which will be a relief to everyone, including me. Instead, I start with a favorite fish of mine, the odd-looking Threadfin Jack juvenile.
The key word here is ‘juvenile,’ because when Threadfin Jacks mature, they end up looking like creatures that could provide security at a Beyoncé concert. But as juveniles, they sport a little diamond body, silvery with black bars, and an extravagant array of trailing filaments. This appearance is intended to mimic jellyfish, which was my assumption when I first saw one.
I used to see these regularly, but in the last couple of years I’ve only seen one pair, and that only for a fleeting moment. Not sure if that’s to do with changing conditions or that I’m missing them in the murkier water that prevails these days.
Graham's Island 