Category Archives: Scenes

Hawaiian Stilts

Three Hawaiian Stilts at Kohanaiki Park in Hawaii

The Hawaiian Stilt or Ae’o is endemic to Hawaii and is a subspecies of the mainland Black-necked Stilt. It’s listed as endangered with a population of around 2,000 birds, a number that has been increasing very slowly over the last few years.

Their plight is due to the usual reasons. They were popular hunting targets until that was banned in the 1940s. But a variety of predators, including cats, dogs, mongooses, and other birds such as Barn Owls and Cattle Egrets, are still a significant threat. So too is loss of habitat, mostly shallow wetlands, to development, agriculture, and pollution.

These three were at Kohanaiki Beach Park, where Hawaiian Stilts can often be seen feeding and nesting. The two on the left seemed to have nodded off and didn’t move while I watched. But the third was fidgety, preening and looking around, then tucking its head away, before repeating the process several times.

Posted for Bird of the Week LVI.

Three Hawaiian Stilts at Kohanaiki Park in HawaiiThree Hawaiian Stilts at Kohanaiki Park in Hawaii

Tropical Milkweed

An Asclepias curassavica flower in Hawaii
An Asclepias curassavica flower in Hawaii

Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) is an introduced species here. It’s become popular in part because milkweeds are food for butterflies, including Monarch Butterflies, whose numbers have been falling for some time. However, there are questions about whether planting Tropical Milkweed is a good or bad thing.

One concern is that Tropical Milkweed’s perennial habit might be disrupting the Monarch’s epic migrations. Another concern is that the plant hosts Oe (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha), a parasite that adversely infects butterflies, and that is passed down to subsequent generations. This parasite is more prevalent in non-migratory butterflies such as those in Hawaii, but it’s not clear whether Hawaii’s population is suffering in the same way as some of those on the mainland. Hawaii’s Monarchs primarily use Crown Flowers to lay their eggs.

The Numbers Game #13

An A'ama Crab skitters through a field of Helmet Urchins in Hawaii
An A’ama crab skitters through a field of Helmet Urchins.
The blooms of a yucca plant.
A Yucca plant in full flower.

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 134. Captions are on the photos.

You can see more responses here.

A mural painted on the side of Hawi Post Office.
A Ruddy Turnstone watches from a rock in Hawaii
A Ruddy Turnstone watching.
A Pallid Ghost Crab waits by the entrance ot its burrow.
A Pallid Ghost Crab getting ready to disappear into its burrow.
The bench overlooking Honokane Nui Valley.

The Numbers Game #12

A green turtle is temporarily stranded on a rock.
A turtle on the rocks. See more photos 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 133. Captions are on the photos.

You can see more responses here.

A Red-billed Leiothrix sings on a branch
A Red-billed-Leiothrix calls out.
A wild pig that has been eating fallen mangoes
A wild pig snacking on mangoes.
A cow chats with two cattle egrets.
A cow in conversation with a pair of cattle egrets.
The Tahitian voyaging canoe Fa‘afaite off the coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.
The Tahitian voyaging canoe Fa’afaite off Mahukona.
A surface lava flow on Napau trail.
An Ohia tree toughing it out in the lava on the Napau Trail.
The old Wo On Store in North Kohala.
The old Wo On Store at Halawa.
Bougainvillea flowers in bloom
A Bougainvillea in a neighbor’s garden.

Hi honey I’m home

Bees returning to their hive in Hawaii
Bees returning to their hive in Hawaii

On a recent walk, I noticed a lot of bees about. When I poked my head through a hedge I saw this hive, which was where they were heading to, or coming from. I think this might be the first hive I’ve seen here, though I know there are a lot on the island. They’re just not in places where people tend to walk by, which is probably a good thing!

Bees returning to their hive in Hawaii