I posted here about the spiffy new Kaulana Manu Nature Trail facilities. This is another feature of the upgrade. The actual trailhead is 100 yards or so up the old road from the parking area. I would have thought that negotiating this stretch safely could have been achieved by the placement of a map (which is there) and a couple of clear, but not ostentatious arrows.
Apparently, the trail planners have less faith in the public being able to negotiate the simple transition from car park to trail. Instead we have this solution, a series of footprints to guide even direction-challenged walkers.
There’s a problem though. I tried walking in these footsteps and it made me tired and fearful that I was going to pull a muscle somewhere. Plus, it seems very discriminatory to pigeon-toed people.
A tug brings its barge to a stop before positioning it alongside the wharf at Kawaihae for unloading. This is an almost daily, early morning occurrence. In the background is Mauna Loa, which is Hawaiian for ‘long mountain.’
I came across this scene at Hawi Wind Farm on my way down to walk at Upolu. I’ve seen similar before, various maintenance tasks being performed on the turbines. In this case, the crew appeared to be cleaning rust streaks and then painting them.
When I zoomed in I was taken by a few thing. First up was the shadows thrown off by the man up in the air. I thought this shadow had the look of an old time whaler. When I zoomed in, I was charmed that they were to be using a roller to paint these rather large turbines. Granted, they were just patching bad areas, but it seemed like they might use something giving quicker coverage. I also liked the patterns made by the painted patches, as if some kind of code was involved.
Sometimes, when I’m walking along the coast, the first thing that alerts me to the presence of a bird is its shadow passing over me. This happened again a few days ago and I glanced up to see this White-tailed Tropicbird practically over my head and not by very much. By the time I wrestled my camera out the bird had glided out over the water and away. I watched it receding and put my camera away.
Moments later, I realized the bird was riding the wind back in my direction. I whisked my camera out and started doing pirouettes as it skimmed closer and turned again when overhead. Again it slid away towards the water. It repeated this maneuver two or three times before heading into the wind and out of sight.
I put my camera away again, hoping I had some good shots, and carried on with my walk. About a half mile father on, a shadow passed over me. I looked up and there was the bird again. I assumed it was the same one, and had snuck behind me while I wasn’t looking. This time the bird drifted out into the channel and disappeared towards Maui. These photos are from that encounter.
The next day, walking in the same area, I kept a watchful eye out for a reappearance, but didn’t see a thing … until a shadow passed over me. There it was again. This time the bird kept going and I didn’t even try to take a photo. It disappeared from view. A couple of minutes later, another shadow passed over. This was a different bird, following the first, so perhaps the day before had also been two birds.
I see these graceful birds once in awhile on my walks in this area, but I think large numbers of them can be found farther along the coast between Pololu and Waipio, nesting on the cliffs.
I processed this photo, taken at a fishpond in Mauna Lani, a while ago. For the life of me, I can’t remember why I made two versions. The first is close to the original photo, but I must have produced the second when I was adjusting colors and liked it enough to keep it. I’m not sure I’m as taken with it now as I apparently was then.
This bird looked a bit forlorn when it landed on an outdoor shower at Spencer Beach Park. I think it was just looking for a drink of water, though there were alternatives not far away.
Graham's Island 