Category Archives: Weather

Great Frigatebirds

I was driving down to Upolu for my usual walk when I saw a few Great Frigatebirds off in the distance. They seemed to be heading my way, so I pulled over and waited. As I did so, more appeared. They glided down towards the coast, then banked left to cross the road, which is when I took these photos.

I counted 17 in all, though there might have been more. Usually, I see these birds in ones and twos, but larger flocks like these are, apparently, not unusual. Such gatherings can be simply social, but can also improve their chances in the search for food, as well as for spotting predators, not that they have a lot of those while flying.

A Great Frigatebird flying over Hawaii — Males have a red gular sac at the throat. It makes them easy to identify, even at a distance.

My bird book notes that most Great Frigatebirds seen in Hawaii are females or juveniles, but I regularly see males, which are easily identified by the red gular sac on their throat. This sac can be impressively inflated during courtship.

Posted for Bird of the Week LVIII. See more responses here.

The Numbers Game #15

Dark pink plumeria flowers in Hawaii — A dark pink plumeria.

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 136. Captions are on the photos.

You can see more responses here.

In Kailua Kona, this electronic sign flashes “Emergency Water Restriction” and “Stop Sprinkler Use.” — I saw this sign in Kailua Kona during a downpour. Original post here.

The plumage of birds at rest often has a wonderful layered look to it. This zebra dove is no exception. — The lovely plumage of a zebra dove.

A pueo looks watchful in Hawaii — The lovely plumage of a zebra dove.

In balance

A woman walks on the beach at Kohanaiki Park in Hawaii

I saw this woman walking the beach at Kohanaiki and was impressed by her poise and balance. Not in a million years could I do that!

Rainbow and palms

A view of the coast at Lapakahi State Historical Park.

The Numbers Game #14

The shadow of Mauna Kea stretches out above the clouds. — A favorite photo of mine. The shadow of Mauna Kea stretching out over the clouds!

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 135. Captions are on the photos.

You can see more responses here.

Sunrise at Upolu on the Big Island of Hawaii — Sunrise at Upolu. I was looking to capture an eclipse, but got this instead.

This mare and her foal were among several horses in a pasture alongside Old Saddle Road. — A horse and foal in a pasture off Saddle Road.

A metallic skink peeks out from under a lava ledge. — A horse and foal in a pasture off Saddle Road.

Coming up, going down

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Sunrise or Sunset.’ See more responses here.

The top photo is a recent sunrise over Waimea. The bottom one is a sunset along the Kohala coast.

How green are my valleys?

A view of the Valleys of Kohala Mountain in Hawaii — Valleys and waterfalls of Kohala Mountain.

This week’s Sunday Stills monthly challenge is ‘Green.’ See more responses here. Captions on photos.

A Green Anole on a green Ti leaf in Hawaii — A Green Anole on green Ti leaves.

A pueo flies over the pastures of North Kohala in Hawaii — A Green Anole on green Ti leaves.

Tropical Foliage and shadows in Hawaii — Tropical foliage creates strong shadows…

A view of Pololu Valley in Hawaii — A view up Pololu Valley in Kohala

I will swing for this

A swing at Hawaii Island Retreat on the North Kohala coast

Hawaii Island Retreat sits on a steep cliff on the windswept North Kohala coast. There are a couple of public access trails leading down to the coast there. One passes in front of the main building and this is where this swing can be found.

I think I could be happy rocking back and forth there for an hour or two or three, and disembark a more balanced and contented individual!

For more information about Hawaii Island Retreat, go to hawaiiislandretreat.com.

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii