I was sitting on my couch one evening when I noticed this silhouette. A dandy? An artist? It’s actually my camera bag topped by a shirt and socks ready for the next day!
Abstracts: Silhouette
Hawaiian Hogfish
Mature Hawaiian Hogfishes usually live in deeper water, with the juveniles most often seen by snorkelers. But in my regular swimming spot, mature female Hawaiian Hogfishes, such as this one, can be seen regularly, if not frequently.
I also like the look of the Yellow Tang in this photo. “Why is she following me? Why won’t she leave me alone?”
On the other side of the leaf
A gecko goes about its business on the other side of a spider lily leaf.
Posted for Bushboy’s Last on the Card photo challenge. See more responses here.
The sun sets on July
It’s the end of the month so here’s a sunset to send it on its way.
Watching you watching me
I saw this goat grazing as it passed through a shallow gully and I liked this moment when it spotted me.
Ohia flowers and bees
The beautiful red flowers of native Ohia trees are popular with bees, even in remote areas like the Kau Desert Trail, where these photos were taken.
Waipi’o Valley view
A view across Waipi’o Valley from the road into the valley. This road has been closed to visitors for some time, because of rockfalls from the steep slopes above it. A project to improve the road recently finished its first phase, but it’s likely to be a few years before the road is opened to anyone other than residents, licensed tour operators, and native Hawaiians exercising traditional rights. Even then, it’s not clear what access will be permitted.
One thing this means is that the (strenuous) Muliwai Trail, into the next door Waimanu Valley, is currently closed and is likely to be so for some time, if it ever reopens. That trail can be seen (very faintly) making a zigzag up the steep slope on the far side of the valley.
The storm birds are gathering
“Graham, get your camera. Storm birds!” With that alert, I dashed out of the office at work and saw these Great Frigatebirds circling in the gray skies towards Kohala Mountain. There were 16 of them, which is the most I’ve seen at one go.
These birds are known as ’Iwa in Hawaii. This means ‘thief’ in the Hawaiian language, a reference to their practice of harassing other birds into dropping prey they’ve caught, which the ’Iwa then take for themselves.
In Hawaii, a gathering of these birds is seen as a sign of stormy weather coming, Hence the storm birds name. They were on the money again, with Tropical Storm Calvin hitting the island a few days later.
