Mongoose are everywhere including at the beach. This one was scurrying across the sand at Pelekane Beach, Kawaihae.
Mongoose by the water
Erckel’s Francolin out for a walk
I saw this Erckel’s Francolin walking up an angled tree trunk on the side of Mauna Kea. It got to the spot in the top photo, had a look around, and then walked back down again. Francolins prefer to walk everywhere because, being game birds, they know that when they take wing, people try and shoot them.
Playgrounds
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Pets and Playgrounds.’ See more responses here. I’ve gone for the playgrounds part of this since I don’t have pets, unless you count the rat in the attic!
As you might expect, I’ve managed to find seven photos with nary a single human at play in them. Most of the photos were taken at Kamehameha Park in Kapaau. However, I also stopped to take photos at a park in Waimea because I thought it was deserted, but I discovered there were a few kids with parents there. So I was careful lining up my photos. These days, an older guy taking photos in a kids’ park stands a good chance of being arrested or shot!
Signs: The end of the park is coming
My immediate response to this sign, at Lapakahi Historical Park, was to think, ‘You mean, before I fall in the water.’ In truth, the sign is there because the land to the right of it is no longer park property. I’m just not sure why they oriented the sign this way, but there’s a nice, simple bench next to the sign where one can contemplate the matter
Moss
Whether coating the forest floor, or cloaking tree trunks, the abundance of moss alongside the Pu’u O’o Trail, off Saddle Road, always reminds me of the Pacific Northwest, where I lived for 30 years, before moving to Hawaii.
Strasburg’s Blenny
Yes, there is a fish in each of these photos! The endemic Strasburg’s Blenny is less than two inches long and is easily overlooked. It tends to move about in short, sharp bursts, blends in well when it settles, and is almost undetectable when it backs into its hole. That’s where the blenny is in the top photo.
In the second photo, it’s lying out in the open, but blending in rather well. Can you spot it?
Windswept tree
This photo tells you all you need to know abut the winds up here in North Kohala. It also says a lot about the cattle pastures here. Many are currently overrun by weeds of one kind or another thanks to an ongoing cycle of droughts and rain.
One of these is not a sparrow
The praying mantis had been on the rail for some time when the sparrows arrived. I feared for its chances, but it remained very still and the sparrows never seemed to notice it, even though they hung around for a while.
Graham's Island 