A swathe of Beach Naupaka grows in black sand near Apua Point in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Beach Naupaka and black sand
Bicolor Chub
The Bicolor Chub is one of several chubs here, but the only one endemic to Hawaii. While it has a lot of similarities to the Gray Chub, the two-tone coloring makes it easy to identify. Some Bicolor Chubs are dark at the back and light at the front. This one also has the dark top to its head and face. Some of them also have dark backs so that the only light part is the belly area.
Kawaihae Harbor from the air
This view of Kawaihae Harbor shows the main harbor with its wharf on the left and breakwater on the right. Close to the breakwater are several boats on buoys and the military’s landing ramp and staging area. On the upper right is the relatively new small boat harbor, home to about 25 small boats.
Bottom left is the old small boat harbor which is mostly used for launching small boats and canoes these days, after a storm breached the small breakwater protecting it.
Small Indian Mongoose
A Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) surveys its surroundings. Easily distinguished by its short legs, long body and tail, and beady red eyes, this mongoose is the poster child for bad ideas in Hawaii. It was deliberately introduced to get rid of rats, which it didn’t do. Instead, it has decimated native bird populations on all the islands except Kaua’i, where it is still, officially, absent.
Abstracts: More ripples
Another image of ripples in the water of ʻAimakapā Fishpond at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park.
Art on the rocks
A while back, my local snorkel spot suddenly sprouted these colorful aquatic murals on some of the crumbling surfaces around the parking area. Not sure who was responsible, but I quite like them.
Black Francolin
There are three kinds of francolins that can be found in Hawaii. In the 10 years I’ve lived here I’ve seen and photographed lots of Gray Francolins, the most common and loudest of the bunch. I’ve also got several photos of Erckel’s Francolins, which are noticeably larger than the other two. But though I’ve seen a fair number of Black Francolins, which have distinctive markings, I’ve never got a photo of one before.
It’s not that they’re rare – I see them fairly regularly – but I only ever seem to see them while I’m driving. By the time I stop the car, grab the camera, and get out, the francolin is long gone.
But last week, while I was at work, I looked out of the window and saw this bird ambling across what passes for a lawn here. I snagged my camera, ran outside and started taking photos. In the top one, the bird is about to leave the open area and head into scrubby grassland. It gave me the eye at a couple of points, and then headed away and out of sight. And, yes, the brown stalks are grass. This area gets very little rainfall, and it’s been exceptionally dry here as well.
Pink plumerias
Pink plumeria flowers stand out against the tree’s large green leaves in North Kohala.
Graham's Island 