Sheep Bot Fly

The sheep bot fly (Oestrus ovis) is also known as the sheep nose bot fly or sheep nostril fly. That’s because larval stages of this fly move into the nasal passages of sheep and goats. So not only is it good looking, but it also resides in the best of neighborhoods.

I like how, in the top image, the fly appears to be bigger than the fair-sized town of Waimea, on the map, though it’s actually about half-an-inch long. Then, in the lower image, the large eye casts a quizzical look.

There were no sheep for miles where these photos were taken, but there’s no shortage of goats in the vicinity, so that probably accounts for the presence of the fly.

Favorite photos from the early days

My first decent pueo photo taken on Old Saddle Road. I noticed it on the post as I drove by, then stopped, got out, and started taking photos. The bird watched me with that intent stare that they have. (Original post here.)

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Oldie-but-Goodie or Favorite Photo.’ (See more responses here.)
This seemed like a good opportunity to run a few of my favorite photos from the first year of this blog.

Hawaiian monk seals are solitary creatures, but these two spent some weeks in each others company. On the left is the female and on the right is IO5, the male I see most often up here in Kohala. (Original post here.)
A rusty millipede casts a giant shadow.
I saw this rusty millipede crossing a dirt road in the late afternoon and liked its giant shadow. This photo ran on the BBC website here. (Original post here.)
A new born calf is cleaned by his mother.
A cow cleaning her very new calf. Another photo that ran on the BBC website here. (Original post here.)
A pair of zebra doves perch on a mock orange branch
A couple of zebra doves enjoying the late afternoon sun together. (Original post here.)
Breakfast strikes back
A personal favorite, this green anole snagged a Chinese rose beetle, but the beetle did not give up. Instead, it got itself onto the anole’s nose before escaping. The anole did not look thrilled at having this incident photographed. (Original post here.)
Finally, a photo from a hike along the coast. Colorful tide pools, blue ocean, white sand – I spent a long time traversing this stretch. (Original post here.)

Harbor construction

This week’s Friendly Friday challenge theme is ‘Construction.’ See more responses here.

This is a photo of some construction work at the Kawaihae small boat harbor. They’re putting in a boat launch ramp and have been for some time. A crane has been there for weeks and is seen here hooked onto some kind of small receptacle while two guys in waders shovel dirt into it.

I don’t expect the ramp to be finished any time soon, but that’s not surprising. The small boat harbor took nigh on 30 years between initial planning and actual construction.