The plumage of birds at rest often has a wonderful layered look to it. This zebra dove is no exception.
Stareye parrotfish
There are several kinds of parrotfish in the waters off the Big Island, but the lines radiating out from the eye make the stareye easy to identify. In its initial phase (below), those lines are much less obvious, and the fish blends in with its surroundings so well that it’s sometimes difficult to spot at all.
Trail to Honokane Nui Valley
I wrote a while ago (here) about the precipitous, rope-aided section of the trail to Honokane Nui Valley, east of Pololu. Surviving that section does offer the reward of the rest of the trail, which passes through tree-shaded clearings, tropical-leafed tunnels, and bamboo canyons. Try not to think of the haul back up.
Abstracts: Jellyfish
Every so often, when I go snorkeling, the water is full of small pink filament-like things. Swimming through them leaves me feeling slightly itchy and I’ve been told they’re baby jellyfish. A few days ago, in amongst these little pink blobs was a somewhat larger one, still only an inch or two long, but definitely a jellyfish.
This was the best photo I got, but I liked how the water swirled around above it with the pink-rimmed hole looking like it might just have beamed the jellyfish down.
Mourning gecko on bird of paradise flower
I found this mourning gecko taking a drink at a bird of paradise flower. I love the metallic-looking eyes of the gecko.
Vireya rhododendron
Vireya rhododendrons can do well on the Big Island and when they do, the display of flowers is quite beautiful.
Very Long Baseline Array on Mauna Kea
Most of the telescopes on Mauna Kea are clustered together near the summit, but about halfway between the Mauna Kea Visitor Center and the summit is this lonely telescope. It’s one of the ten radio telescopes that make up the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), which began operating in 1993. Eight of the other telescopes are scattered around the U.S. mainland with the tenth at St. Croix in the Virgin Islands.
The Mauna Kea telescope, like the others, consists of a dish antenna 82 feet in diameter, and an unmanned control building. These ten telescopes are remotely operated from the Domenici Science Operations Center in Socorro, New Mexico.
For more information about the Very Long Baseline Array, go to https://public.lbo.us/.
Whitebar surgeonfish
Whitebar surgeonfish are one of the staple reef fish. They’re regularly seen close to shore, often in large schools. Other reef fish will often join the crowd, such as the yellow tang in the second photo.
Graham's Island 