This is what people think of when they think of Hawaii: golden sand, blue water, and rolling surf at Hapuna beach, often touted as one of the best beaches in the world. Trouble is sometimes the surf gets too big, which is when the lifeguards have to get busy. Not sure the surf in this photo warrants the sign, but even small surf can cause trouble for people unfamiliar with it.
I thought this was one of the local rock pigeons hanging out near the cliff edge, but when I got home and looked at the photo, I noticed the bands on its legs. A bit of research on birdwatchingdaily.com revealed that banded pigeons are the same rock pigeon species, but are usually lost racing pigeons.
Turns out there are three racing pigeon clubs on the island as well as several more on the other islands. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a photo with enough information on the band to tell where it might have come from. I saw the same bird a couple more times without getting a better view, and then it was gone.
I don’t know if it suddenly remembered its way home or simply ingratiated its way into the local rock pigeon flock.
This donkey maintains that mohawks are still cool.
The Kohala Girls’ School was founded in 1874 by Ellen and Elias Bond, missionaries who came to the Big Island from Maine in 1840. It remained in operation until 1955. Since then the buildings saw only occasional use, but they are currently being renovated as part of the Grace Learning Center, an educational program of the Kohala Institute.
The land managed by the Kohala Institute is called ’Iole and is one of Big Island’s the last intact ahupua’a. An ahupua’a was a land division that stretched from the sea to the mountains, giving those who lived there access to everything they needed for self sufficiency.
For more information about Iole and the Kohala Institute, go to kohalainstitute.org.
For more information about Kohala Girls’ School, go to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bond_District
As parrotfish grow, they go through two phases, initial and terminal. Initial phase parrotfish can be male or female, but in some species are always female. I ran a photo of an initial phase ember parrotfish here.
This ember parrotfish is in its terminal phase and is what is known as a supermale. Terminal phase parrotfish are always male and, as John Hoover notes, ‘supermales are almost always reversed-sex females.’ Supermales also tend to brightly colored, like this one.
The smaller, following fish is a Christmas wrasse. Parrotfish are often trailed by one or other of the wrasses, looking to latch onto things to eat, dislodged by the larger fish grazing for algae on the coral.
In my attempts to identify what I see in the water, I use John P. Hoover’s book The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals. His website is hawaiisfishes.com.
Waves of lava in this tide pool have gained color over time.
A paper wasp clambers over a budding plumeria.
Also known as glory bower (Clerodendrum thomsoniae), this is a colorful and vigorous vine. I believe this is the variety, ‘Delectum.’
Graham's Island 