The Numbers Game #7

A gray francolin ventures into the territory of some cats in Hawaii — A Gray Francolin ventures into the territory of some cats.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 128. You can see more responses here.

Two painted lady butterflies in a kiawe tree in Hawaii — Two Painted Lady Butterflies in a Kiawe tree.

An Undulated Moray Eel in the waters off Hawaii — An Undulated Moray Eel looking grouchy, as per usual.

Koi swim in Lily Lake at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens — Koi swim in Lily Lake at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden.

No through road

A herd of cows moves up a road in Hawaii

There are times when a Give Way sign is not necessary. This was one of them!

Windows in Hilo

I like Hilo. It’s the largest town on the island, the seat of county government, and it’s been around a good while. I noticed these windows in the Volcano Block while I was eating at a restaurant across the street.

Feed me

A baby bird calling for food in Hawaii — A baby African Silverbill cries for food.

A Nutmeg Mannikin feeds on cane grass seeds in Hawaii — A Nutmeg Mannikin stuffing itself with cane grass seeds

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Feed the Birds.’ See more responses here.

I don’t feed the birds here, but they seem to have no trouble feeding themselves, with the notable exception of the one in the top photo. Here’s a selection.

A Hawaiian Stilt snags a meal in Hawaii — An Hawaiian Stilt prepares to eat a tasty morsel fished form the water.

A Hawaiian Amakihi feeds at a mamane flower in Hawaii — An Hawaiian Amakihi feeds at a Mamane flower.

A cattle egret catches an anole in Hawaii — An Hawaiian Amakihi feeds at a Mamane flower.

Mauna Kea view

A view of Mauna Kea from the Pu’u O’o Trail, the last time I hiked there.

Finally, another monk seal

A Hawaiian Monk Seal rests at Upolu on the Big Island of Hawaii

Back on January 25, I posted photos for The Numbers Game that included an old monk seal photo. At the time I thought, I should run this because it’s been ages since I saw a monk seal.

That afternoon, I went for a walk at Upolu and saw this monk seal. I didn’t notice it at first because monk seals tend to blend in well with the rocks they rest on. But when I got closer, I realized what I was looking at. It’s been two and a half years since I last saw one, so maybe I’m out of practice.

I took photos, with a view to being able to identify the seal. I could see red tags in both tail flippers, but the seal’s position left me unable to see what was on the tags. Luckily, just before I left, the seal moved and I was able to get one shot from which I could read the identification.

A Hawaiian Monk Seal tag at Upolu on the Big Island of Hawaii

The seal’s tag read M36, and I sent this photo along with others to the Marine Mammal Center, which tracks monk seals around the islands. I was happy to get a response telling me this monk seal is a female, born in 2020 on Kauai. What was really nice to hear was that she is the pup of BOO, a monk seal I saw several times back in 2016 in the company of I05 (affectionately known as Igor). It’s been almost five years since I saw I05, which could mean bad news or simply that he moved elsewhere. He was not typically a social seal!

Two Hawaiian monk seals tussle in a tide pool. — BOO and IO5 at Upolu in 2016. Original post here.

Yesterday, I went walking at Upolu for the first time in a week and saw the same seal in the same place. I doubt she’s been there the whole time, but perhaps she’s going to make this stretch of coast her new home. One can only hope.

Wires

Power lines against a blue sky in Hawaii

I was wandering the neighborhood looking for photo opportunities and liked the sky with its puffy clouds. I thought the wires along the main highway into Hawi provided a good contrast.

Posted for Bushboy’s Last on the Card photo challenge. See more responses here.

Feather-legged Fly

I was photographing bees on a tree heliotrope in Kawaihae when I saw this fly. It’s a new one for me, so I was happy to get decent photos and to be able to identify it afterwards.

This is a Feather-legged Fly (Trichopoda pennipes). It’s one of those flies which lays its eggs on host bugs, such as leaf-footed bugs and stink bugs. On hatching, the larvae make for the bug’s interior and develop safely within. The end product is a new fly and a dead bug. Because some of the bugs it uses as hosts are crop pests, it’s considered a beneficial insect.

The bottom photo shows why it got its name!

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii