Well rounded

The rounded hills of Kohala Mountain and a weather radar known as the golfball
The rounded NEXRAD Weather Radar sits on the rounded hills of Kohala Mountain.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Rounded.’ See more responses here. Another mixed bag this week with captions on or below the photos

Finescale Triggerfish

A Finescale Triggerfish in the waters off Hawaii

According to my fish book, Finescale Triggerfish are rare in Hawaii, except for the west coast of the Big Island. I see one or two most times I get in the water, and when I see them, I try to take photos. Most of the photos are terrible.

Finescale Triggerfish are, by some way, the largest triggerfish in Hawaii’s waters, so they’re not hard to spot, and with their dorsal and anal fins flopping from side to side as they swim, they’re easy to identify. However, they do present problems. For one thing, they’re generally a blotchy grey or brown color so they tend to blend into the background. While they can be seen close to shore, they usually swim nearer the bottom than the top. And they’re skittish. When I do see one nearer the surface, it’s usually seen me first and is headed down and away.

This one was a bit trapped in a relatively shallow area, so I got a few photos, though unfortunately the water was very hazy that day so the quality wasn’t great.

Turkey trot

Turkeys roam free in Hawaii

These turkeys trotted through the yard a while back. Hopefully, they’re still around and not in an oven somewhere. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Thurston Lava Tube

Inside Thurston Lava Tube in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

I visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park recently, with friends from the mainland, and towards the end of our visit we stopped by Thurston Lava Tube. These days the tube is known as Nāhuku, which means “the protuberances” in Hawaiian. There aren’t any protuberances in the tube these days, but it’s still fun to walk the dimly lit tube, imagining magma rushing through it, until the eruption stopped and the tube drained.

Inside Thurston Lava Tube in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Abstracts: Reflections at Lily Lake

Reflections in Lily Lake at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden

On my last visit to Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, I was taking photos at Lily Lake, which features an island in the center, planted with palms and ti plants. I like the reflections the plants make in the calm water.

This photo started out as a vertical, with the plants as well as the reflections. But when I looked at it, I liked the reflections better than the plants, so I cut it in half and made it horizontal!