Tag Archives: Cattle

The miracle of birth is hard work

Driving down to Upolu for a walk, I noticed this cow behaving oddly, so I pulled over to take a look. The reason quickly became clear: a pair of hooves sticking out below the tail. She was about to give birth. I thought this would be a good photo op, so settled in to watch.

The poor cow was up, down, walking, lying down. The pair of hooves did not budge. A couple of times I thought the delivery was nigh, but they were false dawns.

A cattle egret stands by a cow trying to calve in Hawaii — Are you the midwife?

I wasn’t the only one watching the action, or lack of it. Other cows looked on from a safe distance, chickens pecked the ground around the struggling cow, and a cattle egret flew in to see if any bugs might be being stirred up by the activity. In the end, I could wait no longer. I went off for my walk. On my return, nothing much had changed so I went home.

A cattle egret flies by a cow trying to calve in Hawaii — I guess not.

I didn’t contact the dairy. Early in my time here, I tried that, but they weren’t interested and soon after, No Trespassing signs went up on the driveway! I grew up on a small farm and, for us, a new calf was an important arrival to be carefully ushered into the world. But this was a bigger operation, and I’ve learned that the cows are left to get on with it. Truth is, she was probably fine. These things take time and, as every mother out there knows, it’s never easy.

A hen stands in front of a cow trying to calve in Hawaii — Hey, look at me! I’m the star here!

Big and brown

This young bull gave me a watchful look as I took photos over a flimsy-looking fence, but it quickly lost interest in me, and returned to grazing. Check out those flies!

An uplifting experience

As this month hurtles towards its conclusion, I realized I’d failed to post any crane photos for Becky’s Squares: Geometric. (See more responses here.)

They’ve finally got around to replacing the turbine blades at Hawi Wind Farm, after months of the blades just lying next to the turbines. The operation requires a crane to lift the blade assembly into place. These photos were taken while they were still preparing for that operation. The last photo shows the security for the operation!

The Numbers Game #57

The crosswalk leading to Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park during Covid restrictions.

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 178. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

An Oriental Stink Bug in Hawaii — An Oriental Stink Bug.

An Indian Blue Peacock at Panaʻewa Rainforest Zoo in Hilo, Hawaii — An Oriental Stink Bug.

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Geometric. See more responses here.

The Numbers Game #41

A small plane flies low over Upolu Airport, Hawaii. — A fly-in at Upolu Airport.

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 162. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A praying mantis and a fly — A fly on a praying mantis.

Street art in Hawi, Hawaii — A fly on a praying mantis.

A dry cow pasture in North Kohala, Hawaii — Dry pasture at Upolu.

Irrigation in North Kohala, Hawaii — Dry pasture at Upolu.

Big Island landscapes

Puus on Mauna Kea summit in Hawaii — Pu’us are volcanic cinders cones from past eruptions. These are near the top of Mauna Kea.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Landscapes.’ See more responses here.

There’s a bit of everything on the Big Island, so these are just few of the landscapes to be seen here. Captions on the photos.

Colorful Lava in Hawaii — Lava is a major landscape feature here, but it can be colorful.

A tree on the Hilina Pali Trail in Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii — Lava is a major landscape feature here, but it can be colorful.

A view of a valley in the Kohala Mountains in Hawaii — A view into one of the valleys of Kohala Mountain.

Part of the Pu'u O'o Trail in Hawaii — A view into one of the valleys of Kohala Mountain.

The Numbers Game #22

A Bristle-thighed Curlew snags a snack at Kiholo Hawaii — A Bristle-thighed Curlew moves forward to grab a breakfast snack.

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 143. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Move Forward, Reconstruct, Renew, and/or are Burgeoning. See more responses here.

An Indonesian Wax Ginger glows in the sunlight — A burgeoning Indonesian Wax Ginger catches the light.

A cow with its head stuck in a wire fence in Hawaii — A burgeoning Indonesian Wax Ginger catches the light.

two whitemouth moray eels wedged into the same space behind a clump of coral — Two Whitemouth Moray Eels in a tight spot.

Two Whitemouth Moray Eels in a tight spot.

The Numbers Game #21

Sunken roads at South Point Hawaii — Sometimes, the way to move forward is unclear, as when navigating these roads at South Point.

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 142. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.