The Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway, along the Kohala coast, passes through dry, barren lava fields. But even there, some plants are able to get a foothold. There are several Bougainvillea bushes along the road, including this one that was in full bloom as I headed home one late afternoon.
Early morning light on the Kohala Mountain hillside.
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 171. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.
A Gold Dust Day Gecko on a pink banana.A switchback on the Kilauea Iki Trail.Ripples in the water of ʻAimakapā Fishpond at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park.A Common Waxbill feeds on cane grass seeds.Hawaiian Stilts.African Silverbills at a window. See the full sequence here
Yesterday, I was walking along the coast, head down, into a stiff breeze, when a shadow fell over me and then on the ground ahead. I had to laugh. It had been a while since this had happened to me. It was the unmistakable large shadow of a Great Frigatebird. I grabbed my camera out of the bag, and wrestled it into action, knowing as I did so that I wouldn’t get any decent photos.
The bird passed probably 10- or 15-feet overhead. By the time I took this photo it was way ahead, even into the wind. Then it dipped down closer to the water and I didn’t see it again.
Great Frigatebirds are prodigious flying machines and they appear effortless in their flight. Had I seen it earlier, it would likely have changed course earlier. But I suspect it’s not an accident when they pass directly overhead. I think they’re just winding me up!
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 166. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.
Pololu is at the end of the highway in Kohala. A popular destination for visitors, social media coverage has now boosted it into the burgeoning overrun category. Last week, I headed out there for the first time in ages, intending to walk down to the beach and see if the place had changed.
When I got to the end of the road, I found several people involved in organizing parking and giving out information. This was certainly new. The parking is still inadequate for the number of visitors, but a parcel of land, near the end of the road, is supposed to become a parking and information area, though the time frame for that is a bit vague.
With rain pushing along the coast, I didn’t go down to the beach, but the views along the coast and up the valley are still wonderful. Do me a favor though, and keep that to yourselves!
I was driving the mountain road back to Hawi, when I saw this Pueo flying. I pulled over, but didn’t see it again, until I realized it was perched on a rock on the hillside above. It was watching me.
I took some photos and was lucky enough to catch the bird taking off, before heading over a ridge and out of sight.
The final posted for this month’s Becky’s Squares: Seven. See more responses here. I had some left over and couldn’t decide what to leave out, so I put them all in. Captions on photos.
Power to the people.Seven turbines at Hawi Wind Farm.Cattle egrets take wing.I saw these, parked under the banyans, on my way to the post office.Highway 270 is Akoni Pule Highway, my drive to work. The high bank on the left, at Mile Marker Seven, is a prime whale watching spot in season.Regal looking, but really the back stairs to some offices!