Tag Archives: On The Coast

The Numbers Game #60

Two Hawaiian monk seals tussle in a tide pool.
A pair of Hawaiian Monk Seals at Upolu. One of my favorite monk seal photos.

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

A juvenile Threadfin Jack.
A Gargantuan Blenny rests on a patch of coral
A Gargantuan Blenny.
An adult Black-crowned Night Heron.
A Bristled-thighed curlew on the Big Island coast
A Bristle-thighed Curlew.
A flowery flounder swims off the Big Island of Hawaii.
A Flowery Flounder heading for cover.
The shadow of Mauna Kea stretches out above the clouds.
The shadow of Mauna Kea projected on the cloud cover. Another favorite!

Chow time for birds

A Nutmeg Mannikin feeds on cane grass seeds in Hawaii
A Nutmeg Mannikin feeds on cane grass seeds in Hawaii

The current Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Feeding and Watching the Birds.’ See more responses here.

I rarely see Nutmeg Mannikins around the house, but when the Cane Grass goes to seed, they show up in force.

The Pueo below made short work of this unfortunate mouse. no chewing involved!

A Pueo catches a mouse in Hawaii
A Franklin's Gull finds something to eat in Hawaii
A stray Franklin’s Gull found something and seemed to be trying to figure out how to eat it.
A Black-crowned night heron spears a fish in Hawaii
This Black-crowned Night Heron speared a fish and took it ashore to eat it.
Ruddy turnstones feeding on the shore in Hawaii
Ruddy Turnstones pick through tide pools in search of food.

The Numbers Game #58

Lava from Kilauea Volcano’s Pu’u O’o vent enters the ocean as if from a firehose.
The fire hose of lava entering the sea from Kilauea Volcano in 2017. Original post here.

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

A Fireweed Control Moth.
An endangered Palila.
The mural on the side of Hawi Post Office.
A school of mackerel scads, or Opelus being hunted by a rainbow runner off Hawaii
A Rainbow Runner chases a school of Opelu.
A breaking wave in Hawaii
Breaking wave incoming!
Keck 1 and 2 telescopes atop Mauna Kea.

The Numbers Game #55

Mauna Loa erupts on the Big Island of Hawaii
Mauna Loa erupts in November 2022, seen on my drive to work.

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

Something seen just after sunset in Hawaii
A giant illuminated duck!
On the Ala Kahakai Trail between Spencer Beach Park and Hapuna
Hapuna Beach.
Heavy rains flood a road on the Big Island, Hawaii
Flooding on the drive home.
Orange fungi on a tree stump
Cinnabar Polypores fungi.
A Hawk Moth Caterpillar in Hawaii
A Hawk Moth caterpillar.
Clianthus puniceus in a tropical garden in Port Townsend, Washington
Clianthus puniceus in my old garden in Washington State.

Humpback Whale encounter

A Humpback Whale in the waters off Hawaii

Yesterday, driving into Lapakahi Historical Park to go snorkeling, my wife and I saw a Humpback Whale, close offshore, doing multiple tail slaps. After we parked the car and headed towards down to the shore, the whale was still slapping its tail. By the time we had our gear on and ready to swim, it looked like the whale was done and heading south.

But, as we got in the water, I saw the whale heading north. We swam out, without any thought of seeing the whale. Chances were it would dive and disappear, or move on, or turn around again. But once out toward the edge of the reef, we realized the whale was hanging around and even nudging towards the shore. By this time it was doing fin slaps.

A Humpback Whale slaps a fin in the waters off Hawaii

We had never been this close to a whale in the water and the sight of the huge fin reaching up and then slapping the water with a loud thwack was impressive. As we watched, the fins got larger. I dipped my head underwater and could make out the hazy shape of the whale, the first time I’ve ever seen one in the water. Eventually, the whale came into full view and paralleled our course for a few minutes before it eased away, though it remained quite close to shore.

A Humpback Whale in the waters off Hawaii

The whole encounter was deeply moving, an end of year gift for us and another swimmer who was there. During that swim, we also saw three reef sharks and later, a pod of dolphins. It says something that those encounters, normally the highlight of any swim, felt anticlimactic!