Tag Archives: On The Coast

High surf at Mahukona

High surf crashes ashore at Mahukona, Hawaii

’Tis the season for big northwest swells to start rolling in here. Happy days for surfers, not so much for snorkelers. The first of the season hit west-facing shores over the past two days. By and large the swells weren’t too bad, but every so often a big swell, such as this one, would crash ashore.

No birds or small children were harmed in the taking of this photo! Posted for Bushboy’s Last on the Card. See more responses here.

Fishing with a view

A fisherman at Upolu with Maui in the background

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

I’m the world’s worst fisherman and would have starved long ago if I had to rely on catching fish for food. But in Hawaii, fishing has long been a traditional way of putting food on the table. With line, net, or spear, on shore or from a boat, catching fish has been, and still is, a big feature of island life. And if the fish aren’t biting, at least the view tends to be wonderful.

The Numbers Game #49

Kiawe trees and Muana Kea telescopes silhouetted against an early morning sky
A view of telescopes on Mauna Kea from Mahukona.

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

Getting down with brown

A House Sparrow drinking in Hawaii
A House Sparrow takes a drink.

This month’s Sunday Stills color challenge is ‘Auburn or Brown.’ See more responses here. Captions on the photos.

Monk seal and pup

A monk seal and pup at Keokea Park Hawaii

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

This mother and her pup were looking pretty cozy on the beach at Keokea Beach Park. Mothers stay with their pups for five to seven weeks. During this time, the mothers generally do not feed, while pups feed on their mother’s milk. Mothers are typically huge when they give birth, but they lose a lot of weight during the rearing time, while the pups get correspondingly bigger.

This pup was very young, and it was quite dramatic to see how quickly the pup got bigger and the mother smaller!

A monk seal and pup at Keokea Park Hawaii

Not again!

A Great Frigatebird flies along the North Kohala Coat, Hawaii

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!