Tag Archives: Saddle Road

Red birds in green foliage

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An indigenous I'iwi honeycreeper in Hawaii
An indigenous I'iwi honeycreeper in Hawaii

Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge is ‘Festive Colors of Red and Green.’ See more responses here.

A couple of weeks ago, I hiked a section of the Pu’u O’o Trail, off Saddle Road. It’s one of my favorites on the island. The trail mixes old lava flows from Mauna Loa eruptions with kipukas, areas of old growth trees bypassed by those flows. These kipukas are home to several native bird species.

An indigenous I'iwi honeycreeper in Hawaii

On this day, approaching a kipuka, the bird calls got noticeably louder. Clearly a lot of birds were active. I chastised myself for, once again, not remembering to familiarize myself with the different calls so I could identify the birds I was hearing. But I needn’t have worried. They were visible too, if prone to move about a bit too rapidly for my convenience!

An indigenous I'iwi honeycreeper in Hawaii

This bird is the I’iwi and I saw more of them on this day than any other time I’ve been up here. I’iwis feed on several kinds of native flowers, many of which are found in these kipukas. The tangle of branches and the flighty birds made for tricky photography, but I was happy to get a few good shots out of the many that I took.

An indigenous I'iwi honeycreeper in Hawaii

I know these aren’t Christmassy photos, but I was feeling pretty festive by the end of the hike!

Pueo on a post

A pueo on a post in Hawaii

On the way back from Hilo last week I saw this pueo standing on a post. I stopped the car and got out to take photos. I saw immediately that the pueo was watching my progress and, before I got any decent photos, it took off and headed across the road and away from me. Since I didn’t see it above the fields there, I figured it had settled down again.

Sure enough as I got to the curve in the road I saw it on this post. I moved slowly towards it taking a few photos. Eventually, it decided I had come close enough and took off again. I saw it fly a ways up the hill and settle on yet another post. I didn’t follow, otherwise I could have ended up back in Hilo!

The Numbers Game #86

Cattle Egrets fly past the wind turbines at Hawi Wind Farm.

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

Water cascades down the rocks on the North Kohala coast.
A converted school bus in Hawaii
Cool bus!
A pu'u alongside Old Saddle Road on the Big Island, Hawaii
Early morning pu’u.
A gold dust day gecko and green anole on yellow bamboo
A Gold Dust Day Gecko and Green Anole on yellow bamboo.
Hibiscus “Blue Bayou.”
High winds blow dirt down the hillside at Kawaihae.

Over the lava and through the woods

The Pu'u O'o Trail on the Big Island of Hawaii
Trails come in all shapes and sizes. Some meander through the woods.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Paths and Trails.’ See more responses here.

A Trail along the coast on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some follow the coast.
A Trail over Pahoehoe lava on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some wind through barren lava fields.
A path across Nanue bridge on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some pass next to busy roads. Don’t look down!
The trail to Akaka Falls on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some are paved and have rails for safety.
A sign marks the trail at Weliweli Point on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some have handy signs.
A Walkway over lava on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some are built to carry you above ancient petroglyphs.
The Ka'awaloa Trail on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some trails are mysterious.
The Powerline Trail on the Big Island of Hawaii
Some are clear and easy to follow.
The Hilina Pali Trail on the Big Island of Hawaii
And with some, it’s a long way down, and twice as long coming back up!

The Numbers Game #47

A smokey sky colors the waters of Kawaihae small boat harbor
Late afternoon sun over Kawaihae Small Boat Harbor with smoke in the air.

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

A hibiscus tiliaceus at the Golden Ponds of Keawaiki on The Big Island of Hawaii
Hibiscus tiliaceus flowers.
Palm trees at the beach.
Two sheep after a brush fire
After the fire along Old Saddle Road.
A cat rests in the dirt
Cat at rest.
Wasps building a nest
Wasps at work.
An outrigger canoe changing paddlers in Hawaii
Changing crew in an outrigger.

The Numbers Game #37

The SSV Makani Olu sailing off the Kohala coast in Hawaii
The SSV Makani Olu sailing off the Kohala coast.

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

Also, seven photos posted for Becky’s Squares: Seven. See more responses here.

A Nene at just the right spot in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
A Long-tailed Blue Butterfly.
Sheep at sunset in Hawaii
Sheep in pastureland off Old Saddle Road.
Colorful lava on the Puna Coast Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Colorful lava on the Puna Coast Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Playground equipment in Kapaau Hawaii
Playground equipment at Kamehameha Park in Kapaau.
The swimming pool in Kapaau.