Tag Archives: Sunday Stills

A walk for the birds

An I'iwi on the Pu'u O'o Trail on the Big Island, Hawaii — A native I’iwi.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Wild Animal or Bird of the Month.’ See more responses here.

Pu’u O’o Trail is a few miles east of the saddle between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, on the south side of the main cross-island highway. It’s all above 5,000 feet and can be cold, wet, and windy, but I’ve had good luck picking warm, sunny days. These photos are from a couple of recent hikes I took up there. Captions on the photos.

A view of the Pu'u O'o Trail on the Big Island, Hawaii — The trail enters a kīpuka.

The trail crosses old lava flows from Mauna Loa, but there are kīpukas, areas of old-growth forest missed by the lava, which are home to several kinds of native birds.

An Apapane on the Pu'u O'o Trail on the Big Island, Hawaii — An ‘Apapane.

An Io or Hawaiian Hawk flies above the Pu'u O'o Trail on the Big Island, Hawaii — An ‘Apapane.

On my last visit, I was lucky enough to see an ‘Akiapola’au, an endangered native species, which is only found on this island these days. This one was high up in the trees with the sun behind it. While my photos weren’t great, I was still able to see this industrious bird foraging for a meal. The shorter lower mandible is used to drill into branches and then the curved upper mandible digs out the grubs hiding within.

An 'Akiapola'au on the Pu'u O'o Trail on the Big Island, Hawaii — An ‘Akiapola’au.

These native birds make this trail popular with birders, but it’s a good hike for anyone. A 9-mile loop is possible, but I usually do an out-and-back hike through the first two or three kipukas, which totals about five miles.

Hāpu’u Ferns (Cibotium menziesii) on the Pu'u O'o Trail on the Big Island, Hawaii — Hāpu’u tree ferns (*Cibotium menziesii*) grow alongside the trail.

Also posted for Jo’s Monday Walk. See more responses here.

Around the house

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This week’s Sunday Stills color challenge theme is ‘Dark Green.’ See more responses here. Since we’re surrounded by green here, I’m staying close to home this week. Captions on the photos.

Acacia confusa flowers and leaves in Hawaii — Ti plant.

Coffee leaves in Hawaii — Coffee leaves.

What’s going on down there?

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Turbulence in the waters off Hawaii — Got to be careful in the surge zone. Don’t want to get raked over those rocks.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Water.’ See more responses here. Let’s see what’s happening below the surface. Here are some photos from my swim yesterday. Captions are on the photos.

Yellowfin Goatfishes in the waters off Hawaii — Yellowfin Goatfishes are active at night and spend the day drifting in groups like this.

An Arc-eye Hawkfish juvenile in a head of coral in the waters off Hawaii — Yellowfin Goatfishes are active at night and spend the day drifting in groups like this.

A Yellowhead Moray Eel in the waters off Hawaii — Yellowhead Moray Eels are active at night so I rarely see them.

A Wedgetail Triggerfish in the waters off Hawaii — Yellowhead Moray Eels are active at night so I rarely see them.

Get on your bike and ride

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Cyclists in the 2026 Ironman 70.3 race in Hawaii, heading to and from Hawi.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Bicycles and Biking.’ See more responses here. Yesterday, the Hawaii Ironman 70.3 race took place on the island so I went out to take photos of the cyclists as they went to and from Hawi.

A cyclist in the 2026 Ironman 70.3 race in Hawaii, passes the 30 mile marker — Only 26 miles to go.

Cyclists in the 2026 Ironman 70.3 race in Hawaii, riding to and from Hawi. — Only 26 miles to go.

The day was a hot and sunny with moderate trade winds, which meant the ride to Hawi was uphill and into the wind. The reward was turning around and zipping downhill with the wind at their backs.

A cyclist in the 2026 Ironman 70.3 race in Hawaii, pours water on himself — Water isn’t just for drinking on a hot day.

A cyclist in the 2026 Ironman 70.3 race in Hawaii, pours water on himself after he hit a pothole and crashed — Water isn’t just for drinking on a hot day.

An injured cyclist abandons the 2026 Ironman 70.3 race in Hawaii, after he hit a pothole and crashed — He had to abandon the race because his pedal broke, while other cyclists turned to head back for the half marathon to follow.

Woman in red

A woman in a red dress walks by Costco Tire center in Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Family, Friends and People.’ See more responses here.

I rarely take photos of people, but while I was waiting outside Costco I saw this woman walk by the tire center and snapped this quick image.

Java Sparrows

This week’s Sunday Stills color challenge is ‘Pink or Pastels.’ See more responses here. Here’s a couple of Java Sparrows making sure the coast is clear.

Lili`uokalani Gardens

A bridge at Liliuokalani Park in Hilo, Hawaii — This stone bridge is near the center of the park.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘National Garden Month.’ See more responses here.

A while ago, I spent some time in Lili`uokalani Gardens, in Hilo. The gardens cover almost 25 acres, including Moku Ola, better known as Coconut Island. They date back to 1917 and are named after Queen Liliʻuokalani, who was the last ruling monarch of Hawaii, before the kingdom’s overthrow by the U.S.A. in 1893.

An entrance to Liliuokalani Park in Hilo, Hawaii — The North Torii gate entrance.

A plane coming in to land seen from Liliuokalani Park in Hilo, Hawaii — The North Torii gate entrance.

Over the years, tsunamis have damaged the gardens, which are situated on the waterfront. But reconstruction, after these events, has restored and improved the gardens and kept them as an integral part of Hilo’s downtown.

Palms in Liliuokalani Park in Hilo, Hawaii — There aren’t a lot of flowers, but there are many palms and other trees.

The Fukuoka Lantern in Liliuokalani Park in Hilo, Hawaii — There aren’t a lot of flowers, but there are many palms and other trees.

For more information about Lili`uokalani Gardens, go to https://www.liliuokalanigardens.org/

It all starts with the creation of Earth

A display at the Hilo Orchid Show, Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Celebrating Earth Day.’ See more responses here. Here are a couple of photos from the last Hilo Orchid Show.

This Earth is the only one we have, so we should take care of it. After all, we’re all in the same boat.

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii