This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Animal or Bird in farm or zoo.’ See more responses here.
Pana’ewa Rainforest Zoo, in Hilo, is the only zoo on the island. It’s quite small, but is definitely a family-friendly destination. We like to visit once in a while to see the zoo’s star attractions, Sriracha and Tzatziki, a pair of Bengal Tigers. Captions are on the photos.
An Emu having a good hair day.A Red Tegu lizard.Peacocks wander the grounds looking for tasty snacks.Yellow-spotted Amazon River Turtles.Tzatziki, staying cool in the shade of a stand of bamboo.
This is one of the many benches in the zoo representing animals that live there. These are ‘Alalās, the endemic Hawaiian Crow. There are no longer any ‘Alalās in the wild and just over a hundred in captivity. The building behind this bench is one of the few places where these birds are bred, with a view to reintroducing them in the wild. So far, attempts to do this have failed, for a variety of reasons including disease and predation. One of the current projects is a release on Maui where Ios, Hawaiian hawks, a major predator of ‘Alalās, are no longer found.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Groups.’ See more responses here. I’m going under the water for this. Captions on the photos.
A school of Hawaiian Silversides.Yellowfin Goatfishes drift in tight groups as they rest during the day.A school of Convict Tangs spills over the edge of a ridge.Crocodile Needlefishes cruise near the surface of the water.Raccoon Butterflyfishes hang in the water.Blue Goatfishes and Bluefin Tevallies often hunt with an octopus or, here, a Whitemouth Moray Eel.Yellow Tangs feedings.
This week’s Sunday Stills color challenge theme is ‘Red, White, & Blue.’ See more responses here.
Yesterday marked the 250th anniversary of Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America. This photo encompasses some of how Hawaii came to be part of this nation.
The statue is of King Kamehameha 1. He was born in Kohala and was the Aliʻi (chief) who, in 1795, united all the Hawaiian islands under one ruler. This rule, under him and his successors, lasted until 1893. It was overthrown in a coup by the ‘Committee of Safety,’ who were mostly of U.S. descent, and supported by the U.S. military. The Committee declared a Republic of Hawaii with the intent of having the U.S. taking over, which it duly did in 1898. It remained a territory of the U.S. until August 21, 1959 when it became the 50th state.
The flag on the left is the USA’s stars and stripes. On the right is Hawaii’s state flag, featuring the British Union Jack in the top corner. That’s there because of the British influence with the Hawaiian royalty. This dates back to Captain James Cook, who was the first European to make contact with the Hawaiians. Subsequently, British advisors and support helped the Hawaiian Kingdom come about and survive. There’s a story that in 1812, when the U.S. and Britain were at war, King Kamehameha designed this flag with elements of both nations’ flags, so as not to offend either. Alas, there’s no evidence for this assertion!
So how do Hawaiians feel about celebrating July 4th? Well, I’m not Hawaiian, but any day that’s a public holiday is welcomed, and any excuse to set off fireworks is popular too, though it was surprisingly quiet here last night! I know some Hawaiians who served in the U.S. military who are proud of being part of the U.S.. I also know there are others who want to see Hawaii restored as an independent nation. No doubt, there are many in between. However, I don’t expect to see the return of the Hawaiian Kingdom any time soon.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Future.’ See more responses here.
These days, our photos and videos are in the cloud, our music is in the cloud, our backups are in the cloud, our records and files are in the cloud. One day, it’s virtually certain, we will end up in the cloud too, which will be a good thing, as it will give Earth a chance to recover from everything we’ve done to it!
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.
The trail enters a kīpuka.There are open, grassy areas.A view of Mauna Kea.
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.An ‘Io, the native Hawaiian hawk, glides overhead.An Hawaii ‘Amakihi.
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.
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 tree ferns (Cibotium menziesii) grow alongside the trail.The trail winds through a kīpuka.Not flowers, but new leaves on Kōlea lau nui (Myrsine lessertiana).It’s cool and wet enough for moss to take over.
Also posted for Jo’s Monday Walk. See more responses here.
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.
Ti plant.Acacia confusa.Staghorn Fern.Variegated Croton.Coffee leaves.
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 are active at night and spend the day drifting in groups like this.A juvenile Arc-eye Hawkfish in a head of Cauliflower Coral.I saw this flowery Flounder on the move. It settled down for a while, before heading away.Yellowhead Moray Eels are active at night so I rarely see them.Always nice to see a colorful Humuhumu-nukunuku-ā-pua’a!This Moorish Idol looked like it was sneaking away!
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.
Only 26 miles to go.There were cars on the road too.On the downhills, the cyclists went pretty fast.
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.
Water isn’t just for drinking on a hot day.The heat wasn’t the only problem. This cyclist crashed when he hit a pothole.Blood was shed.He had to abandon the race because his pedal broke, while other cyclists turned to head back for the half marathon to follow.
