Tag Archives: Upolu

Monk seal with an itch

A monk seal scratches itself in Hawaii

Hawaiian Monk Seals will often crawl up on shore to rest. I’ve been lucky enough to see quite a few over the years. This one is RM36/37, a female born in Kauai in 2020. I first saw her at Upolu just over a year ago, and last saw her there in December of last year. I don’t get down there as often as I used to, so it’s possible she’s been around without me seeing her.

I like to see her because she’s the daughter of BOO, a monk seal I saw several times back in 2016. I asked the response coordinator at the Marine Mammal Center if RM36/37 has a name, and she responded that she doesn’t and that she’s pretty mysterious all together!

The Numbers Game #61

A gecko checks out the scene from the coin return slot of a Pepsi machine.

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

V22 Ospreys landing at Upolu AIrport.
The 1820 Mission building in Honolulu.
Papakōlea Beach, near South Point, is better known as Green Sand Beach.
A Praying Mantis peers down.
A Wild Turkey struts his stuff.
A Dendrobium secundum orchid.

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!

An uplifting experience

The boom of a crane in Hawaii

As this month hurtles towards its conclusion, I realized I’d failed to post any crane photos for Becky’s Squares: Geometric. (See more responses here.)

They’ve finally got around to replacing the turbine blades at Hawi Wind Farm, after months of the blades just lying next to the turbines. The operation requires a crane to lift the blade assembly into place. These photos were taken while they were still preparing for that operation. The last photo shows the security for the operation!

Wires on a crane in Hawaii
The cab of a crane in Hawaii
A hook and anemometer on the boom of a crane in Hawaii
A crane prepares to hoist new blades onto a turbine at Hawi Wind Farm in Hawaii

The Numbers Game #57

The crosswalk leading to Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
The crosswalk leading to Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park during Covid restrictions.

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

An Oriental Stink Bug in Hawaii
An Oriental Stink Bug.
An Indian Blue Peacock at Panaʻewa Rainforest Zoo in Hilo, Hawaii
An Indian Blue Peacock at Panaʻewa Rainforest Zoo in Hilo, Hawaii
Cattle keeping an eye on passers-by below Hawi Wind Farm.
Osmoxylon lineare.
Japanese Aloe.
Dead fish among rocks at Kiholo, Hawaii
Dead fish on shore at the head of the lagoon in Kiholo Bay.

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Geometric. See more responses here.