Whales in the Swimming Pool

Maui, Hawaii ~ May 7, 2010

Outrigger Napili Shores Resort

This mosaic of mama humpback and her baby added a lot to the poolside effect for me. I didn't go in the pool, so this is as close as I got. I spent my time chasing fish with a camera in the ocean instead.

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(Un) Dress Shop?

Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii ~ May 7, 2010

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Birthday Bird

Napili, Maui, Hawaii ~ May 6, 2010

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Redbird

Northern Cardinal, male (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Napili, Maui, Hawaii ~ May 8, 2010

Wikipedia

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Big Banyan Tree, Lahaina

Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii ~ May 7, 2010

On first impression, it doesn't look like one tree. The shade was inviting, and the trunks beckoned me to explore.

The guy with the green shirt leaning against this mass of roots is working or playing on his laptop. As I gazed around, I realized that he wasn't alone. I'll bet there were at least five people sitting under the tree using their computers. This banyon tree and its assorted benches provide a sort of outdoor internet cafe (bring your own laptop, and I'm not sure where the connection comes from).

One tree creates a small forest of beatifully-textured roots and light-play from the tree's canopy.

This is the main trunk. Branches of varying sizes reach out horizontally and . . .

. . . like these, they drop roots in large clusters.

The roots eventually look like real trunks, and the branch continues to grow outward to form yet another trunk.

Here is a plaque at the base of the main trunk.

On another note, a funny thing happened while we were wandering under the tree. A young woman was telling a young man about the cruise she was on. She said, "We're stopping at some small town, then going on to Seattle, and then Alaska." Can you guess where that small town is? Right. Astoria, Oregon. If you're reading this and don't know me, that's where I live. I could say, "Small world," but so many cruise ships stop here that it's not such a coincidence. It did make us laugh, though. A few days after we got back, there was a cruise ship in port. I wonder if she was on it.

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Signs by the Big Tree

Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii ~ May 7, 2010

I often take photos of street signs just so I can identify where I've taken the other photos. In this case, I liked the sign, and on viewing it, I liked the trees and the sky. The green at the bottom of the photo is a famous gigantic banyan tree that takes up most of a block. I'll post its pictures tomorrow.

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In Focus

Feral Rock Pigeon (Columba livia domestica)

Napili, Maui, Hawaii ~ May 9, 2010

It's always a challenge. With most animals, it seems that focus is at least half the success. I do enjoy watching pigeons, and they're tame enough to let me practice.

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Parrotfish and Wrasse, Maui

Star-eyed Parrotfish (Calotomus carolinus) (above)
Saddle Wrasse (Thalassoma duperrey) (below)

Honolua Bay, Maui ~ May 8, 2010

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Galloping Waves

Maui, Hawaii ~ May 6, 2010

Ukumehame Beach Park

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Brilliant Brazilian Cardinal, Maui

Red-crested or Brazilian Cardinal (Paroaria coronata)
Napili, Maui, Hawaii ~ May 8, 2010

Wikipedia / Common Birds of Honolulu

I could hardly believe the flaming red color when this cardinal hopped onto the table at our hotel in Maui. I'd never seen one before on my trips to other Hawaiian islands, but this bird visited us several times each day. It didn't come around often enough that I had much time to take photos, but I did take a few, and I have two more to show you tomorrow. It was a quick little bird, active and somewhat skittish, and so it was harder than the other visiting birds to get into focus.

The Brazilian cardinal was introduced from South America to Oahu about 1930.

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Morning Sky

Napili, Maui, Hawaii ~ May 9, 2010

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Chasing Fish

Star-eyed Parrotfish (Calotomus carolinus)

Honolua Bay, Maui ~ May 8, 2010

I mentioned to someone that I would soon be chasing fish with a camera in Hawaii, and she asked, "Do you really chase fish?" Yes, I do. I'm still a rank beginner at photographing fish under water, and this trip was my fourth attempt. I've learned that sometimes if I wait, they'll come to me, but I've only just discovered that. More often, I become excited, see a fish I like (which is practically any fish) and I try to follow it, ending up with a photo of the fish from this angle. This is not too bad, actually. I have the whole fish in the frame.

Due to overcast conditions this past weekend, I have fewer usable pictures from this trip than from earlier trips. The water was very clear in Hololua Bay, but the overcast skies dulled the colors, and neither did we find schools of fish right up close and easy to capture with the camera. This is the first tropical-fish-not-in-an-aquarium photo on this blog. As I'm trying to post something almost every day, I'll be posting the good pix from this trip as well as digging into the archives from earlier adventures. I have some nice turtle pictures, too, although we didn't see any turtles this time.

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