Photos

Friday, June 24, 2011

Encountered Animals

While in Hawaii, we saw many animals. Some animals that we saw were native to
Hawaii, and some were animals we see everyday in Monticello.
We saw donkeys, chickens, birds, mongooses, mules, kane spiders, horses, and even a Billie goat. We saw sea turtles, eels, crabs, dolphins, Hawaiian monk saeal, ferral cats, and tropical fish.
An interesting fact about the kane spider is that they are not poisonous. They look a lot like our spiders at home.

An interesting bird that we saw was the honeycreeper. This bird is endemic to Hawaii which means it is only found here in Hawaii. It was a beautiful reddish orange bird with black tail feathers and white feathers underneath.

An endemic mammal to Hawaii is the Hawaiian monk seal. We actually got to see one in O'ahu on Rabbit Island that was born about three weeks ago. Be sure to check our our blog post on the monk seal and the video.

We also mentioned the ferral cats. They were everywhere! We would sit down to eat and they would be all over the restaurants. They would walk up and down the street and no owners were anywhere to be found. At one restaurant, it was said that the owner did not want the cats to be there but the waitresses liked them and promised to take care of them. We also noticed signs that warned not to feed the cats because they are trying to capture them to control the population.


Did I mention the sea turtles? Several of our blog posts have addressed them. We were able to get really close to them a couple of different times. Some of them were humongous. On one account, Mrs. Harrison was able to catch a fascinating picture with the turtles head above the water.

They always say...third times the charm

Strolling through the botanical gardens taking in every beautiful flower around us, we heard a strange movement in the bushes. As we looked over the rod iron fence, there he was! Right in front of us, a mongoose with his head held high. There was a no trespassing sign into the fence, so I wasn't able to chase him. However, I was able to sneak in on him and get a great picture to share with you.
Mongoose
Mrs. Grimes

Hello Hilo!

Hello Hilo! by Mrs. Harrison

Today we drove to Hilo by way of the Saddle Road. Hilo is on the opposite side of the Big Island from Kona, where we are staying. The Saddle Road is a highway snaking between Mount Kileaua and the Mauna Loa volcanoes. When we first turned onto the highway we noticed a strong odor of sulphur which is the gas emitted for the volcanoes. If you have driven around the paper mills in Arkansas, you are familiar with the smell! After a stop at Rainbow Falls to view an impressive waterfall, we stopped for a quick bite to eat in Historic downtown Hilo. The buildings of this quaint coastal town took you back in time because history was evident in the architecture such as the Pacific Tsunami Museum. The museum holds pictures and many artifacts from tsunamis that have affected many Pacific Islands. I instantly made a connection to the tsunami that slammed into Laupahoeoe Point on April Fool's Day 1946. As many elementary children were arriving on a Monday morning an earthquake off the Aleutain Islands was creating a massive wave that would come ashore with a great force. The waters receded way beyond the norm and students ventured out to see the fish left behind only to be swept away by the next wave. A monument stands today to commemorate the 24 students who were killed. In the museum a colorful quilt can be found hanging that was made by local students in 1997 to remember the event. The story took my breathe away as I couldn't begin to comprehend such a catastrophic disaster occurring to my students.

Hawaiian Monk Seal


One of our many adventures led us to Rabbit Island in Honolulu, HI. As we arrived at Rabbit Island, we interviewed an officer with the Department of Conservation. He informed us that there was a monk seal born on the island about three weeks ago. This is very unique because only one out of five monk seals make it to adulthood. Scientists believe it may be from competition for food from sharks. Wildlife scienctists say there were over 15,000 in Hawaii in the past and the population is declining with only about 1,500 remaining.



Our Typical Day

Several students have asked what our typical day has been like in Hawaii. The answer is.....nonstop. We leave the hotel every morning around 7:30 and don't return until 7 or later at night. Katie asked about how many times we had been swimming at the beach. The answer to this is none. Actually, we did swim when we went snorkeling. Well, I don't know if you could really call it swimming. It was more like floating while trying to hold on to all of our snorkeling equipment. And, for someone like me, it was a bit frustrating. I couldn't seem to get it all together, which is normal for me.

We have seen some really amazing sites and learned so much. However, we do come in at night extremely exhausted and begin working on Facebook, twitter, and our blog. We want to make sure that we get pictures, information, and video footage for you to see as soon as possible do you can too experience.

We have been able to Skype with two of our students so far which was so neat! As you know, yesterday we skyped with Zach Jones and today we skyped with Mason Morgan from Rainbow Falls. Rainbow Falls was a stream fed waterfall that flowed into a river and ran east to the Pacific Ocean. At the top of the waterfall was a massive Banyan tree. You could climb and climb and never reach the top. The branches kept going and going, just like the energizer bunny!