The usual holiday monsoons have arrived. I had to go to the leeward side of Mauna Kea to get out of the rain. At first the gusty wind blowing over the shoulder of the mountain made it seem like it wasn't going to work out, but the middle section of the road was fairly sheltered. There was a steady stream of 'amakihi. Several flocks of yellow-fronted canary. A few 'elepaio. Small numbers of Japanese white-eye, red billed leiothrix, skylark and house finch. One northern cardinal and a distant hwamei. There were four widely scattered palila. It was good to compare their calls with the yellow-fronted canaries, since I don't hear either enough to remember what they sound like, and wonder if I'm confusing them at first. The palila is distinctive once heard clearly, though. There was one 'io and one pueo. The 'io was soaring high overhead, while the pueo weaves among the treetops at about 12-15 feet above the ground.
The cabin area was exposed to the wind, so I turned back before I got there. The rain moved in fast and hard as I got near the bottom, which is unusual in this parched dusty area. The wind and rains were occasionally intense as I crossed back over the Saddle. So much for drying out my car. Rain, wind and thunder here in Hilo. It should start to let up over the weekend.
The cabin area was exposed to the wind, so I turned back before I got there. The rain moved in fast and hard as I got near the bottom, which is unusual in this parched dusty area. The wind and rains were occasionally intense as I crossed back over the Saddle. So much for drying out my car. Rain, wind and thunder here in Hilo. It should start to let up over the weekend.
