Sometimes the usual suspects throw you a curveball, engaging in a behavior so different from what you expect that you can hardly believe it. Such was the case on this, the momentous day when those of us who believe in truth and justice regained control of our country.For the other 48 %, the best part must have been anthem singer Lady Gaga, who appeared in a Hunger Games-inspired outfit that
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| Lady Gaga belts out the anthem in style! |
featured a billowing, floor-length custom Schiaparelli red gown, long-sleeved black top accented with an oversized gold peace dove brooch and black leather gloves. If that doesn't make you stand up and salute you are one cold fish.
Sandra and I started the day like roughly 52% of Americans, watching television as Joe and Kamala put their hands on family bibles, looked into the eyes of a supreme court justice and promised to uphold the constitution.
As it has been cool and rainy for three days, we then went off for a walk in the small arboretum on the mauka side of the old airport runway. We had a brisk walk, enjoying the plantings, the cool, moist air and the occasional whiff of pakalolo. Like so many places around Kailua Kona, this garden trail supports a large number of feral cats; if we saw one, we saw more than half a dozen little old cat ladies giving these semi-autonomous felines food and water. Some of the cats were addressed by name and permitted some human contact. It was like being in some sort of surreal petting zoo at feeding time.
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| Blue Eye Damsel and Orangespine Unicornfish, Kahalu'uJanuary 2020. |
We drove home from the Old Airport via Alii Drive and I had to remark that the surf had diminished
substantially. Seizing the opportunity, after a small breakfast we made our way down to Kahalu'u. With all those prior activities, it was almost noon when I hit the water.
One never knows what to expect, and if you don't see much of interest, well, that's just the way it is. On this day, though, as I was perusing the coral heads near the entry, I noticed an orangespine unicorn tang holding very still, as if he was getting cleaned. The Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse is a favorite, so I held position in the moderate current and waited for the cleaner wrasse to make an appearance. Suffice it to say, I was surprised when a small Blue Eye Damsel, Plectoglyphodon johnstonianus, sallied forth and plucked something from the side of the unicorn.
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| The damselfish swoops in to pluck a tiny morsel. |
I watched for awhile as the small damsel cleaned two different unicorns, as well as a small school of Convict Tangs. Now Convict Tangs are nice, but the Orangespine Unicorn, with his comical face pattern and streamer tail is certainly one of our most beloved Hawaiian fish.
There is something about being cleaned that delights a fish. This must be similar to that sense of ecstasy I get when somebody scratches my back in just the right spot. It is common, when a fish is in this state of bliss, for him to brighten his colors, project a glow of contentment. Here you will see a unicorn in such a state of bliss, with the small damselfish attending to his needs.
I can not recall seeing a damselfish cleaning before, but the old squash ain't what it used to be and its possible that at some distant point in time (or possibly not so distant) I have experienced this. Certainly we have seen other small fish engage in cleaning behavior. In the Ultimate Guide, John Hoover tells us that the Blue Eye Damsel subsists on live coral polyps, much like several of the butterflyfish we see in our bays. He completes his write up of this species by saying, "The author once photographed one of these fish cleaning an orangespine unicorfish, which returned multiple times to the damselfish's coral head." So this may be a particular association between these two species, although in this instance manini were also being cleaned. A veritable ménage à trois.
Going my mentor, the Great Oz, one better, I am presenting here a little video of the Blue Eye Damsel cleaning the manini and the unicornfish. You can decide whether it deserves an R or X rating.
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| Supermale Saddle Wrasse. Fluttering fins and a white belt. 2021 |
in a small area, chasing a variety of other small fish. The saddle wrasse is a very common fish, and not particularly large, so its easy to take him for granted. Recent experience here in Hawaii shows us that over a short period of time any of our fish might disappear from our bays. The supermale Saddle Wrasse has a pretty blue head, a brilliant orange "saddle" when caught in the right light and a white bar behind the saddle. When holding an area, he swims round and round, fluttering his pectoral fins. this fellow was particularly well lit and cooperative.
Later in the swim, over by the rescue Shelter, I spotted a larger female Saddle Wrasse in a patch of clear water and manged to get a reasonable photo so you can enjoy the difference between the male and females.
Back ashore, my sweetie had put her time to good use by making friends with a family from Alaska.
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| Cleaner Wrasse, initial phase. Kahalu'u January 2021 |
The lady of the group had seen a nudibranch and Sandra was able to pull up the blog on her phone and show her new friend pictures of gloomies, which turned out to be what she had seen. As far as I know, this is a new species for Kahalu'u. Kudos to the lady from Alaska and a big assist to Sandra for pinning down the identification.
On the way to the shower I encountered a likely lad carrying a boogie board modified with a hydrofoil. I could tell that he wanted me to go away, but nevertheless consented to a photo of himself and his board. He allowed that this modification permitted him to go really fast. If anything, this peaceable encounter illustrates how, under the inclusive rule of Joe Biden, snorkelers and surfers can co-exist in harmony.
jeff
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| Now that Joe is president we're going to go really fast. |
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