Hawaii Audubon Society

HAS Board President Susan Scott will be signing her books on manu o kū and kōlea at 2pm tomorrow at the UH Press display during the Hawaiʻi Book & Music Festival. Find their schedule online at https://hawaiibookandmusicfestival.com/

She's also receiving the Elliot Cades Award for Literature at 3 PM at the Campus Center. Congratulations, Susan!

Visit our store at https://hiaudubon.org/shop/ (link in bio) to purchase her amazing books 📖

ICYMI: The latest edition of our journal, ʻElepaio, is hot off the press!

This volume features stories about:

-The Conservation Dogs of Hawaiʻi tracking downed seabirds on Kauaʻi,
-A report on our sixteenth annual active nest count at Freeman Seabird Preserve, and
-A recap of a birding adventure in Nome, Alaska.

Hawaiʻi Audubon members receive the 'Elepaio journal directly in their inbox or mailbox, bi-monthly on the 1st. You can also find open-access on our website at hiaudubon.org/elepaio-journal/. We hope you enjoy reading volume 84.5!



Conservation Dogs of Hawaii Save Our Shearwaters Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge

Join us for our upcoming events! We have a lot of exciting things planned and we would love to see you there:

- Sept. 6: "Hawaiʻi’s Kōlea: The Amazing Transpacific Life of the Pacific Golden-Plover" by Susan Scott at Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden
- Sept. 10: "Manu o Kū: White Fairy Terns" by Susan Scott at Hula Grill Waikiki
- Oct. 8: "ʻUaʻu Kani: Wedge-Tailed Shearwaters" by Susan Scott at Hula Grill Waikiki

Visit our website at https://hiaudubon.org/events/ for details and book your spot now!

The wedge-tailed shearwater chicks started hatching in the last week. Yesterday, we were able to weigh and measure some of the monitoring chicks which had already been left home alone by their parents. We will monitor the chicks' growth and development through the middle of November.

Have you seen a Kolea in your neigborhood? We have had reports from across the state that some of our local Kolea are arriving back in Hawai'i from their summer in Alaska ❤ You can report your local Kolea's arrival at https://www.koleacount.org/report/

In addition to reporting to https://www.koleacount.org/report/ share in the comments below details on your Kolea's arrival.

Many Kolea return each year to the same territory in Hawai'i. We love to see our old friends arrive!

Mahalo to the Hawai'i Conservation Alliance Foundation for a wonderful 2024 Hawai'i Conservation Conference , which was held last week. The conference brought together scientists, policymakers, conservation practitioners, educators, students and community members from Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. This year's theme was ʻAuamo Kuleana – Amplifying Strength Through Balance.

Hawai'i Audubon Society was so grateful to participate with a booth and share our love of Hawai'i's birds. This year, we were thrilled to introduce our Aloha Kea, our Manu o Ku ambassador.

Mahalo to all our volunteers that joined us and we look forward to next year!

The wedge-tailed shearwaters at the Freeman Seabird Preserve has started laying eggs. Both parents will take turns to incubate their single egg for 57 days, until it hatches in August.

Do you love birds, Hawaiʻi and serving the community? Looking for a career where you can make a difference? We are hiring! 🕊️

Hawaiʻi Audubon Society seeks an Education, Outreach and Communications Manager.

Our education program leader visits local schools to teach keiki about native species, including organizing and attending outreach events to share the joy of Hawaiʻi’s birds with our community. This role also encompasses managing social media, marketing and communications for our 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and working within a team of passionate conservationists, scientists, artists and avid birders.

🔗 If this sounds like you or someone you know check out the full job description at this link (also in bio): https://rb.gy/a7z26d

Interested to apply? Please send your resume and cover letter to: [email protected]. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Manu o Ku festival happening now

Celebrating manu o kū, Honolulu's official city bird.

Female kōlea in full breeding colors. Not as striking as the male tuxedo but just as lovely. April 21

Farewell and fair winds to Hawaiʻi's lovely kōlea, leaving this week for Alaska breeding grounds. This is Jake, a male plover who has been visiting Susan Scott's lanai for 8 years. Last visit was April 20th.

The Hawaiʻi Audubon Society is headed to Nome, Alaska, and we want you to join us.
From June 24-28, 2024 (expected dates) we will explore the arctic tundra of Alaska to find and observe kōlea, the Pacific Golden Plover, at their breeding grounds and with luck, locate kōlea chicks.

Alongside seasoned guides and researchers we will discover the rugged beauty and wilderness surrounding Nome.
HOW TO SIGN UP?
Please fill out the INTEREST SURVEY at this link https://forms.gle/LQDBNSmPA94umZcV6 to express your interest in joining this adventure. Trip managers will contact you to discuss the details and how to secure your spot. Space may be limited due to room configurations. Participants must meet with coordinators via Zoom or phone call to go over details and requirements.
Hope to see you there!

Hawaii Audubon Society Inspiring people to love and protect birds since 1939

Go, Alyssa, go! 🎉

Alyssa has started to recapture returning Wedge-tailed Shearwaters at the Freeman Seabird Preserve and retrieving the geolocator tags they carried over the winter migration of field work. After the first weekend, she has retrieved 6 / 30 tagged birds and 9 / 24 control birds marked with a metal band.

Great opportunity to learn more about our forest birds, especially if you missed Dr. Patrick Hart's talk at our annual meeting. And don't forget to also check out Pat's show on HPR, Manu Minute -- it's also available online and as a podcast: https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/podcast/manu-minute

✨🌎 EARTH DAY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY 🌏✨
(Update 4/12/24 - We have reached max capacity for 4/20/24, but if you are interested in future volunteer opportunities please reach out to [email protected])

O'ahu friends - celebrate Earth Day early with us on Saturday, April 20th! We are hosting a volunteer work day at James Campbell NWR from 8am-12pm! Volunteers will assist our biologists in checking seabird nests, removing invasive plants, and performing other tasks to improve our predator-exclusion site!

Spaces are limited. If you are interested in joining us for this volunteer opportunity, please email [email protected] for more information.

This is why we do the work we do... During today’s avian botulism survey at Hanalei NWR, it was a beautiful morning with passing showers. All of the protected wetland bird species were out on display including numerous koloa maoli (Hawaiian ducks), ‘alae ke‘oke‘o (Hawaiian coots), ‘alae ‘ula (Hawaiian gallinules), ae‘o (Hawaiian stilts), and nēnē (Hawaiian geese), plus several ʻaukuʻu (black-crowned night herons) and lots of kōlea (Pacific golden-plovers) all dressed up and ready for their annual flight to Alaska.

Then, as we rounded a corner, we spotted a koloa resting in the water at the edge of a loʻi. Like other ducks, koloa are easily startled and will flush to another pond as you approach. This one did not, which was a clear sign of a potential avian botulism infection. Thankfully, we were able to quickly gather her up in a warm towel and transfer her to a FWS bio tech who stabilized the bird. A FWS transport volunteer then swooped in and transferred the bird to our partners at Save Our Shearwaters, where we know she will receive the best possible care. It is a rare and precious experience to be of service to a wild animal in its time of need. Today, I am reminded why we do the work we do - thanks to each of you!

ʻOhai grows on the rocky slopes of Freeman Seabird Preserve, and like many legumes, it is a nitrogen fixing plant, helping both stabilize the soil and provide nutrients to companion plants, such as ‘ilima (featured last week). The lovely flowers are used in lei, but the sweet smell of this plant originates in the young leaf buds. This plant is one of our many endemic species that is also endangered, as is its natural pollinator— the Hawaiian yellow faced bee (Hylaeus sp.)