On the way up to the summit Monday morning I noticed that more of the Saddle 'ohi'a are starting to bloom. At Halepohaku there was quite a bit of activity among the flowering mamane at the treeline. I was able to take a few minutes to walk away from the dorm complex to do a point count in the mamane and came away with approximately 8 'apapane, 15 'amakihi, 3 Japanese white-eye and 3 house finch. The nearby trees were quite loud with 'apapane, so I had to make a bit of a guesstimate. The 'apapane were very vocal within the bowels of the mamane, and didn't seem to want to visibly hop onto the treetops or fly above them to sing and display as they sometimes do.

Update Tuesday: The 'apapane continue to be plentiful at Halepohaku. There was a flock of 15+ either house finch or house sparrow near the trucks, but not in target habitat. Under the mamane there were a lot of Erckel's francolin and California quail. The volume of sound made today's count another guesstimate: 11+ 'apapane, 14++ 'amakihi, 4+ Japanese white-eye, 2+ house finch, 3++ quail, 3+ Erckel's francolin. I haven't heard red-billed leiothrix either day, but they may just be drowned out by the others.