Saddle Road powerline service roads, Hawai'i (east half, Hilo side, of the Saddle Road)

This article is incomplete. This article is missing one or more sections. You can help the BirdForum Opus by expanding it.

United States, Hawaii

Overview

There are two power lines running along the North side of the Eastern half of Saddle Road. These powerlines have maintenance "roads" under them, which can be very rough going in even a serious 4WD vehicle. Birdwatchers would be on foot or mountain bike. These roads provide access into the forests on the North side of Saddle Road. At some points the taller powerline departs Northward from Saddle Road by a mile or so. Maps also show a couple of side trails going North to the Wailuku River, and other hunting trails.

I have only explored a small part of these trails so far. Google maps now has nice high resolution satellite images of some of this area now. I don't go North of Saddle Road much, but I'm posting this information because people will naturally wonder about this area as they drive Saddle Road. I will only describe one section now:

Trail and Birds

At mile marker 20 on Saddle Road, the taller powerline branches away from Saddle Road, and heads deeper into the forest. Park here in the bulldozed area on the side of the road, where you see both powerlines change direction slightly at "corner poles". Walk back to the taller powerline's service "road". Going Northwest into the forest, the trail drops sharply down off the 'a'a flow that Saddle Road is built on, and you're out of sight of the road almost instantly. This is a scrubby ohia forest with very thick undergrowth, on an extremely rugged base of 'a'a lava. You should already hear and see many birds.

You will be heading Northwest under the powerline at first, but eventually the trial will separate slightly from the powerline, and it eventually enters a much more pleasant grassy pahoehoe terrain. At this point the forest thins out slightly, making it easier to watch birds. At about 1.5 miles after leaving Saddle Road the trail crosses a narrow bare 'a'a lava field, and continues into another nice forest on the other side which seems to be part of Puu Oo Ranch. (the state leases out the ranch land for grazing) I have not crossed the lava field yet, and it is possible that Puu Oo Ranch has blocked access on the other side of the lava flow.

The birds on this section of trail, between Saddle Road mile markers 20 and 23, are the same species found in other ohia forests on the saddle. 'Apapane, Amakihi, 'Oma'o and I'iwi are loud and abundant. I saw an 'io here. There were also some invasive red-billed leiothrix at the beginning of the trail. I did not see any koa trees on this part of the trail, but there are many past the fresh lava field - I will investigate the area beyond the lava field eventually.

I will post more information as I explore other parts of these trails. As of December 2006 parking near mile marker 20 may be difficult due to construction activity related to the saddle road realignment.

Check-list

Birds you can see here include:

To do

Other Wildlife

To do

Site Information

History and Use

Hunters are common in the area, so stay aware, make extra noise and wear some bright clothing. Many are hunting the cattle which have escaped from Puu Oo Ranch into the state forest reserve. (a long story...)

Access and Facilities

To do

Contact Details

To do

External Links

• Guide to Birding the Hawaian Islands

See also:

• Eastern saddle, above Hilo, Big Island (Hawai'i)(Kulani Powerline Road) and
• Tree-Planting Road(Eastern saddle, above Hilo, Hawai'i,)

Content and images originally posted by bkrownd