Monday was our second and last day on Maui. We exhausted our interest in Hosmer's Grove quickly yesterday, and had no access to Waikamoi today. We got up early and went to the summit of East Maui, Haleakala. For one thing, we were interested to see the shape of the summit and upper elevations, to get an idea of what the upper elevation habitats are like, where/when petrels can be heard at night, and what the access to the upper edges of the native forests is like. Also, I was interested in seeing what kind of plants could be found in the subalpine shrubland and summit habitats. It was clear in the morning, but verrrry windy. We visited several overlooks and got a good idea of the lay of the land and remoteness of some of the forest access.
Visiting the subalpine shrubland along Leleiwi lookout and Halemau'u Trail was interesting. They are similar but slightly different from Mauna Kea shrublands. (microclimates etc) On Halemau'u Trail the birds were: Japanese white-eye, house finch, chukar, ring-necked pheasant, eurasian skylark, kolea and one pueo. As we approached the edge of an eroded valley facing northeast we started to hear 'apapane and 'amakihi, up to sample mamane blossoms. I found some strawberry plants that looked like native strawberries, and too plenty of photos of the plentiful na'ena'e (dubautia menziesii) bushes.
After that we visited friends at the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project offices for lunch. We walked down the road to the Olinda breeding facilities, where we met all the birds in the aviaries and visited with staff. They breed 'alala, nene, puaiohi and Maui parrotbill there.
The birds at Olinda were amazing. Many are very used to being around people after years in the breeding programs (something they're trying to prevent with the newer birds), so they can be quite curious and social. The nene like to talk and visit, and some are permanent residents by chioce. The 'alala want to play, and one even tossed a stick out of its cage at us to try to get us to play. Many of the 'alala were calling loudly between aviaries and to us. I was astonished to find out that they are excellent vocalists and mimics, and can easily speak English, "lawnmower" and many other things. They were very active and curious, looking out at us from their open-air aviaries. The puaiohi are more quiet and shy, and typically hid in the shadows of their aviaries. One young puaiohi juvenile peeked at us over the top of its cage and made begging calls, thinking lunch had arrived.
The parrotbills were unexpectedly entertaining. They were always vocal and curious, and readily answered whenever we returned their easily imitated whistles. They fearlessly flew to the branches nearest us and examined us closely, talking constantly. They reminded me of lovebirds, and are incredibly cute and engaging.
All of the birds were paired up for mating season, and we even saw a few very young parrotbills and puaoihi in the special rearing aviaries. I was unable to take any photos because of the dense screens (for mosquitos!) that separated us from the birds, and the deep shadows inside the aviaries. Seeing such rare creatures so closely and interactively was quite an experience! You get a completely different sense of them than when they ignore you from a distance for brief moments in the wild.
Photos from Saturday's waikamoi trip:
Maui 'Alauahio:
'Akohekohe:
Maui Parrotbill:
Visiting the subalpine shrubland along Leleiwi lookout and Halemau'u Trail was interesting. They are similar but slightly different from Mauna Kea shrublands. (microclimates etc) On Halemau'u Trail the birds were: Japanese white-eye, house finch, chukar, ring-necked pheasant, eurasian skylark, kolea and one pueo. As we approached the edge of an eroded valley facing northeast we started to hear 'apapane and 'amakihi, up to sample mamane blossoms. I found some strawberry plants that looked like native strawberries, and too plenty of photos of the plentiful na'ena'e (dubautia menziesii) bushes.
After that we visited friends at the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project offices for lunch. We walked down the road to the Olinda breeding facilities, where we met all the birds in the aviaries and visited with staff. They breed 'alala, nene, puaiohi and Maui parrotbill there.
The birds at Olinda were amazing. Many are very used to being around people after years in the breeding programs (something they're trying to prevent with the newer birds), so they can be quite curious and social. The nene like to talk and visit, and some are permanent residents by chioce. The 'alala want to play, and one even tossed a stick out of its cage at us to try to get us to play. Many of the 'alala were calling loudly between aviaries and to us. I was astonished to find out that they are excellent vocalists and mimics, and can easily speak English, "lawnmower" and many other things. They were very active and curious, looking out at us from their open-air aviaries. The puaiohi are more quiet and shy, and typically hid in the shadows of their aviaries. One young puaiohi juvenile peeked at us over the top of its cage and made begging calls, thinking lunch had arrived.
The parrotbills were unexpectedly entertaining. They were always vocal and curious, and readily answered whenever we returned their easily imitated whistles. They fearlessly flew to the branches nearest us and examined us closely, talking constantly. They reminded me of lovebirds, and are incredibly cute and engaging.
All of the birds were paired up for mating season, and we even saw a few very young parrotbills and puaoihi in the special rearing aviaries. I was unable to take any photos because of the dense screens (for mosquitos!) that separated us from the birds, and the deep shadows inside the aviaries. Seeing such rare creatures so closely and interactively was quite an experience! You get a completely different sense of them than when they ignore you from a distance for brief moments in the wild.
Photos from Saturday's waikamoi trip:
Maui 'Alauahio:
'Akohekohe:
Maui Parrotbill:
