FEBRUARY -- FOR THE BIRDS!! (ignore the typos please)

 

Hawaii Artists -- Phil and Lunel Haysmer

Our new home in the small community of Volcano on the Big Island is surrounded by a beautiful ohia tree forest filled with nectar producing lehua blossoms loved by our native birds. Occasionally, while we are landscaping we come across an old root from a dead tree. Phil had found one two years ago and he has been waiting to see what it "wants to be." A few weeks ago this rather gnarly root "spoke" to him and it said -- "I AM KAMAPUA'A" -- and Phil took up the challenge to "find him" in there!  Here's the result. The stand is made from curly koa tree wood. 

Not shown here (but in many previous blogs) are many of Phil's hand carved and painted bas relief featuring many of Hawaii's flora and fauna as well as traditional navigational canoes. A large selection of these are featured prominently at the Michael Jayme Gallery Honaka'a -- a charming town north of Hilo.  (520 279 7462)

 

THE END...of 2021

 

Make Art Not War

 

It's OCTOBER?!?!

It shouldn't come as a surprise anymore - but it does. Dark so early and the sun...coming up in the wrong place but creating  that lovely 'certain slant' across our world. The other day we had four inches of rain in just a few hours and today it was a gorgeous 76 degrees. We are using these beautiful warm days to finish up several new garden beds - getting small plants in the ground to get a good start before winter comes.

Knees are continue to heal under vigorous hydro-therapy in the hot tub and careful exercises. Phil's been making more beautiful wood art and Lunel's done some new collage pieces as well.  (Again, as mentioned in the previous blog -- we're not happy with the changes in the blogspot format and are trying to begin a new blog -- til then...pictures as follows:

Christmas Birds (Cheap Entertainment)

Our house in the forest - Mauna Loa in the background

It's been winter here in Volcano on the Big Island and at 3500 feet elevation 'this' Hawaii differs greatly from most peoples' impression of white sand beaches along the ocean. Here we are surrounded by a true "cloud forest;" it has been drizzling for a few days. But just as we were wishing for SUN we woke up to blue skies and fluffy clouds breezing by.

This time of year is good for bird watching - one form of "cheep" forest entertainment. We have a wider variety of birds at this time of year: beautifully bright red Cardinals, eye-popping Saffron finches, South American Cardinals wearing their tuxedos, tiny speckled seed-eating Manniqins. This time of year the trees are filled with the invisible song of the honey creepers - Apapane' whose lovely songs you can hear but are not easy to spot***. Year round we have hawks, but our favorite "locals" are the Kalij pheasants.

It seems it is mating season for most of them, so even the traditional female Cardinals have a bright look to their feathers as do the Saffron Finches, but it is the Kalij who are fun to watch. Here's a couple photos of Kalij in our front yard taken last winter.


Today, three males hopped over the driveway gate and tactfully followed a lone female inside the yard, while one other paced frustrated outside the gate the others had just flown over. He paced back and forth at the gate sticking his head underneath rather than flying over. During the yard-courtship he paced back and forth and 15 minutes later finally flew over to join the party, during which one of the largest males offered a wonderful display of feather fluffing and flapping of wings. She never "engaged" and finally wandered off, followed closely by by the four unsatisfied but patient males.

Here's a link to the calls they make (click on link) -- especially when there is a cat patrolling the bird feeders. Male Kalij calls --- and the sweet song of the Apapane:  Apapane' Song

'Apapane -- Good Luck Bird

Healthy trees with blossoms 2013

When we moved to the Puna District on the Big Island of Hawaii, friends had given us a "Birds of Hawaii" book that we used to identify the birds who were living in Leilani Estates subdivision. While still getting acquainted with our new home and property that first week, we found a small dead bird on the ground, which, with the help of our guide book, we identified as an 'Apapane.

Although our property was filled with vibrant beautiful Ohia trees, during only our second year many of our trees began to die from what is known as Rapid Ohia Death ROD. By the end of our second year, 70 % of our trees had died causing many of the native, local bird species to migrate elsewhere. (Nectar from the Ohia trees being the primary food source for them.)

Well-known photographer Jack Jeffery, took the above  photo, and this link will introduce you to Jack and his passion for taking amazing bird photographs.  8-minute video about Jack's passion

While living in Eureka (Humboldt County CA) Lunel developed a special collection of bird wings that she hung from the ceiling or in windows -- including egret, heron, hawk and other smaller ubiquitous species.

Dead Ohia a year later

Marian Berger, Artist

Eventually, she developed a simple taxidermy technique to preserve smaller dead birds she had found by using the "warm" setting on the toaster oven which basically dried out their innards. So, the little 'Apapane bird we found in 2012 floated in our kitchen window, wings spread as if in flight, for over 5 years. Oddly, we always felt it was a good luck symbol.

The other day, after leaving a walk-through of our new rental house in Volcano, we were both amazed to find,another 'Apapane on the ground by our parked car. We didn't have the inclination to attempt a repeat process this time around, but gently moved the little dead bird into the nearby ferns.

To hear one of the 'Apapane's songs follow this link:  Apapane Song

Gone Holoholo

This last week we went "holoholo" which is the Hawaiian equivalent to a "ride-to" but the "to" may be unknown, similar I think to the Australian "walk about."  Part of the tradition is that you don't tell people where you are going -- the idea being that the time is for a true get away.

On our list of things to explore was the above pictured ancient fish pond located on the Honokohau Bay just south of Kona's airport. Kaloko, the name of the pond area comes from the Hawaiian word LOKO whose meaning includes within/inside, interior, pond, lake, pool.  The fish pond seawall (kuapa) is constructed of porous lava allowing the water from the ocean to flow through.

The Honokoau National Historic Park is home to a number of interesting features rich in ancient Hawaiian history: house platforms, stone game boards, petroglyphs, stone enclosures, heiau (sacred altars) freshwater ponds, ancient Hawaiian slide, Queens Bath, and a small boat basin loaded with fishing boats. There is an excellent article about this area you can read by going to this link: KALOKO FISH POND INFO



Over 80 species of birds (manu) have been identified along the series of ponds, many are endemic to Hawaii. The photo above here is of a Black Headed Heron we saw.  We also saw a pair of Hawaiian Coot who were building a floating nest near the reeds.  (Our photo did not turn out as well as this one by Mike Neal.)

Recently an article was published about West Nile Virus and the disastrous effect it could have on Hawaii's already at-risk bird population.  If it isn't hurricanes, tsunami's, tree fungus, or lava -- it may be something else:  WNV and Hawaii's birds

STAY TUNED TO OUR BLOG!  Our holoholo also included a visit to Napo'opo'o, Pu'u Honua O Honaunau (Place of Refuge) and a drive up the Kohala coast to hike and explore the Puako Petroglyph trail.  WATCH our BLOG for further stories from these historical/cultural Hawaiian sites!!

Bird-Bird-BIrd! Bird is the Word!

While we were still living in Northern California's Humboldt County, we enjoyed watching the birds from our kitchen window.  We had some really amazing sitings and enjoyed the annual return of many species.  Naturally, when we retired and moved to the Big Island, we made sure our library was well stocked with books to help us identify our new bird family.  One of the first birds we "met" was the lovely Honey Creeper, the 'Apapane; we found a dead one in our driveway when we first moved in.  We preserved it by dehydration and its sweet form graces one of our windows as a reminder of the island's fragility.

The story of both flora and fauna here in Hawaii is really a sad one.  Like other places on the planet, the birds (and plants) of Hawaii evolved for millions of years.  The isolation that produced such a distinctive array and variety did not serve well when that isolation was lost at the introduction of colonization. The birds had no predators or disease.  Even with the earliest waves of Polynesians, things began to change, but that change has reached exponential levels in current times.  Invasive plants, insects and  mammals, as well as human beings, have resulted in mass waves of extinction in the bird (and plant) population.

  "Today, the rate of colonization by alien species is estimated to be about 10-20 species per year," says Jack Jeffrey, local bird photographer (of bird guidebook below), whose website is full of fascinating history, and photography.  Check out Jack's beautiful website! 

Jack's photos in Guidbook

At our bird feeder

MYSTERY BIRDS

This week while watching the comings and goings at our feeder, we discovered a new pair of birds.  After a few tries, we were able to get some photographs to help begin identification.  Now, you may think this is easy -- but it is NOT!  

At first we got really excited because the birds appeared to be a very RARE endangered and nearly extinct Palila, but of course we suspected that was not the case. (Just look at their similarities!!)


Half the fun was the "Quest for the Bird's Identity."  We are "faceless people" that is we don't partake in Facebook.  However, just in  "tossing it out" to a small e-mail world of ohana we received a pile of helpful replies.  There are 2 (but not mutually exclusive) answers:  They are juvenile Saffron Finches (from our "regulars" the bright yellow adults pictured in our ohia trees) or they are one of many kinds of Saffron Finches (we did find an EXACT match) -- but it could go either way. 

6/6 Update:  Saw the new pair gathering nest materials - suspect that they are not juveniles.