Saturday required a tough decision. My outings this week were cut very short by lightning, and I was very anxious to return to my explorations before the big Thanksgiving break. On the other hand, both the Nature Conservancy and the Kohala Watershed Partnership were having volunteer a work day on Saturday. Not only did I have to decide whether to volunteer, but I had to decide between the two if I did. I was originally going to go on my own since I will greatly miss my lost exploration time next week, but then I started thinking of all those little potted plants that need me to rescue them from the overcrowded greenhouse and put them in the ground! I relented, and decided I had to help the little plants. Since the highway through Ka'u frequently floods at Punalu'u during heavy rains like we've had all this week, and the volunteer days are often cancelled due to heavy rain at TNC-Kaiholena, it was an easy call to head up to North Kohala. Today's projects were reforestation plantings in the Waiakamali-Luahine Gulches Reforestation Corridor (PDF) and weeding and trail improvement in the adjacent Koai'a Sanctuary.

Click Here To Read The Full Report, With Maps and Photos

The forest restoration corridor was last grazed about a year ago, before the pasture was retired. We have been planting both within the boundary gulches and across the perpetually windswept pasture between them, with a wide variety of plants that were mostly (tho not all) sourced from seed gathered on Kohala. The older plantings seem to be doing OK, but with infrequent visits for volunteer days it's hard to keep track of the attrition. By now I've seen pretty much all the remnant native plants growing within the shelter of the small gulches, but I took a look around. The wind was strong today, so few birds were moving around. Most of the birds heard in the gulches were 'apapane and Japanese white-eye, with a few 'amakihi. Sky larks were in the pastures.

After planting in the reforestation corridor we went down to the Koai'a Sanctuary to do some weeding and trail maintenance. Within the exclosure I saw my first hao (rauvolfia sandwicensis) tree. Fortunately this just happened to be the only plant that was flowering today.

I travelled to and from the volunteer day by Saddle Road today for the first time - I usually don't have the extra time to go by Saddle Road. On the way out and back I stopped at Pu'u O'o Trail and did a small number of bird counts after dawn and before sunset. It was pleasantly cloudy and misty before sunset.

station	time	APAP	IIWI	HAAM	OMAO	JAWE	RBLE	YFCA	Notes
puuoo04	0712	14	5	6	1	5
puuoo04	1606	13	3	3	1	5
puuoo05	1620	9	2	3	1	5
puuoo0502w	1636	5	4	4	1	2	2
puuoo09	1655	8	3	4		4		3
puuoo11	1710	8		2	1	5
station	time	APAP	IIWI	HAAM	OMAO	JAWE	RBLE	YFCA	Notes