Oct 30:

The rainy season is upon us, and during the rainy season I often make trips to Mauna Loa Strip Road which is the nearest leeward (i.e. usually dry) area to Hilo. Saturday was another wet one. I went up to the nearest dry area, Kipuka Puaulu on the leeward side of Volcano Village, on Mauna Loa Strip Road. The weather was fairly nice there, and I spent the afternoon doing bird counts and taking habitat photos. I finally got a wide-angle photo of one of the larger melicope zahlbruckneri trees, as well. Strip Road is still closed above Kipuka Puaulu, despite the recent wetness.

Birdwise, it was fairly active. There was a large congregation of 'apapane around the upper end of the loop trail, where the mixed forest blends into the koa-dominated forest. I counted an unusually large number of hwamei, perhaps because they were much more vocal than usual. I have tacked the October 10 count onto the beginning of the attached count table, as well.

Nov 6:

Due to the prevailing wetness this month I gave up on a weekday outing and worked instead. I wish I could have worked Saturday as well, since heavy rains made any outings impossible. As my protest at the difficult weather I actually drove up to Mauna Loa Strip Road, where I found it raining steadily at Kipuka Puaulu. The gate was open, so I drove up Strip Road for the first time since July/August, but I turned around at Powerline Road when it was clear the rains extended up the entire length of the road.

Nov 7:

Sunday was excessively rainy again. This time only occasional mist made it across the ridge to Mauna Loa Strip Road, and I was able to count up to Powerline Road before dark. This was the first time I've been able to go up Strip Road since July. There were very few 'apapane, so it was extremely quiet until the 'apapane suddenly started to move in to roost at sunset. The absence of 'apapane was particularly notable in the upper end of Kipuka Ki where I counted large numbers in the blooming trees during the summer.

Bird Counts: (Species Codes Here)

station	time	APAP	HAAM	OMAO	ELEP	JAWE	JABW	HOFI	YFCA	NOCA	RBLE	MELT	ERFR	KAPH	WITU	Notes
Oct 10 (wind & mist)
Puaulu	1536	2				8							2	2
Puaulu	1610	5	1	1		7				1	5	1	3	2		Manele side
Puaulu	1638	3			1	2				2	2			5
Puaulu	1652	3	1	1		4				1
Puaulu	1718	8				4				1	5	1
Puaulu	1750	13	1		1	3				1	3
Oct 30 (partly cloudy, mostly dry)
Puaulu	1424	5	2			5								3
Puaulu	1436	8	2	2		4				2	3	1
Puaulu	1453	10	2			2				2	2			3
Puaulu	1507	24	2	1		3	1			1	2
Puaulu	1534	12			1	4				1				1		ho'awa
Puaulu	1600	6		1	2	4				1	1	3				koa
Puaulu	1636	12				4				2	1			1		catchment
Puaulu	1654	14	2	1		6		3				3		4		cave
Puaulu	1707	8	2	1		4					2	2				mamaki
Puaulu	1721	11				7				2	3			2		manele
Puaulu	1738	13	1			2			6							park lot
Nov 7 (partly cloudy, windy, some mist)
Scrub	1250		2			2
Puaulu	1307	2	4	1			1			1						koa-manele
Scrub	1320		4			1										'a'a flow
Ki	1332		1			5										koa-manele
Ki	1350		1			4										koa-manele
Ki	1403		2	1	2	4										koa-'ohi'a
Ki	1415	1	3	1	1	5										'ohi'a
Ki	1434	2			3	5			1							koa-manele
koa	1450				2	3										cattleguard
koa	1500		2			3										fire road
koa	1515		4			4								2		fire road
koa	1527	2	2		2	2		1			1					pasture kipuka
koa	1541	1	5		3	6			1	2	1				1	pasture kipuka
koa	1611	4	2			4										pasture kipuka
scrub	1623	2	1			5								2
koa-scrub	1634	3			1	1										fire kipuka
koa-scrub	1648	4	2		1											powerline rd
koa-scrub	1700	16	4		2	2			2							powerline rd
koa-scrub	1716	13	3		3	5				1						powerline rd
koa	1745	12	4		2					1				2		cattleguard
station	time	APAP	HAAM	OMAO	ELEP	JAWE	JABW	HOFI	YFCA	NOCA	RBLE	MELT	ERFR	KAPH	WITU	Notes