Summer Kolea in Waiau District Park, Pearl City. Photo courtesy Evelyn Nakanishi, June 18, 2021.

Project leader: Susan Scott, www.susanscott.net

Science advisor: Dr. Wally Johnson

Aloha Plover Lovers,

Thank you for helping collect information about Hawaii’s Pacific Golden-Plovers. In this ongoing study, we are asking these questions: (Also see the REPORT tab.)

  • When do Kolea arrive in the Islands? (ARRIVAL DATE, July 1 – November 30)
  • How many Kolea spend the winters here? (LITTLE AND BIG COUNTS, December 1 – March 31)
  • When do the birds leave for Alaska, and where do they gather for departure? (DEPARTURE DATE, April and May)
  • How many spend the summer here? (SUMMERING-OVER BIRDS, June only)

LITTLE COUNTS

For those who want to count a small area, such as their backyard, a schoolyard, or church lawn, choose the LITTLE COUNT button in the REPORT tab. In the Little Count report tab, let us know any changes between December 1 and March 31 from your initial number.

Little Count: A Kaneohe resident grows mealworms for his backyard Kolea. ©Susan Scott

BIG COUNTS

People who can count Kolea three times this winter in large areas such as campuses, parks, cemeteries, or golf courses go to this read-only link, bit.ly/2BFwVXG  to see the sites I’ve listed.

— Select your island and region, find your count location, and email me your choice in CONTACT. I keep track of who is counting, and where, on my master list. I’ll keep your name and email private.

— Count Kolea in your site 3 times between December 1 and March 31. If you can only count once or twice, that’s OK.  If you count more than 3 times, that’s fine. All data helps.

— Report each of your counts separately in the REPORT tab. Enter location, date, and number of birds counted. No need to re-enter your personal information each time. I’ll know by the location.

Big Count: Mililani Cemetery, 2020. ©Susan Scott

On the bottom of the HOME page, subscribe to get updates about T-shirts, tally counters, access tips, and other details  Also check NEWS at the bottom of the HOME page, or click the NEWS tab above.

You can help to improve this all-volunteer Kolea monitoring program by sharing this website and these guidelines with other Kolea fans. Let me know what’s working, and what isn’t.  Contact me if I’ve missed Big Count locations, and I’ll add it, and you, to the count list.

Mahalo,

Susan

T-shirts available at https://www.hawaiiaudubon.org/store