Not amused by the Mid-Pacific Country Club’s Turkey Trot, the golf course’s 80 or so kolea took to neighbor’s rooftops until the invading humans left. ©Susan Scott
November 29, 2025
When Wally Johnson and I launched Kōlea Count in January 2020, we had two unknowns. First, we were oblivious that a pandemic would soon coop us up in our houses. Second, we didn’t know if Hawaiʻi residents would be willing to join a statewide plover counting program.
Those two unknowns merged into a happy result. Covid cabin fever helped motivate plover lovers to get outside, walk the neighborhoods, and count kolea. It was so pleasant in so many ways that year after year people have continued signing up, counting, and reporting. As a result, I’m delighted to announce the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society’s fifth annual Kōlea Count starting Monday, December 1st.
See the Count site list link (below) for current counting sites. Email me your choice in the CONTACT tab. (Only I can make the X in taken.) See GUIDELINES tab to count. T-shirts help fund the research: Hawaii Audubon Society/shop
The 2025-2026 kolea season has already gotten off to a great start. Since July 4th, when Pam O’Brien-Gongora reported the first kolea return in a Mililani skate park, plover watchers have made 556 entries regarding arrivals of 1,682 birds. Some of those reports are the same birds, but that’s okay. Part of our motivation for creating Kōlea Count was to encourage people to notice, appreciate, and enjoy these amazing native birds.
And that’s happening. When Kailua’s Mid-Pacific Country Club sponsored a Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot fundraiser for the Hawaiʻi Food Bank, they put a kōlea on the event T-shirts. Before the start, General Manager, Ron Haas, gave a short kōlea talk, reminding everyone of our birds’ extraordinary feats of flying.
Another happy occasion with Kōlea Count is that Rich Downs, a professional data analyst, as well as Oahu’s manu o Kū expert, is working with our accumulating kōlea facts and figures. By combining eBird observations with Kolea Count numbers, and noting Hawaiʻi’s golf courses (green flags), we’re learning the precise locations of our birds statewide.
Rich’s work, combined with our September 6th Welcome Home Kolea party at Magic Island, the annual Nome Kolea Quest (info at events@hiaudubon.org) and the Anchorage Museum’s planned future exhibit about plovers connecting Hawaiʻi and Alaska, well, we’re rich in plover appreciation.
Everyone loves hugs from our mascot, Kōlea Nui (at the Welcome Home Kōlea celebration.) ©Susan Scott
Kōlea dad with chicks, Nome. ©Wally Johnson
The hat I wore on the Turkey Trot (and on special kōlea occasions) was a gift from Wally Johnson. Stand by for similar Hawaii Audubon kōlea hats. ©Craig Thomas
Thanks to you kōlea fans, our past unknowns are today’s triumphs. Kolea Count lives on.