Recent News

Mr. X lost his upper red leg band since last spring. The bird is active, foraging in his usual territory in Punchbowl.  No other birds in the area are banded. August 27, 2021 © Sigrid Southworth

September 9, 2021

We could all use something to cheer about these days. Here’s a good one: Mr. X has returned.

Mr. X is a Kolea banded in Honolulu’s Punchbowl Cemetery on April 12, 2004, making the bird nearing a longevity record for Pacific Golden-Plovers. Longtime plover fan and volunteer counter, Sigrid Southworth, spotted the bird foraging in his long-held territory on August 27^th. (Sig named the grand old bird Mr. X, because his territory is in section X of the alphabetically-organized cemetery.) That makes the bird at least 19 years, 4 months old.

The current age record is Mr. Bellows, another male Kolea banded at Bellows Air Force station. That bird lived at least 21 years, 3 months.

For years, plover expert, Wally Johnson has monitored Kolea in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, often called Punchbowl because it’s located inside Punchbowl Crater, an extinct Oahu volcano. With 116 acres of meticulously mowed grass, and light human traffic, Punchbowl is plover paradise.

When we started Hawaii’s Kolea Count in 2020, Sig joined in, reporting between 70 and 100 Kolea in the cemetery, the count varying with weather conditions and number of people paying their respects. Sig had a joyful moment in March when she spotted, and photographed, a bird with bands on its leg. (See https://www.koleacount.org/hawaiis-birds-hold-their-own-easter-parade/) Wally identified the bird by the three bands of red-aluminum-red that he placed on the bird in Punchbowl when it was at least 1 year and 10 months old.

It’s possible the bird was older. Plover experts can only determine a first-year bird during its first fall and winter in Hawaii, because its wing feathers are then distinct. Come spring, after the birds molt into breeding colors, all wing feathers look alike, making it impossible to know an individual’s age.

Unless, of course, the Kolea is one of the few wearing ID bands.

Mr. X in his territory in March, 2021 with all three leg bands. ©Sigrid Southworth.

You might have heard the hooting and hollering from Maine (where Wally is visiting), me (in Kailua), and Sig (in Honolulu) last week, when Sig informed us that she spotted Mr. X in his usual territory on August 27^th.

No one knows how many of our Kolea are this long-lived. Only by placing bands on their legs, do we know their age for sure, and even then, there’s guessing involved in any bird other than a first-year hatchling.

Researchers can place adult-sized leg bands, shown here, on newly hatched Kolea chicks.  The youngsters begin foraging for insects and berries soon after hatching. Parents warm and protect their offspring, but do not feed them. Near Nome, Alaska © Oscar Johnson. …

The picture of perfection. Photo taken last week by Sigrid Southworth in Punchbowl Cemetery.

August 26, 2021

Thank you for helping us help our Kolea by participating in this citizen science project of monitoring Hawaii’s Pacific Golden Plovers. For the latest news on July and August Kolea returns, as well as other happy bird news, see today’s post at susanscott.net/beacons-of-light-during-dark-times-kolea-manu-o-ku-and-8-million-seabirds-saved/

Please record your Kolea’s return date, and anything else you would like to share about your bird, in the REPORT tab here at koleacount.org

Counting Kolea is a good reason during these challenging times to walk through one of Hawaii’s many parks, cemeteries, campuses, or other open areas. Get out to see and celebrate these marvelous native birds that have learned to live with us.  Sign up for a winter count at bit.ly/2BFwVXG  It’s OK to sign up for an area already marked as taken (the more data the better) but we’re looking for counters in as many places as possible.

Try branching out from home territory and explore your island. I did that last season and even after living on Oahu for four decades, I discovered parks and golf courses new to me.  It’s fun, easy, and for a good cause.  See the GUIDELINES tab for details about the count.

The Kolea and I thank you for your continued support.

TooWEET,

Susan Scott, Kolea Count project manager

The Kolea are coming home.  Plover fans have reported a total of 14 birds so far in July.  I say home because these migratory shorebirds spend only three or so months of the year in their Alaska breeding grounds, and the other nine in Hawaii.

Lucky us.  Nowhere else in the world do migratory shorebirds live in harmony with humans the way our Kolea have learned to do here in our islands.  And now, thanks to hundreds of Hawaii’s devoted plover lovers, our 2020 idea of asking residents and visitors to count and monitor Kolea was so successful that we’re continuing the count long-term.

You can help these remarkable shorebirds by participating in the now-annual Hawaii Audubon Society project here at www.koleacount.org

Check out the new REPORT choices. Record arrival, departure, a backyard bird (Little Count), or any other plover doings you would like to share.  Sign up for Big Counts at the read-only site: http://bit.ly/2BFwVXG and see Guidelines tab for count particulars.  Let me, Susan Scott, know in the CONTACT tab the area you can count.  I will mark it as TAKEN, and keep my master list of names and emails private.

Thank you for helping fine tune the Big Count list by letting me know places where Kolea hang out that are not on the list, or places on the list that never have Kolea.

2020 pilot study results, in brief:

• 611: number of people who entered reports
• 4,196: number of bird observations reported
• 167: Number of Kolea with given names (Sir Lancelot, Bob, etc.)
• Oahu: Island with most entries
• 40: number of Kolea reported in June, or birds that did not migrate (summered-over)

2020 pilot study results in detail:

Below are graphs of counts by months, islands, zip codes and more. * Special thanks to volunteer, Dr. Brad Schultz, for organizing the spreadsheet into such a comprehensive and attractive analysis, and for counting hundreds of Kolea while visiting Oahu.

Total number of birds reported:

End

Our Portland-based niece and her husband, Kali and Brad Schultz, searched for plovers with me in Alaska. The Russian River, behind, isn’t plover territory, but thrilled us with leaping salmon. (Brad’s long-arm selfie with my phone.)

July 2, 202

Last week I went to Alaska where I didn’t see a single Kolea. That’s because instead of going to remote tundra areas where our plovers spend most of May, June, and July, this visit was a road trip from Anchorage to Homer. And although I enjoyed seeing moose, bears, sandhill cranes, and countless other animals in these human-populated areas, I yearned to see at least one plover.

Signs on Anchorage’s Tony Knowles Coastal Trail explain how to behave when confronted by a moose. I thought such an encounter unlikely. I was wrong. ©Susan Scott

A moose on the trail brought me, on my rented bike, to a screeching halt. ©Susan Scott

I waited until the moose lost interest in me and ambled off into the woods that border urban Anchorage. ©Susan Scott

Near the end of my vacation, a pair of plovers granted my wish. Not Pacific Goldens, but cousins close enough to satisfy my shorebird longing. While walking the beach along the Homer Spit, I had a close encounter with two semipalmated plovers.

Semipalmated means what it sounds like: half a palm. The name comes from the bird’s species name semipalmatus, a Latin term referring to the bird’s partially webbed feet. The bird’s first scientific name, Charadrius, means yellowish bird, (although I don’t see it.)

A clear picture of a semipalmated plover.  D. Gordon E. Robertson photo, Creative Commons, Wikipedia.

Compared to Kolea, these plovers are pipsqueaks, even smaller than our Sanderlings, or Hunakai, that run like wind-up toys up and down the beaches with the waves. Semipalmated plovers weigh from 1-to-2-ounces (a CD is about an ounce), are about six inches long, and so well camouflaged that even after Kali pointed the bird out, I still didn’t see it. The plovers’ striking feathers practically disappear against the blacks, browns and whites of the rocky beaches, where they forage for insects, worms, shrimp, and crabs.

My first sighting of a semipalmated plover. This is just feet off the Homer Spit road (sign top left.)  ©Susan Scott

Amazingly, these tiny plovers, like most other shorebirds, migrate thousands of miles each year, nesting in summer throughout Canada and Alaska, and wintering in the southern U.S., the Caribbean, and South America. Rarely, a semipalmated plover makes it to Hawaii. One was recorded on eBird this year in March at Puuhonua O Honaunau on the Big Island.

As we continued walking, we apparently got close to the nest, because both parents began flailing about …

Our Jake in Kailua earlier this week in formal attire. ©Susan Scott

April 23, 2021

For the today’s update on Kolea migration go to: https://www.susanscott.net/farewell-dear-kolea-and-fair-winds/

Resting up for the big trip. BYUH campus. ©Susan Scott

Mr. X, banded 18 years, 6 months ago at Punchbowl cemetery. Sigrid Southworth photo

March 24, 2021

Earlier this year, Kolea fan, Sigrid Southworth, spotted a plover at Punchbowl Cemetery with colored leg bands. The bird was too far away for a picture, and during subsequent visits, Sig, a retired Kamehameha Schools teacher and longtime helper of plover expert Wally Johnson, did not see it again.

Because the bird hangs out in the X section of the cemetery, Sig nick-named it, Mr. X. (That may change to Ms. X after the bird’s new spring feathers have all grown in.)

Last week, during one of her many plover monitoring visits to this cemetery, Sig sat in her car near section X to watch the four plovers that have been foraging there this winter. Since she was too far away to see which, if any, wore leg bands, after about 20 minutes, Sig walked slowly toward them.

And there, standing about 50 feet away, was bird-with-bands, Mr. X. Sig shot several photos, keeping her distance so as not to startle the bird into flying.

Sig’s discovery is excioting news. The last time Wally Johnson banded Kolea in Punchbowl was over 18 years ago, making this individual a minimum of 18 years, 6 months old.  The bird might be older. Wally didn’t know the bird’s age when he placed the bands on its leg. Sigrid Southworth photo

The current age record for Pacific Golden-Plovers is a Bellows bird that disappeared 21 years and 3 months after banding. I know all Kolea fans join me in wishing Mr. X continued good luck in his 3,000-mile migrations. We hope he/she will reach, or even break, Mr. Bellow’s age record.

Heads-up: If you go to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl), an excellent place to watch plovers, rules of respect are enforced. I have been warned twice by security guards that neither walking (meaning strolling about) nor bird watching not allowed. Visiting graves or memorials, however, is fine. Now when I’m there, and they ask, I am “visiting.”  Susan Scott photo. 

In other Kolea news, we launched this first-ever, statewide Kolea count just as Covid-19 changed the world as we knew it. Even though I didn’t get to advertise the count by giving talks in person on Oahu and neighbor islands, word got out and plover lovers responded.

To learn what worked, what did not, and what the future holds for monitoring our much-loved Kolea, tune in to my PowerPoint talk this Thursday, April 1st, at 6:30 PM via the Hanauma Bay Education Program’s live Webinar. Register at bit.ly/31poIjB (You must resister to get an invitation.)

My update on the Kolea Count is Thursday, April 1st at 6:30 via live Zoom. Register to join me.

All of April’s Thursday talks at Hanauma Bay are being given by …

A Kolea in Oahu Cemetery.  Photo courtesy Rick Bernico

December 1, 2020

Today is the first day of Big Counts, meaning we plover lovers are starting to count Kolea in Hawaii’s parks, cemeteries, golf courses, and other grassy areas that host our wintering Pacific Golden-Plovers.

We waited until December 1st to begin Big Counts because last summer’s chicks arrive in Hawaii through November, depending on the Alaska weather, and we wanted to include the youngsters in the counts. Big Counts end March 31st because soon after, the birds start gathering for their end-of-April migration north.

I’ve heard from several Kolea watchers about fights between birds. Fights in fall are normal, and are likely between an old-timer defending its area, and a newcomer looking for food. Fighting over territory is understandable for these site-faithful birds. Securing a food source is a matter of life and death.

Some Kolea tolerate another individual nearby. These two forage near one another, with no fighting, at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery, Windward Oahu. ©Susan Scott

Because plovers are site-faithful, we know we aren’t counting the same bird over and over. As we walk around, a startled bird may fly away, but sooner or later, it will return to its home place. Some birds are shyer than others, and stay away longer than we’re willing to wait. That’s why we would like three counts (or more if you can) of the same areas. One count, however, is fine if that’s all you can do. It’s still more than we’ve had in the past.

This bird, unperturbed by vehicles or people, forages in the parking lot of the Ala Wai Golf Course. ©Susan Scott

Try different times of day if possible. In 1992, Wally Johnson counted Kolea on all Oahu golf courses with count times ranging between 7:45 AM to 5:45 PM. Use your judgment for the area. For instance, Craig’s and my trial counts of Dillingham Air Field varied greatly – from a low of 14 birds to a high of 38 – depending on skydiving activity. I don’t know where the birds went during airplane commotion, but when skydiving operations were closed, the birds returned.

Besides getting a head count, an equally important goal of the Kolea Count is to increase community awareness and appreciation of these magnificent shorebirds. I invented this project intending the counts to be fun, an activity to enjoy while walking around our lovely islands. Please don’t worry about doing it wrong. Any numbers you get …

Pacific Golden-Plovers love what we humans have done with the Hawaiian Islands, particularly our creation of golf courses. Hawaii has 74 statewide. (Above photo, Arnold Palmer Golf Course, Turtle Bay, Oahu.)

Knowing that golf courses were prime Kolea wintering grounds, plover expert, Wally Johnson, in 1992, counted all the Kolea he found on Oahu’s 28 (today 38) golf courses. Wally conducted the counts between January 22nd and March 26th in fair weather, meaning no high winds or heavy rain, sometimes from a cart, and sometimes on foot.

Kolea stand tall and have a distinct run-stop-run gait. They are easy to distinguish from mynahs, doves and cardinals.

Typical winter colors of Kolea. ©Susan Scott

The count totaled 1,902 birds, and contained some surprises. For Kolea density, it didn’t seem to matter if the courses were new or old, whether they were large or small (some high counts were on 9-hole courses), or where they were located. Both the highest and the lowest counts were all in the same general area, and all on 18-hole courses.

• Least: 2 Kolea each in Honolulu Country Club (Salt Lake) and Ted Makalena Golf Course (Waipio Peninsula)
• Most: 168 Kolea at Pearl Country Club (Aiea) and 161 at Mamala Bay Golf Course (formerly Hickam AFB Golf Course.)

Now, 28 years later, the Hawaii Audubon Society, with Wally as advisor, are trialing a statewide Kolea count, including all of Hawaii’s golf courses. Most clubs don’t allow nongolfers to wander about counting birds, but we might not need to. Golfers can count Kolea while golfing.

Mauna Kea Golf Course, Big Island.

Here’s how nature-loving golfers can help:

1. Choose your golf course at bit.ly/2BFwVXG We recently gave golf courses their own section on the far right.
2. Open the CONTACT tab on this site, and email me, Susan, your name and the golf course you can count. I’ll sign you up on my private list, and mark the course as TAKEN.
3. To count and report Kolea, see Guidelines and FAQs. Also email me with any questions or comments.
4. Spread the word among fellow golfers.
5. Large areas are easier to count with tally clickers, sold with Kolea Count T-shirts on the Audubon website’s store tab: www.hawaiiaudubon.org All sales help further Kolea research. If you want a clicker and no T-shirt or book, email me, and I’ll get you one.

Humans and wildlife aren’t always compatible, but in this case, people and plovers are well-suited. The birds get to eat bugs and worms on lush, manicured fairways, while residents and visitors get to play a sport surrounded by native birds in some of the most lovely landscapes on the planet. Kolea and golfers are a match made in heaven.

Read about our still-arriving Kolea at www.susanscott.net/ow/incoming-kole-kids-arrive-from-alaska/

Kapalua Resort, Lahaina, Maui …

Q: What happened to the map and database on this site?
A: Deleted for now. The map got too crowded (a good thing – so many Kolea!), and names and email addresses in the database needed to be confidential. We’re working on ways to share information with counters.

Q: How often can I count and report Kolea in my area?
A: For Little Counts, report your bird’s arrival, and any change throughout the winter, such as its disappearance, or another bird’s appearance in the same space. Share your bird’s eating, behavior, and/or personality traits in the SHARE tab.
For Big Counts, count and report three times between December 1 and March 31 if possible. If you can count only once or twice, report that. If you can count more than three times, please do. All data enhances knowledge.

Q: How do I sign up for a Big Count?
A: Go to bit.ly/2BFwVXG Use the CONTACT tab to send me your chosen location by its name and/or Site Code. The sites are numbered only to help me find locations in long lists. If your location isn’t listed, let me know, and I’ll add it.

Q: How do I know I’m not counting the same bird twice, or missing some birds?
A: Absolute precision isn’t possible, but you can get pretty close. A territorial Kolea stays in its chosen site throughout the day, and there, the birds become accustomed to the presence of people, traffic, and sometimes even mellow dogs. If an unusual noise, animal, or person startles a Kolea and it flies off, it will return to its territory after the disturbance. Counting an area at least three times helps arrive at a more accurate number. Watch for patterns, and do the best you can.

This Kolea, named Gracie, learned that the family dog, Lucy, was no threat. A screen separates the dog and the bird. ©Susan Scott

Q: Do I count single birds in flight?
A: No. Only count Kolea on the ground.

Q: What about Kolea in flocks?
A: Flocks are of two types:
1)Territorial Kolea gathering to roost for the night. At night, the birds sleep together in places safe from predators, such as rooftops and rocky outcrops. Don’t count flocks that are gathering for sleepovers.

Bedtime for birdies. A dusk gathering of Kolea on a rooftop at Midway Atoll. ©Susan Scott

2) Social Kolea that live in groups. Not all Kolea are …