Conventional wisdom says there shouldn't be much manu-o-Ku nesting taking place this time of the year on Oahu. But surveys during the past two months have documented over 150 active nesting spots with either an egg of a chick. Half of the trees are flagged with blue ribbon to alert tree trimmers (and Christmas light stingers!) to the presence of the nests. The ribbon also makes it easier to find the trees with active nests so citizen scientists can help us monitor the eggs and the chicks. You can help when out and about by looking up into any of these flagged trees and taking a picture with your smartphone of what you see. If you email the photo to [email protected], we can update the database to reflect the current status of the nest. This information is being used to help us monitor the overall condition of the Oahu white tern population and to advise tree trimmers when it's safe to trim the trees terns use for nesting. Mahalo for your help!
In addition to Christmas lights, a lot of trees in Honolulu and Waikiki are now sporting ribbons alerting trimmers to the presence of active White Tern nests. 85 trees to be exact! Along some streets there are now more trees with ribbons than without, such as this stretch of Kalakaua Avenue between Kapiolani Boulevard and King Street.
What better way to kick off the holiday season then to take a tern walk to see some of the new additions to the Oahu White Tern population! With the second peak of the 2017 breeding season well underway, there are several eggs and newly hatched chicks in the downtown Honolulu and Waikiki areas. Join us Sunday morning, November 19, at 10:00am on the steps of the capitol building facing the I'olani Palace for a 90 minute walking tour of active nesting sites in the downtown area. Also, at 10:00am on Saturday, November 25, we'll check the new arrivals along Kalakaua Ave in Waikiki. We'll gather at the top of escalator to the second level on the makai side of the International Marketplace for this 90-minute walk. Email [email protected] or text 808-379-7555 to reserve a space. One of the nesting spots we'll visit on the Waikiki white tern walk on November 25th.
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