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Susan Scott's new book on the Manu o Ku is now available for purchase on the Hawaii Audubon Society webpage. Get a copy for yourself and share the joy of the white terns of Oahu with friends and family. Just in time for Christmas!
http://www.hawaiiaudubon.org/product-page/hawai-i-s-white-tern-book We have a new winner for the title of tree with the most eggs being incubated at the same time. And the winner is... (drum roll)... The Banyan tree at the International Market Place! Over the two years we've been monitoring that tree, we've documented 13 separate nesting spots and when last surveyed a week ago, 8 of them were occupied by adults on eggs. We've never seen this many eggs in one tree at the same time. In addition to the 2 eggs in the most visible nesting spots there are a half dozen more scattered throughout the tree. Next time you're at the International Market Place use the attached photos showing the location of each of the nesting spots to see how many of them you can find. Treat yourself to a piece of chocolate at the Godiva store if you find them all. And please let us know if you see any we missed! You can follow the progress of each the eggs, and the chicks as they hatch, by clicking on the link below. Here you'll see some of the data points in the white tern nesting database we maintain that are derived from observations submitted by white tern citizen scientists. https://airtable.com/shrsL3vi5pcfaZyqR/tblZLhLHxXbWuiRNm?blocks=hide Six of the white tern nesting spots in the big banyan tree at the International Market Place, including two offering the best viewing on Oahu, are now occupied by adults incubating eggs. In a couple of weeks a few of them should contain newly hatched chicks. And across the street at the Royal Hawaiian Center there are more eggs and chicks. Take a break from the holiday rush and join us at 9:00 on Saturday, December 1, for a short walk filled with some of the best white tern viewing in the entire breeding range. Meet behind the stage at the base of the big banyan at the Royal Hawaiian Center if you'd like to join us. Please RSVP by text to 808-379-7555.
There are currently more than 100 white tern eggs being incubated in the greater Honolulu-Waikiki area. And weʻre trying to track every one of them to see how many hatch chicks and how many of those chicks survive to fledge! The data we collect also helps us help chicks when they fall from the trees by showing exactly where in the tree their nesting spot is so we can reunite them with their parents. Itʻs a growing challenge to keep up with the expanding tern population on Oahu and we appreciate all the help we get from the growing community of white tern fans. If youʻd like to help us monitor the terns near where you live or work check out the map below showing the location of all the trees that we know about where eggs are currently being tended. You can check the interactive Active Egg Map on this site to zoom in and see more precisely where the trees are location. Visit the Citizen Science page to tell us what see when you check a nesting spot.  |