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We’re all breathing a huge sigh of relief that the greater Honolulu area was spared the worst of Hurricane Lane. As we prepared for Lane, we worried about what might happen to the more than 200 active white tern nests if, as expected, hurricane force winds lashed the area and we were inundated with several inches of rain. Fortunately, Lane stalled and fizzled off shore, and we and the terns dodged a potentially devastating bullet. After completing the August nesting survey we identified active nests that would be most vulnerable to the anticipated effects of the storm. These included nesting spots with eggs or chicks at all stages of development, except flighted juveniles. Thanks largely to Calvin Proctor, the Hawai'i Wildlife Center intern currently detailed to the Honolulu Zoo, we’ve been able to survey 169 of these at-risk nests to begin to assess Lane’s impact. 14 (8.28%) of them failed sometime between when they were surveyed in August prior to the 25th and when they were checked again after the storm. Put another way, nearly 92% of the these most at-risk nesting events survived Lane. For context, over 60% of the nesting events we’ve tracked in 2018 have resulted in a successfully fledged chick. The losses during the storm were far less than feared, but we’ll have to wait to see how many of this cohort ultimately fledge to better understand the impact of our brush with Lane on the nesting terns. The map below shows the locations of the 169 nesting spots surveyed after Lane with yellow pins marking failed events. 
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Join the Hui and the University of Hawaii in a guided tour of White Terns on the UH-Manoa Campus on Sunday, September 23 from 9-10:30. We will meet in front of Sinclair Library.  Under normal conditions, when a chick is found on the ground we make every effort to put it back in the tree as close to its nesting spot as possible. However, for the next few days we're going to be under anything but normal conditions. While Hurricane Lane is messing with us, if you find a white tern chick on the ground it doesn't make sense to put it back in the tree. Instead we recommend that you collect the chick and place it in a small box with air holes and place a hand towel or T-shirt on the bottom. Then hold quietly until you are able to transport the chick to the Honolulu Zoo, Feather and Fur Animal Clinic, or Aloha Animal Hospital. You can find additional guidance on what to do at the Hawaii Wildlife Center's webpage at http://www.hawaiiwildlifecenter.org/rescue-injured-bird.html
Note in particular this guidance from the HWC: "Do not give food or water to the bird and do not leave any in the container or bag." If you have any questions about caring for chick while waiting to be able to get it to one the care providers please call the HWC at 808-884-5000. We're scheduling another in our series of Third Saturday Bird Walks for August 18. We’ll meet at 9:30 in the grove of Kukui trees on the Diamond Head side of Richards Street, near the intersection with Hotel Street (see photo). The walk will include stops at several of the trees in the downtown Honolulu area where white terns are currently tending eggs or chicks and will end at about 11:00. At 11:00, after the walk, we’ll provide a brief orientation session for anyone interested in learning how to monitor white tern nests and submit reports on their observations. The orientation will also take place in the grove of Kukuis on Richards Street. Please RSVP by texting 808-379-7555 or by emailing huimanuoku@gmail.com and let us know if you’ll be attending the orientation session or the tern walk. Feel free to bring your camera as there should be opportunities to get some great photos!  There’s a new White Tern Webcam up at the Iolani School. The egg hatched on the morning of Saturday, June 14! You can watch the chick and its parents at https://m.twitch.tv/iolaniwhitetern. If you're lucky, you will get to see the parents feed the chick!
It's getting late in the white tern breeding season but there are still several active nesting spots in the downtown Honolulu area, so we're scheduling another in our series of Third Saturday Bird Walks for July 21. We’ll meet at 9:30 in the grove of Kukui trees on the Diamond Head side of Richards Street, near the intersection with Hotel Street (see photo). The walk will include stops at several of the trees in the downtown Honolulu area where white terns are currently tending eggs or chicks and will end at about 11:00. At 11:00, after the walk, we’ll provide a brief orientation session for anyone interested in learning how to monitor white tern nests and submit reports on their observations. The orientation will also take place in the grove of Kukuis on Richards Street. Please RSVP by texting 808-379-7555 or by emailing huimanuoku@gmail.com and let us know if you’ll be attending the orientation session or the tern walk. Feel free to bring your camera as there should be opportunities to get some great photos!  Mahalo to Shalane Sambor for sharing an article she wrote that is soon to be published in The Arcadian newsletter chronicling her observations of a white tern chick that fledged from a tree on the grounds of the Arcadia Retirement Residence this spring. And mahalo to the staff at Arcadia for the care and concern they show for the terns nesting there!
Click here to read A Tern Tale - From Fledgling to Flight
Thanks to Melody Bentz, we have been able to watch a chick at International Market Place grow. On June 3, Melody was lucky enough to record "Kirby" testing his wings before he can make his first attempt at flying. It's just a matter of time before Kirby takes to the sky!
Thereʻs a new batch of eggs and chicks in the downtown Honolulu area. Join us for another White Tern Walk on Saturday, June 16 as we visit a few of them. We’ll meet at 9:30 in the grove of Kukui trees on the Diamond Head side of Richards Street, near the intersection with Hotel Street (see photo). The walk will end at about 11:00. At 11:00, after the walk, we’ll provide a brief orientation session for anyone interested in learning how to monitor white tern nests and submit reports on their observations. The orientation will also take place in the Kukui grove on Richards Street. Please RSVP by texting 808-379-7555 or by emailing huimanuoku@gmail.com and let us know if you’ll be attending the orientation session or the tern walk. Free free to bring your camera as there should be opportunities to get some great photos!  2018 Manu o Kū Festival |
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