Field Reports From The Sanctuary
|
| May 13, 2006
|
TIME: 9:30am - 4:00pm
WEATHER: excellent, partly cloudy, light wind, no rain
I walked to the ridge above Nuuanu valley by 10:07 AM then began the walk along the ridge connector trail. I walked and stopped to observe any birds that might be obtaining nectar from 4 separate flowering metrosideros polymorpha ( Ohia Lehua) trees. The following is data recorded for each of these 4 trees:
#1 A 12 foot tree with about 20 flowers- I watched for only two minutes and did not see any birds.
#2 A 15 foot Ohia Lehua with about 25 salmon-orange flowers. No birds seen.
#3 A 15 foot Ohia Lehua with about 50 flowers. Several Japanese White-eyes were feeding on the ohia flower nectar.
At 10:40 AM a single Adult Apapane buzzed the Japanese white-eye in an attempt to drive the bird away.
At 10:57 AM the jawe returned then at 10:58 AM the Apapane forced the jawe from the tree. During the last twenty minutes I have seen Apapane 5 times in this area. Possibly this pair has a nest nearby? A single Oahu Amakihi was seen gleaning insects in a Metrosideros Tremuloides , several minutes later a pair of Apapane landed in the same tree after the Amakihi had left.
Three Apapane were observed in a tree below the trail about 75 feet away. A single House Finch and a single Red-whiskered bulbul were seen.
The Fiddlewood tree is the most invasive plant on this trail.
At 12:47 a single Apapane flew over trail.
I then watched a single Apapane land in a tree in the shade and began preening for 3-4 minutes. It first stretched out one wing ,preened it,then stretched out the other wing and preened it. This bird was observed singing also.
At 1:56 I found another flowering Ohia Tree:
#4 A 20 foot tree with 50-60 flowers with numerous honeybees attracted to the nectar. I watched this tree for 1 hour during which I saw two Adult Apapanes and one immature Apapane. Only one of these birds fed on the ohia nectar and that was for less then a minute.
# OF BIRDS SIGHTED:
APAPANE- 15 at LEAST 3 PAIRS and 1 IMMATURE
AMAKIHI- 1 FEMALE
HOUSE FINCH- 1
RED VENTED BULBUL- 2
RED-WHISKERED BULBUL-1
JAPANESE WHITE EYE-6
RED BILLED LEOTHRIX-1
I observed 4 Ohia trees with significant amounts of flowers , including several that were producing nectar. I watched these trees for about 2.5 hours but saw very little feeding on the Ohia nectar by honeycreepers. Perhaps this was because I was observing between 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM . It was unusual to see so many Apapane and so few Amakihi. In the past I have always seen many more Amakihi then Apapane.
|
|
|
