Blog #9 ʻO Hoʻoilo Ka Malama
Pule 9 (11/27/16-12/3/16)
Aloha mai e nā maka heluhelu, nā ʻohana, a me nā hoa i nui ke aloha iā Hōlanikū. E like me kēlā mahina i hala aku nei, ʻelua mea i hoʻolauleʻa ʻia i ka pau ʻana o kēia pule. I ka Poʻakolu, ua piha ʻelua mahina o ko mākou noho ʻana i ʻaneʻi. I ka Poʻalima, ua hoʻolauleʻa mākou i ko Eryn lā hānau. Ua piha nā makahiki he iwakāluakūmāwalu iā ia. Uihā! Huʻihuʻi nō i ʻaneʻi i kēia manawa. Ua pā mai ka makani, a ua heleleʻi ka ua. Eia naʻe, ua kō nō ka hana. Ua holo nō ka manawa! Ua hala ka pule ʻeiwa o ko mākou hana ʻana i Hōlanikū nei. Mākaukau mākou no ka pule hou!
Howzit kākou! Another week has blown by with the strong and chilly, winter wind. I canʻt believe December is here already. Just like the previous month, we had a few celebrations at the end of our work week. On Wednesday, we completed two months of being here on Hōlanikū. We also celebrated Erynʻs 28th birthday on Friday. Cheering! Andy and Coryna made the most perfect birthday cake for this field season. They constructed a cake made from scratch that resembled an albatrossʻs nest. It was so spot on! The thin, rectangular strips of sponge cake covered in chocolate frosting were the sticks and plants. Green frosting and fondant for the leaves. A pound cake shaped as an egg covered in white fondant, and the best part to make it complete, red spots made by food coloring for the blood when the egg is laid. It was probably the best cake Iʻve ever seen and it was ʻono too. So classic! So my birthdays next.. maybe weʻll try one shaped as an albatross? Nah nah.
It was a pretty cloudy week. We planned to greet the sun on the first of December, but it was too cloudy. So was the next day and the next one after that. It would also be rainy in the morning and then the sun would pop out in the afternoon. After so much rain these past few weeks, thousands of nohu sprouts are everywhere throughout the island. Uē ka lani, ola ka honua! Guys, the time has come. I have finally put clothes on. Yes, I have transitioned from wearing nothing but a pareu to actually seeking warmth and getting cozy with a flannel, sweatpants, and a beanie. The wind is stronger. The waves are firing around this tiny island. The coral has been washed up higher on the shore. Those are just a few signs that winter has arrived. The air is definitely cooler than the previous weeks. It was around 70 degrees during the day and then it went down to the low 60ʻs at night which is considered cold for us here in Hawaiʻi. Time to bust out the solar shower bags! But small kine hard when thereʻs no sun to even heat it up ah? Gotta either heat up the water in a pot or just suck it up!
Despite the weather conditions, we still managed to treat 35 acres. To start off the week, we checked our AMDRO stations in the areas where big-headed ants were found last month. They were found more towards the south side of the island. We donʻt want those ants here especially since we will eventually have lots of little chicks. We donʻt want those chicks to be eaten alive. ʻAʻole lā!
Due to some rainy mornings this week, we did alternative tasks such as working in the nursery, checking the seeps for mosquitos, inputting data into the computer, and even cutting some naupaka for an easier access towards the beach since a whole bunch of albatross are nesting in that area. We ended the work week by conducting a monk seal and shorebird survey. RJ did the interior shorebird survey while Andy, Eryn, Coryna and I split the island in half and worked in pairs starting from opposite sides. It was really funny that Andy had just finished telling me about how some albatross are found trying to sit on a buoy thinking that itʻs an egg. And sure enough, as we made our way to our last sector (Sector 1, Northwest of the island) we saw a Black-footed Albatross struggling to sit on a small, round buoy. It was having a difficult time trying to find the perfect position. As it did, it found itself leaning towards one side with the buoy poking out by its belly, or the buoy slipping out from under its tail. It was hilarious.
I know I always say everything here is so beautiful, but letʻs talk about the not-so-pretty side of this experience. We did find a mōlī (Laysan Albatross) that had a fishing line wrapped around its leg. While Andy held the mōlī, Coryna and RJ removed the line and then it was set free. Sure, glass balls are cool to find but itʻs not nice to find plastics, ropes, line and much more that can be an entanglement or choking hazard for the animals both of land and sea. Although this is a very beautiful place, a sanctuary for such beautiful plants and animals, we also face the harsh reality of the effects when a world is careless or unaware of how its waste can affect the environment. I know I always say aloha ʻāina dis, aloha ʻāina dat, but I really mean it. Here on Hōlanikū, weʻre reminded every single day of why itʻs important to take care of our belongings. I know we canʻt clean up everything all at once, but we can each do our part in doing so in our own personal lives even if itʻs a simple thing like picking up some trash on the beach. Any little thing will make a big difference. That lighter you picked up saved a bird from choking on it. That fishing line you took out of the water saved a honuʻs (turtle) neck from getting entangled it in. So I say it with meaning and I say it with truth, e mālama i ka ʻāina (care for the land). E mālama i ke kai (care for the sea). And reduce, reuse, recycle brat!
Well, another week blew by with the wind and the rain has washed a clean slate for us to start a new week and the month of December. We have completed our ninth week and second month of being here on Hōlanikū. Time is definitely soaring past us just as the albatross shoot through the sky like jets. The chilly wind, rain, and air has forced us to seek comfort in our layered clothes and warm blankets. As each week goes by, it sinks in even more that winter has arrived. Itʻs crazy to see how these albatross can withstand all the elements. He kupaianaha nō! Anyways, weʻre ready for whatʻs in store for us as we enter a new month. Well gangeh weʻve come to the end of this blog. As usual Iʻll leave you with an ʻōlelo noʻeau for the week. Eia ka ʻōlelo noʻeau o kēia pule: “Kāpeku ka leo o ke kai, ʻo hoʻoilo ka malama” (When the voice of the sea is harsh, the winter months have come) - Ka Puke ʻŌlelo Noʻeau a Pākuʻi #1536. The strong winds create a whistling sound through our windows while shaking the wooden bunk house. The wind is blowing, waves are crashing on the reef that surrounds the lagoon and waves that are firing inside the lagoon can be heard from all sides of the island. Storms. Showers. Surges. Winter is full of excitement!
Mahalo a nui no ka heluhelu a me ke kākoʻo ʻana mai! A hui hou a i kēia pule aʻe. K den menpachis
Naʻu,
Aulani
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