MORE MAUI MADNESS

Maui: Mountains, Birds

March 24-26, 2014

East maui map – Kula and Haleakala summit are shown with arrows

The bar shows the road down through Makawao to Paia 

View from upcountry across the neck, bays each side

The west Maui mountains behind the clouds, Lanai far left

We have a favorite B&B we discovered last year called Kula View.  From the deck you can see the mountain and from the geometric window you can see the ocean, west Maui and Lanai beyond.  Kula is as close as you can get to Haleakala for lodging.

 View of the mountain from the deck, about a half hour to the park entrance

 Kula View offers fridge, microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker, coolers, thermoses,

 AND warm coats, sweaters, and blankets for people braving either 

sunrise or sunset on the mountain (it is cold in bright sunlight ! )

Comfy bed - ocean view from fun window

Call Susan Kauai at 808-878-6736 for a reservation

We checked in and headed up to the park late in the day.  Just past the gate we turn left into Hosmer Grove for some of the best endemic forest bird watching in the islands.  In fact we went to Hosmer three days in a row. 

Hosmer Grove  

We went into the shrub land rather than the forest to see who was about.

 We heard a Kalij pheasant, saw evidence of Nene which was really encouraging and 

lots of little red and green guys zooming overhead.  No photo ops.

            We walked back through the forest part of Hosmer Grove, an experimental forest planted many years ago after it was denuded of the native trees.

 Amakihi  female 4.5"

        (ah-ma-kee-hee)         

            We saw lots of action that first day but the little green birds are usually just bullets going by.  This female was very focused on nesting material, the male, not so much.  He was more interested in watching her.  This is about as still as I’ve seen one  – on a  branch for a split second. 

Amakihi male

            On the way back down we stopped at Kula Lodge for a libation. It's a sweet spot with a great view.  We had other dinner plans but the pizza here is really good, cooked in an outdoor brick oven.  

 View from our table at Kula Lodge

 The brick oven was all fired up - we'll stay for pizza next time

Sampling more from Maui Brewing, I went with Koko Brown and 

Gil stuck to his Bikini Blonde (I think he likes the name)

"Mink" protea  (pro-tee-a OR pro-tay-a)

Kula is protea country  

I stopped along the road and took this on a bush in someone's yard

            Next day we lounged and journeyed up Haleakala well after the sunrise crowd was gone.  The bicycle tours were screaming down the opposite side.  Just doesn’t look like fun.  For me it is all about the stunning views and feeling the grand scale of our world.

 From Maui to the Big Island

Mauna Kea to left, and Mauna Loa - the long gentle slope from center to right; ocean below

Not a crater 

            Often thought of as the crater, this valley is actually the original landscape eroded away. The small eruptive cones came much later and partially refilled the eroded basin with blasted cinders.  The wind and weather factors send the loose soils down through the gap.

This sketch provided by the park shows the shape of the shield volcano that 

Haleakala once was

            Hawaii Island has many international observatories and Maui looks like it is trying to catch up with it's Science City.  Resentment that the natural landscape is being altered, these buildings are called pimples by the people down below.

The Hawaiian Islands have less light pollution of anywhere in the world

Astronomers have used the top for star gazing since humans first arrived here

  

These are harsh conditions for people, hard to imagine plants and birds surviving here.   

 

Na'ena'e, Silversword, lava and cinders

This is what grows at 10,000 feet

Both of these plants are in the sunflower family and evolved from the same ancestor!

   

The Haleakala Silversword - endemic and endangered

(Argyroxiphyium sandwicenses macrocephalum)

 Known for it's unique color and incredible beauty

Skeleton of a silversword flower

blossoms were purple

 It grows, matures and after it flowers, it dies

The Silversword project  

           The little pots have new starts of the plants.  We saw such carts at the summit at 10,000' and the first visitor center at 7,000.'  The red and blue tags indicate whether they get watered or only ambient moisture.      

            It is not just plants that struggle with this difficult landscape.  The little Hawaiian Petrel has found conditions so unfavorable in its original habitat on the all the islands, its last refuge is to nest at the extreme elevation of Haleakala crater where it stands a chance of not being molested by feral cats, mongoose, or rats.  And since the summit is known as the one of the world’s darkest night skies, fledging is less risky for the new guys.  However, no one knows how the cold temperatures or the elevation itself are affecting the birds.  They are endangered and rare.  Adults are returning now, nesting for them begins in March.  Hardy (human) folks can stay until after dark and hear them call ‘ua’u as they fly to their burrows hidden in the cinder walls.

'Ua'u - Hawaiian Petrel

Pterodroma sandwicenses

 Created by Ralph Trethewey in resin

see his website for other creations

            The clouds move really fast at altitude, especially across the gap down below us.  I started to take a picture of snow on top of Mauna Kea, the highest volcano on the Big Island and by the time I took my lens cap off, the valley had filled and the mountain was gone.  Moments later, Mauna Kea appeared again showing just a little snow right now.

Mauna Kea from Haleakala

Just a little snow on top

We plan to be there this September, maybe we’ll be able to see Haleakala from there.

Back to Hosmer one more time, or I should say I’iwi Land. The forest and shrubland is is filled with birdsong. This trip, though, was the first time I was so aware of their flying sound.  When you are still, the whirr of their wings is not so subtle as they zoom overhead or next to you.   They also call while they fly but they move sooo fast; the ground cover is like a big sponge so it is really difficult to figure out which direction to look when you hear them. 

 Hosmer Grove is both forest and shrubland

            Hosmer was a fellow who brought in many types of trees to experiment with for lumber production after the native trees were used up.  Why didn't they just replant 'ohia and koa and other native trees?  Reforestation was not conservation.

 Mamane (ma-ma-neh)

Sophora chrysophylla

This is a native and can grow to 40' but in Hosmer it is a shrub

The forest is full of 4-6" birds; the sounds are wonderful

It is hard to keep them in sight when they land in the canopy

Just for scale, note Gil standing center bottom

Haleakala Sandalwood blooming
(Santalum haleakalae)
There are a few native trees and plants mixed in with Hosmer's experimentals

Silver Geranium (Geraniun cuneatum tridens)

A native being outplanted by conservationists - this one seemed to be thriving

Again, just for scale, there is a little red bird in the center of left lower quadrant

None of the ohia lehua were in bloom (late this year) so food for the nectar eaters like the I’iwi is drastically limited.  They seem to relish the mamani and their curved bills expertly reach in to suck out the nectar.  They also made much use of the non-native eucalyptus trees that were flowering. They are quite the gymnasts being upside down as often as not.  They really use their feet to hold on and then wiggle their bodies into the best position – slurp, jump to new branch, slurp, jump to a new flower, slurp, you get the idea.

I'iwi (ee-ee-vee)

in the eucalyptus flowers

 I'iwi in mamane

Gil got this shot from the edge of a deep drop. 

The I'iwi took off, calling as he went (note his open beak)






The mist rolled in really thick and we decided it was time for us to go, too.

            On our last day we wound down the mountain through Makawao and had lunch in Paia – an old hippy town gone tourist.  Parking is a madhouse but lunch was great at Milagro’s.  We got to Schaefer Art Gallery again in Wailuku to see the juried show, some nice work.  I liked this ceramic piece.

  "Eddie Would Go"  
by Mary Ann Leigh

            We also made our pilgrimage to Iao Valley, such spectacular natural beauty somewhat minimized by the little state park walkways.  Humans exploited the watershed first for taro and then the cane plantations.  Four streams merge into the Iao stream and were divertedbefore flowing out into Kahalui Bay.

Iao Valley

An elderly Maui friend likes to say ee-oww!

Iao Needle 

2200' remnant of erosion

            We still had time before our flight so we took a walk on the beach above Wailuku then drove north along the coast.  There is a seabird sanctuary just past here, a rocky island right off shore called Moke’ehia.   

 Kaemi Point 

Moke’ehia Seabird Sanctuary - island just visible beyond point

            Maybe next time we’ll drive all the way around – I chickened out 30 years ago when we tried it because the dirt road was so narrow in places it was literally barely wide enough for one car, no shoulder, just ocean.  Nightmare material!  Anyway Kaemi Point was quite beautiful though we were losing our light.

ALOHA MAUI

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