Honolulu Star-Advertiser © Susan Scott
April 29, 2005
Our plovers rock. We Hawaii residents already know that, but every time I go to a Wally Johnson talk about these migratory shorebirds, I come away with a renewed sense of awe.
The fact that these little birds fly 65 mph for 50 hours, nonstop, twice a year, at 21,000 feet over the North Pacific never ceases to amaze me.
Even after studying the birds for 25 years, Wally is still impressed, too.
The genuine affection this Montana biologist has for Hawaii’s kolea is what makes his annual lectures and slide shows so much fun.
And so crowded. Wally, with wife and co-researcher, Pat, entertained a standing-room-only crowd Tuesday evening at Windward Community College.
Hawaii folks, it seems, just can’t get enough information and stories about our beloved kolea.
This year, I learned how unusual it is for plovers to live among people. Unlike other plover species, our Pacific golden plover is the only one that has adapted to human-altered environments.
And not only do our birds hang out in our golf courses, cemeteries and back yards, they aren’t afraid of us. They’ve learned they are loved.
But not by everyone. Last year, a kolea showed up at the Hilton Hawaiian Village behaving normally but looking odd. A white, plastic-looking object seemed to be stuck to its back.
Hilton bird-keepers called Wally and Pat, who caught the bird to examine it. Their finding shocked everyone. The bird had been shot with a blow dart that penetrated far into its body. The dart, nearly as long as the plover itself, hadn’t punctured any vital organs, but was lodged inside the flesh.
Pulling the dart out risked the creature’s life, but so did leaving it in. The Johnsons took a chance and, after banding the little survivor, gently removed the arrow. The bird lived and is now a special visitor to the Hilton’s lawns and gardens.
“Who would shoot one of these innocent little birds?” Wally said, voicing the thought, I’m sure, of everyone in the room. Fortunately, far fewer people these days than in the past. Today, state and federal laws protect all shorebirds and seabirds.
Wally asks that if anyone spots any plovers with bands on their legs to report them to Annette Kaohelaulii at 235-5431. Annette works with Wally in promoting kolea awareness and research.
Among Annette’s ventures are spring tours to Alaska to visit the plovers in their nesting grounds. There you’ll see nests, eggs and adults but no chicks.
“You don’t want to visit after the chicks hatch, because billions of mosquitoes will have hatched, too,” Wally said. These insects are the chicks’ main food source and the reason the kolea are there.
For more information about kolea trips, see www.annettesadventures.com.
Winter vacation ended this week for Hawaii’s plovers, and all except the infirm flew back to work. We fan club members wish them a safe journey and anxiously await their return. Hawaii’s lawns just aren’t the same without our little rock stars.