Categorized | Environment

Bird center, Kipuka Puaulu tour (Sept. 17)

* 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17

The Keauhou Bird Conservation Center (KBCC), located in Volcano, is one of two centers operated by The Zoological Society of San Diego as part of the Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program. This program aims to aid endangered species at the landscape level, establishing self-sustaining populations of birds in the wild using captive propagation and reintroduction management tools.

With Jack Jeffrey and KBCC Staff as your guides, see and learn about the native Hawaiian birds that the facility houses, including some of the last remaining alala, or Hawaiian Crow, which is critically endangered and extinct in the wild; the Maui Parrotbill, an insectivorous Hawaiian honeycreeper; palila, a finch-billed honeycreeper only found on the slopes of Mauna Kea; nee or Hawaiian goose; and puaiohi or Small Kauai Thrush.

In the afternoon, after lunch at Kipuka Puaulu, drive 10 miles to the top of Mauna Loa Road and hike one mile round trip to see some native bird species in the wild such as i‘iwi, amakihi, and elepaio.

Also see a spectacular outplanting of the endangered Mauna Loa Silverswords, and a fantastic view from the start of the historic Mauna Loa Trail, before heading back to Hilo.

Be prepared for a one mile hike. Lunch is included.

For online registration form, visit: www.kohalacenter.org/TKCMemberEvents11/kbcc.html

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