Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 10, 1 October 1992 — Ke ao nani [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ke ao nani

Naturally Hawaiian

by Patrick Ching artist/environmentalist

On wetlands and waterbirds

"The sun's first rays creep over the east ridge, warming the earth and causing a glowing mist to rise above the placid pond. The still morning air rings with songs of crickets and native birds. The glasslike surface of the pond is rippled in places by native waterbirds whieh cut through the water like tiny boats, often with a new brood of chicks in tow ... " Scenes such as this are becoming increasingly rare as are many Hawaiian scenes we appreciate so mueh.

To many, the importance of preserving Hawaii's wetlands seems insignificant with the increasing pressure to develop what some refer to as "wasted" or "useless" areas of land. In reality, wetlands are very important to Hawai'i not only for ecological reasons but for practical reasons as well. In the 1970s a number of remaining wetland areas were set aside as national wildlife refuges. In Hanalei valley on the island of Kaua'i, native waterbirds nest among the kalo (taro) in the shallow, flowing waters of the wetland lo'i (fields). Here one ean see native waterbird species including the koloa (duck) whieh resembles a female mallard; the 'alae ke'oke'o (coot) whieh is black with a white bill; the 'alae 'ula (gallinule) whieh is black with yellow legs and a red bill; the āe'o (stilt) whieh is black and white with

long pink legs; and the 'auku'u (black crowned heron) whieh is the largest of Hawaii's waterbirds.

Aside from the steady loss of habitat, Hawaii's waterbird population is under pressure from a num-

ber of introduced predators, such as dogs, cats, rats, mongoose and even barn owls and cattle egrets.

The āe'o (Hawaiian stilt) is easily identified by its black and white body and long, pink legs that trail behind il in flight. It voices a loud, high-pitched eall in flight especially around its nesting site. Nesting birds will often act injured to lure intruders away from their nests. There are"āe'o nests on all the main Hawaiian islands, but it does not nest on Lana'i during dry winters. Its meals consist of mollusks, insects and small fish or crustaceans.