Thinking Like an ‘Akeke‘e: The Nest Searching Process

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by Ke Coco Deng

5/30/2025

With the number of ‘akeke‘e steadily decreasing due to avian malaria, it is always exciting to see them in the wild. ‘Akeke‘e is a forest bird endemic to Kaua‘i. Even in their core habitat in the Alaka‘i Wilderness Preserve, ‘akeke‘e can be challenging to find as they forage high in the canopy on the buds of ʻōhiʻa. We treasure the time we spend living and working with them in the wild. One of our objectives this season is ‘akeke‘e nest searching: combing through miles of dense rainforest to find the nests of this increasingly elusive bird. Every nest is a valuable data point that grants us more knowledge about the life history of this critically endangered species.

To find an ‘akeke‘e nest, one must learn to think like an ‘akeke‘e. Nest searching requires a deep understanding of bird behavior. During the breeding season, ‘akeke‘e like to call and sing close to their nests to establish their territories. Our field technicians monitor ‘akeke‘e activity closely throughout the season, making note of when and where they are seen and heard so we can determine where they are likely to be nesting. This season, we have observed ‘akeke‘e singing, calling, and foraging over our Halepa‘akai field camp. Our crew have spent several weeks searching for nests in this area.

In April, field technician Ke Coco Deng discovered an ‘akeke‘e nest close to Halepa‘akai camp. She followed begging calls to a moss-lined nest with chicks, high up in the branches of an ʻōhiʻa lehua. All of our nests receive unique names to help us identify them. She named this nest “WARD,” as in protection, to lend good fortune to the nest and to the future of ‘akeke‘e. The name also refers to how we ward off threats to our forest birds through conservation so that they can continue to resist extinction. We made detailed observations about the chick rearing behavior of ‘akeke‘e at this nest, which may be important for future research and conservation.

A few weeks passed before our next nest update. We heard bird calls over Halepa‘akai camp and looked up to see an ‘akeke‘e family—two adults and two fledglings! The fledglings were making beginner attempts at foraging, slowly prying apart the buds of an ʻōhiʻa ha in search of insects. Though the bills of ‘akeke‘e have adapted to feed from insects inside ʻōhiʻa buds, practice makes perfect! Soon, the fledglings will be masters of foraging like their parents, finding insects in seconds. As ‘akeke‘e numbers continue to decline, it is heartening to see young birds joining the population. To help protect these vulnerable fledglings from mosquito-borne diseases like avian malaria, mosquito control efforts are currently being deployed on Kaua‘i. We hope to share the Alaka‘i with these birds for some time yet.

The Village Behind the Egg: ʻAnianiau Conservation Begins

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Blog Post by Abigail Bernier

This field season, much of the bird crew has been focused on collecting ʻanianiau eggs for the breeding conservation program, allowing us to have a population under human care for eventual release back into the wild. The forest birds face many threats currently, including avian malaria transmitted by invasive mosquitoes. We have been fortunate enough to be able to start work such as IIT, or incompatible insect technique, to reduce these mosquito populations. However, forest bird populations continue to decline even as mosquito control is being implemented.

Conservation Breeding Programs for ʻakikiki and ʻakekeʻe have already been established, laying the groundwork for other honeycreeper species. While the ʻanianiau population is still larger than the critically endangered ʻakikiki and ʻakekeʻe, our research shows that are declining significantly. ʻAnianiau are endemic to Kaua’i, meaning they are native to and only found on this island, and nowhere else in the world. To combat the risk of extinction, we have poured our resources into collecting clutches of ʻanianiau eggs that are sent to a specialized breeding facility, run by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA), where teams of experienced scientists will hatch and raise the chicks. Meanwhile, last fall we collected a dozen adult ‘anianiau, most of which are at the Honolulu Zoo.

Before we can collect eggs, many hours of work go into finding and monitoring the nest. Following adults, watching mating behaviors, observing nest building, and peeping the nest (using an extendible pole with a GoPro attached for viewing) are just a few of the things that need to happen before a collection can be considered. The timing of a nest collection is also important for egg survival. The embryo is very fragile in the early days, but on the other hand, we don’t want to wait too long to avoid hatching during transport. Once determined that there are eggs and the nest is reachable, a free-standing ladder must be extended and set up using a rope to suspend it. The tree canopy and nest are very delicate, so we spend hours making sure we will not disturb the tree the nest is in and that the person collecting the eggs can do so safely. It takes a minimum of 6 people for this process and ample time to prepare the ladder for use. The ladder is extendable and when both pieces are connected weighs around 100 lbs. Even when the two portions are separated, it can be very difficult to carry the ladder for long distances through dense vegetation. If moving the ladder far, we often try to have a helicopter move the ladder attached to a longline. However, we are often in a closed canopy, so we still must carry the ladder to an area open enough to attach and sling the ladder closer to the nest location. The number of moving parts in a nest collection is astounding and requires great communication and teamwork from everyone.

On April 14, the first ʻanianiau nest was collected. The female had laid two small, white and speckled eggs, weighing about 1.5 grams each (half the weight of a penny). One of our aviculturists, specially trained in egg handling and collection, carefully climbed the ladder, high into the canopy. They then delicately reached into the nest to grasp each egg before putting it in a container filled with millet (to keep the eggs from moving around) and lowering it down to waiting arms at the bottom of the ladder. The eggs must be continuously incubated while in transport, so they are then placed into our portable incubator, powered by a battery and fitted in a cooler for insulation. Because this is a time-sensitive process and the portable incubator only has so much power, the eggs must be flown out of the field via helicopter at the earliest opportunity. Just after the eggs had reached the ground safely, they were hiked to the nearest spot a helicopter could land and transported with a team member. Timing the journey out of the field can be difficult, as weather conditions can change rapidly, and the helicopter pilots often only have a short window of time for our helicopter operation as part of their day. Typically, before being transported off-island to a SDZWA facility on Hawai’I Island, they will stay in our ‘egg-house’, where they receive 24/7 care in a proper incubator for a day or two. Luckily, these eggs were able to leave the island the same day for their new home.

Several days later, one of the eggs hatched. It was an exciting moment for members of our team and forest bird lovers alike, the first ʻanianiau egg we had collected hatching in human care. It signaled a hopeful start to our collections, as we prepare for more soon. This truly would not have been possible without the hard work, dedication, and care of our team and SDZWA, as well as the love and support we have received from our community for the conservation of these forest birds. Unfortunately, the other egg did not hatch, as the embryo was later found not to be properly developed. This is sometimes the reality in nature; not every egg will survive. However, we are finding more ʻanianiau nests with eggs and hope to collect more in the coming weeks. We will be contributing further to the captive population, which will act as an insurance policy if this population were to decline beyond the ability to recover naturally.

Mahalo for your support and sharing in our hope for the ʻanianiau. You can continue to follow the journey of our nest collections and the chick on our social media, as well as follow along on our blog for updates and news.

RELEASING MOSQUITOES TO HELP KAUA‘I’S FOREST BIRDS

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ALAKAʻI PLATEAU, Kauaʻi – It seems counterintuitive to release hundreds of thousands of mosquitoes into an area where the insects are spreading avian malaria and bringing several species of Hawaiian honeycreepers to the precipice of extinction.

Nonetheless, staff from the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP) heralded Thursday’s first release of male mosquitoes, into a state forest reserve on the vast Alakaʻi Plateau, as momentous.

Ten years of planning, permitting and community outreach led the team and its partners, to the release of male mosquitoes that are reproductively incompatible with female mosquitoes, which bite and spread the often-deadly disease.

“Incompatible Insect Technology, or IIT, leads to mosquito population suppression, and we hope it will reduce the amount of avian malaria which is driving the declines of native forest birds,” explained Dr. Lisa ‘Cali’ Crampton, the head of KFBRP.

IIT has been deployed successfully around the world. This is the first time it’s been used on Kaua‘i as a biological control to try and severely reduce the number of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. “It is a tried and true and safe technique that has been used hundreds of times,” Crampton said.

The mosquitoes are flown from a facility in California and each week, half a million bugs will be loaded onto a helicopter in biodegradable cones that resemble an ice cream sugar cone.

The deployment helicopters are outfitted with a specially designed tube which directs each cone out of the bottom of the aircraft, where they float to the ground. “We do this twice a week to ensure there’s a very, very high likelihood that a wild female will encounter one of the incompatible males. We’re really trying to interrupt the reproductive cycle,” explained Crampton.

She says she is very hopeful, a sentiment shared by DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife planner Justin Hite. He spent a decade leading KFBRP field teams into the remote areas favored by species like the ‘akikiki and the ‘akeke’e, two of the honeycreepers with such low numbers they’re likely to completely disappear from the wilds in the next year or two.

Hite observed yesterday’s releases and said, “We hope this really moves the needle for these species.”

The bird recovery teams are employing what Crampton calls, “integrated pest management.” In addition to the IIT releases, they’re using a common larvicide known as BTi, which targets one phase of the mosquito life cycle – the larval phase. It’s been  used on the ground on the Alakaʻi for nine years, and over the past year it’s also been applied from helicopters. IIT targets the adult stage and the egg production stage. “So, the idea is the BTi reduces populations of adult mosquitoes to begin with, making it more likely that females will encounter one of these incompatible males,” according to Crampton.

The insurance they have for the continued existence of the most critically endangered birds, are conservation breeding populations. Crampton said that once IIT and BTi have been used for a year or so over the best forest bird habitat on Kaua‘i, they remain hopeful birds in the conservation programs, or their offspring will one day be released back into the wild.

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RESOURCES

(All images/video Courtesy: DLNR)

HD video – Releasing Mosquitoes to Help Kaua‘i’s Forest Birds (web feature):

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6hv63q7cz0cmra5grhlpj/IIT-Release-Kaua-i-Feb-13-2025.mov?rlkey=c6xk5tnaewj3bshe597btjmos&st=wy41ek9r&dl=0

 

HD video – First IIT releases on Kaua‘i media clips (Feb. 13, 2025):

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/xhkeb3tpvpnh570jx1a6w/Releasing-Mosquitoes-to-Protect-Kaua-i-s-Forest-Birds-Media-Clips-2-13-25.mov?rlkey=y62f8en2z7nbl8v5hrswhqh3u&st=kfs8zvo3&dl=0

 

Photographs – First IIT releases on Kaua‘i (Feb. 13, 2025):

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/acq8elu7txlt7glmn6yku/AMAD6fGCxVlS25ryEWyKLUI?rlkey=b389cqjz3qi4osthdt43qeqyl&st=zprjpsww&dl=0

 

 

Media Contact:

Dan Dennison

Communications Director

Hawai‘i Dept. of Land and Natural Resources

DLNR.comms@hawaii.gov

BLESSING THE “BIRDS” CRITICAL TO SAVING KAUA‘I’S FOREST BIRDS

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BLESSING THE “BIRDS” CRITICAL TO SAVING KAUA‘I’S FOREST BIRDS

Annual Field Season Blessing Recognizes the Importance of Helicopters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Feb. 4, 2024

LĪHUʻE, Kaua‘i — In a hangar on the north end of the Līhuʻe International Airport, more than two dozen people gathered on Monday to bless the beginning of another field season

Typically, the annual blessings are conducted at Kōkeʻe, near the Alaka‘i Plateau where, for nearly 20 years, staff from the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP) have worked to save the island’s native forest birds from extinction.

Dr. Lisa ‘Cali’ Crampton leads KFBRP and says she has a real-world vision of how critical helicopters are to the mission.

“When we started doing all the work we do in the Alaka‘i the only air support we had was to get our food and our really heavy supplies in and out of the Alaka‘i and we did all the rest of the things we needed to do on foot,” Crampton said.

That involved commuting on foot over arduous terrain. Crampton says that took a major toll on workers and it reduced the time they spent in the field working with birds. She added, “Working with our partners to find the budget that we needed to be able to increase the amount of air support we have for our operations has been critical.”

Justin Hite, formerly with KFBRP, but now working as a planner with the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), echoed Crampton’s comments. “Physically, just getting to the different spots where the work’s going to take place is a two-hour drive, plus a seven-hour hike. To do the work in a productive way you’ve got to have air support,” Hite explained.

The helicopters will be especially indispensable this field season for a two-pronged mosquito control effort in Kaua‘i’s mountains, where forest bird populations have been decimated by the advance of avian malaria from lower elevations due to global warming.

Beginning next week, helicopters will begin dropping cones full of male mosquitoes that are incompatible with local females so their matings are inviable, thus reducing their population. For the past year teams have also used choppers to spread a biological larvicide, which is targeted bacteria to eliminate mosquito larvae in standing water.

“In the past we’ve tried to reduce populations with hand treatments and it’s like finding a needle in a haystack trying to find every little water source there is in the Alaka‘i Plateau because essentially it’s a swamp,” Crampton said.

Thirdly this season, helicopters will serve as a kind of intensive neo-natal care transport for the eggs of ‘anianiau as the team begins a conservation breeding program for the species to serve as an insurance population. “If we can’t get those eggs out in a timely fashion by helicopter, the program won’t work because it’s too dangerous and too time consuming to hike tiny little eggs out, Crampton explained

Hite and his 18-month-old daughter watched members of Ka ʻImi Naʻauao O Hawaiʻi Nei Institute perform ‘oli and chants to bless the upcoming field season. He said his daughter loves helicopters. “As soon as we pulled up here to the airport there were about five or six flying at once and she was spinning in all directions. She doesn’t call them helicopters yet. I think she calls all flying birds and other flying things nēnē,” Hite joked.

Staff from Jack Harter Helicopters joined the blessing. “It’s just been a great teamwork kind of thing. We just appreciate having you guys around, because you may know it or not, but Jack Harter died a few years ago,” said the company’s special projects director Casey Riemer.

“The first time I went flying with him, he talked about the birds in his narration. Talked about how they’re worried about the temperature rising high and the mosquitoes getting up there. So, now we’re doing something to help keep it from going further,” he added.

The company’s website even includes a tab where customers can donate to the cause. Full circle indeed.

 

# # #

 

RESOURCES

(All images/video courtesy: DLNR)

HD video – Birds for Birds-Blessing Kaua‘i Forest Bird Field Season (web feature)

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/svslsxm5txcjuoahbmcq0/Birds-for-Birds-Blessing-Kaua-i-Forest-Bird-Field-Season-Feb.-3-2025.mov?rlkey=hzzdn5ale6xx1rph9879bstbk&st=qm4lb96c&dl=0

HD video – Kaua‘i forest bird field season blessing (Feb. 3, 2025):

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/kk6fjoiuicoh65l658tll/Kauai-Forest-Bird-Field-Season-Blessing-Feb.-3-2025.mov?rlkey=hi12ak5alpos7mfmoughhijf7&st=pf2k0fj7&dl=0

(Shot sheet/transcription attached)

Photographs – Kaua‘i forest bird field season blessing (Feb. 3, 2025):

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/j7emeof69qdkr94z9m4h0/AGmXYTP8ob9WEGBTwis7tQ4?rlkey=xuay81bfddn6wwfu488zc94e8&st=m6b1h0d7&dl=0

Learn more:

https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/wildlife/birds/

https://kauaiforestbirds.org/

 

Media Contact:

Dan Dennison

Communications Director

Hawai‘i Dept. of Land and Natural Resources

808-587-0396

Email: Dlnr.comms@hawaii.gov

KAUAʻI AVIAN RESCUE AND RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS MOVING TO SINGLE SITE

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jan. 10, 2025

HONOLULU – The cancellation of a decades-long set-aside of land from the state of Hawai‘i to the County of Kaua‘i has paved the way for Kaua‘i’s renowned forest bird and seabird recovery and protection programs to move into a joint facility.

Today, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR), approved Kaua‘i Mayor Derek Kawakami’s request to cancel Governor’s Executive Order (EO) 4045. The first EO, in 1955, was issued to the county as the Hanapēpē Dog Pound site.

The Kauaʻi Humane Society utilized the property for 46 years and subsequently, in 2015, the BLNR approved the use of the premises for Hawaiian stewardship programs.

In the DLNR Land Division submittal to the land board, Mayor Kawakami indicated the site is no long being used for stewardship and while the county has tried to maintain it and fenced it off, squatters have moved in. The county will remove the squatters and their personal effects before the cancellation takes effect.

The property will be utilized for the benefit of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, College of Natural Sciences, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit (PCSU) on behalf of the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP), the Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project (KESRP), and the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaiʻi (RCUH). The term of the no-cost lease is 25 years.

Dr. Shaya Honarvar, PCSU Director and Principal Investigator for KFBRP and KESRP said, “Our mission is to protect and restore Hawaii’s native species, ecosystems, and cultural resources. The forest bird and seabird recovery projects on Kaua‘i epitomize this mission by combining research and conservation of federally and state protected native birds; some of which would already be extinct without the intervention of the project’s talented and dedicated teams.”

From the BLNR submission, “Due to the recent dramatic declines in forest bird populations on Kaua‘i and new advances in technologies to address their primary threat, mosquito-borne diseases, KFBRP’s budget and staff have recently increased almost two-fold. KFBRP has outgrown the small commercial real estate property it has rented since 2011. Meanwhile, KESRP has been occupying a small container at the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) base yard but needs to find a permanent home.”

Dr. Lisa ‘Cali’ Crampton, KFBRP Project Leader, said, “This allows us to share staff knowledge and skills more easily. A major synergy will be having space for cross- training, not only with our seabird partners, but also with our DLNR colleagues. There are many overlaps between various types of avian research and conservation, so being together provides great learning opportunities.”

The property is very close to where DLNR/DOFAW is developing a westside base yard. DOFAW Kaua‘i Branch Manager Sheri S. Mann said, “We hope to break ground in the next six months. The proximity of these projects, who we already collaborate with frequently, is going to enhance our shared endangered bird protection mission.”

“With the extinction crisis we’re facing, having a shared baseyard will allow us to streamline field operations, share equipment, vehicles, and other resources. Having a united front allows us to expand our outreach to the community. It’s not just about doing the critical conservation work—it’s about showing how important our native species are to the health of our ecosystems and the cultural heritage that makes our island so special,” said Dr. Julia Diegmann, KFBRP planner.

 

# # #

 

RESOURCES

(All images/video Courtesy: DLNR)

 

HD video – Media clips of KFBRP and KESRP (various dates and locations on Kaua‘i):

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7fe886zda85n5lfgwgf66/kauai_seabirds_and_forest_birds.mp4?rlkey=vckpffwlbjguy7dcer70u26h6&st=f0gsn8e4&dl=0

 

Photographs – KFBRP and KESRP (various dates and locations on Kaua‘i):

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/gd9qzrukfz3niz7a3tcct/APDglozg1kLAQ41OGINCU7g?rlkey=c0fsbu8xxgvdm3ss5m7qsepl2&st=y3j2qxgf&dl=0

 

Media contact:

Dan Dennison

Communications Director

Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawai‘i

Phone: 808-587-0396

Email: dlnr.comms@hawaii.gov

YEAR OF THE FOREST BIRDS MARKED CHANGES FOR BIRDS, HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

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YEAR OF THE FOREST BIRDS MARKED CHANGES FOR BIRDS, HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

Wild Populations Faced New Threats and Saw New Opportunities in a Momentous Year

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 19, 2024

HONOLULU – 2024 was “Makahiki o nā Manu Nahele: Year of the Forest Birds,” officially proclaimed by Governor Josh Green, M.D., in January. An estimated 47,000 people engaged in bird-related education events over the year with the goal of raising awareness about Hawaiian forest birds and their plight. But for the birds themselves, it was a complicated year filled with both troubling declines and new rays of hope.

The most critically endangered forest birds continued to experience declines. Kauaʻi’s ʻakikiki is now considered functionally extinct in the wild, with five or fewer wild birds remaining. Declines in wild populations of Kauaʻi’s ʻanianiau and ʻakekeʻe and Maui’s kiwikiu spurred additional collections of birds for captive breeding populations which attempt to prevent extinctions. On Hawaiʻi Island, the population of palila has declined to around 500 individuals, driven largely by invasive predators like cats, rats and mongooses.

2024 was also a year of inspiring persistence for forest birds. Five ʻalalā (Hawaiian crow) were released into the forests of Maui in recent weeks, marking a historic return to the wild after years of existing only in captive breeding centers.

On Kauaʻi, one of the last remaining wild ʻakikiki, a female named Pakele, was seen with a potential mate named Liko. On Maui, a kiwikiu known as MAPA1 continues to be seen in Maui’s forests years after researchers thought the bird had disappeared due to disease.

As these birds cling to existence, new developments in conservation tools are providing hope for a healthier future.

Conservation crews with the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project spent 2024 implementing the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) to reduce the number of mosquitoes in forests, thereby reducing the threat of avian malaria.

The tool is set to expand to Kauaʻi in 2025, hopefully in time to save Pakele, Liko and any offspring they might have. The partnership Birds, Not Mosquitoes released a new documentary in 2024 titled Vanishing Voices, which details the threat of avian malaria and the hope presented by the IIT. The documentary is now available online (see link below).

Another sign of hope for forest birds is an increase in awareness among Hawaiʻi residents. A recent pair of surveys by the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species and American Bird Conservancy found that the proportion of Hawaiʻi residents who could not name a Hawaiian forest bird dropped from 59% in 2017 to 24% in 2024.

As the Year of the Forest Bird closes, students from across Hawaiʻi submitted video messages to DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) sharing how they learned about birds in their classrooms and why they hope that these birds will continue to be part of Hawaiʻi for generations to come. Those videos will be shared on Instagram by accounts from DOFAW and partners in the Year of the Forest Birds campaign, which include the Kauaʻi and Maui Forest Bird Recovery Projects, Kamehameha Schools, Bishop Museum, Birds Not Mosquitoes, The American Bird Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy and others.

# # #

 

RESOURCES

(All images/video courtesy: DLNR)

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/vmnoi2lyzt24tbdyrfjae/ANnxDP5bkHqd2iIHwNQ_D5M?rlkey=8tts5ux1sj5hv7recoegfcmm5&st=9br6pajy&dl=0

 

Photographs – Year of the Forest Bird Proclamation (Jan. 12, 2024): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/msjtfidcts72m2x3fvpva/AIUSXYplt_fTrIOzqTU-BQ4?rlkey=2ps68vyzjeejq5p28b3p0cf0e&st=hi5kqi2s&dl=0

 

Year of the Forest Bird education resources and partner connections: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/manu

 

Vanishing Voices documentary and IIT information: https://birdsnotmosquitoes.org

 

 

Media Contact:

Patti Jette

Communications Specialist

Hawaiʻi Dept. of Land and Natural Resources

Communications Office: 808-587-0396

Email: dlnr.comms@hawaii.gov

KFBRP WINTER Newsletter 2024

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Hot off the press: Our 2024 KFBRP Winter Newsletter!

2024 has been a monumental year for KFBRP and our forest birds, filled with challenges, progress, and hope. As we look ahead to 2025, our mission to protect Kauaʻi’s precious native forest birds remains more urgent than ever. Join us in the fight to prevent further extinctions and celebrate the milestones we’ve achieved together.

Click here to read the newsletter online or download a printable version here.

Mahalo to our Mosquito Field Associate Jennifer Jackson for this year’s layout!

Here’s a sneak peek of what’s inside:

2024 in Review
Exciting Plans for 2025
Celebrating Makahiki o nā Manu Nāhele
Safeguarding the ‘Anianiau
A Closer Look at Saving Kauaʻi’s Puaiohi
New Conservation Actions for Kauaʻi’s Rapidly Declining Avifauna
Advancements in Malaria Control for Kauaʻi’s Birds
Protecting Native Birds Through Mosquito Management
Meet Our New Team Members
Shop Our New KFBRP Merchandise
Mahalo and Gratitude for Your Support!

Mahalo nui loa for standing with us in 2024. We couldn’t do this work without your incredible support and dedication. Together, we are making a difference!

PBS Hawai’i broadcast of “When Silence Becomes The Song”

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As you may know, ‘Forest Calls’ (and its main media project, the documentary film titled “When Silence Becomes The Song”) wrapped up over a year ago. After a lengthy re-edit (based on the comments the film director received during the various islands’ virtual and in-person screenings) and months of conversation with PBS Hawai’i, we finally have a date for the television premiere broadcast. It is scheduled for this week, Thursday, November 21st at 8:30pm (HST). There will also be a re-broadcast on the following Sunday (November 24th at 1:00pm (HST)).
PBS Hawai’i has already uploaded the film online, so if you want to see the latest/final version of the documentary before/after any of these dates, you can go to:
Furthermore, PBS Hawai’i put the film on the cover of their November program guide. Here’s a link to that guide:
An important component of ‘Forest Calls’ is its website, as it explains how the various media projects came about, who was involved, etc. The website also provides a ton of very useful information about conservation work, biodiversity, and the importance of resisting extinction. The interviews in the ‘Resources’ page are particularly interesting and insightful. The link for the website is:
 
Mahalo to everyone who has been part of this important endeavor. And please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions and/or comments.

Wings and Woodland – A Tribute to Native Birds and Forests – RSVP and SIGN UP

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YOU ARE INVITED!  Wings and Woodland – A Tribute to Native Birds and Forests

Forest Bird Art Exhibit with Special Events

Date: November 2-8

Location: KSA Gallery at Kukui Grove Center

Opening Hours: 11/2 9am-3pm, 11/3 12pm-6:30PM, 11/4 12pm-6:30pm 11/5 12pm-6pm, 11/6 10am-6:30pm, 11/7 10am -6pm, Nov 8 Art Pick-up by 3pm

Join us as we celebrate the beauty of our native birds and forests. These events will take place at the KSA Gallery at Kukui Grove Center

REGISTER NOW!

Opening Reception:

Date: November 1st Time: 6:00 PM Cost: FREE

Refreshments will be provided.

RSVP here by 10/25

Documentary Showings of Vanishing Voices: Saving our Hawaiian Forest Birds (during the Community Climate Fair)

Date: November 2rd  Time:  11am, 12&1pm Location: near the food court Cost: FREE

Plants for the Birds: Native Plant Show & Tell with NTBG

Date: November 3rd Time: 1-3pm Location: KSA Gallery Cost: FREE

FREE plant for all attendees! LIMITED SEATING,

Register bere,

Mana I Ke Mele Kāhea – Power Of The Calling Song

Date: November 3rd Time: 4-6:30pm Location: KSA Gallery Cost: FREE
Presented by ‘Ōiwi Artist and Kumu Hula Kēhaulani Kekua

LIMITED SEATING,

Register here.

Culture to Canvas- Make your own native bird art!

Date. November 4rd  and November 6th Time: 4-6:30pm Location: KSA Gallery Cost: $50/$55

LIMITED SEATING,

Register here.

Kahili Pa’a Lima Workshop

Date. November 6th  and November 7th Time: 10am-12pm  Location: KSA Gallery Cost: $40
LIMITED SEATING,

ART SUBMISSIONS DUE 10/25.  Submission guidelines here.