Left to right back row: Cali Crampton, Tyler Winter, Abby Kreuser, Erica Gallarani, Justin Hite, Front row: Lauren Solomon, Noah Hund, Bryn Webber. Missing: Katie Lauck
Avian Conservation Field Crews
KFBRP avian conservation technicians hike through dense tangled forest on obscured trails and steep slopes to remote areas of the ‘Alakai where they work on projects that focus on three critically endangered Hawaiian songbirds. The ‘akikiki, ‘akeke’e and puaiohi inhabit this region of extremely wet, beautiful, and rugged montane rainforest on Kaua’i. While in the field, these staff members focus on searching for endangered bird nests, conducting bird surveys, vegetation and habitat sampling, mist-netting and banding birds, radio-tagging and tracking birds, and maintaining rat control grids. The work is physically challenging and the field conditions are often damp and chilly. Field Technicians also assist with extracting eggs from ‘akikiki and ‘akeke’e nests to continue building a captive breeding program in collaboration with the San Diego Zoo.
