September 3

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Sunday morning so we went to church, and fortunately found a very nice one at New Hope Legacy (evidently part of a larger church on Oahu). About 60 people were there, with a 6 – piece praise band. Nice songs and very warm welcome. That started at 8:30.

After a quick stop at the grocery store and checking in with our family on Whatsapp, we did a fast change and headed for the high country of Mauna Kea. The temperature started off at 81 degrees and by the time we got to the Visitor’s Center of Mauna Kea it was 62 degrees. There are wild goats all along the “Saddle Road” that goes from west to east on the island, and when we returned we noticed hundreds of sheep grazing inside the fencing. One can’t ascend the volcano unless you have a 4 wheel drive, so we wandered the small garden (4 silverswords are there, and 2 expired ones. They can live up to 90 years, bloom once, and then promptly start fading away).

We enjoyed a lunch of crackers and cheese there, and then headed back down to the Saddle Road again, to the Kaulana Manu Trail recommended by the ranger. By then it was 65 degrees and sort of in a cloud. Judging by the moss growing on the trees, this is probably a common thing. It was lovely – every plant had an interesting explanation. Unfortunately, at the very end, at a viewing platform, the clouds had thickened and we couldn’t see Mauna Kea at all. We got ONE new bird during this walk, the Omao.

The plantings were so lovely that I included many, not knowing any names but the one about the endangered tree.

By the time we finished the walk it was really getting misty and it actually bucketed down on us driving towards home. The poor motorcyclists we saw in great numbers!

We stopped at Makani golf course that is well known for birding, and Mike the starter was very kind and said we could walk the course. It was a perfect evening, and we wandered for over an hour and picked up THREE new birds: a most unexpected African silverbill (an introduced bird) a Scaly breasted Munia, and our sought-after Erkel’s francolin. We also saw a whole herd of goats – including the obvious big=daddy, plus another male with a bloodied ear. AND 3 wild piggies that were running down the driveway. Eight wild turkeys. What a menagerie. It hadn’t rained on the course – it seems the winds from the coast were keeping that at bay.

Back here at the AirBnB it was bright sunshine. Dinner was a simple cheesy eggs on toast, and of course we are now ready to enjoy our deep bathtub and prepare for another day of adventures tomorrow – hopefully in Hilo.

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