Recent Articles
Hawaiian Monk Seal: Two Weeks Old
Posted by Kim on 11/26/2008.
Our pup is two weeks old here. It was the first sunny day in a week, so mom and pup decided it was high time to play.
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So, What makes a Good Cup of Kona Coffee?
Posted by Kim on 11/24/2008.
Hawaiian Monk Seal: One Week Old
Posted by Kim on 11/19/2008.
Here, our newest member of the Hawaiian monk seal family is 8 days old. In the first week, the pup does not stray far from mom–nor mom from the pup. As the pup circumnavigates mom, it strengthens its flippers. As it calls out to mom when its hungry, it strenthens it lungs. Both efforts prepare it for its first swim. Mom introduced the pup to the shallow water this week.
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It's a TreeFest
Posted by Kim on 11/17/2008.
My husband’s last words when he left for work this morning were, “Don’t buy too much.”Eric knows me well. He knows I am like a kid in a candy store every November when it comes to Arbor Day. Last year, because it was raining and the turnout was low, I returned home with a whopping 24 trees. That meant 24 holes for him to dig.
But I’m not the only child when it comes to trees.
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Albatross Are in the Air
Posted by Kim on 11/15/2008.
They’re back. The majestic Laysan albatross are returning to the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. The males tend to arrive first and await the females who may arrive hours or a day later, but all albatross that nest here at the refuge tend to arrive within a three- or four-day period. Shortly after the pair arrive, they will mate. (Albatross form “pair bonds.”) The courtship, if you will, doesn’t take long and follows a ritualized behavior that goes something like this: Sky moo, head shake, bill clack. Then, the two get down to business.
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My Cuppa Tea Is, Well, Tea
Posted by Kim on 11/14/2008.
So, I already confessed that I am not a coffe lover. My second confession is I snuck away from the Kona Coffee Festival to visit with Eva Lee. Why? Because Eva grows tea, and I do like tea. Very much so. Eva serves up a beautiful tea tasting in the ohia lehua and giant hapu’u fern forest in which she lives in Volcano, Hawaii.
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Manta Ray Ballet
Posted by Kim on 11/13/2008.
Yes, it was an invasion. No, not the kind you’re thinking. I did not have an out-of-body experience. But it was out out of this world. Diving with the manta rays off Big Island is touted as the number one night dive in the world.
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When in Kona, Drink (Coffee) like a Fish.
Posted by Kim on 11/12/2008.
I am sitting on the lanai of the Keauhou Beach Resort on Big Island. On one side of me, turtles lounge in tide pools and the Pacific Ocean sweeps beyond the horizon. On the other side, five very serious people wearing aprons slurp, swoosh and spit. Loudly. It’s like a contest for who can make the most noise. You might think I am watching–and listening to–children, but these are adults. They’re carrying on this way, because they are judges for the annual Kona Coffee Cupping Competition.
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Hawaiian Monk Seal Pup Born on Kaua’i
Posted by Kim on 11/11/2008.
One year ago Monday, the Laysan albatross arrived at the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge.They come from all corners of the globe to breed and raise their chicks. Last year, they started arriving on November 10th.This year, they have yet to arrive.But we do have another exciting arrival on the island:A Hawaiian monk seal pup was born in the early morning hours of Saturday, November 8.
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Bird Day Afternoon
Posted by Kim on 11/1/2008.
This is a white-tailed tropicbird chick.
When I arrived at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge today, this speckled, little guy (girl?) was sitting on a launch box thinking about what it did wrong the first time it left its nest. It didn’t quite make it out to sea, but someone found it, thankfully, and gave it a second shot at fledging by placing it here, atop the perfect launch pad overlooking the sea.
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