Volunteer Account: Danielle:
"The trip to Kapapa was the first time I had visited an offshore islet. It was a sunny day, and the bay was fairly calm. As we debarked and waded towards the islet, I was struck by how few birds I could spot onshore- I had been told the islets off of Oahu were full of birds, but this one was not. Heather informed me that this was one of the only islets that has not been declared a bird preserve- as a result, on the weekends, it is heavily used by boaters looking for a secluded spot to party. The effects of this are fairly obvious. In addition to a noticeablely small bird population, Kapapa is home to some unwelcome residents, including a healthy ant population and several different kinds of weedy plant species, most likely introduced by human visitors. This was also the first opportunity I had to sample insects- I found it to be very different from the other kinds of studies I've helped with, and it was very interesting to become familiar with the various insect life on the islet."