Biologist Account: Heather:
“The transfer from Aleale to nearby Puu koae was a bit intense. Getting back onto the helicopter is a leap of faith. A sudden wind gust could force the helicopter to move off the boulder edge and instead of stepping into the helicopter you would suddenly be stepping over the edge of a cliff. Not good. We were fortunate to have a great pilot and mild winds, so we were quickly on our way to Puu koae. The landing there was a bit easier, although our destination was a narrow ledge atop the 378 ft tall islet. On one side was a steep, but manageable, slope, but just on the other side was a vertical drop off - straight down to the ocean. At this elevation the winds would hit the vertical wall and pick up speed as they funneled up the vertical face and over the summit – right where we wanted to land. The winds set the helicopter rocking as we approached, but again, our pilot expertly set us down without mishap. Soon after landing we were greated by the islet’s namesake, the koa’e or Red-tailed tropicbirds. The birds courted and displayed over us while we worked. Puu koae is also home to many rare and endangered plant species. One of the most spectacular is the endangered ohai, Sesbania tomentosa. Ken headed off to collect seed from the 300+ individuals on the islet while I started the arthropod survey. The timing wasn’t great. It was approaching the heat of the day and there were few insects about. I had to work hard to find anything and the pressure was on – only 4.5 hours to complete the survey. I didn’t have any trouble finding the fire ants, though. Ken reported them during past visits. These unpleasant ants have the habit of climbing onto you and before you realize it, one gets agitated and sends out a signal to its buddies and they all sting you at once leaving itchy painful welts. They have similar effects on nesting seabirds and it is not uncommon to find holes in the webbing of their feet caused by ant stings. Despite poking around in the dirt all day, I escaped with only 1 sting. Soon it was time to end the adventure and head back to civilization. This was a fitting final survey for the offshore islet project.”