Augh, I really need a honeycreeper icon!
We had visitors at the banding station today! A couple of cute local guys, recent Park Service hires on the Fire Crew. They were down in 'Ainahou, weed-whacking roadsides and parking spaces (tall, dry grass and the hot underbellies of cars, not a happy combination). They hung out for a bit and watched us extract birds from the net and do our whole banding and bleeding routine, the two of them all wide-eyed and impressed and asking questions. THEY WERE COMPLETELY ENDEARING. It was fun doing a bit of impromptu outreach, giving some local kids their first up-close experience with 'amakihi and 'apapane. One guy was especially interested because he makes feather lei, and he buys his feathers from the store but he's always dreamed of catching native birds and collecting feathers, the way his ancestors did.
So it was a fun day. ♥
So it was a fun day. ♥