Kanahā Pond Wildlife Sanctuary – Maui, Hawaii
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade…
And so we did!
After a sudden turn of events, our Work & Witness team was denied entry to Weno (an island of Chuuk, Micronesia) due to precautions relating to the Corona Virus, so we ended up traveling to Maui, Hawaii instead. We were already in Guam, so it was right in line with our flights back home!
It was a blessing in disguise, as we got to spend the week helping out an amazing little church in Kahului. I’ll give more detail about this experience in a future Instagram post (@thewildlifediaryblog), but for now, I’d like to tell you about one of our excursions we took while on the Maui.
During our time on the island, we kept hearing about this marshy pond just a couple minutes away from where we were staying, so we had to check it out…
Kanahā Pond Wildlife Sanctuary did not disappoint – it was like a birders paradise! There are 5 awesome species, both endemic & endangered, that can be seen here at this marshy wetland. (Plus, it’s completely free to visit!)
Keep reading to find out what they are, and to learn some fun facts about each of them!
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What makes this pond a wildlife sanctuary?
As more wetlands are filled-in for land development, it makes the remaining wetlands vulnerable to habitat loss. This loss of habitat is normally due to pollution, invasive plant/ animal species, and an introduction of other predators.
This 143- acre wetland is home to some of Maui’s most endangered waterfowl species. There are over 90 bird species that visit or breed at the pond, but the Hawaiian Stilt, Hawaiian Coot, and Hawaiian Duck all have made this pond a permanent home.
Today, Kanahā Pond is defying the odds by providing home and breeding grounds to some of Hawaii’s endemic water bird species.
As soon as you walk through the gates, you are able to see the vast variety of waterfowl and other birds that thrive here. This is such an exciting place for bird watchers & photographers!
Although we were only there for about 40 minutes, we got to see all 5 of the main species that are popular at the pond! I tried to get as many photos as I could, and I am excited to share them with you. As promised, here are some fun facts about the birds that we saw during our visit!
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Fun fact: All of these birds are considered endemic/endangered, except for the Black-Crowned Night Heron, which is indigenous to Hawaii.
‘Alae Ke’oke’o – Hawaiian Coot
The Hawaiian Coot is a small, dark gray/black waterbird with a large frontal shield. The shield is mostly white, but you’ll sometimes see a small red dot towards the top. Interestingly enough, this is not a indicator of sex or age.
Though coots rarely fly, they can often be seen ‘running’ on water using their specially designed feet to tread during low flight. I love watching them do this… it always cracks me up to see them chase each other across the water!
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Ae’o – Hawaiian Stilt
These wading birds are quite simple to spot, with black and white bodies held up by tall, skinny pink legs. (You may spot a female with a tinge of brown on their back). I loved taking pictures of the Stilts while they walked because it was as if they were skating on the pond floor, moving one leg after the other in a graceful sliding motion.
Hawaiian Stilts prefer sites with a water depth of less than 9 inches, low growing vegetation, or exposed tidal flats. Their prey includes a variety of animals such as worms, small crabs, insects, and small fish. One thing I learned is that their breeding habitats differ from foraging (feeding) habitats, and the birds move between the areas daily.
If you’re visiting a wetland or wildlife refuge on Maui, be sure to keep an eye out for these graceful birds!
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Koloa Maoli – Hawaiian Duck
Unfortunately, we only spotted a couple of these ducks while visiting this pond. But when I eventually saw one off in the distance, I knew exactly what it was!
The Hawaiian Duck is similar to the Mallard, yet it is monochromatic and non-migratory. Males also lack the green head and curled tail feathers that the Mallards have. (Both sexes have spotted tail feathers!)
Pure Hawaiian Ducks only occur on Kauai and in ponds on The Big Island. I was surprised to find out that most of the ducks on other islands are Mallard-Hawaiian Duck Hybrids. It makes me wonder if I saw a pure Hawaiian Duck while I was on Kauai back in September… I guess I’ll just have to go back for another visit to find out! 🙂
[You can read all about that trip by following the link below!]
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‘Auku’u – Black-Crowned Night Heron
As soon as we walked through the sanctuary gates, there was a Heron just to my right. He was so darn focused on his prey, and I took great delight in watching his slow movements and bright red eyes. I probably took about 40 pictures of him alone!
Shellfish, frogs, mice, insects, and even other birds are the main food sources for the Herons. (I’ve seen one eat a tadpole in just a couple of easy bites!)
Herons stand at roughly 2 feet tall, with long yellow legs to hold up their white-ish gray bodies. They have piercing red eyes, which you’ll see in the photos below. You’ll also notice a long white feather streaming from the top of their heads, which becomes distinct during breeding season. The Black-Crowned Night Heron is indigenous to Hawaii, which makes it even more special to see them so up-close.
If you watch them patiently, there’s a good chance that you’ll see them catch their next meal straight from the water!
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Nēnē – Hawaiian Goose
Last but not least, the Nēnē – one of my personal favorites!
As the official state bird of Hawaii, they can be found on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Molokai, and Hawaii. The Nēnē gets its name for the gentle call they make. Some have even said that they’ve been known to ‘moo’ like a cow… I haven’t experienced this yet, but I’m sure its a hoot! (or honk…?) 🙂
Thankfully, the Nēnē has been brought back from the brink of extinction, growing from just 30 birds in 1952 to over 2,500 birds currently. Even with the growing rates, its still the 6th most endangered waterfowl species in the world.
When we first saw the geese to the left of the pathway, we noticed that they weren’t alone… in fact, they had 3 goslings with them! As you may know, goslings have a very special place in my heart. After all, they are a huge reason for why I have started my career in Wildlife Rehabilitation! Needless to say, I was thrilled to see a couple of healthy babies with their sweet parents.
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I am thankful for Wildlife Ponds such as this one, and I am blessed to have been able to spend time here during our trip.
For those of you who have been to Maui, did you have chance to visit Kanahā Pond? Tell me all about your experience in the comments down below!
(For more info about wetland birds in Hawaii, go to http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dofaw/education/ )
