Pueo expedition to Kaho'olawe
Some days ago I was lucky enough to join a Pueo expedition to the sacred island of Kaho'olawe. The expedition team was formed by Jamie Bruch (KIRK), Emily Bjerre (USFWS), Jenny Hoskins (USFWS), Jay Penniman (Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project) and myself, Javier Cotin (University of Hawai'i) .
We could observe several times Pueo on the island and gather interesting knowledge about the species that will be key to our project. I cannot give all the details!
The island has certainly a very interesting and intense history, and doing fieldwork there is really challenging due to the unexploded artifacts.
Lucky for us, the Hokulea and two other polynesian canoes (one from Tahiti) were there at the same time than us, making the experience just magical. It was just incredible to be able to learn and experience first hand about the Hawaiian culture while researching this amazing owl species.
Mahalo Jamie and Hokulea crew for this incredible experience. I will always remember this one in a lifetime experience.
Photos by Javier Cotin.