Most of the birds on land at sea level in Hawaii are introduced birds and not native to the Big Island or to the Hawaii complex. The exception might be some of the visiting shore birds (wandering tattler or Ulili, sanderlings or Hunakai, the Pacific Golden Plover or Kolea and the rarer bristle-thighed curlew or Kioea). Interestingly enough, no Gulls visit the Island. To see the scarce, beautiful endemic (only found in this location) birds of Hawaii, you need to go higher in the mountains (above 2000-3000 feet) and look carefully and be very patient. Visit this web site to get a picture of these beautiful birds: <http://chandra.as.utexas.edu/~kormendy/hibirds.html>

The common birds that you will see around the Island have been introduced by man and released into the environment. Since everyone loves living in Hawaii, these birds had little difficulty adapting to the wonderful weather, the abundant fruit and crops and easy living characteristic of life in Hawaii (at least for the birds).

The most frequently seen bird is the COMMON MYNA that was introduced from India in 1865 to control pests. These black birds with a yellow crescent behind its eye, waddle all over the place. They squawk, eat everything, fly in flocks and are feisty. There are three types of CARDINALS seen in Hawaii—the Red Crested Cardinal seen here (the most beautiful in my eyes), the Yellow -Billed Cardinal found only on the Big Island and the Northern Cardinal found on the Mainland.

These are the birds that join you for breakfast (or lunch or dinner or snacks) and are found on lawn, scrub or near the beaches. The SAFFRON FINCH (golden yellow with an orange patch on the face near the bill and the eye) is found along the Kona Coast (where we will be) and is found in groups, foraging for insects and seeds on the ground. There are many interesting birds to see and I suggest that you bring a pair of binoculars and purchase as copy of the Hawaii Audubon society’s book: Hawaii’s Birds (you can get it at the airport or at the small store in the Marriott Waikoloa Resort Hotel). One last bird, that is one of my favorites is a native of Indonesia and is the JAVA SPARROW.

This bird is found in flocks on lawns and in fields. The body is gray with a black tail and head. The bill is very large and it and the eye-ring are pink. There is a wide white patch on the cheek. I think that you will find it as beautiful as I do.

There are other exciting things to observe on the Island and in the future, I will introduce you to some of the exotic trees, bushes and plants—many of which are also introduced. Bring a camera…

The next scheduled gig for le Quintette du Hot Club de Hilo is Friday August 22, at the East Hawaii Cultural Center, in downtown Hilo.

For the past 18 years, there has been a tradition at Left Coast Crime Conventions to designate charities as recipients of a donation. The monies for this donation are usually from the “silent auction”. The charities selected have been associated with various non-profit literacy organizations. For LCC 2009, we have selected the Kailua Learning Center an organization on the Big Island dedicated to the improvement of literacy in the English language.

The Kona Literacy Council trains volunteer tutors to provide free, one-to-one, small group, and computer assisted literacy services at the Kailua Learning Center to any adult who wants to improve their basic reading, writing, computational skills and computer literacy. Special programs designed to meet the specific needs of the learners are offered, such as: English as a Second Language, preparation for passing the GED or Competency Based High School Diploma, Citizen preparation, keyboarding and computer literacy. All tutoring is at no cost to the student. Brenda Natina is the Kailua Learning Center Program Director and Secretary. She will be our contact with the Kailua Learning Center and has already been very helpful with our efforts for LCC 2009.

Freelance assassin, John Rain, has been hired to kill Manny Lavi, a fairly well-protected and cautious family man whose nefarious business dealings are causing problems for the Mossad. But Rain’s new partner and expert sniper, Dox, is going to help pull this off, which may or may not be a good thing. Rain’s used to working alone and Dox’s loud, laid-back personality isn’t Rain’s idea of a perfect team fit.

When things go wrong, it’s not Dox’s fault, but Rain’s. He freezes at the crucial moment, which makes his employer unhappy enough to want him dead. Rain launches an intriguing cat-and-mouse game that jumps from the Philippines to Bangkok to Hong Kong, as he vows to finish the job and pursue those who want him dead.

KILLING RAIN is a terrific mix of thriller and psychological study of an increasingly world-weary hit man. This mix of weariness, determination, self-preservation, and growing doubt about his future in this business make the book a gripping, multi-layered read.

Not many authors could make me feel sympathy for a professional assassain, but Barry Eisler does. KILLING RAIN is a sophisticated, clever thriller with a lot of depth and, odd as it may seem, a lot of heart. As a bonus, the author provides a useful essay on surveillance techniques to prevent one from becoming a victim of crime. He also adds definitions of the types of martial arts used in the story, plus a list of Rain’s top ten jazz CDs. Very cool. This is another series I’ll definitely read from the beginning.

AGUSTIN TABARES / ATABARES@STARBULLETIN.COM

Big Island farmed baby abalone is one of many new seafood products being produced close to home.

Time’s ripe for local fare

More grocery store shoppers and restaurant patrons are demanding food produced naturally in Hawaii

STORY SUMMARY »

By Keiko Ohnuma

Special to the Star-Bulletin

Of the many food trends clamoring for shelf space in 2008, one clearly stands out: The mood in food is going to be green — and we’re not talking leafy vegetables. Hawaii chefs and gourmet grocers alike report that people are demanding naturally produced food as never before, and the whole industry is paying attention.

Labels reading “organic,” “free-range,” “grass-fed,” and “wild-caught” are rapidly edging out the dowdy “all-natural” in supermarkets. And in the coming year, “people will become more picky about where their food comes from, more concerned about tainted food — and that’s not only from China, but all over the world,” says chef Alan Wong, who echoes a growing concern among Hawaii chefs for purity, authenticity and transparency in food sourcing.

Wong sees a growing emphasis on buying local in the coming year, not only to reduce carbon emissions, but to strengthen relationships with Hawaii producers of food. Indeed, as rising fuel costs stoke a nationwide concern for “food security,” Hawaii continues to depend largely on food imports, as land here has proved too valuable to devote to agriculture.

Five black longhorn cattle were brought to Hawaii in 1798 as a gift from Captain George Vancouver to King Kamehameha I. In 1816, John Palmer Parker with the help of Hawaiian workers, reduced to a workable number the thousands of maverick cows that had thrived and multiplied ranging the island unmolested and quickly established a booming beef, tallow and hide business. By 1832, desperate for help, Parker worked with King Kamehameha III to contract Mexican vaqueros, expert horseman with plenty of cattle experience. Called “paniolo” (in tune with the Mexican’s self described as “Espanol”) by Hawaiians, these skilled cowboys roped and rode a generation before their American counterparts in the “Wild West”. The Parker Ranch now is one of the world’s largest privately owned cattle ranches raising 30,00 head of prime Angus and Charolais beef cattle. Parker Ranch tours are available. For all the detailed Big Island ranching history go to http://www.bigisland.org/activities-cultural and check out History of Paniolo & Ranching on Hawaii’s Big Island.
We climbed up the Kohala Mountains located North of the Marriott Hotel and arrived at the ranch, 3,000 feet above sea level. We were greeted by an incredible view of the ocean thousands of feet below, and hundreds of feet below us thousands of head of cattle, including sheep. This ranch is second in herd size only to the Parker Ranch. Our binoculars came in handy for not only seeing the surrounding areas but also for viewing the stars that began to twinkle above us. Our introduction to the Ranch Operations was by the retired Ranch Manager who presented an interesting history and detailed information about the cattle business. The aroma of barbecue and country music wafted over us at this point carrying us to the dinning room! It was time to sample the ranch products and “shovel it in” activities were in progress. Well, we had the most delicious barbecue chicken (others had beef) and trimmings - leaving room for dessert was a challenge. And then, toes began to tap and line dancing was on. The vocalist and instrumentalists were really good and the atmosphere was all friendly “Country Western”. Some skits followed that were funny but we will let you find out for yourselves what could get a laugh.
After dinner, there were activities like riding a horse, roping (wooden cow), branding (real hot iron but wood instead of cow rump), preparing “some mores” or star gazing through the splendid telescope set up. We spent quite some time talking with our hosts about the Kohala area and other places of interest. These people offer tours of the Big Island and will be on our menu of tour possibilities see www.kahuaranch.com.
Arriving back to the hotel sated and sleepy, we thoroughly enjoyed our ranch experience and would highly recommend putting this activity on your “must do” list during your LCC 2009 stay on the Big Island. In the early months of 2008, our travel agent Kathy Cheetum will begin to provide tour/activities at the web site.