I Saw the Cockatoo!

As I was walking below the park near Wilhelmina this morning, I saw a large white bird flying up along Wilhelmina; it landed in a tree southeast of the tennis court. I headed up that portion of Wilhelmina so I could find out what it was; it was too chunky to be a Manu-o-Kū and it did not have long legs trailing behind it like a Cattle Egret. In fact, it looked very awkwardly shaped, kind of bulkier in front than behind; like the bird that I saw fly in to the tree on Tuesday morning. Then it called; it was the cockatoo! It was conveniently perched on a snag and I could see it clearly in a gap between live branches. I think it is an Umbrella cockatoo (Cacatua alba) based on its size and call. (FYI Googling "White Cockatoo" gets you a whole bunch of different cockatoos that are mainly white.)


Other than the cockatoo my morning walk was relatively uneventful. I didn't even see any regulars this morning. I'm not sure if it was because of the temperature, which was a little cool for here, or the fact that it seemed like there would be some precipitation. It did start to drizzle as I was finishing my cool down stretches.

Fifteen minutes before sunrise on Maunalani.

Two minutes after sunrise on Sierra.

More bad karma! The chicken pooped right where I stand to do my calf stretches!

Dad was awake in bed at 7:40; he had finished half of his fried egg sandwich! He had also finished half of his papaya and about 1/3 of his banana. He drank all the Breeze supplement.

It drizzled on and off throughout the morning and actually rained a couple of times. As it got closer to my mid-morning walking time it looked like it might clear up but would then get dark and ominous again. I was feeling a little tired & chilled so I decided to skip the mid-morning walk. Then about 10 minutes in to my walk time it got nice and sunny! But then it got cloudy again; in hindsight the walk would have been dry but it kept going back and forth and since I may have been exposed to the bug that is going around Curtis' house I decided to play it safe in case I am coming down with something. I skipped the afternoon walk also because I was still feeling chilled and tired.

Raining just before my mid-morning walk.

It cleared up about 10 minutes after I usually start walking.

But clouded up about 10 minutes later!

Lunch today was Beef stir fry, Brown rice, Tossed salad, Red velvet cake, and Split pea soup. Dad ate all of his 1/2 peanut butter & jelly sandwich, all of the red velvet cake, and 240 ml of his Breeze supplement; another 100% lunch!


I dropped off all the tax information for Dad & me at H & R Block this afternoon; I go in tomorrow night to get the completed returns. After I dropped the paperwork off I stopped at Longs to pick up a couple of things. I walked by the protein bar section and stopped to see if there is anything worth buying. It appears that only the real meat bar had lots of protein and low carbs. The others may have had high protein but also had high carbs & sugars. I picked up a couple meat bars to try out.

The meat bars are the 2 in the center of the 3rd shelf labeled "Herb Citrus" & "Sweet BBQ".

I should mention that the movie Identity that I watched on Friday night doesn't really have a plot twist. It just seemed to me to have a plot twist since I missed the first 15 minutes. I think all along they let you know what's happening, but I liked it better without the first 15 minutes or so. Until the "plot twist" came in it seemed like a run-of-the-mill B-rate horror movie; after that it had my interest.

Hauʻoli lā Hānau to Peter & Steven!

It's Saturday!

I saw Ona jogging up the hill as I completed the lap around the circle; she jogs on Saturdays. Earlier, as I arrived in the parking lot, LaVie was walking past with Tazzie & Kila; later I saw her as she was headed to the bus stop, minus dogs, so she could ride down to the bottom then walk back up. She rides down so it is easier on her knees. Caroline & Olive were just starting their walk as I passed. Later by the park I saw Lorraine going up; I saw both Ona & Lorraine going down Lurline when I was on my way up Lurline. Just as I was passing Sierra on the last block of my walk, I saw Steph about a block below Maunalani on Sierra; I walked down to meet her. We walked up together then around the circle and talked; it made my walk a bit longer but that was okay since I had not seen her for a week!

Seven minutes before sunrise on Maunalani.

Ten minutes after sunrise on Sierra.

My distance is usually 1.6 miles.

A small flattened toad.

A flattened brown anole.

Dad was in his wheelchair, sitting in the Plumeria Dining Room for breakfast; he was sharing a table with Mrs. Keliikipi and Mrs. Pang. Today he ate about half of his fried egg sandwich, about half of the papaya, and about half of the banana. He drank all 240 ml of his Breeze supplement. He complained of his okole being sore from sitting and went back to bed right after breakfast.


The mid-morning walk today was a little hotter than yesterday. The birds also seemed to notice that, too; they seemed to be less active. On Thursday evening while looking for the Manu-o-Kū, I heard a strange bird calling; it sounded like it was coming from down by the park. I heard it again during this walk; it sounded like it was coming from a house I had just walked past just across the street from the lower part of the park. I might have to stop and talk to anyone I see there to find out what it is.


I am thinking I may also have to watch for the person who drives the car that I found the bird splat on and also for the people that live at the houses where the potential Manu-o-Kū trees are. In the past I think I have only seen activity there twice.

Sometimes I am a little slow in figuring things out. Like today. I finally realized why it is cooler and shadier on the 3rd floor landing than it is on the 2nd floor landing. The 3rd floor is the top floor so there is an eave! Duh!

Second floor; also note the tree.

Third floor.

It also took me a little bit to figure out how come there was no start button on the Countdown function of my Fitbit when the seconds count was 0:00. Duh!



Lunch today was Mushroom chicken, Mashed potatoes, Malibu blend veggies, Ambrosia, and Beef & rice soup. Dad's tray did not come with dessert so I gave him mine. He ate all of his 1/2 peanut butter & jelly sandwich, all of the ambrosia dessert, and drank all 240 ml of the Breeze supplement. Another 100% meal!


During my afternoon walk I had to alter my route while in progress; the large mango tree on Lurline just uphill from the intersection with Matsonia was being trimmed. So I went up Matsonia which made my walk a little longer. The tree with few leaves is on Matsonia, as I walked by I was looking up to see if there were any nests. A guy working nearby asked if I was looking for the cockatoo. Michael said it comes by often and showed me a short clip he had taken of it on his phone; that was the sound I heard on Thursday evening & earlier today! I am pretty sure it is also the white bird that flew in to the tree on Tuesday morning; that tree is behind Michael's house. I had a great talk with Michael; he also told me about his silky chicken Spike and the small ponds that he and a neighbor have that the Cattle Egrets are always visiting. I told him about the Manu-o-Kū; he'll give me a call if he sees any. As I continued on my way I realized that I had never walked up Matsonia before; I had only walked down because of how steep it was.

The tree trimming on Lurline as seen from Matsonia.

The tree with few leaves. I saw a couple birds in it but no nests.

Now I remember why I only walked down Matsonia!

Even some cars have trouble with the steepness of the hill.

The detour added about 0.1 mile to my walk.

I saw a bunch of cats today. Five to be exact; but I only got photos of 2 of them.

This shy guy was on Maunalani Circle.

This cool cat is on the wall next to Scout's house.

Last night I forgot to mention that Jenny was back from Japan; Curtis gave me a bag of omiyage that she brought back for me. One was a bag of the candies that look like cats; the other is apparently fruit candies.


Here's a photo of Luna in the morning; she comes to see me within a minute or so of the time I open my bedroom door. S'mores, on the other hand, generally waits until I am in the kitchen or does not show up at all.

The Luna excluder at work!

Here are the photos from yesterday with arrows pointing to the birds (red) and nest (green). The nest does not belong to the Manu-o-Kū.



Hauʻoli lā Hānau to Bob, Marisa, & Delaney!

Speed Walking with Ona

As I was starting my morning walk, Ona was walking past the entrance so I walked with her. That lasted about 5 minutes; she walks very fast! I was winded trying to keep up with her going uphill, so I sent her on her way. But I caught up with her on the downhill side of the circle; she was talking to Caroline & Olive. It turns out Caroline is trying to downsize due to having an empty nest. She'll have it on the market for 6 months, if it doesn't sell she will be staying; we joked about moving in with her if that happens! Ona went to the open house last weekend, she suggested I do the same to get a look at the view.

Nine minutes before sunrise on Maunalani.

Seven minutes after sunrise on Sierra.

When I got in Dad was awake with his breakfast in front of him; he had not eaten anything. He was reading the meal ticket; he did that for another 30 minutes or so. I have noticed this week that he has been spending more time reading the meal tickets; previously he only did it every so often. This week he has done it almost every meal. I asked RN Fred to ask the CNAs to put the meal ticket on the night stand so he can't see it; I will also talk to the CNAs about it. He ate only a couple bites of his fried egg sandwich but he drank 480 ml of Breeze supplement (2 boxes).

It got cloudier before my mid-morning walk so it was more comfortable, though there was still hardly any breeze. Only problem was that I forgot to charge my phone; it was at 11% when I started my walk! So I only used the walking app and skipped birding; I would have had a hard time seeing the screen anyway since it automatically darkens the screen as the power drops. When I was almost done a woman who was walking in the opposite direction asked me if I knew where Niele Place was; I didn't, but I told her I was sure my phone did. The phone did know but it was so weak shortly after it found the street it went very dim; I had to ask it to show directions so we could see where she had to go to get back to the Air B'n'B she was staying at. She was about a mile away & would have to walk about 17 minutes to get back; fortunately it was all downhill. My phone was at 2% by the time I got back to Maunalani & plugged it in!


I really wanted to see a Manu-o-Kū during my mid-morning cool down stretches! I kept thinking I saw one when a light gray Zebra Dove would fly in the vicinity where I was expecting the Manu-o-Kū to be flying. After I finished my stretches I figured out how much longer I could stay and look for them before I needed to go & change before lunch. Did not see them before I had to leave.

Lunch today was Pork fried rice, Pacific vegetable mix, Tossed salad, Fresh strawberries, and Egg drop soup; I requested the alternate meal of Hamburger on bun and skipped eating the bun. Dad ate all of his 1/2 peanut butter & jelly sandwich and a couple pieces of strawberry; he drank all 240 ml of the Breeze supplement. (I forgot to take a photo.)

By my afternoon walk even more clouds had moved in, I think it is the front they predicted last night. It was a very pleasant walk. Along the way I saw a car parked near one of the trees that I think the Manu-o-Kū might be nesting in; it had some bird splat on the windshield that looked like it might be from a Manu-o-Kū. I will see if I can send it to Rich and see what he thinks. I also saw a new house being built on Sierra Drive, it is at the lot where they have been working on the rock wall since Dad arrived at Maunalani.

This looks like the photo of Manu-o-Kū droppings that is in the volunteer training packet.

The house under construction.

I took the RAV4 in for its annual safety check, which is needed for the annual registration. I took it to McKinley Car Wash, you don't need an appointment; it's first-come, first-served. And it's usually very fast. The RAV4 passed with flying colors! Then I went to Safeway to use the DMV Registration kiosk, it was amazingly easy.

Safety check at McKinley Car Wash.

The DMV Registration kiosk.

On the way back from the safety check I saw 2 Manu-o-Kū! They were in trees along Kapiʻolani that were marked with the blue "White Tern Tree" tape. If you can't find them, come back tomorrow and I will have photos posted with arrows.

I was actually taking a photo of the nest in the lower right and later found the Manu-o-Kū in the upper left.

You should be able to find this one in the center of the photo.

When I got home there was still time to pick papayas. I harvested 9 papayas today. I kept 1 and gave 6 to Curtis. I kept 2 for Lois, she's coming to pick them up tomorrow.


Luna has become more cuddly; she lets me pick her up for about 15 seconds of cuddling. Which is a whole lot more than she allowed before. She will actually come to the door & wait for me when I come home; I know its not for food because I only feed them when The Roommates will not be home for a day which has been only 2 or 3 times since she came to live with us. She wants to cuddle in the morning, too. I have to set up a barrier of containers to keep her away from my contacts in the morning.

Here's my Luna excluder.

I forgot to mention yesterday that RN Fred told me that his son has been selected to be one of the students who will be on a special round-the-island sailing of the Hokuleʻa in April! We should be able to see them from Maunalani when they pass by Lēʻahi; Fred will be off that day so I will have to find out from him about what time they might be passing by.

I also forgot to mention that I learned something very interesting yesterday. And so did LPN Chivas, who has been a nurse for less than a month now. Yesterday Chivas went to wake one of the residents to give him his medication. When the resident woke up he was very disoriented, could not move well, had difficulty responding, and was non-verbal. He called RN Fred, concerned that the resident was having a medical issue; they worked with him for about 15 minutes before Fred said nothing new was wrong with the resident. It turns out that people who have previously had a stroke, like this resident, take a lot longer to get back to their now normal level of functioning when they wake up. What Chivas was seeing is the normal process that a person who previously had a stroke goes through when they wake up. I'll have to remember that if I have to help with someone who has previously had a stroke.

At my weigh-in this morning I again gained weight! I think it is the 2 dinners that is doing it! Since Jenny is back from Japan, Curtis will be doing the evening shift again. I anticipate I will be able to get back to losing weight next week!

Just finished watching a movie as I wrote this. I came in about 15 minutes after it started and I didn't know what the title was. But I really loved the twist in the plot so I tracked it down; its called Identity and stars John Cusack, Ray Liotta, and Amanda Peet. I think it was better because I missed the first part, I started watching when the limo driver & actress are stuck in a rain storm which has caused a flood that strands everyone at a small rundown motel. If you decide to watch it, I suggest skipping the first 15 minutes.

Hauʻoli lā Hānau to Ern Dog, Kektadose, & Leigh!

Early Evening Birding

Since I didn't see any Manu-o-Kū in the evening yesterday, I did it again this evening. I wanted to start a little earlier; maybe they come back earlier than twilight. I was out watching at about an hour before sunset. And saw no Manu-o-Kū. Maybe they keep bankers hours and I need to be looking for them even earlier in the evening! By the way, I have determined that the Cattle Egrets are not using the tree with few leaves as a night roost; that was pretty obvious last night. In fact, I did not see any signs of any trees in the area being used by the egrets or the Rose-ringed Parakeets as night roosts; I look upon this as a good thing.

Sixty-three minutes before sunset.

I left the house a little earlier this morning so I started my walk a little earlier; I still did not see any Manu-o-Kū leaving any trees. I started walking 16 minutes before sunrise and there were less birds that seemed to be active; this was also 7 minutes after the start of civil twilight. It seems like civil twilight cues the birds to start & end their day; I don't hear them around the house before I leave which is generally several minutes before civil twilight. I only saw Ona & Rio as I was driving up; I didn't see any other regulars as I was walking. I think that is also a function of me starting based on sunrise.

Fifteen minutes before sunrise on Maunalani.

Three minutes after sunrise on Sierra.

As I was doing my cool down stretches I saw the Dog Pack go by. I also saw CNA Siri on her way in. And on her way back out! Apparently there is some miscommunication somewhere between Maunalani, her agency, & her; she's trying to find out where the breakdown is happening so she doesn't spend so much time on the bus or waiting for the bus instead of working! I also saw a bunch of Common Mynas while doing my stretches. I wonder if there is a special name for that like there is for crows (murder), owls (parliament), and geese (gaggle)?

I couldn't figure out what was in the tree; it was a bag.

Because I am getting started earlier as sunrise becomes earlier, I was in Dad's room by 7:55 this morning; his breakfast was already in front of him. And he was asleep; nothing had been touched. I never tried to feed him much earlier than 9 at home, because he didn't want to eat that early. He seems to be doing the same here; which I have explained to staff but they have a schedule that they have to sort of go by. Which is one of the reasons I show up; then Dad's food can remain in front of him until he naturally gets up & is ready to eat.

During my mid-morning walk I noticed a couple of the male Kōlea seem to have completed their molt into their breeding plumage. At this time of the year I try not to disturb them when they are foraging; I feel like I need to give them as much feeding time as possible so that they save their energy for their upcoming migration to the Arctic. It's now about a month away!


Lunch today was Beef stew, Steamed rice, Garden salad, Tapioca pudding, and Cream of broccoli soup. Dad quickly ate his 1/2 peanut butter & jelly sandwich, then he ate about half the tapioca pudding; he drank all 240 ml of the Breeze supplement.


The afternoon walk was hot and a bit sticky; there was only a very light breeze. But I'm getting used to walking in the afternoon. The hāpuʻu and palapalai were nice and moist. Abby wanted me to come and play with her but I could hear the other dog barking, too. I didn't want to annoy the other dog, so I told Abby I couldn't play with her today.


Dad got up and went to listen to Chin and do a little rhythm & exercise with the group this afternoon. And I didn't even have to convince him that he liked it! CNA Angie had him in the wheelchair by the time I returned from changing my clothes.

Dinner today was Herb roasted turkey, Mashed potatoes, Brown gravy, Normandy blend veggies, Devil's food cake, and Roasted garlic soup. Since Dad was in his wheelchair he ate in the dining room. Dad ate half of his tuna sandwich and a couple bites of the cake, and all of the Plus supplement.



I had a 2nd dinner when I got home. Along with icing my knees; I do it to minimize any inflammation that may be getting started due to all the movement I am doing.


I have now put a crack in the LifeProof case for my phone; it is in the upper right corner. Now it is even less waterproof than it was when I broke the hinge on the charging port door. The phone itself is still working well, so I see no reason to get a new phone. (And I have now jinxed myself...)

Hauʻoli lā Hānau to Lenny & Jon!