got stilts? Traditional Cache

The Hawaiian Stilt (Ae'o) is a slender wading bird that grows up to 16 inches in length. It has a black back and white forehead, and is white below; the female has a tinge of brown on its back. This endangered species has very long pink legs and a long black bill. The Hawaiian subspecies differs from the North American stilt by having more black on its face and neck, and a longer bill, tarsus, and tail.

Stilts use a variety of aquatic habitats. Nest sites are frequently separated from feeding sites and stilts move between these areas daily. Nesting sites are adjacent to or on low islands within bodies of fresh, brackish, or salt water.

Feeding habitats are shallow bodies of water providing them with a wide variety of invertebrates and other aquatic organisms (worms, crabs, fish). They like to loaf around in open mudflats where visibility is good and predator populations are low.

Stilts have a loud chirp that sounds like: kip kip kip. The female chirp is lower than the male’s.

The Paiko Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary, established in 1981, provides a habitat to the Hawaiian Stilt as well as other migratory water birds. The lagoon, formerly a coastal fishpond, is fed by freshwater springs and Kuli'ou'ou Stream. The water level varies with the tides and occasionally exposes the saline mudflats.

P.S. Since I'm a mermaid, I have unlimited access to this area and its waters; you landlubbers will need a permit if you wish to explore past the cache location. Contact the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife for more information.

You don't need a permit to find the cache.