We’ve been seeing the first of the migratory Kolea (Pacific Golden Plover) and Hunakai (Sanderling) back on our Kahala shores over the past week or so, perhaps just a few days longer.

I don’t know whether returning to the islands in the first week of August is right on time or a bit early. I’ll have to defer to those more knowledgeable about these annual visitors for more info.

Here’s what the Molokai Dispatch had to say a week ago:

Within a few weeks the kolea will make a transoceanic southbound migration between breeding grounds in Alaska to wintering locales as far away as Madagascar. Research using light level dataloggers have tracked kolea at speeds from 36 to118 miles per hour, and with an average flight between Hawaii and Alaska taking 40 hours.

On July 15, three of Molokai’s official birds, the kioea or Bristle-thighed Curlew, returned home. This is two weeks earlier than past years and other shorebirds, such as the kolea, are expected to also return early. Be on the lookout! Earliest returnees to Hawaii are typically females that may have experienced a failed nesting attempt or perhaps did not bond with a mate for the breeding season. Adult males normally appear by the end of August, followed by juveniles in October.