The regular season is one thing. But the playoffs?

It seems that after a few months of playing football on Saturday afternoons instead of Friday nights to protect endangered seabirds — much to the chagrin of some parents and members of the community — the county and the feds have struck a deal to play the championship game under the lights.

There will be some precautions in place — the game will be played when the moon is bright, and the game is scheduled for the early evening.

Still, it’s odd that rules in place for the regular season are being thrown out come playoff time.

A T-shirt popular on Kauai bears the words, “Buck the Firds.” That’s a common sentiment, in the face of the threat of tens of thousands of dollars in fines if games are held at night.

Here’s the full press release:

County receives approval for night time championship play-off game

LIHUE — The U.S. Department of Justice and the County of Kauai have filed a stipulation and received approval today from Magistrate Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi amending the terms of probation entered on September 9, 2010 pertaining to the grounding of seabirds.

After being approached by the county about the possibility of an additional night game, the Justice Department agreed to amend the conditions in recognition of the current ongoing work conducted pursuant to the terms of probation and the successful results achieved.

To date, the county’s efforts to implement the conditions of probation have avoided any grounding of seabirds related to the use of stadium lights.

The amendment was prompted by a request from the Hawaii High School Athletic Association to hold a championship playoff game on Kauai. The game will be played at Vidinha Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 13, starting at 4:30 pm.

“The additional night game is a testament to the ongoing relationship between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Justice Department, and the county in protecting our native seabirds,” said Parks and Recreation Director Lenny Rapozo. “We would like to thank them for their understanding and consideration in agreeing to the additional night game.”

The amendment now allows for the Nov. 13 game to be played under the same conditions as the rest of the evening games.

Evening games played in 2010 were scheduled when there is a partial or full moon as these conditions are known to reduce bird fallout.

Those conducting the monitoring as required under the conditions of probation have observed the protected seabirds circling the stadium lights toward the end of the games when the lights are turned on.

However, the monitors have also noted that after the games are over and the lights are turned off, the seabirds then stop circling the lights without coming to the ground or significantly decreasing their altitude.

Not that I need a reason to share this video, but this story gives me a great opportunity:

(click forward to the 40-second mark)