February Newsletter 2023

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How To Rescue a Native Bird

We know you’re all familiar with what to do when you find a bird during fallout season, but what about the rest of the year?

Keep the bird completely covered while handling to avoid its sharp beak and to minimize stress for the bird.

First, we need to catch the bird! If you find any native bird in need, use a towel to gently pick the bird up from behind, making sure to fully wrap its back, wings, and head. Watch out for the beak! Some species have quite strong and sharp beaks. Place the bird in a ventilated box. A cool and quiet environment is best; minimize handling and noise. Capture and transport are stressful for the birds and staring at, talking to, or unnecessarily interacting with birds can cause even more stress. Please do not provide food or water for the bird, we will assess its needs during a comprehensive intake exam.

An example of a suitable cardboard box with holes for ventilation to transport a native bird.

Without additional help from our four seasonal avian technicians, we don’t make daily stops at aid stations around the island during the off season (December 16th - September 14th). However, birds can still be brought to any fire station or directly to SOS, located in Wailua. Instead of aid stations, each fire station is equipped with a cardboard pet carrier for the birds. Each box has a notecard and pencil attached to it to write the date, time, and location that the bird was found. Most importantly, don’t forget to give us a call to let us know where you are dropping off the injured bird so we can coordinate transport to SOS for care.

As always, mahalo for lending a hand to Kaua’i’s native birds in need!

Don't forget to fill out the notecard with the date, time, and location that the bird was found.

Patient Spotlight

JEN450 upon intake (left) and hiding in our incubator after her intake exam (right).

This young Koloa Maoli / Hawaiian Duck was spotted by a birdwatcher on February 3rd with no other koloa around. Orphaned and likely less than 3 days old, JEN450 was a bit quiet and lethargic upon intake. After his/her intake exam, she was placed in our incubator to help stabilize her temperature. She quickly perked up and has been steadily gaining weight and growing since.

A few weeks into her care and we are just at the beginning of her time at SOS. Unlike nēnē / Hawaiian Geese, which we talked about in last month’s newsletter, koloa are harder to “foster” out, or release to an established family. Koloa are generally more elusive than nēnē and tend to stay farther away from human activity. This makes it hard to spot and track potential foster families. Koloa are also less abundant on the island, making it even more difficult to locate foster families. Without the option of fostering koloa as ducklings, we will likely have JEN450 until she is full grown and ready for release on her own. This can take up to 70 days in care!

JEN350 and gosling, JEN456, eating in their shared housing set-up.

Population numbers are also an obstacle when it comes to housing ducklings with conspecifics aka members of the same species. It is not often that we have more than one koloa at a time. It is beneficial to koloa – as well as many other birds we work with – to be surrounded by other members of their species. It helps to reduce stress, as well as encourage regular eating and other natural behaviors.

With no other koloa in care, this duckling has been housed with some of our gosling patients. While not conspecifics, the companionship has resulted in a clear increase in the duckling’s feeding and weight gain. As our gosling patients come and go, we will also continue to provide this duckling with a mirror and other enrichment to further familiarize her with her own species. SOS staff also will continue to minimize handling and interactions to reduce the likelihood of habituation in care.

Behind the Scenes

Dr. Juan Guerra suturing the surgery site.

It’s always a team effort here at SOS as we regularly consult with wildlife vets on our patient cases. Last month, Dr. Juan Guerra from the Hawai’i Wildlife Center flew in from Big Island to perform an in-house surgery for one of our mōlī / Laysan Albatross. JEN446 was originally brought to SOS after being found wet and dirty. Upon intake we noticed one of his/her toes had a dislocated knuckle that had broken through her webbing and was exposed.

With a little assistance from SOS staff, Dr. Juan placed this mōlī under anesthesia so that he could remove the exposed section of bone. Once it was removed, the surgery site was sutured and bandaged. As the wound heals, soft tissue will fill in the space left by the removed bone with minimal impact on her foot’s function. While the procedure may sound simple, from start to finish it took over an hour!

Mahalo nui loa to Dr. Juan for taking time out of his own busy schedule to assist with one of our patients here on Kauaʻi!

After the sutures were applied, the foot was bandaged and padded to keep the site clean as it heals.

Conservation Corner

Invasive Species Awareness

February is Hawai’i Invasive Species Awareness Month! Check out the Hawai’i Invasive Species Council website to learn how invasive species impact the health of the Hawaiian islands.

Hawaiian Honeycreeper Day

A class for 4th graders at Kanuikapono Public Charter School are calling for an official celebration of Hawai’i’s endangered Honeycreepers with a statewide Hawaiian Honeycreeper Day. Read more about what these students learned about Hawai’i’s forest birds.

SOS is an Unincorporated Nonprofit Association and fiscally sponsored by the Hawai'i Wildlife Center, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt, non-profit organization.

As the only Federal and State permitted wildlife facility on Kaua‘i, Save Our Shearwaters provides life-saving care to Hawai'i’s native birds in need. When you donate, you help us continue to rescue, rehabilitate, and release native wildlife. Mahalo nui loa from all of us at SOS (our feathered friends included)!

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