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Left: ANP122 upon intake. Right: ANP122 on day 26 of care. |
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Everyone’s favorite ae'o / Hawaiian Stilt has been released back into the wild! Staying for a total of 60 days in care, it took a lot of help to successfully hand-rear this bird. ANP122 was found at Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge (HNWR) by a USFWS Kupu, who was able to transport him/her to SOS. Once the chick was here, we sought advice from several veterinarians and rehabilitation centers. We had not had an ae'o of such a young age brought to SOS since 2017! While we see a few adult ae'o each year, young chicks have different nutritional needs. We always check past patient records and various online and text resources, but sometimes the best source of knowledge is a fellow wildlife rehabilitation facility with more hands-on experience with the specific species. We were able to create a nutrition plan that would meet all of her growing needs, and grow she did! Once she was fully flighted and at a good weight, we were able to release her back at HNWR with the help of USFWS!
Mahalo nui loa to everyone who helped successfully get this bird back into the wild, including everyone who provided donations for food supplies!
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Left: ANP122 a week before release. Right: Can you spot her?? ANP122 upon release at Hanalei Refuge. |
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Along with USFWS, Friends of Kaua'i Wildlife Refuges (FWKR) is one of the many partners we work with to help conserve Kaua'i’s native birds. This nonprofit “Friend Group” supports the work of Kaua'i National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex, which includes Kīlauea Point NWR, Hanalei NWR, and Hulē'ia NWR. FKWR was founded in 1983, originally under the name Kīlauea Point Natural History Association. FKWR provides funding and staffing to support the conservation, preservation, and education efforts of the National Wildlife Refuges. The funding they provide SOS helps ensure that refuge patients receive the care they need! Their work also includes providing an annual scholarship and community outreach. They just celebrated the launch of a new book in partnership with Hob Osterlund, entitled “Birds of Kīlauea Point,” on July 12th! Visit their website to learn more about their impactful work and stay up to date with their events.
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HNWR is one of three refuges FKWR supports. |
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JEN476 venturing out of his transport box at release. |
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This alae 'ula / Hawaiian Gallinule had quite the stay at SOS. S/he was admitted May 19th with a broken left leg, which resulted in a swollen and immobile ankle. After an initial examination, the leg was splinted to stabilize the fracture. He was also given supplemental fluids and medications to help with the pain and inflammation. The fracture was close to a joint, which made it a particularly difficult injury to splint and heal. After a few days of stabilization, we took radiographs of the leg to better assess the fracture and how to best treat it. Throughout his care, we changed his splint and retook radiographs to track how the bone was healing. His nutrition plan fluctuated throughout care to ensure proper support for the bone’s calcification process. After 65 days in care, and various splints and radiographs, this alae ‘ula was ready for release! He was returned to Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge where he was initially found by a USFWS Kupu. |
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Radiographs of JEN476's fracture at various points of care. |
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Radiographs serve as a valuable tool not only for diagnosing conditions, but also for monitoring the recovery process. They allow us to look at soft tissue swelling, find obstructions, and identify fractures or dislocations. Through radiographs, we were once able to identify a strange lump in a bird’s throat as a large fish that the bird was not able to digest!
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We’ve had a lot going on at SOS this past month!
In early July, Wildlife Rehabilitation Technician, Ben, visited Kaua'i High School to teach students about Kaua'i’s native birds and our work at SOS. If you're interested in a class visit or other outreach opportunities, you can message us through our website. Please note that we are typically only able to attend outreach events January-August (outside of shearwater fallout season). |
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Our facilities have been getting an upgrade! |
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One of our wonderful volunteers, Carol, has started a lettuce garden for us so that we can grow our own produce for waterbird patients. She cleared the garden bed outside of our office and prepped it with soil and compost she donated. The lettuce starts she planted were graciously donated by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) and Heaven on Earth Starts! |
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Our Facilities Manager, Maddy, is continuing to make progress on our new waterbird aviary, as well as replacing the floors in our rehab and holding areas. Our operations were moved to a smaller temporary holding area while the old flooring was ripped up, subfloor was prepped, and the new flooring was installed. In total, it took about 2 weeks! Next on our list of renovations is replacing the roof of our outdoor shed where we house our fridges and freezers, washer and dryer, bird wash sink, and more. These projects are critical, but expensive! If you would like to help us make strides on projects like these and other wildlife care needs, follow this link or click the donate button below!
If you're interested funding one of our wildlife facility projects in full, just reply to this email. Our Program Manager, Molly, will be in touch to discuss current needs. Mahalo! |
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Top: Lettuce garden at SOS. Bottom: The 8'x40' outfitted shipping container that makes up our exam and patient holding rooms. This has been our primary care space for two years. The floors were replaced to better withstand frequent deep cleaning and sanitation. |
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Free Admissions
On August 4th Kīlauea Point Refuge (along with all other national wildlife refuges and USFWS lands) will have a free admission day in honor of Great American Outdoors Act Day!
Forest Bird Conservation
Hawaiian Honeycreeper conservation efforts have received a $16 million investment from the Biden Administration. The investment will be put towards the Hawaiian Forest Bird Conservation Keystone Initiative and is expected to cover most of the financial needs for fiscal year 2023. |
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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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