At the end of April we had the opportunity to have our Wailua facility blessed by Kahu Kelvin. This blessing honored the land and hands that helped SOS become the program it is today, as well as set intentions as we continue forward.

Getting here was no small feat... We had a small window of time to move our operations to the new site, during our busiest time of year. Many came together to help ensure that our doors were able to remain open for native birds in need. We are appreciative and thankful for all that helped us succeed on the timeline necessary. Together we turned hurdles into opportunities, and the birds we care for are all the better for it. The support was overwhelming as we reflected on this passage and the road ahead with many of the partners, funders, and volunteers that made it possible in attendance. Mahalo nui loa to Kahu Kelvin for facilitating this special day that resonated with us all.

This time is a celebration of progress, but without complacency. We recognize that we are the only program legally able to rehabilitate native species on Kaua'i, and as demand continues to grow, we need to keep growing with it if we hope to ensure that other important aspects of our work like community outreach and integration don't fall behind.

With our feet under us at this interim location, we can take a closer look at what the needs will be 5, 10, 20 years from now, and how we can best prepare. We see the need for a permanent, purpose-built wildlife hospital and education center, and look forward to involving the community in that discussion as we move forward.

This little ae'o / Hawaiian Stilt, ANP122, came to SOS on May 8th. S/he was found by USFWS looking lethargic and having a hard time moving around. She quickly began to perk up with just supplemental heat and nutrition. We found no injuries upon intake and suspect she was lethargic due to hypothermia. Currently, we are focused on supporting her growth until she is fully flighted and ready to be released back into the wild - which takes a LOT of food.

At such a young age, a big focus of initial care for this ae'o was maintaining temperature. For the first few days she was housed in one of our incubators with foliage and mirrors. The mirrors allow the patient to recognize its own species and prevent them from associating with humans. This also helps patients feel more comfortable as they feel they are not alone. Once stabilized she was moved into a larger soft-sided enclosure. Now alert and active, our job is to keep up with her growth and keep an eye out for any secondary issues that may arise. This chick has been getting food bowls with a variety of invertebrates for her to pick through all day. Lately, she seems to gravitate toward krill the most. At 95g, she is now over 7x her intake weight! We are aiming for her to be ~180-200g at release so we still have quite a way to go.

We have another update on the Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture grant that we received last year! In March we shared that we were able to set up a waterbird pool to better help our patients to waterproof and condition prior to release. Since then we have been able to purchase two incubators to support critical care patients. One of these incubators is portable, which allows supplemental heat during transport and the occasional overnight care for particularly critical patients. We were able to utilize this incubator for our ae'o patient mentioned above!

The next project funded through this grant is the construction of a full waterbird aviary! This addition will expand our waterbird housing options to better condition waterbird patients’ mobility, strength, and waterproofing prior to release. This 24’ L x 10’ W x 12’ H pen will meet or exceed pre-release conditioning standards for all Hawai'i state and federally listed waterbird species. The size will also allow for a variety of ground cover, shaded and protected areas, and natural vegetation, as well as a pool. These conditions will better mimic the birds’ natural habitat, which will encourage natural behavior and aid recovery.

Our Facilities Manager is finalizing plans, and construction will begin soon with the help of Pacific Joiners who are graciously volunteering their time and equipment!