Press Release 12/1/23

Rescued ʻuaʻu chick takes flight!

Date: December 1, 2023

[Wailua, HI] An endangered ʻuaʻu (Hawaiian Petrel) chick that was rescued by a team from Archipelago Research and Conservation (ARC) in the middle of October has been successfully released out to sea after 39 days of care by the Save Our Shearwaters (SOS) program.

The ʻuaʻu is an endemic seabird found only in the Hawaiian Islands, and a third of the world population nests on Kauaʻi. Research has shown that in recent decades, the species has declined by 78% due to a range of threats including powerline collisions and predation by introduced predators such as cats, rats and pigs, with the result that the species is now listed as Endangered. In this case, the ‘uaʻu chick was found by the ARC team while undertaking colony monitoring work in a seabird management area located in the Hono O Nā Pali Natural Area Reserve on October 19th. One of the parents was unfortunately found dead outside of its burrow due to natural causes and the decision was made to rescue the chick and bring it into care.

“At that critical stage in its life, an ‘uaʻu chick needs both of its parents to survive, as the chick is in a period of rapid growth and requires the food that the two parents are bringing,” said Dr. André Raine, Science Director for ARC. “The chick was very thin and weak when the team discovered it, so we knew its only chance of survival was to be brought to the Save Our Shearwaters team for rehabilitation.”

The ARC team carefully removed the chick from its burrow under an ʻōhiʻa tree and hiked with it across steep, mountainous terrain to their base camp. The chick was kept in a dry warm area where it could safely sleep until a helicopter came to collect it in the morning. After being transferred to Līhuʻe, the chick was taken to the Save Our Shearwaters facility in Wailua.

"When this ‘uaʻu arrived at our facility it was clear based the bird's body condition that s/he had not been cared for by her parents for an extended amount of time,” said Jacqueline Nelson, Wildlife Rehabilitation Manager for Save Our Shearwaters. “She would not have survived much longer in the wild without intervention. We are thrilled she responded well to treatment and that we were able to get her into an appropriate weight range for the species. Watching them fly out to sea at release makes all the hard work worth it!"

The ‘uaʻu was ultimately released by SOS last Sunday, at Lydgate Park, along with an ‘aʻo (Newell’s Shearwater) and ‘uaʻu kani (Wedge-tailed Shearwater) which had both previously been rescued after being grounded by lights from urban areas. After several minutes stretching its wings and preening, the ‘uaʻu flew strongly out to sea. The bird is now hopefully well on its way to wintering grounds in the Philippines.

Kylie Smith, one of the ARC technicians who initially rescued the bird, was there to watch the ‘uaʻu head out to sea. She said, “Having seen the ‘uaʻu chick literally go from mauka to makai, it was so awe-inspiring to be present when the chick finally took its first flight out to sea! I feel such gratitude for being a part of this process and am thrilled that we have been able to give the bird a second chance.”

Hawaiian petrel monitoring work and rehabilitation carried out by ARC and SOS respectively is funded by the Kauaʻi Island Utility Co-operative as part of a Habitat Conservation Plan.

Video footage available on YouTube HERE

[Photos 1 + 2 – Credit: Kylie Smith, Description: ʻUaʻu chick being rescued from the mountains.]

[Photo 3 – Credit: Jacqueline Nelson, Description: ʻUaʻu chick upon intake at SOS.]

[Photo 4 – Credit: Jacqueline Nelson, Description: ʻUaʻu chick during a daily examination at SOS, almost fully grown.]

[Photo 5 – Credit: Jacqueline Nelson, Description: ʻUaʻu chick upon release after 39 days in care.]

Press Release 1/24/23

The effects of a mass depredation event on One Resilient Mōlī

Date: January 24, 2023

[Wailua, HI] On December 26, a mōlī (Laysan Albatross) was found waterlogged and struggling at sea about 1.5 miles offshore of Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (KPNWR).

“It was probably only a matter of minutes or hours before [the albatross] drowned,” said Howie Grene, one of bird’s rescuers, “the wings were all out as he tried to keep himself afloat, his head was just barely above water and his body was submerged.”

The rescuers were able to safely capture the albatross and bring her (gender unconfirmed, suspected female) to Kaiakea Fire Station, where Save Our Shearwaters (SOS) staff collected the bird. Her numbered leg band allowed her to be identified as an active nester, last seen incubating an egg at KPNWR on December 22.

Upon arrival to SOS, the albatross was assigned the patient ID number ANP081 and received a full examination. It was noted that ANP081’s plumage was covered in a light-yellow contaminant. She was placed in SOS’s conditioning pool, where water quickly penetrated through her feathers all the way to her skin.

“It is vital that pelagic birds such as mōlī are completely waterproof prior to release,” said Jacqueline Nelson, Wildlife Rehabilitation Manager for SOS, “otherwise, water can reach their skin causing them to become hypothermic or have difficulty taking flight off the water and foraging for food.”

As this patient was an active nester, time was of the essence to get her back into the wild as quickly as possible. Trained SOS staff completed an extensive wash procedure to remove any contaminants from ANP081’s plumage. She spent two additional days at the rehabilitation facility, where staff monitored her buoyancy and checked to ensure her feathers remained dry while pooling. After passing her final waterproofing and health evaluations, she was released successfully at Anahola Beach on January 2.

On January 7, KPNWR reported on their Facebook page that 64 mōlī eggs were “crushed or eaten by pigs on Nihokū beginning on Dec. 22.” KPNWR confirmed that ANP081’s nest was one of the ones that had been depredated by a pig. This depredation event is suspected to be the cause of ANP081’s waterproofing issues because the yolk from her destroyed egg would explain the light-yellow substance found in her feathers.

US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) staff, in coordination with Pacific Rim Conservation (PRC), have been working to finish expanding their predator-resistant fencing to encompass the area where these mōlī nests are located. The fence is scheduled to be completed in just a few months.

Heather Abbey-Tonneson, Refuge Complex Manager for KPNWR stated, "In addition to SOS, our partnerships with Pacific Rim Conservation, Pono Pacific, State of Hawai`i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Kauaʻi Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, and American Bird Conservation on our nearly 2-mile predator-resistant perimeter fence will protect mōlī and other species on 168 acres.”

While ANP081 lost her egg and nearly her life due an invasive predator, next year we hope she will return to her newly protected nesting site for a successful breeding season.

SOS is a nonprofit association that operates the only Federal and State permitted facility for native wildlife rehabilitation on Kaua‘i. They accept all native Hawaiian birds and the Hawaiian hoary bat. To help support the vital work of SOS or Kaua‘i’s National Wildlife Refuges, please visit www.saveourshearwaters.org/donate or www.kauairefuges.org/donate-join respectively.

[Photo 1 – Credit: Keane Sammon, Description: SOS staff perform a wash on ANP081 to remove any contaminants from her feathers]

[Photo 2 – Credit: Amanda Parrish, Description: ANP081 sinking on SOS's conditioning pool due to contaminated plumage]

[Photo 3 – Credit: Jacqueline Nelson, Description: ANP081 at Anahola Beach prior to taking off toward the sea]

[Photo 4 –Credit: Howie Grene, Description: Greg Yost holding ANP081 after rescuing him/her at sea]

[Photo 5 – Credit: USFWS, Description: Trail camera footage of a pig depredating an albatross nest at KPNWR on December 23, 2022.]

Newsletter Sign-Up