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September 15th marks the beginning of fallout season! This time of year, seabirds leave their nests at night and are guided by the light of the moon out to sea. Unfortunately, these birds can be attracted to artificial light by mistake and end up grounded. Once grounded they are often unable to regain flight, and become vulnerable to a variety of threats (e.g. predation, contamination, vehicle collisions).
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'Ua'u kani / Wedge-tailed Shearwater. |
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SOS Aid Stations will be deployed September 15th. |
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SOS is gearing up for fallout response, but community participation is what makes it successful. Please keep your eyes open for grounded seabirds! Keeping a hand towel and ventilated cardboard box in the car can help make sure you’re prepared. If you do find a bird in need, please drop it off at one of our aid stations found around the island. Even a seemingly healthy bird may need care before they are able to survive at sea! These Aid Stations are checked daily by SOS staff and will be available from September 15th - December 15th.
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Don’t forget to prep your fallout bird transport box! Designate a ventilated box and two clean hand towels, one to line the bottom and one for handling, to safely contain birds while en route to the nearest Aid Station. |
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You can also help make their journey out to sea easier by drawing your blinds at night and minimizing the use of outdoor lights. When you do use outdoor lighting, it is best to replace incandescent, fluorescent and high-intensity lighting with a maximum 40 watt yellow bug light. Additionally, utilizing shielded light fixtures that decrease the amount of stray light can lower the risk of interference. More examples of suitable lighting can be found here! |
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BSV266 a few weeks after intake. |
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This female Pueo / Hawaiian Short-eared Owl was admitted in late June with damage to her left pupil and an old infection in her right leg. National Tropical Botanical Garden staff found her sheltering in one of their greenhouses and coordinated transport to SOS. Once she arrived, she was put on a course of antibiotics, an anti-inflammatory, and other medications to treat her ailments.
Once the infection in her leg cleared up, she was moved to an outdoor pen for flight conditioning. By early August, she had fully recovered and was released back at NTBG! Staff and volunteers were able to see her take off.
Fun Fact: Unlike many other owl species, Pueo are diurnal. This means they’re active during the day, often hunting in the morning or late afternoon.
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After 46 days in care, BSV266 was successfully released back at NTBG. |
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A Mōlī / Laysan Albatross testing out our new pool for the first time.
Following our move to Wailua in December, we have been busy making updates and improvements to the new facility. With fallout season approaching quickly, we are preparing for the influx of patients by making facility adjustments big and small. Most recently, SOS Facilities Manager, Maddy, finished installing our new pool system! Pooling seabirds is vital to their rehabilitative care as they need to be completely waterproof prior to release. These pools are not only bigger (12’ diameter!) than our previous conditioning pools, but they also have a more sophisticated system for cleaning/sanitation and significantly reduce our rate of water usage. Our team could not be more excited about this upgrade, and we are sure the birds will enjoy the extra space as well!
Seasonal Avian Technicians
Each fall our team doubles in size in order to handle our increased patient load. This year's four seasonal Avian Technicians started September 6th! These technicians will go through orientation and training before fallout season is in full swing. Be sure to give them a wave if you see them in the field picking up patients from Aid Stations!
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2021 Aid Station deployment with SOS and Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) Staff.
Give Aloha
This year, SOS is participating in Give Aloha, Foodland’s Annual Community Matching Gifts program! This program runs September 1st-30th as a way to give back to the community by supporting Hawai'i non-profit organizations. Make a donation to SOS at Foodland this month, and Foodland will match a portion of your gift!
Here's how it works:
• Go to any Foodland or Sack N Save store
• Make a donation of any amount up to $249 at checkout
• Give the cashier our organization code number: 79098
• Present your Maika’i card to the cashier when making your transaction.
• Review your receipt to confirm the donation amount and the name of our organization is correct.
We’ll receive all donations to SOS plus our matching gift in October. You can also donate 250 Maika’i points, equivalent to a $5 donation, to help increase the matching gift for all participating organizations or purchase Give Aloha merchandise!
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This Just In…
An ‘Ua‘u / Hawaiian Petrel chick hatched at Nihoku last month for the first time in the project’s history!
The Nihoku Ecosystem Restoration Project is a conservation effort that began in 2012 to create predator free spaces for native Hawaiian ground-nesting birds, in addition to protecting the coastal ecosystem. Located at the Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge, efforts focus specifically on nesting habitats for 'Ua'u and 'A'o / Newell's Shearwaters, as well as existing colonies of Mōlī / Layson Albatross and Nēnē / Hawaiian Goose.
This recent hatchling belongs to a pair of ‘Ua‘u that were brought to Nihoku in 2017 as part of the program’s translocation project. Since ‘Ua‘u and ‘A’o return to their natal colonies to breed, birds are expected to return to Nihoku when they are fully grown and ready to nest themselves. This hatchling is a big milestone for the project, representing a promising future for this protected colony. Read more about this project and the people making it happen here!
West Side Mural
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Photo via The Garden Isle "'Quick Read' mural is about awareness" / Dennis Fujimoto.
A new mural highlighting some of Hawai'i's native birds was completed mid-July along Kaumuali'i Highway in Ele'ele across from Big Save. The mural was completed by artist, Seth Womble, and was sponsored by Hawai'i Community Foundation and Hawai'i Tourism Authority in partnership with NirMānā Projects, Archipelago Research and Conservation, Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture and Hawaii’s Department of Transportation. The mural was approved in hopes of connecting the community to Hawai'i's native species and their habitat. Within the mural you can spot an 'A'o / Newell's Shearwater, Ae'o / Hawaiian Stilt, and the Koloa Maoli / Hawaiian Duck! |
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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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