What’s the Fuss About Fallout?
What is Fallout?
When shearwaters and petrels leave their burrows at night, they are guided by the light of the moon out to sea. Unfortunately, light from urbanization on Kaua’i results in fallout. This is when birds are attracted to artificial lights by mistake, they become disoriented, and land in inappropriate areas. Once grounded these birds have difficulty taking flight due to their unique physiology. When they become grounded, they are vulnerable to numerous threats such as invasive predators, collisions with infrastructures, or car strikes. If unable to gain flight again, they can also succumb to starvation.
Light attraction appears to primarily affect fledgling birds. The term fledgling refers to a young bird that is taking flight for the first time. As this is the case, we know that during shearwater and petrel fledgling season (September to December of each year) we will see the majority of fallout. Hence the name, Fallout Season! SOS receives approximately 200-300 individuals within that time frame and can receive 15-20 birds in one day during the peak of fallout.
In 2024, SOS admitted 144 'ua'u kani, 123 'a'o, and 8 'ua'u. Our release rate for all patients (no matter the species) was 83% with our release rate for shearwaters specifically was 89.5% in 2024. This rate reflects total releases as a percentage of total patients less those that did not survive the first 24 hours in care. This is a standard calculation in wildlife rehabilitation.
A visual representation of how similar bright lights can look compared to the light of the moon. There is still a lot to be discovered about seabird vision and how they process their environment.
You should never attempt to release a grounded seabird on your own. There can be a lot of underlying issues not visible to the naked eye or an untrained individual (dehydration, head trauma, infection, fractures, malnutrition, cat bites, etc.). Call us at (808) 635-5117 so we can assist you and so we can get the bird into care as quickly as possible. The faster birds are found and brought to SOS, the better the chance of a full recovery! We rely on our community to assist in finding and transporting these birds to the nearest aid station, and boy do they come through for us every year!
Aid STation Deployment
An example of an aid station (available for bird drop-offs from September 15th - December 15th)
In order to best serve our native birds during this influx of patients, SOS deploys high volume aid stations across the island. Please see our homepage for a list of all available locations to drop of a native bird. These aid stations are only deployed from September 15th to December 15th of each year. Outside of this timeframe, fire stations will still have cardboard pet carriers that the public can drop injured or grounded native birds into.
Our aid stations were built to give the birds a safe, protected, and clean space to stay in while awaiting pick up by SOS. Rest assured, these stations were tested with temperature loggers in full sun exposure to ensure birds will not overheat in these enclosures.
If dropping off a bird in at a designated aid station (inside or outside of Fallout Season) always call or text us at (808) 635-5117. If able, we would also appreciate the exact (google pin preferred) location of where an individual is found. This information helps inform conservation work across the island and is integral to helping species recovery as a whole.
Dates of Concern
These birds historically have a harder time making it out to sea during new moons as there is no moon for them to use for navigation. This makes them more susceptible to light attraction during those times. Additionally, cloudy or stormy nights can also lead to increased fallout for the same reason.
We ask that the public be acutely aware of the days leading up to and following new moons from September 15th - December 15th. It is vital that we are keeping an eye out for grounded birds during this time and ensure we have seabird friendly lighting.
A reminder these are dates we want everyone to be extra vigilant, however, keep your eyes pealed for grounded shearwaters/petrels for the entirety of Fallout Season.
Be AWARE
Shearwaters and Petrels will burrow or attempt to hide during day light hours. Look carefully under vehicles, on your lanai, under shrubs, and anywhere else they might tuck away. At night, they will likely come out of their hiding spots to try and take flight again.
An 'ua'u kani tucked into a gutter on the second floor of apartment complex.
An 'a'o hiding in bush that was discovered by school children in Waimea.