January Newsletter 2023

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Gosling Time!

JEN387 and ANP015, from last gosling season, spending time in an outdoor pen for some extra Vitamin D.

With our shearwater season over, we are now seeing more goslings and adolescent geese! Nēnē / Hawaiian Geese lay their eggs from November to January, which hatch throughout December and January. Goslings will leave the nest and follow their parents, after only a day or two. Nēnē won’t go off independently until they are about a year old but can look like full-grown adults to the naked eye by four or five months old.

Goslings will follow those around them as their family group. If you find a gosling it is important to limit your contact. Even if they have already imprinted on other geese, they can become habituated to humans, meaning they no longer view them as a threat. Habituation puts birds at risk of unintentionally getting harmed by humans and lowers their chances of success in the wild. It’s important for us to get gosling patients out of care as soon as possible, to minimize the length of time that they are being handled by humans.

When goslings are ready for release, we work with the Department of Forestry and Wildlife who locate appropriate “foster” families for them. Luckily, nēnē are very protective of their young and will often take in lone goslings. On average, a female nēnē will lay only 2-5 eggs during the nesting season. So, when you see families with over 6 babies it’s likely some of those goslings were “adopted” after being separated from their original families. This behavior is one of the reasons why we are able to successfully foster goslings into wild families on a consistent basis.

Goslings JEN387 and ANP015 were successfully fostered out together last winter.

Patient Spotlight

Greg Yost holding ANP081 after rescuing him/her at sea. Photo credit: Howie Green.

This mōlī / Laysan Albatross, ANP081, came to SOS on December 26th after s/he was found by kite surfers about 1.5 miles offshore, waterlogged and barely moving in the water. Upon admission, we noted that her plumage was contaminated with a light-yellow substance. With the help of her unique band number and the presence of a brood patch, we were able to determine that she was an active nester. She had last been seen a few days prior to intake and had just switched off brooding responsibilities with her partner. With an egg and partner to get back to, it was extra important to get her out of care as quickly as possible.

ANP081's first time on the conditioning pool before being washed. Note how low her body sits in the water.

ANP081 was put on our conditioning pool on arrival to check to see if her feathers were waterproof. Unfortunately, due to the contamination, she had water penetrating through all of her plumage down to her skin. There was minimal improvement in waterproofing after multiple pool sessions and she was still soaking wet.

ANP081 getting rinsed off after being thoroughly washed by trained staff.

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.

ANP081 at release, getting ready to take off.

This patient's story only continued to develop- on January 7, Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (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.

Trail camera footage of a pig depredating an albatross nest at KPNWR on December 23, 2022. Photo credit: USFWS.

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. 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.

Mahalo to ANP081's rescuers that saw this mōlī in distress and immediately jumped to action. Without their quick intervention, this bird would have likely perished at sea as she was unable to take flight off the ocean with waterlogged plumage. We can’t thank our local community enough for keeping an eye out for injured native birds around the island.

Behind the Scenes

A Pueo / Hawaiian Short-eared Owl (left) and a 'Alae 'Ula / Hawaiian Gallinule (right) perched in their respective housing.

Following our move to Wailua, 2022 continued to be an exciting year of setting new roots. Despite this major transition SOS’s doors remained open every day for wildlife in need. Over the course of the year, we admitted 558 birds, spanning 22 native species! Threatened or endangered species made up 56% of these individuals.

As always, we could never do this work without your help and support! We rely heavily on the public for informing us of birds in need. Our wonderful volunteers have also been a tremendous help taking on projects like wildlife facility repairs, cleaning crates, transporting wildlife, setting up enclosures, and supplying greens for our nēnē. We are always looking for more volunteers, especially those to aid in the transport of birds- no handling experience required! If you are interested in volunteering with us click here.

A juvenile and an adult 'Ā / Red-footed Booby taking a break on the conditioning pool (left), an 'A'o / Newell's Shearwater at release (right).

Conservation Corner

Whale Count

It’s whale season! Each year the Sanctuary Ocean Count is held to monitor Koholā kuapi’o / humpback whales along O’ahu, Hawai’i, and Kaua’i. Click here to learn more and register for these counts held on the last Saturday of January, February, and March.

Mamba Drone

The National Tropical Botanical Gardens on Kaua’i is now utilizing a new technique to collect endangered plant species from remote areas: a Mamba drone. Check out how this new approach to collecting once inaccessible plants is making an impact.

Hui Maka’āinana o Makana

Located in Hā’ena, Hui Maka’āinana o Makana is a non-profit, community-based organization focused on maintaining and teaching the skills, knowledge, and practices of their kūpuna (ancestors). This work is done through various programs and avenues including Community Workdays, held the first and third Saturday of each month.

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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