Seasonal changes in Hawai‘i are sometimes subtle and may even go unrecognized. A clear sign that fall has arrived on Kaua‘i is the annual departure of newly fledged Newell’s shearwater chicks. Each year they migrate from their nesting colonies in
Seasonal changes in Hawai‘i are sometimes subtle and may even go unrecognized. A clear sign that fall has arrived on Kaua‘i is the annual departure of newly fledged Newell’s shearwater chicks. Each year they migrate from their nesting colonies in Kaua‘i’s mountains and head to the ocean where they will spend most of their lives.
Endemic to Hawai‘i, the Newell’s shearwater, or ‘a‘o, was once found throughout the main Hawaiian Islands. Today, the only known breeding colonies occur on Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i and Moloka‘i. Adults have been found dead on O‘ahu, but nesting colonies have not been documented.
Each evening from late September to early December, Newell’s shearwater chicks instinctively head out to sea. They emerge from underground burrows beneath dense vegetation on steep mountain slopes. Making their way to the edges of cliffs, they leap into the night, sometimes using their sharp claws and beaks to climb ‘ohi‘a trees before jumping into the wind to take their first flight.
Within half an hour of becoming airborne, they come up against a dangerous threat. Artificial lights in developed areas attract inexperienced birds that probably navigate using visual cues. Confused, they fly around lights in circles until they collide with nearby structures and power lines or drop to the ground in exhaustion. Once grounded, chances of survival are poor and they are vulnerable to predation by cats and dogs, die of dehydration or are hit by cars.
The ones lucky enough to survive the “fallout” are frequently picked up by passersby and taken to designated “Save Our Shearwaters” aid stations at various locations around the island. These birds are later released at locations where they have a better chance of making it out to the ocean.
“They do not return to Kaua‘i for two years,” said coordinator of the Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Nick Holmes.
“Save Our Shearwaters,” a program that began in 1978, was created to increase public awareness about the artificial light problem and to recruit the public to rescue downed birds.
“At least 85 percent of Kaua‘i’s streetlights are now shielded to minimize fallout and over 32,000 Newell’s shearwaters have been picked up by Kaua‘i’s citizens since the program began,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement officer Keith Swindle.
In spite of the efforts and increased awareness, population numbers are declining and more needs to be done to recover the population.
“Light attraction is only one of many threats Newell’s shearwaters face,” Holmes said.
Thought to be nearly extinct in the early 1900s, Newell’s shearwaters were listed as a federally threatened species in 1975 and are also considered threatened by the state of Hawai‘i. According to Holmes, in the late 1980s the population was estimated to be 84,000, but information from 1993 to 2001 suggests the population has declined by at least 60 percent. Holmes said birds only raise one chick a year and the population is slow growing.
“Even a 1 percent decline will have serious impacts,” he said.
“Fallout” doesn’t only occur in chicks. While adult birds do not fall victim to light attractions, some are killed and injured each year when they “hit wires or collide with other structures,” said Andrea Erichsen, coordinator for the Kaua‘i Seabird Habitat Conservation Plan.
Other threats include introduced mammals such as pigs and goats that degrade suitable nesting habitat. Hurricane ‘Iniki may have also played a role in destroying ‘a‘o habitat.
“Of the 12 known colonies on Kaua‘i, three are no longer being used by Newell’s shearwaters,” Holmes said.
Since Hurricane ‘Iniki, the habitat of two of those three colonies have been taken over by invasive plant species, and birds can no longer breed there. The good news is while Newell’s shearwaters are up against many challenges, most of the known threats are manageable.
“Fallout is not just seasonal, it’s preventable,” Erichsen said.
She and other biologists and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working on bringing awareness to the problems these seabirds face and are implementing measures to minimize human related impacts on the species.
Fortunately, there is a lot that can be done to protect this unique seabird and everyone can help to make a difference by minimizing or eliminating artificial lighting and rescuing birds.
“Human inaction will result in their extinction,” Swindle said. “Their fate depends on what humans choose to do and on what humans choose to not do.”
For more information on what to do if you find a downed bird visit:
kiuc.coop/save_our_shearwaters or call 632-0610.
• Lizabeth Kashinsky is a freelance writer living in O‘ahu. She has worked in conservation in Hawai‘i for over 14 years.
