Wild about seabirds
by Sharon Higa | July 23, 2019
July is #WildAboutWildlife Month, and weʻre pleased to highlight Pacific Rim Conservation (PRC), a Hawaii-based, nonprofit wildlife research and management organization.
In 2017, PRC embarked on an ambitious, pioneering project that would translocate seabird chicks from low-lying atolls in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands threatened by sea level rise, and create new breeding colonies at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge in Kahuku.
This had never been done before in Hawaii or the U.S., and Hawaiian Electric awarded an environmental grant in support of PRC’s efforts to establish resilient seabird communities.
“Our goal is to create new nesting colonies of seabirds in a higher, safe location where they aren’t threatened by sea level rise or predators,” said Dr. Eric VanderWerf, director of science at PRC. The hope is that the chicks will imprint in their new home and come back when they are ready to nest.
Insights gleaned from scientists and wildlife researchers in New Zealand and Japan, who had success translocating different bird species, set the expectations for the PRC team. “We knew what to expect going in to the process, and that is the need to have patience because this is a long process.”
Transporting the chicks took several trips. The Black-Footed Albatross chicks were just three weeks old when they were placed in their individual pet carriers and flown the 3.5-hour trip from Midway Atoll to Honolulu. The process was repeated with the Bonin Petrel chicks when they were two months old.
The researchers spent a week on Tern Island camping in the rough before bringing the two-month-old Tristram’s Storm Petrel chicks by ship to Honolulu on a 2.5-day voyage.
Back on Oahu, predator proof fencing had been installed at the wildlife refuge and a team of biologists were ready to hand-raise the chicks in their new homes. For the Black-Footed Albatross chicks, Dr. VanderWerf had designed mini A-frame “houses” to provide shelter from the sun and rain.
For the petrels, PRC had designed nest boxes with lids that could be opened to feed the chicks. The boxes were buried underground, and a tunnel created so the chicks could come out when they were ready.
After two years of translocating the seabird chicks, PRC has found success in the process with fledgling survival at almost 97 percent overall. The birds then fly off to sea, some not touching land for five years.
“One storm petrel and one Bonin petrel did come back, which means they view the refuge as their home,” said Dr. VanderWerf, though he added they won’t know for several years how successful their efforts have been with the different species.
“Albatross start to return to their home at age 4 or 5 when they are ready to choose a mate,” he added. And, it must be a good decision since they mate for life and start a family at 8 or 9 years old.
“It takes a lot of work, but we believe in the process and we believe it is going to work as every step has been successful.”
For Dr. VanderWerf, a lifelong love of the outdoors and animals are why he’s wild about wildlife. “Hawaii’s wildlife needs help. We have a lot of issues, and it’s why I like working here because a lot of work needs to be done. It’s easy to make a difference. Pacific Rim Conservation is committed to Hawaii and protecting and enhancing its natural resources. We work with many local partners and we’re here to stay.”
For more information about PRC and its efforts to create resilient seabird communities, visit www.pacificrimconservation.org.
Sharon Higa is a senior communications consultant at Hawaiian Electric Company.
