Aloha from Oahu!
I am here with my colleague David Hyrenbach from Hawaii Pacific University. We are in the formative stages of beginning a project with wedge-tailed shearwaters. Yesterday we went with Wendy Johnson from the Hawaii Audubon Society to the Freeman Seabird Reserve at Black Point.
David and Wendy and Pam
Mr Freeman donated this land to preserve the area for the nesting wedge-tailed shearwaters. Historically these seabirds nested all along the Oahu coastline. Now this is one of the only places left where they nest on Oahu; most of the other known sites are small islets offshore.
The Freeman Seabird Reserve at Black Point.
We searched the boulder field for nesting birds. They like to either dig burrows or nest under boulders.
Wedge-tailed shearwater in a rock crevice
Wedge-tailed shearwater in an exposed nest site
Most of the wedge-tailed shearwaters nest here but a few lucky residents in the neighborhood adjacent to the reserve have a few birds nesting in their yards! Unfortunately, living close to people means the birds are vulnerable to dogs, cats, and mowing. We found this bird that looked like it had been attacked by a cat.
dead wedge-tailed shearwater
We found some of the birds had eggs. They only lay one egg per year. Let’s hope for a successful nesting season!
Wedge-tailed shearwater with egg.
The Hawaii Audubon Society has been working hard to restore the native vegetation to the site. If you are interested in volunteering or in making a donation to help the ‘Ua’u kani; contact them!
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