From Pacific to Prairie and Pole to Pole

Popo’ia Island isn’t far from Oahu Island. Photo by Max:

Some people call the island ‘Flat Island’ for obvious reasons. From a distance it is hard to tell what the things are that are sticking up. But when you get closer you can see that they are people!

People kayak and swim to the island. David and I went there with Jaap Eijzenga, a biologist with Hawaii Dept. of Land and Natural Resources-Dept. of Forestry and Wildlife. He is in charge of offshore island seabird sanctuaries. He has been restoring the native vegetation on the islands, protecting the native wildlife and working to rid the islands of their many introduced plants and animals.

The island is a limestone swiss cheese where wedge-tailed shearwaters and the smaller Bulwer’s petrels make their nests. On other islands like Manana Island, the wedge-tailed shearwaters dig out their burrows in soil. Due to the introduced vegetation that doesn’t hold the soil well, the birds can get buried in their own burrows. Some massive mudslides have occured after rains which have instantly trapped them. The birds at Popo’ia island have sturdier natural shelters.
Some of the shearwaters that we saw were sitting out in the open socializing. These birds were likely non-breeders that don’t have a mate or a nest site yet.
Some birds were courting each other by allopreening (grooming each other’s feathers).

A big thank you to Jaap who took the time to show us the island and to explain the restoration and monitoring work that he and many other volunteers have been doing on these precious tiny islands. For more information on the characteristics, threats to, and restoration work being on Popo’ia Island see the website of the Offshore Islet Restoration Committee.