For bird’s sake: Help protect young seabirds as they take their first flight

Every fall, fledgling seabirds leave their nests to make their inaugural flight. It’s the first step in a journey that will end in a lifelong relationship with the ocean.

That journey, however, is often fraught with peril and danger for the young avians just starting out into the world.

It doesn’t have to be. With a little help from their human neighbors, the fledglings can be protected from the fallout and grow to see the next generation set out on their own path to the sea.

Seabird fallout season happens every year from roughly Sept. 15 to Dec. 15.

The state encourages people throughout Hawai‘i to have a small towel and box in their vehicles in case they spot a seabird that has fallen to the ground. You can also help by using bird-safe lights at your home and business.

Fallout is a phenomenon that primarily affects young seabirds, such as petrels and shearwaters, that leave their nest for the first time; however, it can affect adults any time of year. Seabirds use natural lighting from the moon and stars to navigate out to sea to feed.

They can become disoriented by artificial lighting, including street lights, and circle lights or collide with man-made structures. They also can become exhausted and fall to the ground, where they become vulnerable to predators and being struck by vehicles.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife and licensed wildlife rehabilitation organizations such as Save Our Shearwaters and Hawai‘i Wildlife Center work together to protect seabirds that need help during fallout season.

In a small corner of the Honolulu Zoo, Rachael Sitzer with the Hawai‘i Wildlife Center has been preparing for the busy season.

Last year on O‘ahu alone, the center took in more than 700 fallen seabirds.

“Every single bird, in our eyes, needs a full veterinary evaluation whether or not they appear healthy,” explained Sitzer. “Whether or not they need extensive, actual medical care is determined during the exam. That includes checking things like waterproofing of their feathers if they got contaminated. That’s not something the bird is going to know is wrong with it. So, they might be acting fine, but actually, if you send them out to sea like that, they could drown.”

While there are more than 20 species of seabirds that nest in Hawai‘i, the concern during fallout season pertains mostly to seabirds protected under state and federal law:

• ‘A‘o (Newell’s shearwater).
• ‘Ua‘u (Hawaiian petrel).
• Akē‘akē (band-rumped storm-petrel).
• ‘Ua‘u kani (wedge-tailed shearwater).
• ʻOu (Bulwer’s petrel).

Sitzer last week cared for a couple of Bulwer’s petrels, which are among the earliest to experience fall out.

“At this point in the year, we’re still having fuzzy chicks in the nest that might be starting to venture from their burrows a little bit, so we want to make sure that we’re not taking a chick unnecessarily that doesn’t need help,” she said. “But certainly, if we’re getting toward November and you find a bird in your yard, your driveway, in the street, your parking lot or struggling in the water to stay afloat or on the beach staying in the same spot a long time, those are all indications that a bird might need help.”

Wildlife rehabilitators and federal and state experts say being able to recognize these signs is important.

They recommend preparing in advance by having boxes handy in your car and at your house. Poke holes in them for ventilation and have a clean towel at the bottom.

Have a clean towel or a piece of cloth to place over the bird and gently pick it up around the body and place it in the box. Also know where the certified drop-off sites are on your island.

It’s the bird version of the three R’s: recognize, respond, rehab.

Recognize

Recognize the signs of whether the seabird truly needs help.

• Young seabirds are often seen sitting outside their burrows in coastal areas and do not need help. These birds must be left alone.
• If the seabird is an unsafe environment, such as the side of the road, next to a building or under a streetlight, then it likely needs help.

Contact the Division of Forestry and Wildlife or a wildlife rehabilitation facility for questions or assistance determining if the bird needs help.

Respond

• If the seabird does need help, prepare a ventilated container, such as a pet carrier or cardboard box with holes, and collect the bird by approaching it from behind and using a lightweight towel or cloth to gently pick it up.
• Do not give it any food or water.
• Place the container in a quiet, dark location, away from people, animals, loud noises and extreme temperature changes.
• Do not attempt to release the bird on your own.

Rehab

• Take the seabird to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility, downed wildlife drop-off location or veterinary clinic as soon as possible.
• When dropping off the bird, provide the date, time and location of when and where you found it. This information can help wildlife biologists and managers prevent seabird fallout in the first place.

“We have a really long list of criteria that all the birds have to meet in order to be considered releasable,” Sitzer said. “Once we feel they meet all that criteria, we take them to a controlled release site where we can safely let them fly out to sea. But sometimes these fledglings don’t want to go. They might not feel ready, so we just give them the time that they need physically and mentally in order to go out to sea.”

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Simple changes at home or at your business also can help reduce the potential for seabirds to confuse artificial lights with natural moonlight.

• Keep unnecessary outdoor lights off during fall months and close curtains at night to minimize the impact of indoor lights.
• Consider adding shields that direct light downward or using direction lights that only project toward the ground for outdoor lights that must stay on at night.
• Use low-intensity lights to help minimize risks.

Find examples of seabird-friendly lighting here.

For even more information about seabird fallout season or how you can help protect the birds, click here.