Wedge-tailed Shearwaters in Hawaii are doing well behind a predator-proof fence

 
A Wedge-tailed Shearwater in its burrow at Kaena Point

The Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve on the Hawaiian island of Oahu has a predator-proof fence that protects a breeding population of Near Threatened Laysan Albatrosses Phoebastria immutabilis from stray dogs, feral cats and introduced mongooses and rodents.  It also affords the birds a breeding site considered safe from predicted sea level rise.  The reserve also supports a growing population of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters Puffinus pacificus as the environmental NGO Pacific Rim Conservation has recently reported on its Facebook page:

“We spent the day with @hawaii_dlnr [Hawaii Department of and Land and Natural Resources] and Pacific Islands: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducting the annual Wedge-tailed Shearwater count at Kaena Point and the birds have set a huge new record!  13,479 nests that fledged 6,414 chicks!  Ten years ago before the predator exclusion fence was installed, there were 2,637 nests and only 345 chicks that fledged that year. It's amazing how Hawaii's birds can thrive once you remove predators from their breeding colonies.”

Wedge-tailed Shearwater survey at Kaena Point; photographs from Pacific Rim Conservation

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 08 November 2021