All you ever wanted to know about Maui’s Seabirds

9/21/19 #kihei
Were you aware that our seabirds remain airborne over the ocean when they sleep? Or that we are losing many of them very quickly? Or that they “created” our Hawaiian Islands? You would have learned all of this and more if you were at the Maui Ocean Center (MOC) last Wednesday (9/18) to hear from the guys at the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project, https://www.mauinuiseabirds.org/ – Jay Penniman, the Project Manager and Jenni Learned, Operations/GIS Specialist.

Jay and Jenni

In our district, many of us are aware of the sea bird nesting area near Kamaole III and that they arrive usually late in March. We have the wedge tail shearwaters – ‘Ua’u Kani – which nest at ground level, sadly easy prey for a variety of land animals including rats, cats, mongoose and even unsecured dogs. AND HUMANS. They are grey and white and about 17″ long.The very name “recovery” alerts us of a concern. If you find a downed seabird, please call 808-573-BIRD.