Ocean Watch

Monday, November 18, 1996

Wedge-tailed shearwaters
fall prey to dogs, cats, cars

Some years ago, several wildlife biologists sat down to a candle-lit dinner in a remote field station of Hawaii's National Wildlife Refuge. One, a young woman, had just arrived that day from the mainland. The others had been living at the station for months, one for years.

The group was just beginning to eat when a long, low groan issued from somewhere outside.

"What the hell was that?" the station manager said, fork held midair. "It sounds like someone's dying out there."

Wide-eyed, the newcomer looked to the others. They shrugged.

The moaning repeated. "Someone's hurt," the manager said, standing and reaching for a flashlight. "Let's go."

The others all jumped to their feet to follow.

It was a dark night with no moon, no stars. Strong tradewinds and the sound of surf drowned out most sounds - except for the moans.

The manager scanned the nearby dirt, then began to search the two-foot space under the house. The sound of agony was very close now and the newcomer anxiously gripped the manager's arm as they bent to look.

And then she saw the source of the humanlike groans - a pair of small gray seabirds with sweet, innocent faces. "Oooowwwww," one bird moaned to the other. "Aaauuuuu," the second answered.

"Here are your torture victims," the manager, grinning ear to ear, said to the newcomer. "Wedge-tailed shearwaters, also known as moaners. Welcome to Hawaii."

The veterans collapsed in laughter and the embarrassed novice marched back to the house. She never quite forgave the manager for his joke. But she did come to love the weird-sounding but adorable wedgies.

Wedge-tailed shearwaters are abundant in Hawaii's northwest chain, but they also nest along the coasts of the main Hawaiian islands. Since these ground nesters are vulnerable to introduced predators such as dogs, cats and mongooses, most nests are now on offshore islets of the main islands.

Of the 22 marine birds native to Hawaii, wedgies are the most commonly spotted in the main islands. Recreational boaters are familiar with these birds' graceful, soaring flight just above the wave tops as they "shear" the water.

Fishermen look for wedgies, too. These birds tend to feed in flocks, acting as fish-markers.

Hawaii's wedge-tailed shearwaters arrive on land in March, singing their strange moaning song to attract a mate. Then the pair dig a burrow and the female lays a single egg in June.

Usually arriving at the nest at dusk and leaving again at dawn, both parents feed the underground chick.

Chicks leave the nest and head out to sea about now, in late fall. Unfortunately, some don't make it. Lights and power wires confuse and down the birds, which then get killed by predators or hit by cars. Sometimes, the birds sit on sidewalks or lawns, stunned or exhausted. Two such birds have been found already this year on Oahu, one near Diamond Head and one in Waialua.

If you find a downed wedgie, pick it up with gloved hands (their beaks and feet are sharp), put it in a box, and take it to Sea Life Park. Or, call the DLNR at 587-0166. Sometimes, fire stations volunteer to help collect the birds.