Marking Shearwater Nests for Tagging

Jul 26, 2023

Marking Shearwater Nests for Tagging W
 
This week, we are marking 120 shearwater nests at the Freeman Seabird Preserve:  
One "experimental" adult from 30 nests will be equipped with a geolocator (GLS) tag capable of recording the birds' winter migration and with a metal ID band
One "control" adult from 30 nests will be equipped with a metal ID band 
Parents from 60 monitoring nests will not be marked of tagged.  The hatching and growth and survival of these chicks will be used to compare 2023 with previous breeding seasons (2009 - 2022). 
 
We use different color flags and aluminum tags, to mark the nests with unique numbers.
We will check these 120 nests weekly, to record when eggs hatch and to measure the growth and survival of the chicks, through the breeding season.   

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About This Project

Does El Niño affect the winter migration of Hawaiian Wedge-tailed Shearwaters?

Hawaiʻi Pacific University & Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge

Wedge-tailed Shearwaters leave Hawaiʻi at the end of the nesting season (November) and return in spring (March - April). During their winter dispersal, shearwaters are threatened by fisheries and marine debris. Yet, we do not know where they go and whether their migrations shift in response to changing ocean conditions. Mapping their year-round distributions and the threats shearwaters face at sea, will facilitate the broader conservation of this species throughout their life cycle.