Seabird Restoration at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge
Partners: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, U.S. Navy, Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Pono Pacific, Kuahiwi Fencing.
James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge (JCNWR), located near Kahuku on the north shore of Oahu, is an important focal point for seabird restoration. The goal of this project is to create new breeding colonies of seabirds that are vulnerable to climate change because their main breeding colonies are located on low-lying atolls that are subject to inundation from sea level rise and storm surge. When this project began in 2015, no seabirds were breeding or even visiting JCNWR. We have focused on restoration of four vulnerable seabird species: Laysan Albatross, Black-footed Albatross, Bonin Petrel, and Tristram’s Storm-petrel. In 2016, we built a 16-acre predator exclusion fence to protect the seabird restoration site, and we installed artificial nest boxes for the burrowing species. Our project at JCNWR has involved close collaboration and support with the refuge staff at JCNWR, as well as other partners who provided birds for translocation, various logistical help, and funding.
Our work at JCNWR began with translocation of Laysan Albatross eggs from the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) from 2015-2017. We placed the eggs temporarily in foster nests at Kaena Point, then transferred them to JCNWR after hatching and raised them by hand until fledging. We also began social attraction for Laysan Albatross at that time. We expanded our seabird translocations to include other species over the years, including Black-footed Albatrosses in 2017-2021, Bonin Petrels in 2018-2021, and Tristram’s Storm-petrels in 2018-2022. We also have employed social attraction for each species, consisting of decays and solar-powered sound systems that broadcast courtship calls, to provide natural stimuli for the developing chicks and also to encourage visitation by adults.
The restoration programs have been successful for all four species, all of which are now breeding on the refuge. The first Laysan Albatrosses nested in 2018, followed by Bonin Petrels in 2021, Tristram’s Storm-petrels in 2022, and Black-footed Albatrosses in 2023. All four species have raised young, and their chicks should return to JCNWR to nest someday, thereby growing the population by natural recruitment. In fact, the offspring of some of the translocated Bonin Petrels are now nesting and have produced the third generation of this species on the refuge. Wedge-tailed Shearwaters also colonized the site and are increasing rapidly in number, though we did not deliberately try to restore them, presumably attracted by the high level of seabird activity, and absence of predators.
We have re-sighted all four translocated species at JCNWR, and Bonin Petrels and Tristram’s Storm-petrels have returned to JCNWR to nest, utilizing either artificial or natural burrows to successfully fledge chicks. Many of the translocated Laysan and Black-footed Albatrosses have returned to the refuge, but they have not started nesting yet. The Laysan Albatross nesting on the refuge were socially attracted. Wedge-tailed Shearwaters have also independently established a colony inside the mammalian predator exclusion fence and we continue to see exponential growth of their nesting activity each season.
122 Establishing Laysan and black-footed albatross breeding colonies using translocation and social attraction.
116 Translocations of Laysan and Black-footed albatrosses in Hawaii, USA, to create new protected breeding colonies safe from climate change.
