Pacific Rim Conservation

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Pacific Rim Conservation

Pacific Rim Conservation is dedicated to studying and conserving the biota of the Pacific region. We

Pacific Rim Conservation provides biological research and management services to government agencies, non-profit organizations, landowners, and a variety of other groups throughout the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific region. We specialize in avian research of Pacific Island birds and design and implement research projects, conduct surveys, write management plans, provide project coordination serv

ices and conduct predator control and/or eradications. We strive to publish our results whenever possible in the peer reviewed literature and have over 90 publications to date.

08/28/2026

Join us in welcoming the newest member of the PRC 'ohana, Jonah Sheridan! 🐣🌱

Jonah joined our O'ahu team earlier this month as a Conservation Technician. His work is primarily based at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge where he protects native wildlife by removing invasive predators from the refuge's new mammalian exclusion fence, and also monitors native waterbirds and seabirds.

Jonah earned his BS in Environmental Biology from Liberty University, and is currently finishing up his MS in Marine Science at Hawai'i Pacific University. Through his work in forestry and wetland management in South Carolina, fishing surveys for the Division of Aquatic Resources with Hawaii DLNR, and a Research Assistant role at HPU's Oceanic Institute, and his master's research on Kona crab population connectivity, Jonah brings significant fieldwork and research experience to our team!

We're so excited to have Jonah on our team, and are grateful for his dedication to natural resource management and wildlife conservation in Hawai'i!

08/26/2026

Have you ever seen a juvenile ʻĀ before?

Unlike their adult parents who have bright red feet, and either white or tan feathers, and mostly blue bills, juvenile ʻĀ (Red-footed b***y) have gray or pinkish feet, grey feathers, and mostly grey bills. The juvenile pictured here also has a few small tufts of white down left, including some stuck to its bill from recent preening.

Juvenile ʻĀ like this one are pretty lucky young seabirds, as their parents will continue feeding them for up to 2 months after they fledge.

📸: Lydia Best

08/24/2026

We’re so happy to see some of our ʻUaʻu kani chicks doing well after Hurricane Lala 🐦💙

While we haven’t completed a full 'Ua'u kani (Wedge-tailed Shearwater) nest check at our O'ahu colony since the hurricane, seeing the resilience of these little puffballs who are thriving in their surface nests and burrows made us smile!

Our hearts go out to everyone affected by Lala as we all navigate storm recovery efforts. And as Tropical Storm Moke passes through, we hope everyone stays safe and continues looking out for one another 💙

🎥: Laura Crago

08/14/2026

ʻŌhai (Sesbania tomentosa) is an endangered endemic shrub native to Hawaii. ʻŌhai have an even number of light green leaflets on each compound leaf. Leaflets are silky smooth and may appear silvery in the light. The pea-shaped flowers range in color varieties from orange-red, scarlet, and yellow, and appear in clusters of about 2-5. Off-road vehicles and other human activities as well competition with invasive species have destroyed most of their habitat on the main islands. At coastal restoration sites, crews are planting ʻŌhai, and it is making a great comeback! 💚

Artwork by Daniela Casillas

08/13/2026

A hui hou to our last mōlī chick of the season 🤍🌅

Last week the final mōlī (Laysan albatross) chick from our O'ahu colony headed out to sea, bringing another incredible nesting season to a close. 9 mōlī chicks successfully fledged this year, and we can’t wait to see them return to the site as adults in a few years!

Each chick and cohort is a huge win for our team as we continue to protect and manage this growing colony. Stay tuned for a full 2025-2026 mōlī season recap!

08/09/2026

It’s we**ie chick season!

'Ua'u kani (Wedge-tailed shearwaters, or as we like to call them, we**ies!) are hatching across Hawai'i this month! These native seabirds incubate one egg for about 50 days before the egg hatches. The chick will remain in its underground burrow for about 100 days until fledging. Wish our little we**ie chicks good luck as they have a long journey ahead of them until they are ready to head out to sea!

📸: Erika Dittmar

08/07/2026

Since 2022, our Kauaʻi team has monitored ʻĀ (Red-footed b***y) reproductive success at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (KPNWR) through monthly photographic counts. This work is part of a larger study assessing the impacts of the 168-acre, 2.1-mile predator exclusion fence completed in 2023.

As of 2019, KPNWR was home to approximately 5,000 ʻĀ, and we are hopeful that with the removal and exclusion of all invasive mammalian predators, this number will continue to increase over time.

With thousands of these beautiful seabirds calling the refuge home, staff and visitors alike can experience some pretty spectacular moments like watching ʻĀ soar past the lighthouse, and hearing their unmistakable pterodactyl impressions as they come in for landing in trees and shrubs.

📸: Lydia Best

08/06/2026

Welcome to Nihoku, little ones! 🥹

During artificial burrow checks last week, our Kauaʻi team was excited to find newly hatched ʻuaʻu (Hawaiian petrel) and ʻaʻo (Newell's shearwater) chicks!

The goal of the Nihoku Ecosystem Restoration Project is to create safe nesting habitat for Hawaiʻi's only two endemic seabirds. From 2015 to 2020, ʻuaʻu and ʻaʻo chicks were translocated to Nihoku at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge from multiple montane colonies on Kauaʻi. Now, we're thrilled to have breeding pairs of both species nesting inside the predator-exclusion fence!

Although translocation efforts at Nihoku concluded years ago, our team continues to monitor and manage the site. We also continue our social attraction efforts by broadcasting seabird calls through two large speakers, encouraging adult birds to return and establish nests at Nihoku.

Each nest and chick is an exciting milestone in the ongoing restoration of this important seabird habitat and the establishment of a safe nesting colony for Hawaiʻi’s endemic seabirds!

08/03/2026

Biiiiiiiig stretch! 🤍🐣

Start your week with some ʻuaʻu kani cuteness!

Male and female ʻuaʻu kani (Wedge-tailed shearwaters) share parental duties. Once a chick hatches, parents take turns returning to the burrow to feed it for 70–80 days until it’s ready to fledge.

In between feedings, little puffballs like this one are left alone in their burrows, and it’s easy to imagine how vulnerable they are to invasive predators like cats, mongoose, and pigs when left unattended.

Predator exclusion fences and predator control are important conservation tools that help protect ground-nesting seabirds like the ʻuaʻu kani, giving chicks a safe place to grow and fledge!

🎥: Talia Soalt

07/31/2026

How many ʻuaʻu kani eggs can you find? 🥚👀

It's We**ie Week at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge!

Earlier this week, our Kauaʻi and Oʻahu teams joined forces to find and mark 600 active ʻuaʻu kani (Wedge-tailed shearwater) nests in multiple habitat types across KPNWR. This fall, they'll revisit all 600 burrows to determine nesting outcomes and estimate overall nesting success.

ʻUaʻu kani burrows can range from a few inches to a few feet deep. To safely check the deeper burrows, our biologists often use burrow scopes or cameras to evaluate nest status while minimizing disturbance. These photos were taken during this week’s surveys - swipe to see what our biologists see in the field & test your egg spotting skills! 🥚🔎

Address

Honolulu, HI
96822

Telephone

(808) 377-7114

Website

http://www.pacificrimconservation.org/

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