Restoration
Before & After
2007
2020
Reviving a Native Plant Community
Each year, volunteers continue fieldwork like removing invasive plants and introducing and tending to native plants. This is an ongoing task that must be accomplished during the 3-month period from January through March, when there are no shearwaters in residence.
Building Nests
In 2018, artificial ceramic nest modules with motion-activated cameras
and temperature loggers were deployed. Each nest has three components: the nesting chamber, a sun shield, and an entrance.
One–week old chick inside one of the new ceramic nest modules, first
used by breeding shearwaters during the 2019 season. The modules had two entrance designs: 7 clay tunnels and 7 rock piles.
The ceramic nests were created and installed with multiple partners (HPU, Oikonos, California College of the Arts, Windward Community College) and ceramic artists Nathan Lynch and Bryce Meyers.
Measuring Success
In 2023, we counted 427 active nests the Freeman Seabird Preserve. This is the highest count to date over the last 15 years. Overall, the annual population surveys continue to show that the colony is growing steadily, in part due to the collaborative restoration efforts.
