Mike in the Wild

Many seabirds spend long weeks or months at sea, feeding on fish and other marine animals that swim close to the water's surface.  But nesting and raising young require the relative safety of dry land.  Fortunately for a number of birds plying the vast Pacific Ocean for food, the Hawaiian Islands offer islets and cliffs that fit the bill for a safe nursery. At least three decades ago, conservationists and the United States government recognized the indispensable value of Kauai's coastal habitat for a large number of sea-going birds' during breeding season.  And specifically at Kilauea Point on the island's north shore, at the sight of a disused but maintained Coast Guard lighthouse, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service now protects a National Wildlife Refuge.   The preserve is home to at least nine native species of birds , most of them seasonally-visiting seabirds.  But one special full-time resident, the nene or Hawaiian goose, lives there too. ...