In the latest good news for conservationists, birders, and tourists alike, an endangered bird has returned to an island in the paradise of French Polynesia for the first time in over 100 years.

A recent statement from Island Conservation revealed that Polynesian Storm-petrels (sometimes known as white-throated storm-petrels) had been spotted on Kamaka Island, a location that they had been not been sighted on for over a century.

These fascinating birds were wiped out on the island due to rats – an invasive species on the island that threatened the survival of the birds due to the nature of their ground nests. This led to a massive decline of the species, leading them to the brink of extinction.

But now a groundbreaking conservation project has restored their habitats, and deployed innovative solutions to prevent rats from harming the birds, their nests, and their young. In the statement, Coral Wolf – Island Conservation’s Conservation Impact Manager – outlined just how important this project is:

“With only 250-1,000 mature individuals estimated to remain in the wild, the restoration of Kamaka Island in the Gambier Archipelago is crucial for the global recovery of the Polynesian storm-petrel. The quick return of these birds scouting for future nesting sites provides an outstanding opportunity to establish another secure breeding population.”

After restoring the storm-petrels habitats through ambitious rewilding projects on Kamaka Island, the team – a collaboration between Island Conservation, Société d’Ornithologie de Polynésie (SOP Manu), the Reasin family, and the Mangareva Community – the team turned to technology to help them safeguard the endangered birds.

According to the statement, the project relied on three key areas of technology in order to coax the birds back, and protect them once they arrived.

Firstly, solar-powered sound systems were installed on the island, close to luxury burrows that the team had built for the birds to nest in. The sound systems used recorded sounds from storm-petrel colonies on nearby islands to attract the birds to the nest, creating a sense of community and safety.

Motion-sensing cameras were installed by the burrows for two reasons. Firstly, it would allow the teams to note any storm-petrels that arrived in the area and monitor the progress of the establishing colony.

Secondly, the cameras gave the conservationists an easy way to ensure that rats weren’t sabotaging the project or harming the birds. They also allowed Island Conservation to release incredible footage of the birds in their statement.

And rats were the target of the third piece of innovative conservation technology. Drones were deployed to remove non-native rodents like rats, allowing the birds to live in peace and safety.

Happily, all this hard work and creativity paid off, as SOP Manu’s Thomas Ghestemme revealed in the statement:

“The results of our social attraction efforts were quickly apparent – Polynesian storm-petrels began visiting at the start of the nesting season and became regular visitors, while also spending time in the nest boxes. “In total, six seabird species are now confirmed as breeding on the island, with two other species likely, including the IUCN Near Threatened Tahiti Petrel. This species, if confirmed, will be a new addition to Kamaka’s breeding seabirds list.”

Not only does this help to rescue these birds from extinction, it will also help to restore vital parts of Kamaka Island’s native ecosystem, as landowner Tehotu Reasin continued:

“This remarkable progress brings hope for the future, as the Polynesian storm-petrels reclaim their island home. These seabirds bring critical nutrients from the ocean to the island, which cascades down into the surrounding marine environment benefiting fish and corals. The entire ecosystem can once again thrive.”

Let’s hope that the new colony of storm-petrels only continues to increase.

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