Hawai'ian Goose (Nene)

(Photo: August 2010 at Kawaiele Waterbird Sanctuary, Kaua’i, Hawai’i)

Whenever I travel to the Hawai’ian island of Kaua’i, I am always moved by the pristine beauty of the island’s nature.  I especially enjoy hiking in the Koke’e area in the mountains where I can walk among the dense ohi’a lehua trees and listen for the melodious songs of many native Hawai’ian songbirds such as the ‘Apapane, the ‘Amakihi, and the ‘Elepaio.  But the highlight of each trip is searching for the Nene, also known as the Hawai’ian goose (Branta sandvicensis).  As a young boy in elementary school, I learned about how the Nene was taken to the brink of extinction (by 1951, only 33 wild Nene remained), and saved only through the intervention of concerted breeding and conservation programs.  Living on the urbanized island of O’ahu, I had no opportunity to see a Nene in the wild, and because of that I developed a strong yearning to meet the plump, friendly-looking bird in its natural surroundings. It wasn’t until I reached my 30’s that I finally photographed my first Nene, and since then, I photograph the magnificent birds whenever I get a chance.

(Photo: August 2004 at Kalalau Lookout, Koke’e, Kaua’i, Hawai’i)

My most memorable encounter with Nene occurred early one morning on a hiking trip to Koke’e.  To make the most of the day, we arrived at the trail head while it was still dark.  As the morning sun rose from the east, I heard the baritone honking of a flock of Nene gliding in from the west.  The flock circled our position once, and then convinced that we were no threat, they elegantly floated down to land in the open area where we had parked our car, only a few meters away from where I was standing.  The magic of that moment has stayed with me ever since.

(Photo: August 2004 at Kalalau Lookout, Koke’e, Kaua’i, Hawai’i)

Amazingly, many Nene are fairly accustomed to humans.  They will not allow you to get within touching range, but they will allow you to get close enough to take good photographs.  In the photograph below, a flock of Nene investigate my backpack for possible food.  Back at that time (the 1990’s), well-meaning but uninformed visitors would sometimes feed bread or potato chips to the birds, and so the birds probably came to associate bags with food.  More recently, there are stronger educational efforts and posted signs intended to eliminate that type of conduct.

(Photo: August 1996, at Kalalau Lookout, Koke’e, Kaua’i, Hawai’i)

Nene are sometimes even bold enough to hang out at hotels.  Here is a flock of Nene on the grounds of the Kaua’i Mariott Resort in Lihue, Kaua’i.

(Photos: August 2013, Kaua’i Mariott Resort, Lihue, Kaua’i)

And here is a video taken at the Kaua’i Mariott Resort in August 2013.

 According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Nene are categorized as a “Vulnerable” species with a statewide population that was estimated in 2011 to be only about 2500 birds.  Because these birds are so rare, and because their association to Hawai’i is so strong, I was very surprised to see them at zoos in Japan.

Here is one at the Himeji Central Park Safari and Amusement Park in Hyogo Prefecture.  I counted 13 Nene resident in this collection.

 (Photo: June 2012)

Here is another at the Sendai City Yagiyama Zoological Park in Miyagi Prefecture.  I counted at least 19 Nene in this enclosure.  (It was hard to get a good count because there was a lot of bush cover in the enclosure and some of the Nene kept walking around.)

(Photo: April 2014)

Whether it be in the mountains of Koke’e, the Kawaiele wetlands near Mana, on the grounds of a Lihue hotel, or even at a zoo in Japan, I am always happy to meet a Nene.  Their easygoing manner makes me feel relaxed. Their continued existence makes me hopeful of what conservation efforts can achieve.