{"id":675497,"date":"2026-05-31T06:07:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T06:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/675497\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T06:07:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T06:07:13","slug":"catch-of-day-during-kaua%ca%bbi-mothers-day-fishing-outing-is-seabird-in-distress-saved-by-teen-sailor-big-island-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/675497\/","title":{"rendered":"Catch of day during Kaua\u02bbi Mother\u2019s Day fishing outing is seabird in distress saved by teen sailor : Big Island Now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\"\"The rescued koa\u02bbe kea appeared healthy, vibrant and feistier than ever May 27, 2026. (Photo Credit: Save Our Shearwaters)<\/p>\n

What began as a Mother\u02bbs Day fishing trip tuned into a wildlife rescue after a Kaua\u02bbi teenager spotted a struggling seabird in distress drifting offshore at Kawailoa Bay Beach and swam out to save it.<\/p>\n

Xavier Prentice was spending the holiday with family and friends when he noticed what first appeared to be a dead bird floating below a rocky cliff. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy son was fishing on the cliff for several hours when we spotted the bird floating,\u201d said his mother Melissa Tremblay.<\/p>\n

At first, the family thought the bird died. But watching closely, they noticed movement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw the head shaking,\u201d Tremblay said. \u201cAnd Xavier said if the bird\u2019s wings were waterlogged, it wouldn\u2019t be able to fly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Xavier, a student at Hawai\u02bbi Technology Academy and sailor with Kaua\u02bbi Sailing Association, said he immediately knew the bird needed help.<\/p>\n

Without hesitation, the teenager jumped from the rocky shoreline into the ocean and swam about 60 feet to reach the struggling bird. He carefully carried it back to shore inside his hat. <\/p>\n

\"\"Photo Credit: Melissa Tremblay<\/p>\n

The family initially thought the bird was a shearwater, but after sending a photo to a biologist friend, they learned it was actually a juvenile koa\u02bbe kea, or white-tailed tropicbird, a native Hawaiian seabird known for its white feathers and long tail steamers.<\/p>\n

Hawai\u2018i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife<\/a> says the indigenous birds nest in locations several locations throughout the islands, including on Midway Atoll, Kaua\u2018i, Moloka\u2018i, L\u0101na\u2018i, the offshore islet Mokoli\u2018i, O\u2018ahu and the Big Island.<\/p>\n

They also breed outside Hawai\u2018i on islands in the Atlantic, Indian and greater Pacific oceans along with the Caribbean.<\/p>\n

Adult koa\u02bbe kea, however, are solitary and pelagic, or living in the open sea, so their range is poorly known.<\/p>\n

They are a sight to behold, favorite subjects of photographers and volcanologists who capture them in photographs while they are often seen soaring above eruptions at K\u012blauea caldera, especially during the ongoing episodic eruption that began Dec. 23, 2024.<\/p>\n

Koa\u02bbe kea are commonly spotted circling lava fountains and riding thermal updrafts from the lava lake below, using the hot winds as a sort of \u201cskate park\u201d for birds.<\/p>\n

Native Hawaiian tradition says the kinolau, or the supernatural body form, of Puna\u02bbaikoa\u02bbe<\/a> \u2014 a handsome O\u02bbahu chief who sought protection from Hawaiian Pele \u2014 can be seen as the koa\u02bbe kea flying over K\u012blauea.<\/p>\n

While the bird Xavier saved turned out not to be a shearwater, the biologist friend did connect him and his family with Kaua\u02bbi-based seabird rehabilitation nonprofit Save Our Shearwaters<\/a> to get help.<\/p>\n

Following guidance from rescue staff, the family transported the bird to the K\u014dloa Fire Station, one of several off-season aid stations, where volunteers coordinate emergency pickups for injured seabirds.<\/p>\n

Xavier, his brother and two friends kept the bird shaded and calm while waiting for its transport, hoping it would recover.<\/p>\n

Save Our Shearwaters Senior Program Manager Jacqueline Nelson<\/a> said Wednesday, May 27, that the bird continues to improve in the nonprofit\u2019s care.<\/p>\n

\"\"Xavier, his brother and two friends took care of the juvenile koa\u2018e kea by keeping it shaded and dry in his hat. (Photo Credit: Melissa Tremblay)<\/p>\n

\u201cThis patient is doing well,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cThe bird is gaining good weight and is feisty as ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that the young bird grew strong enough to begin supervised pool sessions, which help seabirds bathe, preen and restore waterproofing of their feathers before being released back into the wild blue yonder.<\/p>\n

Nelson said the rescue also raised community awareness about how to respond when native seabirds are found injured or grounded.<\/p>\n

Tremblay added that the experience helped Xavier hone his instincts to protect wildlife.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you teach your kids to be outdoors and learn about the land and what surrounds them,\u201d she said, \u201cyou create little people who can take care of these birds and everything around us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nelson and Save Our Shearwaters is \u201cecstatic to see people rallying behind our native birds,\u201d as conservation work is inherently a collective community effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery single patient we treat at [Save Our Shearwaters] starts with just one person in our community caring enough to help when they see a native bird in distress,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Koa\u2018e kea are known to plunge from heights of up to 65 feet to snatch fish, squid and small crustaceans with their serrated beaks. Flying fish are a particular favorite. (Photo Credit: Save Our Shearwaters)<\/p>\n

The nonprofit\u2019s staff also praised Xavier and his family for their actions, calling the rescue \u201ca highlight of our year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMake sure you have the Save Our Shearwaters number saved in your contacts,\u201d Tremblay said. \u201cI already have the monk seal hotline, but did not have their number.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe organization has an emergency line, and they answer anytime, even on Mother\u2019s Day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The rescued koa\u02bbe kea appeared healthy, vibrant and feistier than ever May 27, 2026. (Photo Credit: Save Our…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":675498,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[5376,192,294628,294629,13888,191890,294630,294631,13892,294632,294633,294634,294635,294636,79,294637,294638,294639],"class_list":["post-675497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-big-island-now","tag-environment","tag-flying-around-caldera","tag-hawaii-technology-academy","tag-hawaii-news","tag-hawaii-volcanoes-national-park","tag-jacqueline-nelson","tag-kauai-sailing-association","tag-kauai-news","tag-kilauea-volcano","tag-koae-kea","tag-koloa-fire-station","tag-melissa-tremblay","tag-save-our-shearwaters","tag-science","tag-seabird-rehabilitation","tag-white-tailed-tropicbird","tag-xavier-prentice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=675497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/675498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=675497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=675497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=675497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}