Signs: Nēnē crossing

This week’s Friendly Friday challenge theme is ‘Unusual.’ See more responses here.

Nēnē, the endemic Hawaiian geese, are long-distant relatives of Canada geese. They were listed as an endangered species, until the end of last year when their status was changed to ‘threatened.’

Because of the nēnē’s precarious numbers, it isn’t unusual to see “Slow, Nēnē Crossing” signs, particularly in areas where nēnē breed. Because their numbers are on the rebound on the Big Island, it’s also not unusual for me to see nēnē, on my daily walks or when I was working. But in my years on the island, I never saw a nēnē anywhere near one of the warning signs, until earlier this year, just before the lockdown. This sign and these two birds were in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where a fair number of the birds live and breed.

I had to stop and get a photo of this unusual event, fortunately without getting myself or the birds killed (it’s a busy, narrow road). The only disappointing thing about this encounter was that neither of the nēnē actually crossed the road. I guess I’ll have to wait another seven years to witness that.

12 thoughts on “Signs: Nēnē crossing”

  2. Forestwood's avatarForestwood

    How fortuitous that you were there to capture that moment. Like a broken clock, the sign was right some of the time.
    Thanks for joining in on the Friendly Friday challenge, Graham.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Graham's avatarGraham Post author

      They were basically extinct in the wild here in the 1950s. There was a breeding program on the Big Island and also at Peter Scott’s Slimbridge Wetland Center, and the numbers here were restored from those birds. It’s actually quite a success story though they’ll likely need some kind of continuing protection to maintain that progress.

      Like

Comments are closed.