It’s seabird fallout season again — that time of year when young seabirds heading out to sea for the first time get confused by artificial lights, and end up falling to the ground.

The Hawaii Wildlife Center, a native wildlife hospital and rehabilitation center on Hawaii island, will once again send a team to Oahu to help rescue hundreds of downed seabirds.

This is the fourth season in a row that the nonprofit has sent a team of bird specialists to help these fledgling seabirds – mostly native wedge-tailed shearwaters — survive the “seabird fallout” season. The team will be on Oahu from Wednesday to Dec. 9, considered the peak of the fallout season.

During winter months the young seabirds rely on the light of the moon to guide them on their inaugural flights from burrows out to sea, but become disoriented by lights from airports, street lamps and buildings. Many end up circling artificial light sources, then drop from exhaustion or collide with structures.

Once down, the fledglings become highly vulnerable to predators, starvation or strikes by vehicles. The Oahu Seabird Aid Program, launched in November 2017, has rescued hundreds of seabirds from that plight, with help from volunteers.

Anyone who has come upon a downed seabird can drop it off, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at Feather and Fur Animal Hospital. Other drop-off locations include James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, the Hawaiian Humane Society, and Sea Life Park.

The center’s program manager will pick up downed birds from drop-off sites, provide health assessments, and release healthy birds. Birds that are injured or require more than short-term care will be transported to the center’s main wildlife hospital and rehabilitation facility on Hawaii island.

The rescue of Oahu’s downed seabirds is a coordinated effort between state and federal wildlife agencies, with support from nonprofits and businesses, including the Honolulu Zoo, Hawaiian Electric, and a City and County of Honolulu Grand-in-Aid.

Not sure whether the downed bird you found is a seabird? Email a photo to birdhelp@hawaiiwildlifecenter.org and Hawaii Wildlife Center staff will be happy to help identify it.

A full list of seabird fallout locations and drop-off hours is available at this link.