Unfortunately, fledgling shearwaters don't always make it off our crowded islands. Some lose their way, then get stranded on our lanais, lawns and doorsteps. This makes wedgies important to anglers, who use the birds as markers. Wedgies, who mate for life, return to their nesting colonies between February and April. There, mated couples face each other and sing long, wailing duets.
Single birds groan alone to attract a mate.
Soon the pairs renovate or dig ground or rock burrows, mate and tend their one egg. Most wedge-tail chicks are ready to leave their burrows by late fall. The fledglings take their first flight at night and head for the ocean. But not always. Electric lights on the main islands confuse the birds, and instead of flying seaward, they fly inland, crashing into trees, power lines and houses.