Rare Hawaiian nene make appearance in Oahu

A pair of endangered Hawaiian geese that have hatched goslings and settled on Oahu's north shore are the first Hawaiian geese to make a home on Oahu since at least the 1700s, nesting at the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge.

Read more: After 300 years, Hawaiian nene spotted on island of Oahu

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The nene pair was taken from Kauai to the Big Island within the last two years as part of a program to move geese away from lagoons next to the Lihue airport, said Annie Marshall, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff biologist.

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The geese swam in a canal and pond and walked across grass as members of the media watched from a careful distance on Wednesday. One adult led the way, while the three goslings and second adult followed close behind.

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There were just 30 of the geese in the 1950s when biologists began breeding them in captivity to save the population. Now there are more than 2,000 on Kauai, Maui and the Big Island.