Pea Island NWR

Location:  Dare County     Total Size: 4,455 acres            Map

Site Description: Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is located on North Carolina's outer banks, on Hatteras Island.  The site is bordered by Pamlico Sound to the west and Atlantic Ocean to the east.  Three fresh-brackish water impoundments are managed for shorebirds, waterfowl and other migratory birds.  The site includes a cross-section of the outer banks from ocean to sound and the associated habitats.  This is one of North Carolina's most popular birding destinations and one of the state's premier sites for shorebirds, waterfowl and landbirds.

Habitats: Ocean Beach, brackish-freshwater impoundments, ocean dune, maritime shrub thicket

Land Use: wildlife conservation, recreation/tourism

Primary Threats: Introduced plants and animals, predation, recreational development/overuse, soil erosion/degradation

Protection Status: The site is protected and managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Conservation Issues:  The key conservation issues for the reufge are funding and

Birds: Pea Island is one of North Carolina's most important sites for shorebird and waterfowl.  The three impoundments are intensively managed for migratory birds, two of which are closed to the public to prevent disturbances. The site has North Carolina's largest, regularly-occurring flock of Avocets and the state's greatest number of breeding Black-necked Stilts. The refuge has one colony of terns and skimmers during most years.  Many long-term research and monitoring projects have been conducted and are ongoing on the site (Criteria 5). Pea Island NWR receives much attention from birders and is an excellent location for rare or unusual bird sightings.

Key Bird Species

Criteria

  

Season

Number

  
2 Piping Plover FM, B 10, 6prs.  
2 Peregrine falcon FM 50  
2 Gull-billed Tern B 50 prs.  
4a Least Tern B 150 prs.  
4b Tundra Swan W 2750  
4b Snow Goose W 5,000  
4b Black Duck W 1,200  
4d Black-bellied Plover FM,W,SM 300-3,000  
4d Semipalmated Plover FM,SM 2,500-5,000  
4d Greater Yellowlegs FM,SM 300-5,000  
4d Marbled Godwit FM,SM 100-500  
4d Sanderling FM,W, SM 1,000-30,000  
4d Semipalmated Sandpiper FM, SM 500-25,000  
4d Least sandpiper FM, SM 2,000-60,000  
4d Dunlin FM,W, SM 1,500-40,000  
4d Short-billed Dowitcher FM, SM 1,000-15,000  
4a Avocet FM,W,SM 30-100  
4a Black-necked Stilt B 10-20 prs.  
4g migrant landbirds FM, SM --  
4b waterfowl FM, W 10,000-20,000  

B=Breeding    FM=Fall Migration     SM=Spring Migration     W=Winter

Source:
Pea Island NWR