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Lake Champlain Colonial Waterbird
Nesting Locations
Popasquash Island
Popasquash Island is a small (0.25 acres) grass covered shale
outcrop in the northeastern portion of Lake Champlain.
Located just off the Maquam shore between St. Albans and
Swanton Vermont, Popasquash Island is the traditional nesting
location for the Vermont State Endangered Common Tern.
Common Terns have been nesting on Popasquash Island since
at least the 1890's. Other birds that nest on the island
include Ring-billed Gulls and the occasional Herring and
Black-backed gull. In 2002, Popasquash Island was the first
documented location for nesting Caspian Tern in Vermont.
Popasquash Island is owned by the Green Mountain Audubon
Society and managed as part of the Common Tern Recovery
Project by Audubon Vermont. It is one of four islands in
the Common Tern Island Important Bird Area (IBA) Complex.
Rock Island (St. Albans)
This small (0.25 acres) rocky island at the mouth of St.
Albans Bay, Vermont is host to several species of birds.
With a mixed combination of grasses, shrubs, trees and
bare rock the island provides nesting habitat for Vermont State
Endangered Common Terns, Ring-billed gulls and the occasional
Herring and Black-backed Gull. Nesting by colonial waterbird
species began in the early 1960's with the colonization
of this site by Common Terns. Ring-billed Gulls established
themselves shortly thereafter. In 2000 and 2003 Double-crested
Cormorants began nesting in a tree on the north end of
the
island. These attempts have been prevented in order to
secure the island for use by Common Terns. Rock island
is owned
by the Green Mountain Audubon Society and managed as part
of the Common Tern Recovery Project by Audubon Vermont.
It is one of four islands in the Common Tern Island Important
Bird Area (IBA) Complex.
Grammas Island
The largest of the four islands in the Common Tern Island
Important Bird Area (IBA) Complex, Grammas Island is located
in the northeast arm of Lake Champlain in the town of North
Hero. Situated off the southeast corner of Butler's Island,
this one acres island is mostly wooded with two rocky spits
that jut to the south. It is on the southeast spit that Common
Terns sporadically nest. Tern nesting peaked here in the
late 1960's with approximately 100 pairs. Since then numbers
have not risen to more than a couple dozen pairs when in
use. Terns have not nested here since 2000. Grammas Island
is owned by the Green Mountain Audubon Society and managed
as part of the Common Tern Recovery Project by Audubon Vermont.
It is one of four islands in the Common Tern Island Important
Bird Area (IBA) Complex.
Hen Island
This small (< 0.25 acres) island lies just to the northeast
of City Bay in North hero, Vermont. With several large trees
on the north end and a grassy meadow on the south end, this
whale shaped island has supported Vermont State Endangered
Common Terns off and on since the 1960's. The terns traditionally
nest on the grassy south end which sits approximately 30
feet above the lake. Herring Gulls have also nested on the
island. Hen Island is owned by The Nature Conservancy and
protected for use by Common Terns. It is managed as part
of the Common Tern Recovery Project by Audubon Vermont and
is one of four islands in the Common Tern Island Important
Bird Area (IBA) Complex.
Gull Rock and Savage Island
Both of these locations are available to nesting Common Terns
only when lake level recedes. Gull Rock is part of the Gull
Island Reef and changes in size depending on lake water levels.
The site on Savage Island is located off the northwest corner
of the island and is a sand and boulder spit that extends
to the west. Common Terns uses thes locations primarily for
re-nesting purposes as they are usually not available for
nest early in the season. Savage Island is privately owned
whereas Gull Rock has no owner. Both sites are monitoried
by Audubon Vermont as part of the Common Tern Recovery Project.
Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge
Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge is a 6300 acre wetland
and associated uplands situated on the Missisquoi River delta
in Swanton, Vermont. The largest colony of Great Blue Herons
and Black Terns can be found within the refuge. The Great
Blue Herons nest primarily on Shad Island and occasionally
on Metcalf Island, both located at the mouth of the Missisquoi
River. The Black Terns nest in several of the marshes within
the refuge with actually nesting locations and numbers shifting
from year to year. A small colony of Double-crested Cormorants
nests adjacent to the Great-Blue Heron colony. Missisquoi
National Wildlife Refuge is owned and managed by the federal
government. The Refuge is a Vermont Important Bird Area (IBA).
Young Island (aka South Sister Island)
Young Island supports the largest concentrations of colonial
nesting waterbirds in Vermont. This seven-acre island situated
off the northwest corner of Grand Isle is home to Ring-billed,
Herring, and Greater Black-backed gulls as well as Double-crested
Cormorants. Other colonial nesting species that have nested
here in the past include Black-crowned Night Heron, and Cattle
and Snowy egrets. Caspian Terns were also documented using
the island in 2002 and 2003. Once farmed this island was
first colonized by Ring-billed and Herring Gulls in the 1950's.
Great Black-backed Gulls and Double-crested Cormorants began
nesting on the island in the 1980's. During that same period
Cattle and Snowy egrets and Black-crowned Night Herons also
nested on the island. As the cormorant population grew these
species were displaced. The island is owned and managed by
the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife who have worked
to control cormorant numbers through egg-oiling in recent
years. Young Island is a Vermont Important Bird Area.
Mud and Rock (Panton) Islands
These two small (< 1 acre) islands are located off the
shores of Panton, Vermont. Mud island is a low rocky island
with a scattering of trees and Rock Island is a steep sided
island with grass trees and shrubs. Ring-billed Gulls and
Double-crested Cormorants have attempted to nest on these
islands in the mid to late 1990's but have been prevented
by the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife who own and
manage the islands.
Dead Creek, Little Otter Creek, and Mud Creek
Both Dead Creek and Little Otter Creek lie in close proximity
to the eastern shore of Lake Champlain in Addison and Ferrisburg,
Vermont. Mud Creek is located at the northern end of the
lake in Alberg, Vermont. Dead Creek is a slow moving, dammed
drainage that empties into Otter Creek, which then enters
Lake Champlain. Little Otter Creek empties directly into
the lake just north of Otter Creek. Mud Creek is another
dammed, slow moving drainage that enters the lake near
Missisquoi Bay. All three sites contain extensive emergent
marsh ecosystems
that have supported nesting populations of the Vermont
state threatened Black Tern. The Vermont Department of
Fish and
Wildlife maintains and manages Wildlife Management Areas
at all of these sites. All three of these management areas
are Vermont Important Bird Areas.
Four Bothers Islands
The Four Brothers Islands lie just east of Willsboro Point,
New York. As their name implies, the four brothers are
made up of four islands within close proximity of each
other.
The islands go by the names A, B, C, and D. These islands
are home to some of the largest and diverse colonial
waterbird colonies on Lake Champlain. Not only can all
three species
of gulls be found here in numbers but so can cormorants,
egrets, herons and the occasional ibis. Ring-billed Gulls
and Double-crested Cormorants comprise the largest number
of individuals and have directly impacted the structure
of the islands. Nesting Double-crested Cormorants have
caused the decline of the last forested island, Island
D, and may eventually displace other nesting species.
The islands
are owned by The Nature Conservancy and up until 2002
were monitored and managed by the high Peaks Audubon
Society.The
Four Brothers Islands are a New York Important Bird Area.
Bixby Island (aka North Sister Island)
Located just north of Young Island, this five acre privately
owned island has occasionally supported colonial nesting
species such as Black-crowned Night Heron and Double-crested
Cormorants. Much of attempts are related to the islands
close proximity to Young Island and in the case of
Double-crested Cormorants have been discouraged.
Diamond, Lazy Lady, Sloop and Woods islands and Lapan and
Crown points
These six sites were used by nesting Double-crested
Cormorants in 2000 during a period when intensive
management activities
were underway on Young Island. Only Crown Point continues
to support nesting cormorants.
Porter Bay
Porter Bay is located just north of the confluence
of Otter Creek and Lake Champlain. Since the late
1990's a small
colony of Great Blue Herons has nested in the trees
at
the edge
of bay. An extensive emergent marsh protects this
site from disturbance. The property is owned by
The Nature
Conservancy.
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