Cat (Wood) Island

Cat Island is a forested, natural island located in Bogue Sound. The site is primarily shrub thicket and forest with a marsh fringe. It was once used as a target for aircraft from the nearby Cherry Point Naval Air Station. Signs warning of unexploded ordinance surround the island. For over a decade, the island has supported a significant colony of nesting wading birds. The site has sometimes been called Wood Island.

Ornithological Summary

Cat Island has been a wading bird nesting site since the early 1990's. The island currently supports 5 species and approximately 300 nesting pairs of wading birds.

Conservation Issues

Disturbance to birds.

Although the island is posted with ?entry prohibited? and ?unexploded ordinance? signs, trespassers have been encountered on the island. Human disturbance during the nesting season is a primary concern and can result in egg or chick loss, nest abandonment, and colony abandonment.

Ownership

The site is under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Defense and is posted by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

Habitat

Saltmarsh, maritime shrub thicket and forest.

Land Use

Other conservation, wildlife conservation.