New Technology Brings Bird Monitoring to the Next Level at Pine Island

This spring our Pine Island Sanctuary on the Outer Banks welcomed back nesting Osprey, Purple Martins, Tree Swallows, and more thanks to volunteers who cleared out nest boxes and made the sanctuary ready for our feathered friends. 

We also installed special recording devices to help us identify secretive marsh birds and revolutionize the way we monitor for species like Black Rail, King Rail, and Least Bittern.  

Along with our regular monitoring and survey work, habitat restoration projects continue to take shape with immediate benefits for birds and other wildlife, including at our newly reconstructed pond.

“We were excited to see turtles finally being able to use the pond so soon after our restoration work,” said Center Director Robbie Fearn. “The hard edges of the old impoundment provided poor habitat for them but now, with a natural shoreline covered with native plants, turtles have found a home at last.” 

Get the full update on everything we have going on at Pine Island this year. 

Taking Bird Monitoring to the Next Level 

Every spring our team heads into the marsh during the early morning and late evening to listen for the grunts, squawks, and chuckles of secretive marsh birds like Virginia Rail, King Rail, and Least Bittern.  

We repeat these surveys in the same spots to track secretive marsh bird population trends. But just because you don’t hear them, doesn’t mean they’re not there. 

“It’s kind of like the old saying, if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, did it make a sound,” said Senior Coordinator of Habitat Management Sara Marschhauser. “So, we wanted a way to detect these secretive birds even when we weren’t around to listen for them.” 

That’s why we installed Autonomous Recording Units (or ARUs) to help us listen for these secretive marsh birds at key survey points. The ARUs are set to record every hour and then continuously during the survey window. 

The data gathered from the surveys goes towards the National Inventory of Marsh Birds coordinated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We’re also using the data to establish a baseline of what birds occupy areas near our four marsh restoration pilot projects so we can see how bird populations respond. 

“The ARUs will be especially helpful for our Black Rail management work,” Marschhauser said. “We installed them along the high marsh edge where Black Rails like to forage and breed. We're hoping they can help us find out if they’re calling in the middle of the night when no one is around.” 

In all, these recording units will help us get a better idea of the more secretive species that use key areas of the sanctuary. This data will then help guide our marsh restoration and management work. 

Ongoing Surveys 

Night Jar surveys also continued this spring which allow us to gather data about this enigmatic, nocturnal family of birds that includes Chuck-will's-widows. The surveys take place during a five-day window centered around full moon. 

We also have box turtles that just woke up from their winter naps and are roaming the sanctuary. We mark and track many turtles but two also have radio telemetry transmitters attached to their shells so we can better understand their territories and what areas need to be protected for their use. 

One of the turtles hibernated in the exact same spot as last year, showing strong site fidelity—something that we could only know by tracking them. The data we gather goes to the to the Box Turtle Connection as they are a vulnerable species in North Carolina and can tell us a lot about the health of the habitats in which they reside. 

Marsh Burning and the Return of Nesting Birds 

Another key part of habitat management at Pine Island is marsh burning. Controlled burns help us manage the spread of invasive species, maintain healthy root systems, increase plant species diversity, among many other benefits.  

This winter we burned two islands for the first time in seven years as part of our effort to determine the burn frequency that benefits the plants and animals that live there. 

Our amazing volunteers visited the sanctuary this spring to prepare nest boxes for the arrival of Purple Martins and Tree Swallows. Nest boxes around the sanctuary are also used by Eastern Bluebird, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Chickadee, Prothonotary Warbler, and Wood Duck. 

We already have two pairs of nesting Osprey at the sanctuary. One pair returned to build their nest on the lodge’s chimney and the second on a platform overlooking the nature trail. 

Historic Lunch was Served During a Waterfowl Heritage Weekend 

Among a series of events hosted by the Sanderling Resort during an immersive three-day weekend along the northern Outer Banks, we welcomed participants for a one-of-a-kind lunch.  

The weekend celebrates the region’s deep connection to waterfowl hunting, decoy carving traditions, and coastal conservation—pillars of Currituck County culture since the late 1800s. 

The lunch hosted at Pine Island included Cream of Chestnut “Cappuccino,” Wild Game Charcuterie, and Duck Leg Confit.  

“We enjoyed hosting this unique lunch celebrating the wild history of the Outer Banks,” said Fearn. “We hope the habitat and infrastructure work we’re doing helps preserve this rich culture for generations to come.” 

Ways to Visit Pine Island 

Visitors are encouraged to sign up for a commercially guided kayak trip in Currituck Sound and to explore the sanctuary's 2.5-mile nature trail, which is located south of the sanctuary's gates (not inside the gates) and is open to the public every day of the year, sunrise to sunset.  

Find more info about Pine Island and plan your trip here.