WILMINGTON, NC, September 13, 1999 - The National Audubon Society's North Carolina State Office has named the state's first Important Bird Areas (IBAs). These sites, ranging from far out at sea to high in the mountains, represent natural areas of special significance to birds that breed, migrate, winter and feed in North Carolina. Designated as Audubon Important Bird Areas are: The Point, in the Atlantic northeast of Cape Hatteras, where rare and endangered seabirds feed; the Outer Banks, a 70-mile stretch of barrier islands, which supports a great diversity of bird life year-round; the Catawba River, flowing from Lake Norman to the outskirts of Charlotte, an important watershed for songbirds and waterfowl; the Triangle's Jordan Lake, known for its Bald Eagles; and the Highlands Plateau, at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a hotspot for neotropical migrants and classic mountain breeders. The announcement of these first five IBAs comes after more than a year of work by Audubon's North Carolina State Office, its ten state chapters and leading ornithologists to identify places that are essential to bird populations and bird diversity in the Tarheel state. Once designated, conservation plans will be developed for each IBA. These plans will outline ways landowners and managers - both public and private - and communities can work together to keep these natural areas filled with the birds and other wildlife for which they are so highly valued. While the designation carries no legal authority, IBA status heightens awareness and fosters voluntary conservation measures. With more than 400 species documented, bird life in North Carolina is among the richest and most diverse of any eastern state. "The places where birds live, forage and breed are essential to keeping the variety of birds we now have and maintaining healthy populations of these birds," said Walker Golder, Audubon's IBA coordinator for North Carolina. North Carolina's Important Bird Areas program is part of a worldwide effort to identify places that are essential to birds. Already in the United States, the National Audubon Society has initiated Important Bird Areas programs in 20 states, with other states expected to launch programs in the near future. Eventually, Audubon will have IBA programs ongoing in all 50 states. Sites are identified based on standardized criteria established by the state's leading ornithologists. A site can qualify if it is important to endangered, threatened or vulnerable species; harbors large concentrations or an exceptional diversity of birds; or if it is the site of long-term research that contributes significantly to the overall knowledge of birds and their habitats. There is no size limit for a site to qualify - the most critical factor is the importance of the site to birds. So far about 70 North Carolina sites meet at least one of the criteria necessary to qualify as an Important Bird Area. "We're continuing to search the state and accept nominations for additional sites to be considered," said Golder. The goal of Audubon's IBA program is to identify and establish a network of Important Bird Areas in each state to be protected or managed for bird conservation. Supported by 550,000 members and 518 chapters throughout North America, the mission of the National Audubon Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife, for the benefit of humanity and earth's biological diversity. [Editor: More detailed sidebar information on designated IBA sites follows. Additional details, maps, and photos made be obtained by contacting Walker Golder, the Audubon contact listed below. Special Note: An IBA designation ceremony for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore will take place November 5th at 8:15 p.m. at Manteo Middle School as part of the Wings Over Water Celebration. For more information on this ceremony, contact Walker Golder, email: wgolder@audubon.org
NORTH CAROLINA'S FIRST IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS
The following five sites have been designated as Important Bird Areas (IBAs) by the National Audubon Society's North Carolina State Office for their special significance to birds that breed, migrate, winter and feed in North Carolina:
The Point: Northeast of Cape Hatteras, in an area of the Atlantic Ocean where the Gulf Stream and Labrador currents mingle, thousands of seabirds gather annually to forage in the rich, productive waters. The region, locally known as "The Point," has been found to have the greatest diversity of pelagic seabirds in the western North Atlantic, according to David S. Lee, ornithologist at the NC State Museum of Natural Sciences and leading authority on area seabirds. In more than 15 years of study off Cape Hatteras, Lee has documented globally rare and endangered species such as the Black-capped Petrel, Bermuda Petrel, Herald Petrel and Roseate Tern. Lee's research has also documented thousands of shearwaters, storm-petrels, phalaropes, loons, gannets, terns and other species that gather annually. According to Lee, "for several species, North Carolina waters represent the only area where they have been regularly encountered away from nesting areas."
The Outer Banks, including Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge: Stretching for approximately 70 miles from Bodie Island to Ocracoke, this chain of barrier islands supports a great diversity of bird life throughout the year. The sandy beaches, especially those adjacent to inlets and on Cape Point, provide vital nesting habitat for approximately one-fourth of North Carolina's federally threatened Piping Plovers, 60,000 shorebirds, and more than 20 percent of the state's Least Terns, Common Terns and Black Skimmers. During fall migration, thousands of migrant songbirds forage and seek refuge in shrub thickets and maritime forests scattered along the outer banks, including Buxton Woods one of the state's largest remaining stands of maritime forest. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is well known for the thousands of ducks, geese, Tundra Swans and shorebirds that find safe haven there.
Catawba River/Mountain Island Lake watershed: Flowing between Lake Norman and Mountain Island Lake on the outskirts of Charlotte, the Catawba River is lined with extensive bottomland hardwood forests and other forest types that support a great diversity of songbirds, waterfowl and other birds each season. Nearly 200 species have been recorded at the Cowan's Ford Wildlife Refuge alone, including 54 species of neotropical migrant songbirds. Of these, 23 species of neotropical migrants breed on the refuge and in the surrounding forests. During fall and winter, the area is a migratory stopover and wintering area for thousands of waterfowl that gather on the lake, river and ponds. More than 3,000 acres within the watershed are protected by the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department and Duke Power Company, in cooperation with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.
Jordan Lake: Spanning portions of four counties, B. Everett Jordan Lake and the surrounding area near Raleigh encompasses approximately 47,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forest, pine forest, deciduous forest, mixed forest, and open water. The lake and surrounding forests support a great diversity of birds, but none is more prominent than the many Bald Eagles that gather annually. Up to four eagle nests have been documented in a single breeding season and as many as 71 eagles have been recorded on the lake. This is North Carolina's largest population of Bald Eagles and one of the largest concentrations of eagles in the eastern United States. In addition to eagles, the lake supports a great diversity of waterfowl, songbirds and wading birds annually. Jordan Lake is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Highlands Plateau: Highlands Plateau is situated at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the westernmost corner of North Carolina. The area includes mountain peaks that range from 3,000 to 4,500 feet, steep granite cliffs, hemlock-pine-rhododendron forests, as well as other hardwood forests. The area hosts an exceptional diversity of birds, including many neotropical migrants and an exceptional assemblage of species most often associated with northern forests. These include Olive-sided Flycatcher, Canada Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, and others. The area is particularly significant for Peregrine Falcons, Blackburnian Warblers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Least Flycatchers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Brown Creepers, among many others. The magnificent forests and great diversity of birds have attracted ornithologists for more than a century. Today, long-term studies continue to contribute to the knowledge of birds and their habitats.
