WECT TV6 - WECT.com - Wilmington, NC news and weather - Birds are flocking to Bird Island off of the Fort Fisher coast
Member Center:
Looking for the 2009 WECT Collector' Calendar? Click here for a list of distributors.
Click here to read all the recent local news that matters most.
The latest news and sports from around North Carolina.
Up-to-the-minute news and sports from the southern half of the Carolinas.
Click here for today's continuously updated top national news stories.
BIRD ISLAND -- Bird Island is about three quarters of a mile off the Fort Fisher Coast, and can only be accessed by boat.
Only a handful of people have had the privilege of visiting the island because you can't walk on it without permission.
The island is filled with six species of birds, ranging from Brown Pelicans to American Oyster Catchers.
The manmade island was developed in the 1970's from left over underwater material from dredging.
Every five to seven years the Army Corps of Engineers adds more sand to the island so it won't erode away.
About 25% of the state's seabirds make the island their home or stop of there.
The birds don't have to worry about predators like raccoons or foxes that could potentially devastate the birds that next there.
The island is patrolled by the NC Wildlife Resources Committee and Audubon Biologists, they make sure that humans don't disturb the birds.
Reported by Max Winitz
