Changes in Nesting Populations of Colonial Waterbirds in Coastal North Carolina 1900-1995

In the early 1900s, 13 species of gulls, terns, herons and egrets nested in the coastal zone of North Carolina. Four of these, Least Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Snowy Egret and Great Egret were uncommon or rare. By the time the first coast wide censuses of all species were completed in the 1970s, 23 species were nesting, and populations of most appeared relatively stable or were increasing. No species is known to have been extirpated from the state. Prior to the initiation of dredging in the coastal sounds, all colonies of gulls and terns were on natural beaches or islands while most heronries were in coastal swamps. By the 1970s, most nesting sites for gulls, terns and waders were in the estuarine zone and nearly 50 percent of all sites were on man-made or man-modified substrate. In the early 1900s, the Audubon Society of North Carolina provided the first protection for these birds, and the first sites were protected by wardens. By 1995, about 65 percent of all sites were protected by private, state or federal agencies. The outlook is guardedly optimistic. Maintenance of sites by the deposition of dredged material may decline as costs of dredging coastal channels and competition for dredged material escalates. Management agencies, however, are showing strong interest in the welfare of these species, and the level of effort directed toward protection and management is increasing.