Red-throated Loon
Latin: Gavia stellata
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An ever changing spectacle of wildlife - Pine Island hosts over 190 bird species and is home to one quarter of the climate threatened species in North America.
Tundra Swan in Flight Photo: Walker Golder
The Donal C. O’Brien, Jr. Sanctuary at Pine Island provides essential habitat for birds along the Atlantic Flyway, a route that migratory birds use along the Atlantic Coast. Birds migrating south, including iconic waterfowl species such as Tundra Swans and Pintail Ducks, use the sanctuary as n overwintering or stopover spot from September through December each year. As a designated Globally Important Bird Area, Pine Island is a unique hotspot for avian biodiversity. The sanctuary is home to 194 bird species, including 96 species identified as climate-threatened in Audubon’s latest climate report, Survival By Degrees.
Over the past fifty years, waterfowl populations at Pine Island have drastically decreased due to habitat loss from threats like climate change and increased development pressure. Whereas waterfowl populations in the 1970s were around 300,000, recent surveys in Currituck Sound have counted only around 30,000 birds. By building resilience into the ecosystem using nature-based solutions, however, Currituck Sound can continue to adapt and provide critical habitat into the future.
Audubon centers our conservation efforts at Pine Island around a list of priority bird species that rely on the sanctuary and its natural resources.
The Sanctuary in Corolla is not only a popular destination for visitors of the Outer Banks, it is also a stopover spot for many migrating waterfowl during cooler months.
The Donal C. O’Brien, Jr. Sanctuary provides a safe refuge for a wide range of birds including many on Audubon’s priority species list.
Spring arrives every year in North America on the wings of millions of migratory birds returning from their wintering grounds in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America to their northern nesting grounds in the United States
A key stop along the Atlantic Flyway bird migration route, the Outer Banks are brimming with opportunities to spot birds coming to and through the northeast corner of North Carolina.
Learn about the bird conservation research taking place at Pine Island and find nature-focused events happening at this Important Bird Area along the Outer Banks in our periodic eBulletin.
Click Orange Button to register for Guided Kayak Programs
Every donation will be used to protect the 6,000 acres of marsh complex within the sanctuary and the wildlife it supports.
