Currituck Banks North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Bodie (10401526814).jpg|300px|thumb|Bodie Island]]
'''Currituck Banks North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve''' is a component site of the [[North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve]] on the [[Currituck Banks]], north of [[Corolla, North Carolina]]. Currituck Banks is one of three original National Estuarine Research Reserve sites dedicated by [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] in 1985.
The reserve encompasses 965 acres of varied habitat and is bordered by the [[Currituck Sound]]. The Currituck banks are part of a 70-mile long [[Spit (landform)|barrier spit]] that extends from [[Virginia Beach, Virginia|Virginia Beach]] to Oregon Inlet.
== Description ==
The reserve is an example of a low-salinity [[estuarine]] ecosystem and contains a variety of habitats, including [[beach]], [[sand dunes]], [[grasslands]], shrub thicket, [[maritime forest]], brackish and freshwater [[marshes]], [[tidal flats]], and [[Neritic zone|subtidal soft bottoms]].
The reserve was described in the [[Boston Globe]] as being among the coast's most beautiful nature preserves; the review noted that the reserve and surrounding area are nearly empty of people during the off-season.<ref>[http://www.boston.com/travel/articles/2007/02/04/there_behind_the_buildup_open_pristine_outer_banks/?page=full Sacha Pfeiffer, "Outer Banks in winter peaceful, inexpensive", ''Boston Globe'', Feb. 7, 2007.]</ref>
== Fauna ==
The reserve is home to a wealth of birds and fish, including commercial and game fish species. The reserve allows [[hunting]] (with a registration form required),<ref>[http://www.nccoastalreserve.net/web/crp/currituck-banks North Carolina Coastal Reserve: Currituck Banks NC Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve, Retrieved Feb. 20, 2106.]</ref> and is also listed as an [[eBird]] hotspot for [[birdwatching]].<ref>[http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?step=saveChoices&getLocations=hotspots&parentState=US-NC&bMonth=01&bYear=1900&eMonth=12&eYear=2010&reportType=location&hotspots=L674445&continue.x=60&continue.y=17&continue=Continue eBird. 2010. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance (web application). Version 2. eBird, Ithaca, New York. Available: http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed: Jan. 24, 2010).]</ref> Mammals include white-tailed deer, [[eastern gray squirrel]], cottontail and marsh rabbit, [[opossum]], raccoon, gray fox, [[bobcat]], muskrat, [[North American river otter|river otter]], and the invasive [[nutria]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Currituck Banks Reserve {{!}} NC DEQ |url=https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/coastal-management/nc-coastal-reserve/reserve-sites/currituck-banks-reserve |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=deq.nc.gov}}</ref> The uniquely brackish water allows both salt water and freshwater species of fish to thrive here. Saltwater fish species include [[Brook trout|speckled trout]], flounder, [[red drum]], mullet and [[striped bass]]. Freshwater fish species include [[largemouth bass]], [[Ocean sunfish|sunfish]], [[crappie]], and [[perch]].<ref name=":0" />
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+Bird species list
!Common Name
|-
|[[Snow goose|Snow Goose]]
|-
|[[Canada goose|Canada Goose]]
|-
|[[Mute swan|Mute Swan]]
|-
|[[Tundra swan|Tundra Swan]]
|-
|[[Wood duck|Wood Duck]]
|-
|[[Gadwall]]
|-
|[[Mallard]]
|-
|[[American black duck|American Black Duck]]
|-
|[[Green-winged teal|Green-winged Teal]]
|-
|[[White-winged scoter|White-winged Scoter]]
|-
|[[Black scoter|Black Scoter]]
|-
|[[Bufflehead]]
|-
|[[Common merganser|Common Merganser]]
|-
|[[Red-breasted merganser|Red-breasted Merganser]]
|-
|[[Ruddy duck|Ruddy Duck]]
|-
|[[Pied-billed grebe|Pied-billed Grebe]]
|-
|[[Rock dove|Rock Pigeon]]
|-
|[[Mourning dove|Mourning Dove]]
|-
|[[Yellow-billed cuckoo|Yellow-billed Cuckoo]]
|-
|[[Chuck-will's-widow]]
|-
|[[Chimney swift|Chimney Swift]]
|-
|[[Ruby-throated hummingbird|Ruby-throated Hummingbird]]
|-
|[[King rail|King Rail]]
|-
|[[Clapper rail|Clapper Rail]]
|-
|[[Virginia rail|Virginia Rail]]
|-
|[[American coot|American Coot]]
|-
|[[Grey plover|Black-bellied Plover]]
|-
|[[Semipalmated plover|Semipalmated Plover]]
|-
|[[Killdeer]]
|-
|[[Marbled godwit|Marbled Godwit]]
|-
|[[Ruddy turnstone|Ruddy Turnstone]]
|-
|[[Red knot|Red Knot]]
|-
|[[Stilt sandpiper|Stilt Sandpiper]]
|-
|[[Sanderling]]
|-
|[[Semipalmated sandpiper|Semipalmated Sandpiper]]
|-
|[[Western sandpiper|Western Sandpiper]]
|-
|[[Short-billed dowitcher|Short-billed Dowitcher]]
|-
|[[Long-billed dowitcher|Long-billed Dowitcher]]
|-
|[[American woodcock|American Woodcock]]
|-
|[[Solitary sandpiper|Solitary Sandpiper]]
|-
|[[Greater yellowlegs|Greater Yellowlegs]]
|-
|[[Willet]]
|-
|[[Lesser yellowlegs|Lesser Yellowlegs]]
|-
|[[Parasitic jaeger|Parasitic Jaeger]]
|-
|[[Bonaparte's gull|Bonaparte's Gull]]
|-
|[[Black-headed gull|Black-headed Gull]]
|-
|[[Laughing gull|Laughing Gull]]
|-
|[[Lesser black-backed gull|Lesser Black-backed Gull]]
|-
|[[Herring gull|Herring Gull]]
|-
|[[Great black-backed gull|Great Black-backed Gull]]
|-
|[[Least tern|Least Tern]]
|-
|[[Caspian tern|Caspian Tern]]
|-
|[[Common tern|Common Tern]]
|-
|[[Forster's tern|Forster's Tern]]
|-
|[[Royal tern|Royal Tern]]
|-
|[[Sandwich tern|Sandwich Tern]]
|-
|[[Common loon|Common Loon]]
|-
|[[Magnificent frigatebird|Magnificent Frigatebird]]
|-
|[[Northern gannet|Northern Gannet]]
|-
|[[Double-crested cormorant|Double-crested Cormorant]]
|-
|[[American white pelican|American White Pelican]]
|-
|[[Brown pelican|Brown Pelican]]
|-
|[[American bittern|American Bittern]]
|-
|[[Least bittern|Least Bittern]]
|-
|[[Great blue heron|Great Blue Heron]]
|-
|[[Great egret|Great Egret]]
|-
|[[Snowy egret|Snowy Egret]]
|-
|[[Little blue heron|Little Blue Heron]]
|-
|[[Tricolored heron|Tricolored Heron]]
|-
|[[Cattle egret|Cattle Egret]]
|-
|[[Green heron|Green Heron]]
|-
|[[Black-crowned night heron|Black-crowned Night-Heron]]
|-
|[[Glossy ibis|Glossy Ibis]]
|-
|[[Black vulture|Black Vulture]]
|-
|[[Turkey vulture|Turkey Vulture]]
|-
|[[Osprey]]
|-
|[[Northern harrier|Northern Harrier]]
|-
|[[Sharp-shinned hawk|Sharp-shinned Hawk]]
|-
|[[Cooper's hawk|Cooper's Hawk]]
|-
|[[Bald eagle|Bald Eagle]]
|-
|[[Red-shouldered hawk|Red-shouldered Hawk]]
|-
|[[Red-tailed hawk|Red-tailed Hawk]]
|-
|[[Eastern screech owl|Eastern Screech-Owl]]
|-
|[[Great horned owl|Great Horned Owl]]
|-
|[[Barred owl|Barred Owl]]
|-
|[[Belted kingfisher|Belted Kingfisher]]
|-
|[[Gray catbird|Gray Catbird]]
|-
|[[Brown thrasher|Brown Thrasher]]
|-
|[[Northern mockingbird|Northern Mockingbird]]
|-
|[[Common starling|European Starling]]
|-
|[[Cedar waxwing|Cedar Waxwing]]
|-
|[[House finch|House Finch]]
|-
|[[Purple finch|Purple Finch]]
|-
|[[Pine siskin|Pine Siskin]]
|-
|[[American goldfinch|American Goldfinch]]
|-
|[[Chipping sparrow|Chipping Sparrow]]
|-
|[[Fox sparrow|Fox Sparrow]]
|-
|[[Dark-eyed junco|Dark-eyed Junco]]
|-
|[[White-throated sparrow|White-throated Sparrow]]
|-
|[[Seaside sparrow|Seaside Sparrow]]
|-
|[[Saltmarsh sparrow|Saltmarsh Sparrow]]
|-
|[[Song sparrow|Song Sparrow]]
|-
|[[Swamp sparrow|Swamp Sparrow]]
|-
|[[Eastern towhee|Eastern Towhee]]
|-
|[[Orchard oriole|Orchard Oriole]]
|-
|[[Red-winged blackbird|Red-winged Blackbird]]
|-
|[[Brown-headed cowbird|Brown-headed Cowbird]]
|-
|[[Common grackle|Common Grackle]]
|-
|[[Boat-tailed grackle|Boat-tailed Grackle]]
|-
|[[Ovenbird]]
|-
|[[Black-and-white warbler|Black-and-white Warbler]]
|-
|[[Prothonotary warbler|Prothonotary Warbler]]
|-
|[[Swainson's warbler|Swainson's Warbler]]
|-
|[[Orange-crowned warbler|Orange-crowned Warbler]]
|-
|[[Common yellowthroat|Common Yellowthroat]]
|-
|[[American redstart|American Redstart]]
|-
|[[Northern parula|Northern Parula]]
|-
|[[Magnolia warbler|Magnolia Warbler]]
|-
|[[Chestnut-sided warbler|Chestnut-sided Warbler]]
|-
|[[Blackpoll warbler|Blackpoll Warbler]]
|-
|[[Black-throated blue warbler|Black-throated Blue Warbler]]
|-
|[[Palm warbler|Palm Warbler]]
|-
|[[Pine warbler|Pine Warbler]]
|-
|[[Yellow-rumped warbler|Yellow-rumped Warbler]]
|-
|[[Yellow-throated warbler|Yellow-throated Warbler]]
|-
|[[Prairie warbler|Prairie Warbler]]
|-
|[[Black-throated green warbler|Black-throated Green Warbler]]
|-
|[[Summer tanager|Summer Tanager]]
|-
|[[Northern cardinal|Northern Cardinal]]
|-
|[[Rose-breasted grosbeak|Rose-breasted Grosbeak]]
|-
|[[Blue grosbeak|Blue Grosbeak]]
|-
|[[Indigo bunting|Indigo Bunting]]
|-
|[[House sparrow|House Sparrow]]
|}
==References==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.eoearth.org/article/North_Carolina_National_Estuarine_Research_Reserve Currituck Banks North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve]
* [http://www.nccoastalreserve.net/web/crp/currituck-banks North Carolina Reserve: The Currituck Banks Component]
{{Protected areas of North Carolina}}
{{Outer Banks}}
[[Category:Protected areas of Currituck County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Protected areas of North Carolina]]
[[Category:National Estuarine Research Reserves of the United States]]
[[Category:Estuaries of North Carolina]]
[[Category:Landforms of Currituck County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Wetlands of North Carolina]]
{{CurrituckCountyNC-geo-stub}}
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