Ferry Slip and South Pelican islands in the Cape Fear River are nesting habitats for birds such as royal and sandwich terns.

SOUTHEASTERN N.C. -- Its been 13 years since South Pelican and Ferry Slip islands were replenished with fresh sand.

The two islands in the Cape Fear River between Southport and Fort Fisher are nesting habitats for native birds such as royal, sandwich and gull-billed terns, and the American oystercatcher. The birds prefer an open, sandy habitat in which to lay their eggs.

The islands are owned by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission but maintained by Audubon North Carolina. Last year the islands missed out on a chance to receive sand from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredging project, which is done periodically to keep the channel clear. A permit was not completed in time to receive dredge material. The islands will likely have to wait a couple to several more years before a new opportunity arises to be replenished with beach-quality sand.

The Cape Fear River is an important site for these birds, said Lindsay Addison, an Audubon coastal biologist. Thirty percent of the states royal and sandwich terns nest on the Cape Fear River. With a third of the states nesting population in need of the right habitat, its concerning to lose that open bare sand they like to the natural progression of grasses and vegetation growing up on the island.

While waiting for another opportunity to replenish the islands with sand, Addison said Audubon will be working on a vegetation management project with a grant administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The project involves applying herbicide to vegetation that has grown considerably on the islands, as well as pulling the vegetation and exposing bare sand.

While the islands not only provide the right habitat for the birds, Addison said the islands also offer safety from predators such as foxes, raccoons and opossums.

In a good year, Addison said about 3,000 pairs of royal and sandwich terns will nest on the river, which makes caring for the island habitats important. Sandy beach habitats birds nested on years ago have been lost to tourism, development, erosion and sea level rise, leaving a limited number of habitats left, Addison said.

These birds dont have other places to go, she said. Out of the entire state for royal and sandwich terns, there are five or six islands theyll occupy in a year. Ferry Slip and South Pelican are two of those islands.

David Allen, wildlife diversity supervisor with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, said protecting the few habitats these particular birds have to nest in is important for maintaining the finite number of birds left.

Addison said she hopes a dredge project will occur sooner rather than later for the sake of the islands, which could suffer in the long run should sand not be replenished.

These are sand islands, there are waves, currents and storms on the river and over time they do erode, Addison said. So if you were to just not put sand on them over several decades, quite a long time perhaps, in the end they would eventually erode away.

Reporter Makenzie Holland can be reached at 910-343-2371 or Makenzie.Holland@StarNewsOnline.com.

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Cape Fear River islands that host nesting birds need sand - StarNewsOnline.com