Virginia鈥檚 Largest Seabird Colony Relocates to New Temporary Home
探花精选 urges Hampton area boaters to give nesting birds the space they need.
HAMPTON (May 21, 2020) 鈥 As Memorial Day weekend approaches and phase 1 of reopening Virginia has begun, 探花精选 calls on all boaters to help protect the nesting birds on Fort Wool (also known as Rip Raps Island) in the Hampton Roads area.
鈥淔or 40 years, South Island has been an important nesting area for seabirds like Royal Terns and Black Skimmers, and in recent years the largest seabird colony in Virginia,鈥 said Dr.听Donald Lyons, Director of Conservation Science for the听探花精选鈥檚 Seabird Restoration Program.
鈥淣ow that the birds are settling in to nest on Fort Wool and nearby barges, we鈥檙e calling on boaters in the area to heed a signed closure of these locations to听give these birds the space they need to nest, while enjoying some much-needed time outdoors. Nesting birds are especially susceptible to disturbance, which can cause them to abandon their eggs and chicks. Giving them a little space can really help them have a successful year.鈥
In February, 探花精选 applauded Gov. Ralph Northam and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for committing to provide a temporary home for the 15,000 seabirds that were displaced from their former nesting grounds on South Island by construction work associated with the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion. With the help of 探花精选鈥檚 Seabird Restoration Program, Virginia Tech and American Bird Conservancy, the state was able to establish a new, temporary nesting location for these vulnerable seabirds on the adjacent Ft. Wool and barges prepared specifically for this purpose. So far, the tremendous effort to create nest habitat on Ft. Wool and nearby barges, together with , appear to be working.
鈥淎dditionally, we encourage the Commonwealth of Virginia to continue planning the establishment of a new island and long-term home for these birds, and state level migratory bird protections that counter the Trump Administration鈥檚 rollbacks to the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.鈥
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