Hurricane Irene damage ruins refuge for waterfowl

HATTERAS ISLAND, N.C.

On winter days in years past, ducks with jewel-toned wings speckled the waters of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge's North Pond. Tundra swans alighted on the water, feasted on tufts of vegetation then folded long necks under wings to rest from their journey.

Bird watchers would flock to the pond on early mornings, hauling telescopes, cameras and warm clothes, eyes peeled for rare species. It wasn't unusual to count 2,000 to 4,000 waterfowl, refuge biologist Dennis Stewart said.

But this is not a normal year. Five months ago, Hurricane Irene ripped a 200-foot hole in the pond's west end and drained it, leaving an oval of mucky sand. Now, the pond comes and goes with the tide, and the lack of a consistent water level has prevented the waterfowl from landing and feeding. Coupled with an uncharacteristically warm winter that could have prevented birds from migrating as far south, it has meant a huge drop in the number of birds, Stewart said.

"If we see 300 birds in here total, waterfowl and non-waterfowl, we feel pretty lucky," he said, gazing at the expanse of sand. He can't recall seeing a swan in the pond all winter.

The 5,800-acre wildlife refuge on the north end of the island, managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is known as a birders' paradise. Almost 3 million people venture here each year, many to spy rare migratory fowl like Redhead ducks in the winter and shore birds in the summer. Pedestrians with telescopes over their shoulders are common winter sights along N.C. 12.

Birding groups and other visitors have still come, but they are concerned about the breach and its impact on the refuge.

"The lack of water in the pond sends the waterfowl that would normally be there to other places," said Pat Moore, who volunteers at the refuge's visitor center with her husband every Friday and leads bird walks. She said she's seen more ducks and geese just north at the Bodie Island lighthouse.

But Stewart reassures birders the fowl will return. He hopes to patch the breach, which is up to 14 feet deep in some spots, by the end of March, which will give aquatic vegetation, a food source, time to grow. He'll also have to replace pipes that allowed biologists to control the water in the pond and the structure that housed the water pump. Those were destroyed during the hurricane as well.

"The frustrating thing for a biologist like me is it takes time," Stewart said. "I'm not managing about 400 acres here to its potential."

The cost estimate is holding up the process, Stewart said. He figures it will be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The preserve does have funding in place to start the project, he said.

The repairs come as good news to birder Meredith Bell, who has come to Pea Island for the past five years with a group from the Virginia Society of Ornithology.

On their most recent trip, Bell said, they spent most of their time at the preserve's other two ponds. And despite the barren North Pond, its members saw spectacular sights - including half a dozen white-chested razorbills. These penguinlike auks spend their lives on the open ocean and come ashore only to nest.

They're so rare that few people ever encounter one.

Bell said, "Those are life birds for most people."

Gabriella Souza, 252-441-1711, gabriella.souza@pilotonline.com