Grant's Island (Biloxi quadrangle) was a nesting site for two wading 

 birds, tne tricolored heron and the snowy egret, but the island was destroyed 

 Dy Hurricane Fredric. The Dauphin Island Audubon Sanctuary (Biloxi quad- 

 rangle) is a nesting site for great blue heron ( Ardea herodias ), little blue 

 heron, anu green-backed heron. Also on Dauphin Island, the Salt Creek area 

 is a nesting site for green-Dacked heron and black-crowned night-heron 

 ( Nycticorax nycticorax ) (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1983). 



In addition to tne nesting colonies mentioned above, the beaches and 

 dunes of coastal Alabama are utilized by various seabirds as scattered 

 nesting sites. Daupnin Island beaches provide sites for nesting least tern, 

 and in at least one area, for common tern ( Sterna hirundo ) , gull-billed tern 

 ( Sterna nilotica ) , and black skimmer ( Ryncnops mger ). Sand Island (Biloxi 

 quaarangTe] fs also a nesting site for these four species as well as royal 

 tern ( Sterna max una ) and sandwich tern (S. sanavicensi s ) . The locations of 

 seabirds nesting sites vary, and the changes Tn shape and size of the sandy 

 islands with time also affect nesting. The Theodore Disposal Island (Mobile 

 and Biloxi quadrangles) provides nesting sites for black skimmers, least 

 terns, gull -billed terns, royal terns, the brown pelican ( Pelecanus 

 occidentalis ) , Caspian terns ( Sterna caspia ), common terns ( S. hirundo ), and 

 1 augning" gul 1 s ( Larus atricil la ) . 



In tne Bon Secour Bay area, wading birds nest sporadically in taller 

 trees. Great blue herons nest at Navy Cove, Little Alligator Lake, and 

 Little Point Clear (Pensacola quadrangle). The present status (1983) of the 

 Oyster Bay site (Pensacola quadrangle), which was used by tricolored and 

 little blue herons, is inactive. Also inactive is the Bon Secour River site 

 (Pensacola quadrangle), utilized in the past by cattle egret. The Weeks Bay 

 site (Pensacola quadrangle), used in the past by snowy egret, tricolored 

 heron and little blue heron, is inactive. In the Perdido Bay area (Pensacola 

 quadrangle), great blue heron nesting has been reported at Gulf State Park 

 (Pensacola quadrangle), Walker Island, and Cotton Bayou. Only the Walker 

 Island site (Pensacola quadrangle) remains in active use (O'Neil and Mettee 

 1982; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1983). 



In trie Mobile Delta area north of the causeway are scattered wading bird 

 nesting sites. The largest reported colony at Negro Lake (Bay Minette 

 quadrangle) was for nesting green-backed heron, little blue heron, white 

 ibis, cattle egret, and yellow-crowned night-heron ( Nycticorax violacea ). In 

 tne upper delta there are two other active nesting sites. Mims Lake (Bay 

 Minette quadrangle) has an active colony of white ibis, great egret, little 

 blue heron, and yellow-crowned night-heron. Miflin Lake (Bay Minette quad- 

 rangle) has active colonies of green-backed heron and little blue herun 

 (Johribon 1979, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1983). 



Shorebirds in Coastal Alabama 



Various shorebirds use sandy beach areas, sand dunes, and adjacent salt 



marshes in coastal Alabama. Some are seasonal visitors, while others are 



year-round residents, Shorebirds tnat migrate but do not nest in coastal 



Alabama incluue such species as semipalmated plover ( Charadriu s 



semi pal matus) , black-bellied plover (Pluvial is squatarola ) , whimbreT 



