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(Alosa midiocris ) , white shad and American shad ( Alosa sapidissima) - 

 which ascend freshwater streams to breed, many in large enough quantities 

 to be of commercial value. The striped bass is of course a highly 

 regarded sport fish as well. The importance of small tributary streams 

 as breeding areas and their attendant marshes as nurseries for the 

 subsequent fry has been considered in assessing natural area value. 



Wood duck nesting concentrations have been noted where information 

 was available. Thisspecies, considered endangered 30-40 years ago, has 

 made an astonishing come-back. One of the few ducks which is a cavity 

 nester, the wood duck ( Aix sponsa ) declined as the old trees which had 

 proper nesting cavities were logged off and younger trees cut before 

 reaching proper size. Analysis of the problem led to the happy solution 

 of providing artificial nesting sites and the wood duck while not as 

 abundant as black duck or mallard is once again relatively common. Since 

 the male is one of the most beautifully marked birds in North America, 

 inclusion of nesting data in the natural area evaluations was considered 

 appropriate. 



A small number of heronries are still present in the Bay region, 

 mostly of the great blue heron ( Ardea herodias ) but other types of 

 heronies are found too - green heron ( Butorides virescens ) , black-crowned 

 night heron ( Nyctocorax nycticorax ) , and American egret ( Casmerodius 

 albus ) . At the present less than 20 active heronries have been listed, 

 although others probably exist. Hopefully in the coming year a more 

 accurate tabulation can be made matching the excellent work done by the 

 eagle- and osprey workers who have contributed so much to our knowledge 

 of these species in the Bay region. 



