3.3 Birds
a threat that can have signifcant impacts on populations. Loss of habitat can occur from land-use impacts (e.g., development, inlet relocation and management, beach nourishment projects, recreation activities) or environmental processes (e.g., storm events, saltwater intrusion) (NABCI 2009; Delany et al. 2010) . Waterbird rookeries are vulnerable to development activities, especially land clearing and construction activities that destroy nesting habitat and intrusion or disturbance impacts from development sites that are located near rooker- ies. High winds or other severe weather events can uproot trees and impact entire nesting colonies. Saltwater intrusion can cause die-of of forest vegetation that needs freshwater resources. Increased human population density within North Carolina’s coastal region increases challenges associated with garbage and pet food that attract mammalian and avian preda- tors in larger numbers. Raccoons, foxes, free-ranging cats, coyotes, crows, and gulls all prey on bird adults, eggs, chicks, and fedglings. Such predation pressures have population-level impacts on bird species, and especially signifcant efects on small, declining populations. Energy development from wind farms, solar panels, or ofshore oil rigs may afect migra- tory bird populations directly through collisions with infrastructure or being coated with oil from spills. Indirect efects may include avoidance of large areas used by energy devel- opment, thus loss of habitat.
Climate change and sea level rise will alter coastal environments. Loss of freshwater marsh habitat to saltwater intrusion will adversely afect several rail species, many
of which we know little about already. Loss of marsh islands in estuaries will afect Forster’s Tern, Willet, Clapper Rail, American Oystercatcher, and other species dependent on these sites for nesting, feed- ing, and roosting. Strong coastal storms create overwash pans and inlets that ben- eft many shorebirds, terns, and skimmers. Barrier islands may decrease in area, thus, dredged-material islands may play an increased role in providing nesting, roosting, and feeding habitats. Habitat management on private lands continues to be important to maintaining viability of bird populations in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. In particular, providing and adminis- tering programs to encourage benefcial agricultural practices (e.g., use of prescribed fre, native vegetation retained along feld edges and in riparian bufers) practices, and promote Clapper Rail (Dominic Sherony, fickr) https://www.fickr.com/photos/9765210@N03 Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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