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| Birds of Lake Mattamuskeet |
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The lake, marsh, and woodlands on Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge provide habitat for over 240 bird species. Ospreys nest in low cypress trees near the edge of the lake. Hundreds of migratory shorebirds find resting and feeding spots along the edge of the lake and through 2,600 acres of marsh impoundments. Migrating warblers are popular subjects for bird watchers in the spring and fall. Although known primarily for its large flocks of visiting waterfowl during the months from November to March, Mattamuskeet also is a home for threatened and endangered species such as the peregrine falcon and bald eagle. The Refuge manages the marsh impoundments to provide habitat for migrating birds, using moist-soil techniques to produce stands of natural waterfowl foods such as wild millet, panic grass and spikerushes. The Refuge staff controls water levels using pumps and flow-control structures. Management of these impoundments includes periodic burning, disking, and mowing to maintain these early successional wetlands plants. The Refuge contracts with local farmers to plant corn, soybeans, and winter wheat on sections of the refuge, under a cooperative arrangement where a percentage of the crop is left unharvested for feeding the Canada geese, snow geese, ducks, and swans that winter at Mattamuskeet. Forest management techniques such as prescribed burning and selective thinning are used to enhance wildlife habitat. |
| (Click to expand list &/or access photos. Photos are being added continually so check back often.) |
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