Southold, Suffolk County
3,700 acres 41.2209oN
0-25' elevation 72.1122oW
Description: This site includes a seven-acre rocky island covered with grassy and herbaceous vegetation (owned by the American Museum of Natural History), and the surrounding marine waters, including a deepwater channel known as “The Race.” The Race hosts large concentrations of striped bass (Morone saxatilis), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), tautog (Tautoga onitis), and summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus). It is also a major migration corridor for striped bass and supports a regionally significant commercial lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery.
Birds: This is one of the most important tern nesting sites in the world, with the largest breeding colony of Roseate Terns in North America (1,500 pairs in 1996; 45% of the northeast North American population) and one of the largest colonies of Common Terns as well (8,000 pairs in 1995, 7,750 in 1996; 40-45% of the state population). The numbers of terns during the years 2000-2004 continued to be about 10,000 Common Tern nests and roughly 1,600 Roseate Tern nests annually.
Conservation: This site is listed in the 2002 Open Space Conservation Plan as a priority site under the project name Long Island Sound Coastal Area. Oil spills are a potential threat to this area. A long-term research project managed by staff from the American Museum of Natural History involves the demography and life history of terns. During the first round of IBA site identifications, this site was recognized under the research criterion because of the research being performed there.
IBA Criteria Met
Criterion | Species | Data | Season | Source |
|---|
Species at Risk | Roseate Tern | Estimated 1,747 pairs in 1999, 1,690 in 1998, 1,455 in 1997, 1,064 in 1996, 1,056 in 1995, 1,138 in 1994, 1,400 in 1993 | Breeding | Long Island Colonial Waterbird and Piping Plover Survey |
Species at Risk | Common Tern | Estimated 10,000 pairs in 1999, 10,000 in 1998, 11,248 in 1997, 9,000 in 1996, 8,000 in 1995, 7,750 in 1994, 7,800 in 1993 | Breeding | Long Island Colonial Waterbird and Piping Plover Survey |
Congregations-Waterbirds | Mixed Species | Has well exceeded threshold (100 ind.) over past ten years | Breeding | Long Island Colonial Waterbird and Piping Plover Survey |
Congregations-Individual Species | Roseate Tern | Has supported 60-90% of Long Island population over the past ten years | Breeding | Long Island Colonial Waterbird and Piping Plover Survey |
| Congregations-Individual Species | Common Tern | Has supported 30-50% of Long Island population over the past ten years | Breeding | Long Island Colonial Waterbird and Piping Plover Survey |