From Ocean to Sound, Pine Island is one of very few
remaining examples of natural plant and animal
assemblages that were once found in abundance on the
northern outer banks.
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Pine Island
Audubon Sanctuary
Not too many years ago, the only way to travel the
outer banks north of the town of Duck was by four-wheel
drive vehicle. Today, you could travel all the way to
Corolla on rollerblades if you so desired. Along the way
you would pass through one of North Carolina’s
fastest growing regions of the coast complete with golf
courses, gift shops, jet-ski rentals, and million-dollar
vacation homes.
In the midst of this, just to the north of Duck, there
is an oasis of windswept dunes, sea oats, live oaks, wax
myrtles and bayberries. The Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary
includes 6,000 acres of dunes, shrub thickets, forest and
marsh. From Ocean to Sound, it is one of very few
remaining examples of natural plant and animal
assemblages that were once found in abundance on the
northern outer banks.
The Pine Island Sanctuary also harbors a great
diversity of plants and animals. More than 350 species of
plants have been recorded, including at least three rare
and threatened species. In addition, 202 species of
vertebrates have been recorded, including 7 amphibian
species, 17 reptile species, 19 mammal species, and 159
species of birds.
A 2.5-mile, self-guided nature trail through the shrub
thickets and forest is open to the public all year. Along
the trail, two raised observation platforms offer
excellent places to view Currituck Sound and its marshes.
The Sound is probably most recognized as one of the
country’s premier wintering areas for ducks, geese
and swans, but it offers much more. The waters, marshes
and surrounding woodlands abound with a great diversity
of birds from Brown Pelicans to Prairie Warblers,
depending on season.
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