Great Gull Island
Encyclopedia
Great Gull Island is a 17 acres (6.9 ha) island separating Long Island
and Block Island
sounds, located approximately 0.4 mile (0.643736 km) southwest of Little Gull Island
. Both islands are located in Suffolk County, New York
, and lie roughly midway between Plum Island
and Fishers Island
.
, Great Gull Island was the home of large colonies of nesting tern
s up until the end of the 19th century, when many birds were killed as a result of the millinery trade and the construction of military fortifications on the island. In 1897, Fort Michie
was constructed on Great Gull Island to guard the entrance to Long Island Sound. The military base was operational from the Spanish-American War
until World War II
.
Great Gull Island was acquired by the American Museum of Natural History
on March 31, 1949. It marked the beginning of the Great Gull Island Project, a long-term effort by staff from the museum and other volunteers to restore the island's ecosystem. Gradually, terns began returning to the island to nest, and the population grew into one of the largest colonies in the world for two species of terns.
) or common reed (Phragmites australis). A tentative estimation of the S. hirundo mating pairs present on the island places their number at 10,000, though this has not been confirmed, due to the inavailability of a complete and authoritative census.
The other major avian on Great Gull Island is the Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii), which mostly inhabit the ring of boulders that cover the edges of the island. Originally, these boulders were arranged to prevent erosion and were placed there by the US Army. However, the Roseates are well suited to the narrow crevices and hard-to-reach spaces created in this environment, with their young quite adept at vanishing in between the rocks, only becoming accessible when a parent calls to summon them. The population of S. douglii populating the island is estimated to hover somewhere around 1,000 mating pairs, though no complete census is available.
The Great Gull Island Program has an ongoing partnership with several Argentine
projects that monitor the terns during the winter and spring months. Occasionally, as a show of support, an Argentine delegation will arrive to assist in preparation work for "peak week", when hatchings-per-day can range into the thousands. In recognition of their contribution, the west end of the island is thus named "Little Argentina". Reportedly, even the birds there drink mate
.
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
and Block Island
Block Island Sound
Block Island Sound is a strait in the open Atlantic Ocean, approximately wide, separating Block Island from the coast of Rhode Island in the United States...
sounds, located approximately 0.4 mile (0.643736 km) southwest of Little Gull Island
Little Gull Island
Little Gull Island is a small island in Long Island Sound, located approximately northeast of Great Gull Island. Both islands are located in Suffolk County, New York, and lie roughly midway between Plum Island and Fishers Island...
. Both islands are located in Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
, and lie roughly midway between Plum Island
Plum Island (New York)
Plum Island is an island in the Town of Southold in Suffolk County, New York in the United States. The island is in Gardiners Bay, east of Orient Point, off the eastern end of the North Fork coast of Long Island. It is about long and wide at its widest point...
and Fishers Island
Fishers Island
Fishers Island, approximately 9 miles long and 1 mile wide, is located at the eastern end of Long Island Sound, 2 miles off the southeastern coast of Connecticut across Fishers Island Sound...
.
History
A major stopover for birds following the Atlantic FlywayAtlantic Flyway
The Atlantic Flyway is a bird migration route that generally follows the Atlantic Coast of North America and the Appalachian Mountains. The main endpoints of the flyway include the Canadian Maritimes and the region surrounding the Gulf of Mexico; the migration route tends to narrow considerably in...
, Great Gull Island was the home of large colonies of nesting tern
Tern
Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae . They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks...
s up until the end of the 19th century, when many birds were killed as a result of the millinery trade and the construction of military fortifications on the island. In 1897, Fort Michie
Fort Michie
Fort Michie was a US coastal defense site on Great Gull Island, New York. Along with Fort H. G. Wright, Fort Terry and Camp Hero, it defended the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound....
was constructed on Great Gull Island to guard the entrance to Long Island Sound. The military base was operational from the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Great Gull Island was acquired by the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
on March 31, 1949. It marked the beginning of the Great Gull Island Project, a long-term effort by staff from the museum and other volunteers to restore the island's ecosystem. Gradually, terns began returning to the island to nest, and the population grew into one of the largest colonies in the world for two species of terns.
Terns
The dominant faunal feature of the island - during the summer months at least - is the active Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) colony spread across the flatter areas of the island that are not taken over by bittersweet (Celastrus spp.Staff vine
The staff vines, also known as staff trees or bittersweet, genus Celastrus, comprise about 30 species of shrubs and vines. They have a wide distribution in East Asia, Australasia, Africa and the Americas....
) or common reed (Phragmites australis). A tentative estimation of the S. hirundo mating pairs present on the island places their number at 10,000, though this has not been confirmed, due to the inavailability of a complete and authoritative census.
The other major avian on Great Gull Island is the Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii), which mostly inhabit the ring of boulders that cover the edges of the island. Originally, these boulders were arranged to prevent erosion and were placed there by the US Army. However, the Roseates are well suited to the narrow crevices and hard-to-reach spaces created in this environment, with their young quite adept at vanishing in between the rocks, only becoming accessible when a parent calls to summon them. The population of S. douglii populating the island is estimated to hover somewhere around 1,000 mating pairs, though no complete census is available.
Personnel
The first and current director of the program is Helen Hays, who has been managing the island since the 1960s. Joe Dicostanzo is responsible for running the database detailing the family history, hatching records, locations of nests and DOB of many of the birds born on or visiting the island.The Great Gull Island Program has an ongoing partnership with several Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
projects that monitor the terns during the winter and spring months. Occasionally, as a show of support, an Argentine delegation will arrive to assist in preparation work for "peak week", when hatchings-per-day can range into the thousands. In recognition of their contribution, the west end of the island is thus named "Little Argentina". Reportedly, even the birds there drink mate
Mate (beverage)
Mate , also known as chimarrão or cimarrón, is a traditional South American infused drink, particularly in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, southern states of Brazil, south of Chile, the Bolivian Chaco, and to some extent, Syria and Lebanon...
.