Audubon North Carolina

Audubon North Carolina www.ncaudubon.org Audubon and its partners monitor IBAs and promote protection and proper management of these habitats for future generations.
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Audubon’s Important Bird Areas (IBA) program has identified 96 sites in the state, comprising more than 4.9 million acres, which are crucial for nesting, feeding, migrating, and wintering birds. Its coastal sanctuaries, under the watchful eyes of Audubon wardens, link 19 islands that provide refuge for more than a third of the state’s nesting waterbirds, some 23,000 pairs of breeding birds.

Good news!We are glad to see North Carolina lawmakers have extended the Conservation Tax Credit program through 2031. In...
06/23/2026

Good news!

We are glad to see North Carolina lawmakers have extended the Conservation Tax Credit program through 2031. Incentives like this will help us protect forests, farms, and fish and wildlife habitat for birds and people.

Most of the land in North Carolina is privately owned, which means that private landowners have a big opportunity to contribute to conservation.

When private land is conserved, we can keep important habitats intact, retain our state’s natural and cultural heritage, and promote a healthy environment for birds and people.

Thanks to our partners and the many Audubon members who have advocated for this important conservation program.

Tufted Titmouse. 📸: Lou Staunton/Audubon Photography Awards

More and more chicks are hatching along the North Carolina coast. Which means it’s more important than ever to respect p...
06/18/2026

More and more chicks are hatching along the North Carolina coast. Which means it’s more important than ever to respect posted nesting sanctuaries and leave room for birds foraging on the beach.

Chicks like this Least Tern blend in extremely well with the sand and need to be fed and cared for by their parents until they’re ready to fledge.

So, keep your group, vehicle, and pets at a respectful distance—and encourage others to do the same. Be aware of rules, signage and fencing, and always clean up trash.

The birds thank you!

Least Tern adult and chick. 📸: Fabiola Forns/Audubon Photography Awards

06/17/2026

Check out this beautiful Blue-gray Gnatcatcher family!

A tiny woodland bird with a long tail, usually seen flitting about in the treetops, giving a short whining call note. The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher often darts out in a brief, quick flight to snap up a tiny insect in mid-air.

They can be found in North Carolina during the breeding season. On the east coast they primarily nest in deciduous forest dominated by oak, ash, or maple, or in southern pine woods with an understory of oak.

They feed on a wide variety of small insects, including leafhoppers, treehoppers, plant bugs, leaf beetles, caterpillars, flies, small wasps, and many others.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. 🎥: Gary Irwin/Audubon Photography Awards

Two bills filed in the North Carolina General Assembly--Senate Bills 1008 and 1009--would reverse a decades-old ban on h...
06/11/2026

Two bills filed in the North Carolina General Assembly--Senate Bills 1008 and 1009--would reverse a decades-old ban on hardened shoreline structures on the North Carolina coast, clearing the way for terminal groins, seawalls, and jetties.

"North Carolina lawmakers have kept a ban on oceanfront hardened structures in place for generations because they don’t work. They rob sand from other parts of the beach, making erosion worse and putting habitat and coastal communities at greater risk. It’s like balancing a budget by moving debt onto someone else’s books," said Policy Director Zach Wallace.

Read more about the bills and what they could mean for our coast: https://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/article316008719.html

American Oystercatcher. Photo: Katherine Westover/Audubon Photography Awards

Explore the birds of Western North Carolina through the lens of Golden-winged Warbler Survey tech Katie Roberts!Katie ha...
06/11/2026

Explore the birds of Western North Carolina through the lens of Golden-winged Warbler Survey tech Katie Roberts!

Katie has a good eye for spotting a variety of birds, including bluebirds, chickadees, Black-and-White Warblers, Scarlet Tanagers, the Golden-wing, and more.

Audubon works hard to ensure that when priority species like the Golden-wing thrive, all of the other birds that rely on the same habitat and resources, also thrive.

Which photo is your favorite?

Golden-winged Warbler
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Acadian Flycatcher
American Goldfinch
Black-throated Green Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Hooded Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Indigo Bunting
Black bear

Photos: Katie Roberts/Audubon

Did you know that mergansers are our only ducks that specialize in eating fish?In fact, they forage by diving and swimmi...
06/08/2026

Did you know that mergansers are our only ducks that specialize in eating fish?

In fact, they forage by diving and swimming underwater, propelled by their feet.

Within 24 hours of hatching, young leave the nest and follow their mom for several weeks. They will find food on their own but don’t fledge until about 70 days after hatching.

They can be found across the state, usually around small ponds and lakes.

Hooded Merganser female and chicks. 📸: Sally Harmon/Audubon Photography Awards

American Oystercatchers, Least Terns, and Black Skimmers are back at the South end of Wrightsville Beach and are sitting...
06/05/2026

American Oystercatchers, Least Terns, and Black Skimmers are back at the South end of Wrightsville Beach and are sitting on eggs, raising chicks, and foraging for food.

The 4-acre sanctuary is the most accessible and visible site throughout our network of coastal sanctuaries, which makes monitoring for disturbances during nesting season even more important. 

That’s why bird stewards are there every day to monitor the posting and educate beach goers about the birds that nest there.

These photos were taken by Elaine Perkinson on a recent visit to the posting. Remember to always with our beach nesting birds!

If you’d like to get a closer look at these birds in the company of an expert, free, guided bird walks begin in May and occur every Monday morning at 9 am until August 15 on the south end of Wrightsville Beach.

📸: Elaine Perkinson

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807 E. Main Street, Suite 2-220
Durham, NC
27710

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