Great Captain Island
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Great Captain Island also known (less familiarly) as "Great Captains Island," is an island off the coast of Greenwich, Connecticut and is the location of the 19th-century Great Captain Island Lighthouse.
The 17-acre island, a bit over a mile south of the Byram shore, is the southernmost point in the state of Connecticut and New England, lying south of 41ยบ.
The isle is the largest of a three-island group that also includes Little Captain (more commonly known today as Island Beach) and Wee Captain, attached to Great Captain by a sandbar. The islands are named after Captain Daniel Patrick, one of the first settlers of Greenwich.[1]
Egrets, herons, osprey, and many other bird species can be seen on the island. Trails have been laid out for visitors, and the western part of the island has picnic tables, grills, restrooms, and posted swimming areas. The island is open year round, with a ferry running during the summer, but only for Greenwich residents and their guests. No public tours of the lighthouse or island are available.[1] A single dirt road leads to the eastern side of the island, where most egrets tend to nest and where the lighthouse is.[2]
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[edit] History
The states of New York and Connecticut both claimed the island in the 19th century but, after 50 years, a commission resolved the dispute in favor of the Nutmeg State. In 1829, the federal government authorized money for a lighthouse on the island and bought 3.5 acres on Great Captain for the purpose.[1]
In 1966, the town government bought all the land on the island except for the lighthouse grounds for $90,000 and, in 1973, the federal government turned over that tract as well.[1]
[edit] Wildlife
Great Captain Island is one of the state's 26 "important bird areas" that provide an essential habitat for one or more bird species, according to the Audubon Connecticut society. (Two others in Greenwich are Greenwich Point and Audubon Greenwich's back-country grounds.)[3]
Great blue herons, have been on the island since the 1990s.[4]
Great egrets, snowy egrets, and black-crowned night herons also live on the island, nesting in the highest branches of black locust and cherry trees on the southeast corner of the island,[2] above a tidal marsh accessible by a dirt road.[3] The nesting period runs from March through August.[2]
The island was once known as the state's largest heron and egret rookery, but in the early 2000s their populations shrunk dramatically, with summer counts down from a total of 364 in 1998 to 98 in 2004. People who make a lot of noise near the nesting birds can upset them, according to Mike Nickerson, the island caretaker. Some, including Patrick Comins, director of bird conservation for Audubon Connecticut, think the bird populations have been hurt by human disturbances and possibly also by competition from cormorants and the great-horned owl that lives on the island and has fed on the birds. Overall pollution in Long Island Sound waters may also have an effect, he said.[3]
Wading bird populations on the island[3]
| 1998 | 2001 | 2004 | |
| Great egret | 46 | 98 | 24 |
| Snowy egret | 139 | 40 | 33 |
| Black-crowned night heron |
179 | 150 | 41 |
| Total | 364 | 298 | 98 |
Some conservationists have expressed concern that the birds, which nest close to the lighthouse, may abandon the colony if they are disturbed by noise or interference from visitors after the lighthouse's planned renovation in 2007.[2]
[edit] The owl
For the past three years (to 2006), a great horned owl has nested in the thick forest of cherry, maple and poplar trees on the eastern side of the island, feeding off of the many birds there, including great blue herons and egrets.[4]
[edit] Trivia
- The island's exact location: Latitude: 40.9825; Longitude: -73.6235
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ a b c d [1]"Great Captain Island, CT" page at LighthouseFriends.com Web site, accessed August 21, 2006
- ^ a b c d Dinan, Michael, "Lighthouse work may force birds to fly the coop", news article in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, page A3
- ^ a b c d Dinan, Michael, "Empty nest: Conservationists seek to protect dwindling number of wading birds", news article in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, May 1, 2007, page 1
- ^ a b Dinan, Michael, "Stealthy hunter targets Great Captains Island birds," article in The Greenwich Time, August 20, 2006
