Alabama Coastal Connection, Wetland Birds, Dunes, Barrier Islands & Butterflies

Wetland Birds

The tidal marshes of Alabama feed a rich bird community. The newly created salt marsh is a prime feeding habitat for herons, egrets, pelicans, terns, sandpipers, and blackbirds. As the arch matures, the diversity and abundance of birds will increase. 

At least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 

At low tide, the marsh brings sandpipers moving in unison across the wet sand. 

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), American Egret (Casmerodius albus), Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias)

The Snowy Egret, American Egret, and Great Blue Heron feed on fish and invertebrates from the marsh. 

Least Tern (Sterna antillarum) 

The open sand dune area provides primary nesting habitat for the Least Tern, which is threatened by habitat loss.  

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

Old pilings in the water provide a resting site for Southern Brown Pelicans, which were once on the brink of extinction in this area. 

Ruddy Turnstone(Arenaria interpres)

Cruising along the rock is the Ruddy Turnstone. This bird turns over oysters and clam shells in search of food. 

Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)

Gifted with a graceful wing beat and beautiful coloration, the Black Skimmer grazes along the surface of the water in search of fish.

The large (Phragmites) to the East of the marsh are utilized for nesting by Red-Winged Blackbirds and Boat-tailed Grackles. 

Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major) Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Barrier Islands

Shaped by Wind and Water

Sea levels began rising 18-20,000 years ago, moving sandbars toward the mainland. The rate of rise slowed 6,000 years ago, allowing the sandbar to emerge as the present barrier islands. 

Dune plants stabilize wind-blown sands, building ridges and mounds called dunes in the highest areas of the beach. Dunes are critical because, as a storm attacks a beach, water and gravity roll the sand downhill away from the dunes. 

This builds an offshore sandbar, absorbing energy from the storm's waves and protecting what remains of the beaches and dune lands. 

After the storm, the offshore bar provides sand for beach rebuilding. 

Barrier islands perform two functions:

1. Barrier islands protect the mainland from erosion by absorbing much of a storm's energy. 
2. Barrier islands trap a mixture of fresh and saltwater from the Gulf, contributing to the formation of estuaries. Coastal seafood species depend on the abundant food and brackish-water habitat that estuarine environments provide.

Alabama Coastal Connection

Dune Plants survive in a harsh environment.

Adaptation allows plants to survive salt and freshwater flooding, extreme high and low temperatures, and hurricane-force winds. 

These plants reproduce from cuttings created by storms and wave action. They all rebuild the beach and dune system by trapping wind-blown sand. 

Sea Rocket (Cakile constricts)

A common succulent found just above the high tide line, Sea Rocket has thick fleshy leaves to help conserve water.

Large leaf Pennywort (Hydrocotyle bonariensis)

A creeping perennial that spreads by far-reaching underground stems, Pennywort grows to about 6 inches tall and has clusters of tiny white or pale-green flowers on a 3-inch stem. 

Coastal Panicgrass (Panicum amarulum)

A dense, upright perennial bunchgrass, Panicgrass helps anchor the shifting sands with deeply buried root systems.

Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata)

As the most critical and widespread grass on southern coastal dunes, the Sea Oats' recovery following storm impact is the first step in dune rebuilding. 

Morning Glory (Ipomoea stolonifera)

This vine, with trumpet-shaped, white flowers, grows low to the ground, escaping the killing effects of salt spray. The stems may extend over the sand surface for 30 to 50 feet. 

Butterflies of Dauphin Island 

Dauphin Island Environment Marine

Energy from the Sands of Time

ExxonMobil, one of many oil companies operating in Alabama waters, operates the platform east of Dauphin Island. These platforms extract natural gas (methane), a clean-burning petroleum product. The platform lies in 11 feet of water, with drilling operations to depths of over 20,000 feet. Once natural gas is found and brought to the surface, it is transferred via an underwater pipeline to processing plants on the mainland. 

These photographs demonstrate the porous quality of millions-of-year-old sandstone. Ten percent of the sandstone's volume is natural gas compressed within it. 

Pores to a pressure between 10,000 and 20,000 pounds per square inch. 

The natural gas field found within Mobile Bay and the Alabama Water is the largest field discovered in the continental United States. Concerned citizens, scientists, and state regulators worked with the oil companies to implement an environmentally safe, clean operation with a zero-discharge policy. This policy prohibits discharging drilling fluids, petroleum products, and treated sewage from the platform into state waters. Instead, these materials are offloaded and taken to the mainland for proper disposal. 

Mr. Sand and his friends Part II

The grains accumulate and form dunes. Even as they grow, they move as the wind blows them. 

As the dunes shift and grow, they stabilize once dune grasses, like sea oats, start sprouting. The plant's roots help anchor it, encouraging further dune growth. And the more due growth, the more plant growth- a friendly relationship.

These stabilized dunes attract even more plants, like wax myrtle, yucca, and, eventually, the majestic live oak. 

These rooting plants add moisture and shelter, promoting even more plant colonization. 

More and more animals are attracted to plant growth, from plant-eating insects to insect-eating beach mice to owls, hawks, and raccoons.

Thriving with plant life, a dune will continue to grow. 

But the bigger it gets, the more exposed it becomes to aeolian (wind) and marine (water) forces, like erosion. 

Mr. Sand and his friends, Park III

During autumn and winter storms, sand is blown offshore. Someday, it will be returned to shore to build new dunes. 

So, as the seasons change, do the dunes. With gentle wind and waves, sand heaps onshore in the spring, forming new dunes. In the summer, sea oats and plants help them grow. In the stormy winter, the dunes erode (wear down).

Susceptible to strong onshore winds, Mr. Sand and his friends tend to move inland, covering everything in their path. 

We must help Mr. Sand and his friends by not walking or driving on the dunes. Many places have boardwalks built over the dunes and plants to protect them. 

Sand fences, like boardwalks, are another way of protecting dunes. They serve as obstacles, allowing grains to collect and form new dunes. Planting grasses like sea oats can also help in exposed areas and along pathways. 

These conservation practices can only help if we cooperate. Mr. Sand and his friends, along with the forces of nature, form dunes and beaches for you to enjoy. 

Let's take care of them in the future. 

Mr. Sand and his friends Part I

Come, let Mr. Sand guide you through the life of a dune. Learn how to protect the sand dunes, Mr. Sand, and his friends who live with him. 

Once upon a time, about 250 million years ago, bedrock was formed. The hot, molten rock formed granite and gave rise to the Appalachian Mountains. As the granite and other rocks eroded from the mountains, they formed grains of sand. This sand washed down to the Gulf of Mexico and was deposited on beaches and dunes that are now underwater. 

Waves and currents washed Mr. Sand away from these old deposits, and he and his friends moved onto the beaches we see now. 

The more Mr. Sand and his friends wash along the beach, the more they wear down. They become rounder and more uniform in size and texture. 

Away from the mainland, underwater mountains of sand grow grain by grain, becoming "offshore bars." Some can grow so much that they emerge above sea level and become "barrier islands." 

Dry grains of sand are susceptible to wind, drifting until the wind speed drops.

Once Mr. Sand and his friends land, they collect on the "lee," or sheltered side of obstacles along their flight path.

Marine Debris: A Silent Killer

Marine Debris Timeline

What is marine debris?

Marine debris refers to trash that litters our coasts and oceans.

It includes all the objects found in marine and coastal environments that do not naturally occur there. Marine debris is not only a hazard to ships, divers, and beachgoers but also creates a serious threat to our precious marine life. 

Marine debris consists of articles made by people and deliberately discarded or accidentally lost. In most cases, it results from careless handling or disposal of solid waste items, including liquid waste containers; it can also result from materials lost at sea in bad weather, such as fishing gear and cargo.

Marine debris consists mainly of non-biodegradable waste made of persistent materials, such as plastic, polystyrene, metals, and glass, from a wide variety of sources.

(thrown or lost into the sea): brought indirectly to the sea with rivers, sewage, stormwater, or winds, which are left by people on beaches and shores. 

Where is marine debris found:

. Marine debris is found everywhere worldwide, in marine and coastal environments.

Marine debris can be blown around and is found floating on the water's surface. Almost 90% of floating marine debris is plastic. 

. Marine debris is mixed in the water column, from the surface to the bottom of the ocean.

Marine debris is found on the seabed. As much as 70% of all marine debris sinks to the bottom of the seabed, both in shallow coastal areas and deeper parts of the ocean. 

Marine debris is found lying on beaches and shores. 

How does marine debris harm wildlife?

. Entanglement 

Everyday items like fishing lines, strapping bands, and six-pack rings can impede the movement of marine animals. Once entangled, animals have trouble eating, breathing, or swimming, all of which can be fatal. Plastics take hundreds of years to break down and may continue to trap and kill animals year after year. Smaller marine creatures get trapped inside plastic and glass containers, slowly dying. 

Ingestion

Birds, fish, and mammals often mistake plastic for food. Some birds even feed it to their young. With plastic filling their stomachs, animals experience a false sense of fullness and may die of starvation. Sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, a favorite food. Due to its durability, buoyancy, and ability to absorb and concentrate oceanic toxins, plastic is especially harmful to marine life. 

Other threats to wildlife 

The seabed is smothered, toxic substances accumulate and disperse, environmental changes are caused by invasive species, and habitat disturbances are caused by mechanical cleaning of marine debris. 

How does marine debris harm people?

Contamination of the beaches and harbors creates health hazards to people.

Marine debris also endangers the safety and livelihood of fishermen and recreational boaters. Nets and monofilament fishing lines obstruct propellers, and plastic sheeting and bags block cooling intakes. 

Where am I?

Dauphin Island is at the junction of Mobile Bay, the Mississippi Sound, and the Gulf of Mexico. It is the easternmost in a series of changing barrier islands that form the southern boundary of the Mississippi Sound. 

Mobile Bay is 53 kilometers (35 mi) long, 16 kilometers (10 mi) wide, and averages 3 meters (10ft) deep. It is a drowned river valley that was once deeper and extended farther north. About 6,000 years ago, the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta formed as Mobile Bay widened and deepened. Mobile Bay has the seventh-largest river discharge in North America (219 to 13,977 cubic meters per second or 5 to 322 billion gallons per day) and is the third-largest in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Most ocean waters that enter the Gulf of Mexico come through the Yucatan Channel between Mexico and Cuba. 

These waters form circular currents that flow across the continental shelf and mix with freshwater from the land. The water exits the Gulf of Mexico through the Straits of Florida between Florida and Cuba. 

Life in a Salt Marsh

A real partnership 

Black needle rush and smooth cordgrass are grass-like plants of Coastal Alabama salt marshes. They provide oxygen to organisms living below the salt marsh surface and serve as a refuge for many animals. 

Decomposing plant matter in an environment without oxygen produces the "rotten egg" odor familiar to marshes. However, Cordgrass and Needlerush root systems are spongy and porous, allowing oxygen into the waterlogged soil. This will enable organisms below the marsh surface to survive. 

Fiddler Crab (Uca  spp) 

Fiddler Crabs and other small mud crabs burrow into the marsh surface, feeding on the plant matter. Their aquatic larval stages contribute significantly to the food chain.

Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora)

Smooth Cordgrass for Cordgrass along the edge of the open water, below the average high tide line. Cordgrass has flattened leaves and a light green color. 

Black Needlerush (Juncus roemerianus)

The Black Needlerush comprises the largest vegetated zone of Alabama's salt marshes and is near and above the average high tide line. 

Needlerush leaves are round with pointed tips. 

Marsh Periwinkle (Littorina irrorata)

The Marsh Periwinkle is a small snail that inhabits shallow bays, ponds, and tidal marshes. It is often seen climbing Spartina stalks to feed on algae and avoid predators. 

Ribbed Mussel (Geukensia demissa)

The Ribbed Mussel attaches to mature plants at the mud surface and hardens the marsh, helping it resist erosion. These mussels filter a gallon of seawater an hour for food, fertilize the marsh with their waste, and are food for crabs, birds, and mammals.