| Established in October 1999 the Mountain Island Lake Important Bird Area, one of first five dedicated in North Carolina, includes over 4,000 acres of protected shoreline in Mecklenburg, Gaston, and Lincoln Counties. Duke Power owns nearly 1,000 acres of the IBA. Over 203 species of birds have been documented at Cowan's Ford Wildlife Refuge alone, including 57 species of neotropical migrants. Of these, 23 species of neotropical migrants breed on the refuge and in the surrounding forests. During fall and winter, the area is a migratory stopover and wintering area for thousands of waterfowl that gather on the lake, river and ponds. |
Duck Cove,
Cowan's Ford
Wildlife Refuge
Part of the
Mountian Island Lake IBA.
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