Ä¢¹½´«Ã½

Access rights only. This is a handout or public domain image supplied by a third party. Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ grants access to the digital file but provides no warranties regarding copyright or moral rights. Alteration, modification, or cropping is prohibited without prior approval. All commercial uses require advance authorization from the content provider.

This image could have imperfections as it’s either historical or reportage.

. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. Serious bird-watchers arrive armed with information about the birds they're likely to find. Many of them can identify more than 200 birds by sight. They're here for the love of the chase, building "life lists" that keep track of all the species they've ever seen. The Outer Banks are a hot spot of feathered activity in early winter, when the birds are migrating, and Wings Over Water banks on that fact.. business. Jack Thigpen, North Carolina Sea Grant's coastal recreation and tourism specialist, says estimates show that birders pump billions of dollars into the national economy. Local communi- ties also benefit from bird-watching festivals, and Wings Over Water is the result of a partnership of sponsors who want to bring responsible, sustainable development to coastal North Carolina. Mike Bryant, manager of the Alligator River and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuges, hatched the idea of a festival to celebrate the wetland-dependent birds that flock to the coastal plain every fall. He brought the idea from Texas, where ecotourism events — including a binding festival — brought more than $ 13 million a year to the lower Rio Grande valley. Bryant saw a great opportu- nity for a similar festival in eastern North Carolina. Coastal wildlife refuges are rich in natural resources, drawing tourists even in the off-season, Bryant says. Pea Island, in particular, is a birder's paradise. Bryant saw a binding festival as a way to emphasize activities people enjoy at refuges — hunting, fishing, wildlife-spotting and photography — while also injecting money into the local economy. "This is a chance to bring together community folks and to provide tourism that is compatible with wildlife, " he says. "It sends a good message about the resources we manage. It's a win-win situation." Many species of birds overwinter along the Outer Banks, in the sounds and poco