The Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge is located on the south shore of Long Island

Long Island

Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...

 and is one of the undeveloped estuary systems on Long Island. Its main purpose was to organize the refuge so it would protect the Carmans River Estuary

Carmans River

The Carmans River is a long river in Brookhaven in Suffolk County on Long Island.It is one of the four largest rivers on Long Island and is similar to other Long Island rivers in that is totally groundwater generated , although a lake did exist long ago. Almost all of the river is specifically...

 for all migratory birds. Wertheim hosts a variety of habitats including oak-pine woodlands, grasslands, and fresh, brackish and salt water wetlands. These habitats attract and support many types of wildlife including white-tailed deer, osprey, muskrat, fox, turtles, frogs and fish. The refuge also serves as a haven for waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, and songbirds.

Animals

Approximately half of the refuge consists of aquatic

Aquatic ecosystem

An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem in a body of water. Communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment live in aquatic ecosystems. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems....

 habitats. It has bays with marine seagrass beds, intertidal salt marsh

Salt marsh

A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...

es, high salt marshes, freshwater marshes, shrub swamp, and red maple swamps.The refuge

Wildlife refuge

A wildlife refuge, also called a wildlife sanctuary, may be a naturally occurring sanctuary, such as an island, that provides protection for species from hunting, predation or competition, or it may refer to a protected area, a geographic territory within which wildlife is protected...

 supports eight protected species.
The other half consists of WILDLIFE......Deer, Fox, Possums, Raccoons, Rabbits, Turkeys, Chipmunks, and others.

Plant life

Half of the refuge contains the rare Pine Barren habitats of pitch pine

Pitch Pine

The Pitch Pine, Pinus rigida, is a small-to-medium sized pine, native to eastern North America. This species occasionally hybridizes with other pine species such as Loblolly Pine , Shortleaf Pine , and Pond Pine The Pitch Pine, Pinus rigida, is a small-to-medium sized (6-30 meters or 20-100 feet)...

, oak-pine, mixed oak, pioneer hardwood, upland shrub, and grassland

Grassland

Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...

s.

Population

The refuge's wildlife populations are mainly diverse. There are about 300 species of birds at the refuge. The refuge winters up to 5,000 waterfowl

Waterfowl

Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....

, most of them being black duck

Black Duck

There are three dabbling ducks named as Black Duck:* African Black Duck, Anas sparsa* American Black Duck, Anas rubripes* Pacific Black Duck, Anas superciliosaOther uses...

s - a species that is declining. The coastal location also makes this refuge an excellent migration

Bird migration

Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...

 place for shorebirds, raptors

Bird of prey

Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....

 and songbirds.

External links

• Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge