In 2020, Virginia created temporary seabird nesting habitat at Fort Wool and nearby barges; by 2021, royal tern nests there numbered up to 6,283

A direct introduction about Fort Wool becoming a replacement nesting site after South Island was affected by the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion. Yet, a 19th-century military fort in Hampton Roads, Virginia, originally built as a coastal defense post, became the center of one of the state's most remarkable bird conservation efforts after thousands of seabirds suddenly lost their longtime nesting home.

For many years, South Island (called Bird Island by locals) was home to Virginia’s biggest and busiest seabird colony. However, when the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion started, the island could no longer be a safe colony for nesting birds. Rather than lose an entire breeding season, conservationists came up with an unusual solution. A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers article explains that workers transformed Fort Wool, a historic island fort nearby, into a temporary nesting site by clearing vegetation and spreading 1,700 cubic yards of sand over its old parade ground and nearby barges. The initiative has quickly brought results. By the 2021 nesting season, the new site was already home to up to 6,283 royal tern nests, plus hundreds of nests of common terns, black skimmers, and gull-billed terns. The project proved that habitat restoration is not always about protecting untouched landscapes. Sometimes, it means rapidly redesigning an existing site so wildlife can continue one of nature's most important annual events: raising the next generation.

When an entire colony needed a new home


Prior to the year 2020, South Island was the main breeding place of numerous seabird colonies every spring and summer. Colonial nesting birds are required to return to the same area for breeding each time since they rely on knowing a secure location where they can breed in groups.

The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion disrupted these conditions when construction began. Heavy machinery, building processes, and continuous activities turned the island unusable at nesting time. For some bird species, the situation became even worse because they did not have many nesting locations in other places in Virginia. Instead of waiting for the construction to finish, the local and federal authorities started to find an alternative site for the birds’ return from migration.

Turning history into habitat

Fort Wool, originally constructed in the early 1800s, was an ideal choice. It was a part of Virginia’s coastal defenses and was made up of grassy areas, mature plants, and several old buildings, none of which were the ideal environment for nesting seabirds, who prefer open sandy beaches.

In order to create a suitable habitat, the site required a lot of work. Workers had to clear away the plants and reshape the landscape. To cover the area known as the parade ground, the workers used coarse sand. Three barges were positioned alongside the island and positioned there to create more of the nesting area; rocks and gravel were put on top of the boats to make it look more like an island. Additionally, workers constructed perimeter walls around the former military installation to prevent young birds from falling into the water. The intention was fairly simple: to trick the birds into thinking they had discovered a new beach.

Convincing thousands of birds to relocate

Creating the habitat is only one part of the process, as the second hurdle is convincing the birds to use it. Conservation groups installed life-sized imitation terns, gull-billed terns, and skimmers in the area. They also arranged for speakers to broadcast the social calls of the seabirds, making the area seem like it already had a breeding colony.

The method worked better than anyone thought it would. Royal terns and other seabirds used the newly created nesting areas during the breeding season. By the end of the breeding season, thousands of birds had moved into the area, making it possible for them to nest and raise chicks in the new location despite the loss of South Island.

More than a temporary success

The project showed that carefully designed replacement habitats can help wildlife adapt when major infrastructure projects cannot be avoided. Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources states that over 12,000 adult seabirds took advantage of Fort Wool and the barge facility throughout its first nesting year, with 2021 monitoring revealing 5,287 to 6,283 active royal tern nests, along with notable numbers of common terns, black skimmers, and gull-billed terns.

These results attracted more attention than just in Virginia because other regions of the coast face similar troubles. With the growth of harbors, shorelines change, and the ocean level rises, that means areas which served as nesting grounds for birds for centuries disappear.

A model for future coastal conservation

The Fort Wool project showed how conservation can coexist with development and not compete against it. The agencies combined engineering planning with wildlife conservation to address both transportation needs and habitat protection. The project has given a concrete example of how to conduct such projects in the future. A factual closing sentence about how artificial nesting habitats may help protect seabird colonies when coastal development affects natural breeding sites.