Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park and Eco-Center

One of the best field trip opportunities in northeast North Carolina, Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Center provides educational tours and programs in the conservation of rare and endangered waterfowl.

http://www.sylvan-heights.org/

Foot bridge to Avian Breeding Center at Sylvan Heights.

Learn more

• All About Birds Multimedia field guide that includes images, migratory range maps, audio recordings of bird song and extensive information about each species including description, habitat, food, behavior, reproduction and conservation status.
• American Field Guide A collection of online videos that explore many aspects of America's wilderness from animals to earth and space to public policy.
• eNature.com Includes a field guide with over 5,000 species, a habitat gallery of places for wildlife near you, migration information, an ask-the-expert area, and more. You can also listen to an audio clip of the bird of the day!
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Kids Corner This website for both teachers and students provides a wealth of information and educational materials on endangered species.

Related pages

• Jockey's Ridge State Park: Experience a world of the shifting sands and a barren, desert environment as well as an estuarine environment of the tidal waters of the Roanoke Sound at Jockey's Ridge State Park in Nags Head, North Carolina.
• Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest: North Carolina's system of Educational State Forests has been developed to "teach children and adults about the complex, interdependent ecosystems which make up a forest and which can be managed for a multitude of uses."
• Stevens Nature Center at Hemlock Bluffs: Provides information about the natural history of the Hemlocks Bluff Nature Preserve and the plants and animals that live there.

Related topics

• Learn more about Brazilian Mergansers, Halifax County, Nenes, North Carolina, avian breeding, biology, cranes, ducks, ecosystems, environmental science, geese, habitat preservation, life science, nature, nature centers, science, teals, waterfowl, and wildlife.

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The Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Center is tucked away on the outskirts of Scotland Neck, North Carolina, and it is preparing to open its new Waterfowl Park & Eco-Center on October 7, 2006. This is a new chapter in the life of the Center, as it has been a place for breeding and research for the past 16 years. Owners, Mike and Ali Lubbock and their son Brent, have been stewards to the waterfowl which have come from locations all over the world and their focus has been on the conservation of rare and endangered species. Mike Lubbock is considered the leading authority on waterfowl in the world. Over the years, the Center has grown to care for 3000 birds of 170 different species, the majority of which are ducks, swans, and geese. The Center cares for some non-waterfowl species as well. Over the years, volunteers from varied backgrounds have worked at the center and zoos send aviculturalists to learn about waterfowl and birds in general.

The new Waterfowl Park & Eco-Center features continentally themed aviaries, a multinational aviary, and an endangered species aviary. The plants in each of the aviaries are also indigenous to each continent. In the multinational aviary located behind the education building, visitors will find 35 different species of waterfowl. They can feed the birds from feeding stations overlooking the aviary. The aviaries have been built to accommodate the feeding habits of the birds. Ducks feed primarily in the water, geese mostly graze off the land, and swans find food both in the water and on the land. All the birds have been banded. Females are banded on their left legs and males on their right. The aviaries have unobtrusive netting over them to prevent the birds from escaping. Plans are in the works for another phase of the center. It will be located in a natural wetland area. A visitor observation area will be the first handicapped accessible “tree house” in the United States.

On a tour, students will meet Matilda, a Cereopsis (Cape Barren) Goose in the Australian Aviary. Cereopsis means “waxy bill” and her bill is a pale green color that almost looks as if it was painted on. She is very friendly and loves to greet visitors with a “pig like” grunt. The Eurasian Aviary houses the White-Headed Duck, one of the rarest species in the world. It has become extremely endangered due to farmers draining the wetlands. Through education, the farmers are working to restore the wetland habitat and the ducks are making a comeback. Africa has the fewest waterfowl species than anywhere else in the world. The Spur-winged Goose, the Abyssinian Blue-Winged Goose, the Cape Shelduck, and the African Pygmy-goose are some of the African species that can be found at the Center.

The Center provides conservation education programs for a fee for school groups, adults, and waterfowl professionals. Tours without programs are also available. Appointments for both tours and programs are necessary. For more information on available programs and fees, call (252) 826-3186. A visit to this wonderful facility is a must for teaching students about the importance of conservation of waterfowl.

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