Whereas the Canada goose was the majority waterfowl in the past, refuge snow goose populations have steadily risen. The snow goose hunt was started to disperse the characteristically huge flocks these birds form. Retired Refuge Manager Paul Daly says that each winter snow geese turn 1,000 acres of tidal marsh into mud flats that are incapable of complete recovery and prone to permanent loss depending on tidal and wind conditions. But worse yet, says Daly, are the possible declines of other birds and the known losses of plants in the fragile Arctic tundra where the growing number of birds nest in the summer. Unlike Canada geese that graze above ground, snow geese, reports Daly, open the turf and uproot plants. Increased shooting limits are in effect to try to stabilize the snow goose population at one million birds.
Of the millions of ducks that winter at or use the refuge as a stop-over, mallards, black, green-winged teal, and pintail predominate. Waterfowl populations are at their peak in October and November, although a lesser peak occurs in March when birds are returning to their northern breeding grounds.
In one year, refuge duck boxes produced 996 hatchlings from 125 nests.
A total of 315 bird species have been tallied on the refuge. Of those, 55 are confirmed to nest there. Bald eagles are sometimes seen in late January carrying sticks to a tall tree on Parson's Point where they usually nest. Records indicate the refuge has had 19 successful nests and 28 eaglet fledglings since 1937.
Mammals that are known to be in the refuge include shrews, six species of bats, voles and moles, beaver, red and gray fox, river otter, and white-tailed deer. The mammal list contains 34 species.
The 35 species of amphibians and reptiles so far identified on the refuge include 11 species of snakes and eight species of turtles.
"One of the most overlooked groups of animals on the refuge," says outreach specialist Marian Johnson-Pohlman, "is the many species of fish which inhabit the area year round." She and a recreation aide have compiled a list of 23 fish species found in the fresh and brackish waters of the refuge. She points out that the salt marsh of the refuge is used as a nursery for young fish and that fish are an important food source for many birds including nesting bald eagles and their young.
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