Dauphin Island
From: DIBS, 2003; Gulfinfo.com, 2003; SMHP, 2003.
Dauphin Island is a barrier island located in Alabama. It is about 53 km from Mobile, Alabama, and 209 km to the east of New Orleans, Louisiana. The island is separated from Alabama's mainland by the Mississippi Sound, with the Gulf of Mexico on its south side. Its western end is extremely narrow and is protected from Gulf waters by low sand dunes. The island has a small town with a family-oriented community with a population of about 824. Located on the island is the Audubon Bird Sanctuary, owned and managed by the Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board. This sanctuary is the primary site of protected maritime forest habitat on the island and one of the first areas of migrant bird landfall. The northern end of the island also hosts the location of the Indian Shell Mound State Park, which boasts of a botanical wonder found on no other Gulf barrier island. The Island is a great tourist destination. Tourism activities include fishing, camping, swimming and bird watching.
Dauphin Island has been cited as one of the top 10 most globally important sites for migrating birds. Wild Bird Magazine recently rated Dauphin Island as one of the top four locations in North America for viewing migrating birds in the spring. Sand dunes, marsh grasses and small freshwater ponds that provide feeding grounds for the many species that migrate to the region in the winter months characterize Dauphin Island. A variety of hardwood trees and forests of pines can be found on the island. These include ‘Goat Trees’, ancient oak trees with limbs reaching out as far as 15 meters from the trunk and almost parallel to the ground. According to legend, these trees served as shelter for the island's wild goats that climbed the trees at night so they could rest protected from roaming alligators.