However, it remains a reminder of how humans impact our wildlife and environment. A woody vine called common greenbriar serves many purposes for wildlife at Blackwater. White-tailed deer feed on its leaves and songbirds enjoy the dark blue berries. Birds, rabbits and other small rodents use the dense thicket for protective cover. Like Isolation Unlike ospreys, bald eagles cannot tolerate the presence of people.
Eagles prefer isolated marsh areas bordered by woods for resting and nesting.
If you look across the marsh, you can see Barbados Island, where a pair of eagles have been nesting since 1975. Isolated islands of loblolly pines like these provide secure nesting sites near the abundant food source of the marsh, where eagles can feed on fish, birds, and other wildlife. The lands surrounding Blackwater host one of the largest concentrations of nesting bald eagles along the Atlantic Coast. Look for this three-sided grasslike plant along the marsh edge towards the boardwalk. The tubers of three-square are an important food source for ducks, geese, muskrat and nutria.