Bulls Island Wildlife Trail

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Birding at Bulls Island. Photo by FWS.

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Live oaks, Sabal palmettos, cedar, loblolly pines, and magnolias are the dominant trees found on the island. Bulls Island is home to deer, alligators, raccoons, and black fox squirrels, but the bird life is what Bulls Island is known for throughout the world.

Over 293 species of birds have been recorded on the refuge with most being found on or near Bulls. During the fall and winter seasons, black ducks, canvasback, scaup, and wigeon can be found in the impoundments. Yellowlegs, dunlins, and sanderlings are viewed on the mud flats and beaches. Waders such as blue herons and American and snowy egrets are plentiful. Warblers, woodpeckers, and raptors abound in the lush forest on Bulls Island.

Perhaps the most photographed location on Bulls Island is Boneyard Beach. Here, hundreds of oaks, cedars, palmettos, and pines are strewn along a three-mile stretch of beach on the northeast corner of the island; all the result of an ever-changing beach in constant battle with the in-coming surf. Boneyard Beach gets its name from all the downed trees that have been bleached by the sun and salt water.

The History of Bulls Island

Since the early settlements, Bulls Island has been the scene of much historical activity. Bulls Bay and the creeks behind Bulls Island were reputed hideouts for pirates plundering ships along the coast. The remains of the "Old Fort" are believed to have been a martello or lookout tower built in the early 1700s. During the Revolutionary War, British warships used the island to replenish supplies.

Over 240 years, 36 parties claimed ownership of Bulls Island. In 1925, New York banker and broker Gayer Dominick purchased the island. An avid outdoorsman, Dominick built a large vacation home and developed the island into a hunting preserve. In 1936, Mr. Dominick conveyed Bulls Island to the Cape Romain NWR. Historically, from 1940 - 1969, the refuge awarded contracts to concessionaires who offered Bulls Island visitors lodging and meals at the Dominick House. During those 29 years, five concessionaires lived on the island with their families, providing quality services for those who came to the island to birdwatch, fish, photograph wildlife, beach comb, and archery hunt. Guests came from across the United States, Canada, and other countries including Finland, England, Germany, France, Sweden, and South Africa.

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• Certified as an NRT
  Feb 4, 1982