Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge protects a marsh landscape in the Currituck Sound, almost entirely on Knotts Island between Back Bay in Virginia Beach and the open sound in North Carolina. Established in 1960, it serves as vital habitat for migratory waterfowl, especially the greater snow goose, along the Atlantic Flyway. Most of its 8,231 acres are in North Carolina, with 874 acres in Virginia. Dominated largely by slightly brackish marsh, the refuge also includes farmland, impoundments, brush, and mixed forest. It supports many birds and other wildlife, including nesting bald eagles, and remains an important part of the northern Outer Banks and Back Bay natural system.