Nature of Sister Bay

Sister Bay takes its name from the Sister Islands that flank its harbor. These two small uninhabited islands, about two miles northwest of Sister Bay's marina, are a historic nesting site for Herring Gulls and Common Terns and one of the most important gulleries in Green Bay. Birds may nest on the same island for up to 20 years, and the islands were designated a State Natural Area in 1966. Herring Gulls, the familiar pink-legged gulls seen along the shoreline, were nearly wiped out in the late 1880s by hunters seeking eggs and feathers, but today they are the most widespread gull in North America, living an average of 30 years and eating almost anything. The area's landscape also reflects much older history: 5,000 years ago, ancient Lake Nipissing stood 20 feet higher, dividing Door County into a string of islands, and the cobblestone terraces of old shoreline in Sister Bay still mark that high water level.

Sister Bay, Wisconsin · United States