Thacher Island National Wildlife Refuge is a 22-acre protected area off Rockport, Massachusetts, managed as part of Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. Its shrub thickets, rocky outcrops, and other coastal habitats support herring gulls, great black-backed gulls, and migrant songbirds that stop to rest and feed. Nearby waters and shores also sustain seals, waterfowl, loons, grebes, cormorants, and alcids. The island also has a longer history as a tern nesting site; although gulls have largely displaced terns, the habitat remains well suited to breeding and could support nesting colonies again. Today it serves chiefly as protected habitat and a quiet place for wildlife observation.

Rockport, Massachusetts · USA