Wade Island

Wade Island is located in the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Itself a part of Sheets Island Archipelago, the small island is home to Pennsylvania's large nesting colony of herons and egrets.

In May 2002, the annual survey of the waterbird colony on Wade Island in the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg was conducted. It is Pennsylvania's sole population of nesting great egrets, which is why this species is listed as endangered. This year 142 great egret nests were found, a 14 percent decrease from 2001. Wade Island is also home to the largest black-crowned night heron rookery in the state. Over the past decade this species has suffered a general decline. On a positive note, 107 black-crowned nests were found, 14 more than in 2001. This year surveyors noted a dramatic increase, a near doubling of cormorant nests from 11 to 21, a 91 percent increase. The most dramatic finding resulted from an assessment of the perimeter of the island taken by Pennsylvania Game Commission biologist Cal Butchkoski during the 2002 survey. Comparison to a 1987 map revealed severe erosion on the east side of the island resulting in a loss of one third of its area over 15 years.