Welcome to Sunset Beach and Bird Island North Carolina. These islands are the southern most islands of North Carolina. They are located on N.C. 179, twenty minutes north of the Myrtle Beach S.C., ten minutes from Calabash, N.C., and fifteen minutes from Shallotte, N.C. Please take our virtual tour guide to learn a little about the ecology of this barrier island.      Mannon Gore a native of the Brunswick area purchased Sunset Beach from the G.W. Brooks family and International Paper Company in 1955 and began development of the island. Sunset Beach was subdivided into small lots with height limits and deed restrictions that effectively managed zoning. The town was chartered in 1964, with Mannon Gore as the first mayor. Sunset Beach was the last of the Brunswick County beaches to be developed and is the smallest: only three miles long. The island is themed as a "quiet family area". There are no high rises on this island, but there are plenty of cottages and Inns available for visitors. A small, centralized commercial district provides visitors a few restaurants to dine at and small stores for immediate supplies.      Bird Island, which is now connected to Sunset Beach, is completely uninhabited and undeveloped. Currently the island is privately owned. Yet many environmental organizations are raising funds towards the goal of state ownership and preservation of this natural barrier island.      The first stop on our tour of Sunset Beach and Bird Island is the pontoon bridge. This is the only land access over the intercoastal waterway to this barrier island.      Just over the bridge, 0.2 miles, you can pull over to view the extensive marsh system between the mainland and the barrier island.      Continuing down the road for about 1 mile, the fishing pier will be directly in front of you. Public parking is available here and a boardwalk is available for beach access. If you chose to go to the pier it costs .50 cents to walk on the pier and $5.00 per rod to fish.      As you view the island take note of the development of the beachfront property. These houses are mainly for tourism and are rented throughout the season.      Once you get back to the beach, on either side of the pier, you can get a close up view of a dune field. These dunes are not the highest you will see, but they are well developed and densely vegetated. These dunes are protected and should not be walked upon.      In order to protect the delicate dunes, boardwalks have been built to keep people from walking across the dunes and destroying them. Evidence of a blowout can be viewed here.      Leaving the parking lot, take a right and head east for 1.1 miles. As you are driving, take note of the residential development. The housing runs in rows from the beach to the marsh. The development ends very close to the inlet separating Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle and stabilization efforts to prevent erosion are evident.      Driving back (south) past the pier to the west end of the island, the development stops at the marsh. Here is an example of a bulkhead at the marsh edge of the property.      Now lets put on our walking shoes and head out to the beach. (Note that this is a long walk so be prepared) As you are walking on the public access boardwalk, towards the beach, notice the contrast between the landscaping of the lawns and the natural vegetation of the dunes.      As you continue to head toward the beach, the extensive dune field can be seen all around. Look towards the east, and get another view of the extensive marsh system. Compare these different ecosystems.      When you get to the end of the boardwalk, notice that the foredune is not as diversely vegetated and is in a straight row parallel to the ocean. Compare this to the higher secondary dunes that are more diversely vegetated and are very hummocky.      Now that you are on the beach and heading west, take note that the dunes on this end of the island are a good example of dune progradation. You can see fencing on the second row of dunes, which could suggest that the dunes are developing outward toward the ocean.      As you continue to walk along, you will soon see a break in the dunes. This is an overwash fan. Notice that there is little vegetation in this area.      Keep heading west; notice how the dunes have formed in a curved pattern. This could suggest that at one time, a recurved spit was forming before Mad Inlet, between Bird Island and Sunset Beach, closed in 1997.      When you get to a break in the dunes, this is where Mad Inlet once was but is no longer present. Notice that the area is very flat, no dunes, and is sparsely vegetated. There is a sign here indicating that you are leaving Sunset Beach. This marks the beginning of Bird Island.      Bird Island is uninhabited and is a good example of a natural beach system. The dunes here are higher here than at Sunset Beach. The only way to gain access to Bird Island is either by walking or riding a bike from Sunset Beach.      The backside of Bird Island has a very dense maritime forest. The trees come up to the very edge of the dunes and you can see evidence of the effects of the salt spray on the vegetation.      After about a mile and a half, you will come to the Kindred Spirits Mailbox. It is a black mailbox tucked in at the base of the dunes.      At the base of the dunes, you might also be able to see a sea turtle nest that has been blocked off.      Once you pass the kindred spirits mailbox, the forest behind the dunes is again replaced by marsh. The dunes get lower as you walk towards the end of the island. At the west end of Bird Island, there is a rock jetty that stabilizes Little River Inlet. You can see the highly developed high-rise condominiums of Myrtle Beach across the inlet.      Finally it is time to head back towards Sunset Beach, enjoy the view.