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Preflight checklist includes sunning

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A great blue heron positions its wings not for flight but to sunbathe Monday morning at the end of the Runway 26 at Michael J. Smith Field in Beaufort. Photo: Dylan Ray

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A great blue heron positions its wings not for flight but to sunbathe Monday morning at the end of the Runway 26 at Michael J. Smith Field in Beaufort. According to the Audubon Society’s Field Guide, the species thrives around “waters from subtropical mangrove swamps to desert rivers to the coastline of southern Alaska.” Here, they most prefer marshes, swamps, shorelines and tidal flats, or an occasional coastal airfield. Photo: Dylan Ray

About Dylan Ray

Dylan Baker Ray was raised in Greenville. His love for photojournalism began in high school where Ray worked as a photographer and cartoonist for to the school paper. After receiving a degree in photojournalism at Randolf Technical Institute, he moved to the Crystal Coast to become the chief photographer and eventually photo editor during his 15 years at the Carteret County News-Times. He has accrued more than 20 North Carolina Press Association awards in photojournalism and continues his work documenting and preserving the residents and their lives along the Southern Outer Banks. He lives in Beaufort with his wife and daughters.

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North Carolina Press AssociationWinner of five North Carolina Press Association awards in 2026.