Hardy birders, volunteers, aspiring community scientists, photographers and others will soon have their chance to count birds on Ocracoke and Portsmouth islands to improve understanding of bird life trends that have implications for all.
Ocracoke visitors share their success in dimming the lights
Kaye and Rick Kohler, longtime Ocracoke vacationers, shared during their recent stay how artificial light harms people and wildlife and how they helped their community park back home in Virginia get certified as a Dark Skies Park.
Red knots make Outer Banks stopover on spring migration
Red knots, which stopover on Ocracoke during their spring migration, have been a source of concern due to the rapid decline of its population linked to a drastic decrease of their food source, horseshoe crab eggs.
Ocracoke Waterfowl Festival to feature islander carver
Islander Scotty Robinson is the featured carver for this year’s Ocracoke Waterfowl Festival set for April 15 at the Berkley Manor Barn and grounds.
Handsome eastern towhee had bit part in early NC history
The good-looking bird better known for its varied vocal stylings and found in coastal regions, including Ocracoke Island’s thickets, was depicted in the drawings of John White, the Colonial governor, mapmaker and artist.
Book shines light on remarkable women of the Outer Banks
Hannah Bunn West’s new book, “Remarkable Women of the Outer Banks,” reveals the stories of seven impactful coastal NC women.
Ocracoke’s John Simpson: Keeper of island carving tradition
Simpson is the featured carver at this year’s Ocracoke Waterfowl Festival set for Saturday and president and cofounder of the Ocracoke Island Decoy Carvers Guild.
The weary diamondback terrapin’s latest foe: phragmites
The diamond terrapin population, which has not fully recovered from the turtle soup trend of the late 19th century, faces a new challenge to its survival: phragmites.
NC Bird Atlas to help prioritize conservation efforts
Volunteers are helping with a five-year project known as the North Carolina Bird Atlas that began this past spring to catalog the size and distribution of the state’s bird populations.
Red knots’ epic spring migration includes North Carolina
Ocracoke Island and other areas of the Outer Banks have seen encouraging numbers of red knots passing through on their marathon migration during the past few springs, a good sign for the shorebird species’ recovery.
Dorian Remains Part of Life on Ocracoke
Hurricane Dorian, which struck the North Carolina coast a year ago this weekend, was a game-changer for Ocracoke Island, creating a new normal.
Island Voices: The Latest Storm of a Lifetime
the power and potential of hurricanes
Death of a Royal Tern
Peter Vankevich, co-publisher of the Ocracoke Observer, recounts finding a deceased royal tern at Springer’s Point and learning something unusual about the banded bird through the Bird Banding Laboratory in Patuxent, Maryland.
Hyde County Begins Work To Reopen
Hyde County Manager Kris Noble said that the county has begun work on how to safely reopen the county amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and state’s stay-at-home order.
Ocracoke Health Center Up and Running
Ocracoke Health Center on Back Road, which sustained damage from Hurricane Dorian in September, recently reopened, a significant step in the village’s recovery.
Birders Count Portsmouth’s Avian Population
Ocracoke Observer’s Peter Vankevich, birders and National Park Service staff made their way to Portsmouth village to identify and count birds for Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count.
