A crabby disposition may not be so great, but crab diversity on the North Carolina coast, which is home to a large number of different crustaceans, is a positive sign.
Sam’s Field Notes: The Polar Bear Connection
The effects of global warming are especially visible in the land of polar bears, as columnist Sam Bland recently witnessed, but how will the forces now affecting the arctic eventually change life on the North Carolina coast?
Sam’s Field Notes: The Monarch Migration
Monarch, the “king of butterflies,” have embarked on their marathon fall migration to Mexico, arriving just in time for the Day of the Dead, where they are regarded as the souls of the departed returning to earth.
Sam’s Field Notes: Dog-Day Cicadas
The mating calls of dog-day cicadas are one of nature’s familiar sounds of summer that, when they go silent, signal the changing of the seasons.
Sam’s Field Notes: Banding Baby Pelicans
Our naturalist, Sam Bland, takes you to New Dump Island in Core Sound on an expedition to band baby brown pelicans.
Of Lifesaving, Life Taking and Ghosts
The Kitty Hawk Lifesaving Station now serves tourists as a dining hot spot on the Outer Banks. No one much remembers its past except for maybe the ghost that roams its rooms.
Sam’s Field Notes: Painted Buntings
Birdwatchers on the N.C. coast love this time of year because it brings the arrival of one of their favorites, the strikingly colorful painted bunting,
Sam’s Field Notes: The Northern Harrier
The northern harrier, also known as marsh hawk or gray ghost, is a distinctive coastal bird with a stealthy hunting style and, like the fighter jet that shares its name, an ability to hover and perform vertical takeoffs and landings.
A Secret No More: Sam’s Invitation to Lunch
The Salter Path Men’s Club doesn’t advertise it, but the group’s fortnightly feasts, a wintertime tradition since 2005, have attracted a growing number of attendees, as our Sam Bland only recently discovered.
‘Nap Time’
A sleepy barred owl takes advantage of a warm sun beam during the early morning chill.
‘Shark Eye’
A winter treasure found after the recent storms, sometimes called a shark eye.
‘Winter Blanket’
An inviting beach trail is covered under the blanket of unblemished snow.
Sam’s Field Notes: Eastern Red Cedar
The eastern red cedar, which thrives in dunes along the N.C. coast, has long been important to wildlife and man, and some native Americans consider it sacred.
Sam’s Field Notes: Coastal Thanksgiving
The tradition of showing appreciation for what we have seems most appropriate here on the coast where serenity, beauty and wonders of nature are abundant.
Sam’s Field Notes: Sure Signs of Fall
The little, yellow sulphur butterflies flitting about this time of year are sure signs that autumn is upon us. The fall equinox, marking the celestial start of fall, is Wednesday morning.
Respect, Don’t Fear N.C. Snakes
Venomous or not, most people just don’t like snakes, but they’re magnificent creatures and their presence can mean there’s habitat for other wildlife.
