Outer Banks birder Jeff Lewis shares his enthusiasm for the owls of eastern North Carolina, creatures he says are fascinating but misunderstood.
Our Coast
Historic Wrightsville Beach Cottage Relocated
The 1924 Ewing-Bordeaux Cottage in Wrightsville Beach now has a new location and purpose as an added feature of the town’s history museum, with space for exhibits and events.
Our Coast’s People: Della Gaskill of Ocracoke
Eighty-year-old Ocracoke native Della Gaskill has seen great changes on the island, and the recently honored preservationist shares her memories of the way things used to be.
New Whale Skeleton Museum Taking Shape
A new building to house the Bonehenge Whale Center in Beaufort should be completed this year, says Keith Rittmaster, natural science curator at the N.C. Maritime Museum.
Birds of Ocracoke: The Snow Bunting
Peter Vankevich with the Ocracoke Observer fills readers in on the habits of snow buntings, migratory birds most likely to be seen on the upper Outer Banks from late October into March.
Birth of Two Inlets: Accounts of 1846 Storm
Firsthand accounts provide vivid detail of the deadly storm in September 1846 that created Oregon and Hatteras inlets and brought dramatic changes to North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
Our Coast’s Food: Holiday Cream Pies
Made with or without fruit, cream pies are a holiday staple for many families along North Carolina’s coast. Our Liz Biro shares stories from a Portsmouth Island native about Christmastime memories and an aunt’s famous cream pies.
Our Coast’s History: Shell Castle Island
Shell Castle Island in Ocracoke Inlet wasn’t much more than a cluster of oyster beds, but for a couple decades in early U.S. history, the wharves and warehouses that stood here were the center of maritime trade for northeastern North Carolina.
December Brings New Birds, Annual Count
December brings migratory waterfowl to the N.C. coast, just in time for Audubon’s Christmas bird count, and the northeastern part of the state offers ample opportunities for bird-watching.
Susan White Links Space Research, NC Coast
As director of NC Sea Grant, NC Space Grant and the state’s Water Resources Research Institute, Susan White finds ways to put emerging technology to work researching the state’s coast.
Willis: Climate Change Threatens Economy
Rachel Willis, a UNC professor in the American Studies department, is an advocate for the world’s transportation infrastructure to work with, not against, climate change and sea level rise.
Harkers Island To Celebrate Heritage, Decoys
An exciting weekend is ahead on Harkers Island with the 30th annual Core Sound Decoy Festival at the elementary school and the annual Waterfowl Weekend at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center.
Shorebird Banded 17 Years Ago Brings Hope
The recent recapture of an American oystercatcher at Masonboro Island, one banded 17 years ago in Georgia, was cause for celebration among groups working to help the species recover.
Our Coast’s Food: The Best Clam Chowder
Debate continues regarding the best kind of clam chowder, but on the North Carolina coast, Down East or Hatteras-style clam chowder reigns supreme because it’s made with mostly clams.
Winter Birds Are Arriving On The Outer Banks
Jeff Lewis, an expert on birds and bird-watching, writes for his November column about winter birds, like the yellow-bellied sapsucker, brown creeper, winter wren, waterfowl and other birds you might find this time of year on the Outer Banks.
Wash Woods at 100: Coastal History Saved
Congressman Walter Jones attended the recent celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Wash Woods Coast Guard Station, a preserved historic landmark on the northern Outer Banks.
