Lou Browning jokes that his hobby of caring for wild animals has gotten out of hand. He is the only federally licensed wildlife rehabilitator on the Outer Banks, one of only two in the northeast part of the coast.
Our Coast
Our Coast’s Food: Layer Cakes
Our food writer Liz Biro pays homage to Linda Johnson, her culinary mentor, and to Miss Johnson’s signature dish: That delicious mound of gooey goodness known as the layer cake.
Carolina Plague & Nags Head
This weekend is the traditional start of the tourist season along the N.C. coast. Millions of people will flock to the state’s beaches this summer. The first tourists of the 19th century sought the “good air” around Nags Head to escape death.
USS North Carolina: Battleship and Bird Trail
A $17 million restoration project will shore up the hull of the USS North Carolina and add a new education walkway along the Cape Fear River and a nature trail along Eagles Island.
Wait! What Lurks in the Surf?
Memorial Day this weekend is the traditional start of the tourist season. Some visitors may wonder if creatures lurk beneath the waves, waiting to bite or sting. There are some critters that can hurt you but you’re safer in the water than in you car.
Fish House Delights
In this essay, author and coastal native Bland Simpson pays tribute to Willy Phillips in Columbia, Eddie and Allison Willis on Harkers Island, John Haag on Oak Island and all the other fish house owners past and present along the N.C. coast.
Photo Essay: Moonrise at the Cape
Naturalist Sam Bland camps near the Cape Lookout lighthouse to document the rise of May’s full moon. He shows the story in these amazing photographs.
A Quest for Birds’ Nests
Naturalist Sam Bland kayaks down creeks in Pamlico County in search of the active nests of a great horned owl and a bald eagle.
Outer Bankers Helping Sea Turtles
In the second of two stories celebrating the beginning of sea turtle nesting season in May, we take a look at how the NEST volunteer group is helping endangered sea turtles’ chances of survival and inspiring kids to care for the ocean.
In Celebration of Turtle Time
In the first of two stories about the beginning of turtle-nesting season next month, we look at the successful efforts at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area to control predators of sea turtle eggs.
Our Coast’s Food: Collards
Snooty food encyclopedias may consider this Southern staple to be similar to kale. But Tar Heels know better. Stewed slowly with hamhocks and a dash or two of Tobasco…. well, “mmm, mmm, mmm,” as Bob Garner might say.
Could Hatteras Be America’s First Colony?
Jamestown Virginia is the site of the first permanent English colony in the New World. Or is it? Recent archaeological findings could give that honor to Hatteras Island, and change history.
A Humdinger Winter for Hummers
The number of hummingbirds wintering in North Carolina is dramatically increasing. These hummers seem to prefer coastal North Carolina where the Gulf Stream keeps temperatures warmer.
Salt: The Coast’s Great Equalizer
It’s in our our blood, part of our very being. It connects us to our watery past. Here, on the edge of the sea, life adapts to it or perishes.
The Greening of Wilmington
Since 1925, the Cape Fear Garden Club has worked to make the city a prettier place. Its Azalea Festival provides the money for the club’s generous grant program to support education, beautification and stewardship.
The Scotch Bonnet’s 50th Anniversary
North Carolina was the first state to declare an official state shell 50 years ago this year. The elusive Scotch bonnet is, however, a rare find for beachcombers.
