Wildlife & Nature Archives | Coastal Review

Illustrated guidebook for Dismal Swamp’s snakes gets update

Catherine Kozak — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 05:00:00 +0000

George Jackson, at his family’s Kill Devil Hills cottage, shows the original sketches used for the book. Photo: Catherine Kozak

At first glance, the four, multi-colored snakes might be crawling across the cover of the long out-of-print paperback.

The chilling dead-eyes, the intricately patterned scales, the pointed heads and slender bodies are practically lifelike illustrations drawn by Donald R. Brothers, the same man who wrote “An Introduction to Snakes of the Dismal Swamp Region of North Carolina and Virginia” in 1992.

But what was then another modest nature guidebook, is now a remarkable collection of precise drawings created by a self-taught artist, a professional natural scientist and lifelong snake lover raised on the edge of the Dismal Swamp.

“Everyone that would see it would say, ‘Oh, man, this is so good to have,’” George Jackson, Brothers’ first cousin, said from his family’s cottage in Kill Devil Hills. As he showed off an old copy of the book, he added, “That’s what led to me pushing him to do it again.”

Jackson, 76, grew up with his older cousin in Elizabeth City, where Jackson still lives with his wife Blair. Brothers, 88, who is now retired and resides in Boise, Idaho, where he spent much of this career, was initially reluctant to do an update because of health issues.

“I said, I’ll do all the legwork. All you have to do is say yes, and I’ll make it happen,” Jackson recalled, adding he was relieved when his cousin agreed.

“I think one of the real jewels of this is that it’s written by a guy who was born here, lived here throughout his high school years, and this is when he developed this fascination with snakes.”

What’s also so impressive about his cousin, Jackson added, is that he had failed three years of school before he finally managed to graduate from high school, and it was only years later that he was diagnosed with dyslexia. Even more surprising to Jackson, he never saw his cousin draw, and had no idea he was such a talented artist. To him, the drawings provide the most unique value.

“If you’re trying to get straight on snakes, by looking at something — rather than it being a shot of a snake in the wild — it is from someone like Donald who just spent hours and hours and hours with a specimen, looking at it and drawing it,” Jackson said. “But there is an art form here that is important,” he added, not just for art’s sake, but as a depiction of nature as viewed by the artist.

When the Virginia state herpetologist J.D. Kleopfer, with the Virginia Division of Wildlife Resources, saw the drawings, he told him that he was amazed at Brothers’ accuracy in his illustrations. In fact, he said he had counted every scale on one of the snake drawings, and it was completely accurate.

In an interview, Kleopfer agrees that the book shines the most thanks to Brothers’ hand-drawn artwork.

“Biological illustrations are a kind of a thing of the past,” he said. “They’re a dying art form.” Elaborating on what he had conveyed to Jackson, Kleopfer was impressed at the beauty of the drawings.

“There’s such incredible detail with the scale count or the scale pattern on the head and on the belly and on the animal itself,” he said. “That’s really finite detail to have as a biological illustrator, and because photography, basically, you know, took over.”

An identification guide to snakes of Dismal Swamp. Photo courtesy of the author.

After consulting with Kleopfer and other herpetologists, Jackson made relatively minor updates on species and taxonomy.

Although the information is accurate, the book, then and now, is intended for nonprofessional readers, or as the revision says, “a cultural artifact that provides a snapshot” of the snakes in the region, and the author’s relationship to them. Two appendices are included with details on snake name changes and identifying shed snake skins.

The 2025 book was published in August, with a suggested retail cost of $24 from select outlets or tidaltalebooks@gmail.com.

But Jackson, who is a semi-retired lawyer, admits he doesn’t particularly like snakes, and still remembers his revulsion as a kid when Donald Ray, as he was known then — the oldest of his eight cousins — had asked him to carry a burlap sack filled with live water snakes. And then there was his bedroom, smelling of formaldehyde, lined with big, snake-filled jars.

“At that age, snakes are like monsters,” he said. “But I just remember my grandparents letting me go in there and you didn’t have to be told ‘Don’t touch anything.’ I didn’t.”

Still, Jackson said he appreciates the importance of snakes in the natural world, and the value of a guide book on snakes in the region to all the nonscientific folks who enjoy the outdoors, or are curious about the snakes in their yard.

The guide is as thorough as any nonscientist could want or need. There’s information about the appearance, habitat, diet, behavior and even reproduction of numerous regional snakes, from worm snakes to rattlesnakes, and whether they’re venomous and how to identify them.

Brothers, who has six children, 24 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren has been married to his wife Judy for close to 50 years. In addition to a full career in various natural sciences positions, the author, along with his wife, also managed to build a passive solar-powered home with a huge garden and numerous livestock they raised for food.

“We did the forming, framing, glazing, roofing, painting, plumbing, electrical, interior work and cabinets,” Brothers wrote on his website. “Only pouring the concrete, countertops and carpeting were done by others. Our home would be one of the first thermal envelope home build in Idaho.”

As he described his youth, Brothers said he grew up about a 10-minute bicycle ride from the southernmost edge of the swamp — “a fine place to study snakes.”

In an earlier memoir Brothers wrote, “Swamp Water in My Veins,” he told how he began collecting articles about snakes when he was young and writing things down. But he continued to struggle in school, with one teacher reporting that “Donald is interested in snakes and not much else.”

“Dispelling false popular beliefs about snakes was one of the primary objectives of the book,” Brothers wrote, explaining why he wrote the 1992 guide. “This was important because such beliefs contribute greatly to anxiety and fear.”

A partial list: snakes are slimy, they can jump, their tongues can sting, they can hypnotize their prey, they don’t die till sunset, the hiss of a snake is poisonous and some can crawl as fast as horse can run.

“More education is needed to dispel false popular beliefs and appreciate these interesting and important creatures of the animal kingdom,” he said.

Herpetologist Don Brothers handles a brown water snake. Photo courtesy of the author.

As someone who also loves snakes, Kleopfer, who has served as Virginia’s state herpetologist for 20 years, agrees that snakes are misunderstood.

“You know, snakes can be very polarizing,” he said. “Of course, you have the whole Garden of Eden story, which doesn’t help. There’s probably no other animal, group of animals that has more misinformation and folklore about it than snakes.”

But snakes eat lots of things we don’t want to deal with — such as carrion, he said.

“Snakes play an incredible role in the ecology of our ecosystems and controlling rodents and pests and stuff like that,” he said. “They’re also food for other animals as well.”

And snakes want nothing to do with people, so the best thing is to accept them and let them be.

“I always said that resolves 99% of all wildlife interactions, particularly with snakes,” Kleopfer said. “Just follow those four easy words: ‘Just leave it alone.’”

Even venomous snakes are not nearly as sinister as their reputations have them.

“Cottonmouths, or water moccasins, have a curiosity factor about them, but those things are big babies,” he said. “I mean, you really have to do something extraordinarily stupid to get bit by one. Yeah, they’re venomous, but they’re quite reluctant to strike.”

But all the better if Brothers’ well-illustrated book helps educate people about the value of snakes and basic science of herpetology.

It’s just a very cool historic document,” Kleopfer said. “It would be a nice addition to anybody’s literary collection if they’re into that kind of natural history or regional type of history.”

Though sleek and beautiful as they may be, he conceded, snakes fall short of the cute and winsome appeal of other animals that share their neighborhoods.

“They’re never going to be embraced like our furry and feathered friends are.”

Pony Patrol marks three years of watchful eyes over herds

Jennifer Allen — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 05:00:00 +0000

The foal nurses three days after being born in mid-June on the west end of Shackleford Banks. Photo: Laura Palazzolo

A group of volunteers spent peak visitor season this year under the blistering sun and swarmed by thick clouds of flying insects, all to make sure the wild horses, including the newborn foals, inhabiting Cape Lookout National Seashore and Rachel Carson Reserve were undisturbed by the thousands who make their way to the barrier islands that are only accessible by boat.

The volunteers are part of the Pony Patrol program, which trains the “Pony Patrollers,” as they’re called, to share with visitors how to safely observe the two herds. One herd is on Shackleford Banks, the national seashore’s southernmost island, and the other is on the reserve site that is across Taylors Creek from downtown Beaufort.

The National Park Service, Foundation for Shackleford Horses and reserve staff organize the outreach effort that just wrapped up its third year. The foundation is the federally designated co-manager with the park service of the herd.

Rich Rehm, a volunteer who leads the program for Cape Lookout, explained that the goal of Pony Patrol for the park service is twofold. First is to make sure guests on Shackleford Island stay at least 50 feet from the horses and keep their dogs leashed. Second, as representatives of the National Park Service, is to answer questions visitors may have about the horses, the island, or the seashore.

Paula Gillikin, stewardship coordinator for the 10 reserve sites, has been the longtime manager for the herd at Rachel Carson Reserve, one of 10 protected sites along the coast managed by the North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve, under North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

Banks horses cross tidal waters from Town Marsh to Bird Shoal along Beaufort’s barrier islands, part of the Rachel Carson Reserve, in Carteret County. Photo: Dylan Ray

“The Pony Patrol plays a vital role in supporting the Rachel Carson Reserve and our partners by helping us educate the public about the wild horse population that makes the reserve such a unique part of North Carolina’s coastal heritage,” Gillikin said. “When the public understands what the horses need to survive and be healthy, they are more likely to give the horses the space they need to thrive. This understanding also keeps our visitors safe.”

Foundation President Margaret Poindexter told Coastal Review that the 2025 season had been the largest “and undoubtedly our most successful,” despite its “very difficult start.”

What made 2025 special, she continued, was the determination and resolve of the close to 50 volunteers.

The rocky start began when the first foal of the year from either herd was born at the Rachel Carson Reserve in early May, Poindexter said.

“Her presence was immediately known — lots of eyeballs in Beaufort are constantly on that herd. Just a few days after her birth, and within days of the Pony Patrol season launching, a group of visitors got too close to the foal, the anxious stallion gathered up his mare to get away from them, and the foal was stranded on the oyster rocks unable to keep up with its mama,” she explained.

Though the reserve staff was able to intervene and reunite the two, the Pony Patrollers “were very disappointed that something so potentially tragic could happen so early into the season, before the real rush of visitors even started,” Poindexter said.

Then, on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, a newborn foal was found alone on the east end of Shackleford, on the oceanside. The foundation “made the difficult decision to remove it in order to save its life. Again, the Pony Patrollers were discouraged, afraid that perhaps human intervention had caused the foal to be separated from its mother,” she continued.

Another foal on Shackleford was separated from its mother 10 days later, found in the mud on the sound side, likely as the result of a stallion fight. It too was removed to save its life, Poindexter said.

Volunteers Margo Hickman and Laura Palazzolo, both Carteret County residents, agreed it was particularly heartbreaking to see the foals removed from the island earlier this summer. Hickman said it was uncertain if they would survive.

“’The Americas’ TV episode about Shackleford was beautiful, but it drew a lot of attention — and with that came more pressure on the horses,” Palazzolo said. The first episode, “The Atlantic Coast,” of the NBC series dated Feb. 23 began with the wild horses at Cape Lookout.

The filly, shown here at a month old, follows her mother to join other mares, background, on the west end of Shackleford Banks. The stallion is on the right. Photo: Laura Palazzolo

“There were multiple incidents of visitors getting too close, trying to take selfies, or even attempting to pet the ponies,” Palazzolo explained. “We can’t say for sure why two foals were abandoned on the east end, but human interference could certainly have played a part.”

Poindexter continued that “Shortly after those incidents, a filly was born on the west end of Shackleford, in an area that receives significant visitation because of its close proximity to the ferry drop and the crossover to the beach. The Pony Patrollers committed themselves to ensuring the safety and survival of this little girl.”

The volunteers scheduled regular tours in the area around the pair and reported to each other after their shift about the whereabouts and well-being of the foal and her mother. “They intercepted numerous visitors who were curious about her, moving them away from her so as not to interfere with her nursing and nap times, but sharing insider information about her and her harem to create a unique and enhanced visitor experience,” Poindexter said.

Some of the volunteers that have been with the program since the first season, including retirees Hickman and Deb Walker, have been captivated by the filly.

Walker, who grew up in Newport and returned after retiring in 2015 from several decades as an educator in Mississippi, said a major highlight for her this summer was the newborn filly.

Hickman called the filly’s birth “the icing on the cake” for her. “We all became part of her family as her honorary aunts. We weathered heat and humidity and some god-awful mosquitoes daily to check on her.”

The filly, at a week old, seems curious about her surroundings while the mare grazes. Photo: Laura Palazzolo

Fellow Pony Patroller Cindy K. Smith, who began volunteering in 2024, was the first of the group to spot the filly.

Smith, a Straits resident, said she was fortunate to be leading a tour that day in June when she spotted the foal shortly after birth. “Her little legs wobbled to steady herself against her Mama.”

Smith is photographer, naturalist and guide who has been visiting Shackleford and Rachael Carson for 30-plus years and joined Pony Patrol because, like so many others, she has a “fascination with the ‘ponies.’”

Smith said once realized the foal was a newborn, she began calling seashore staff and other patrollers.

“We were all elated,” Smith continued, adding that knowing that the Fourth of July week, and the associated influx of visitors, was near, the volunteers knew extra precautions would be needed to keep her safe and at a distance from human interaction.

The volunteers were given guidance from seashore and foundation staff to developed a plan to quietly watch from afar, Palazzolo said, adding they always kept a respectful distance. “At least one Patroller was stationed on the dunes, watching and ready to gently intervene if visitors wandered too close.”

The filly at a month old with her mother on the west end of Shackleford Banks. Photo: Laura Palazzolo

Smith reiterated that the volunteers “went over and above for this little girl, perching on dunes, hiding behind bushes or whatever it took to make sure she would not be approached. Individuals went out on their own and watched over her even when it was not a shift. I think this camaraderie bonded us in a way that made each of us better and as a whole, a more cohesive unit.”

The foal is thriving now, Palazzolo explained, and along the way, “visitors got to experience something really special. We’d share what we’d learned from our reports — her habits, her routine — and people would sit quietly to watch. We’d tell them, ‘If you stay back and give her space, you’ll see her nurse, nap, or maybe even get the zoomies.’ It became this magical moment of connection — respectful and joyful all at once.”

How Pony Patrol began

Poindexter explained that the first year in 2023 was truly a pilot, and began with around 30 participants.

“We only sent volunteers to Shackleford that first season. Rich Rehm, one of the seasoned volunteers at Cape Lookout National Seashore, stepped up and offered to be the program coordinator. Truly, without his willingness to fill that role, the program likely would never have gotten off the ground,” Poindexter said.

Rehm retired as an environmental consultant in the Research Triangle Park area and moved to in 2016 to Merrimon with his wife. He began volunteering with the seashore in 2017.

When Rehm was asked in 2019 to coordinate the program for the National Park Service, he said he passed on the opportunity. Then, the program was put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, he decided he would take up the role.

Photo of mare and foal on shackleford Banks taken at least 50 feet away with a smart phone. Photo: Deb Walker

After that first year in 2023, the seashore “was pleased with the success of the program and we expanded the program to include Rachel Carson Reserve,” Rehm said. “In 2025, we expanded the program again to include the east end of Shackleford Island.”

Though the 2025 season wrapped up in late September, a call for volunteers will likely go out in the coming months from both the National Park Service and Rachel Carson Reserve ahead of the 2026 season. Gillikin, with the reserve, said Pony Patrol applications for both herds will likely be launched in January or February.

Poindexter said that those interested in joining the Pony Patrol should know that conditions are rough. “Walking over dunes, in sand, through mud and marsh, often in extreme heat and humidity, while being besieged by mosquitoes,” she said.

Despite the challenges like the heat, the bugs, the mud, and the occasional rude visitor, Palazzolo said the horses make it all worth it.

“There’s nothing like standing on those dunes, watching them go about their day. It reminds you that wildness still exists — and that it’s fragile,” she said. “I’m looking forward to checking on her this winter — and jumping right back in next summer.”

Rehm added, “If you can put up with the heat, the humidity, the bugs, and the storms by all means you should volunteer.”

Coastal Review will not publish Tuesday in observation of Veterans Day.

Harbor seal spotted in Beaufort: anomaly or harbinger?

Madeleine Paris — Mon, 12 May 2025 04:00:00 +0000

A lone harbor seal as spotted from the Duke Marine Lab. Photo: Nick Kaney

A gaggle of excited students and staff stand at the seawall, peering across the Beaufort Channel. Chatter ebbs and flows as people come up with possible explanations of what they’re seeing. Is it a sea turtle? A log? A lump of plastic? Finally, the silhouette moves, revealing its true identity. Excitement rushes through the crowd — it’s definitely a seal!

While commonplace in the Northeast, this seal was 600 miles south of Boston in Beaufort, North Carolina. The animal, a harbor seal, was repeatedly sighted in the Beaufort area the week of March 24, swimming in Taylors Creek and hauling out at the Rachel Carson Reserve.

Miriam Sutton, owner and director of Science by the Sea Eco-Tours, heard about the seal and set off on her paddleboard to catch a glimpse. She knew the seal was in the area but didn’t know it was so close. Sutton turned around and, “it just kind of caught me off guard,” she said.

Miriam Sutton paddle boards by the harbor seal in front of the Rachel Carson Reserve. Photo: Nick Kaney

Ava Kocher, a sophomore at the Duke University Marine Lab, was part of the gathering that spotted the seal from the seawall. “It was a time where I wished I could have walked on water so I just could have gotten a little closer,” Kocher said.

Luckily, Brantley Acree, chief mate aboard the Marine Lab’s R/V Shearwater, pulled up to the seawall in a skiff and offered to take students closer to the seal. Mindful to keep at least 50 meters, or 164 feet, between themselves and the seal, students took photos of the seal and noted its behavior.

The seal was big news. “There was a lot of talk from the people who had been at the Marine Lab for so long, for so many years, and had never seen one, that if they hadn’t seen one in all of their time here, there must be something wrong with this one and you must be like a penguin in the North Pole, seriously lost,” Kocher said.

Sutton has lived in the Beaufort area for 31 years and had yet to see a seal. “That’s the first one I’ve actually seen … certainly not this far south,” she said.

Originally from Massachusetts, Kocher noticed a big difference in how people talk about seals here. “I’ve seen so many harbor seals, and when you see them on Cape Cod, you’re not even excited about the seals. You’re thinking about, ‘Oh, there’s seals on the beach. There must be sharks in the water’ … And so then to go from that to here in North Carolina, where that harbor seal is so much more rare and of an occurrence, then that suddenly was a huge anomaly.”

“It was exciting to see that something that was commonplace in one region of the world could be groundbreaking or indicative of a pattern in another place, and it just feels like you’re not learning what’s going on in the world. Because if the world is always changing, there’s always something new to be learned,” Kocher said.

The harbor seal rests at the surface. Photo: Nick Kaney

While seals are rarer in North Carolina than in Massachusetts, this one wanderer is closer to an established harbor seal colony than you might think. Harbor seals have been hauling out in Oregon Inlet, on the Outer Banks, for at least 10 years.

As for when the Outer Banks population first popped up, “we don’t know a lot about its origins and when harbor seals were first seen regularly there,” said Dr. Andy Read, Stephen A. Toth Professor of Marine Biology, director of the Duke University Marine Lab and co-author of a scientific article about the Oregon Inlet harbor seal population.

Read said we’re likely to see more harbor seals in this area “because the population of harbor seals has been protected since 1972 as the result of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and has been protected largely in Canada now, but also as a result of habitat exclusion by gray seals, which were also recovering and maybe squeezing harbor seals out of their former range.”

Seals may have been in the area historically. A harbor seal specimen from the North Carolina Museum was found in Ocracoke Inlet in the 1930s, and there is some evidence that they’ve been seen in the intervening decades.

Read is one of the leaders of a Duke Bass Connections Team that will attempt to dig into this in the next academic year. The team of doctoral, master’s and undergraduate students will pore through stranding records, newspaper articles, archeological information, scientific literature and other sources to reconstruct the timeline of harbor seal abundance in North Carolina.

Dr. Vicky Thayer, the North Carolina Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Stranding coordinator and adjunct professor for North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine, has gotten many calls about seals in the area over the years. North Carolina has the highest diversity of any state in the country when it comes to strandings and sightings of marine mammals with four species of seals, 35 species of cetaceans, and manatees reported stranded or seen off of the coast.

“We get the northern limit of the tropical species and the southern limit of that temperate species. And it’s such an exciting place to work. We learn so much from stranded specimens. We never know what species, will wash ashore next,” Thayer said.

Thayer received numerous calls about the recent harbor seal in the Beaufort area. Procedure dictates that the stranding team gives seals for 24 hours before responding because they need to haul out and rest.

“As long as the seal is resting in a place that seems that people will not harass it or obstruct its access to the water,” Thayer said, “then we attempt to educate people and let them know that observing from a distance is fine. We post volunteers and set up a perimeter if the seal is in a heavily trafficked area.”

On March 28, Jillian Daly of Beaufort was kayaking in Taylors Creek after work when she saw a “large gray lump” in the marsh.

“I’d heard there was a seal hanging around the Rachel Carson Reserve, so I quickly realized that’s what I was seeing,” Daly said, “I zoomed in with my camera and saw bile pooled around it’s open mouth, a cut under its neck, and noticed it didn’t seem to be breathing.”

It was the same seal, now dead.

Daly reached out to Thayer and with her location and photos of the seal.

“It was so sad,” Daly said, “I’ve never seen a seal in Beaufort and I wish I’d seen it alive and well. However, I’m glad I was able to locate it before animals or other folks came across it so Vicky could retrieve it and perform a necropsy.”

Thayer, N.C. Aquarium Veterinarian Dr. Emily Christiansen, and Bonehenge Whale Center Director Keith Rittmaster were able to recover the seal that night and perform a necropsy, an animal autopsy, a few days later.

The initial necropsy report found that the animal was a thin out-of-habitat subadult harbor seal. The seal had a cataract in its left eye, lesions on its tongue, and was missing a tooth, all of which may have made foraging difficult. There were also parasites in its stomach, intestines, lungs, and airways, which also could have contributed to its thin condition.

Even though there’s now a colony in North Carolina, this seal is still considered a straggler, out of its habitat. “The weather here isn’t really great for them …The climate is too warm and getting warmer, and so it’s not a good option for long term survival, for high numbers,” said Thayer.

“The climate is shifting and the prey and the population numbers are changing, and so that’s causing species to expand their ranges, maybe, and it’s not always good for long term survival of individuals.”

We might never know why this seal was down in Beaufort, adding yet another question to the long list of things we don’t know about seals in North Carolina. “What are they doing here? What are they eating? How long are they staying? What’s their body condition? Like, what age and sex classes are here? Are they interacting with human activities like fisheries?” Read asked.

Harbor seals are a conservation success story; they beat the odds and recovered from extirpation across their range. But without answers to these questions, the perception of seals might not be so positive. However, the unknown is also exciting; there’s so much left to discover.

If you see a seal in North Carolina, stay at least 50 yards away. “The seals need to rest, and you shouldn’t obstruct their path to the water and stay away from them, because they carry diseases and they can bite,” Thayer said. Please call 252-241-5119 to report live and dead seals and manatees, and stranded whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

“If they’re not stressed, they can fight off disease better. People approaching them can stress them, and if they are sick, but might be able to recover with rest. People may be preventing their recovery by approaching them too closely and they carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans and dogs,” said Thayer.

Thayer and Read both expect to see an increase in the number of seals in the Beaufort area in the future. Only time will tell if this lone seal was a random occurrence or a harbinger of the future.

Sleepy Creek trail segment planners intend to ‘keep it wild’

Trista Talton — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Ben Jones, Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail Coastal Crescent project manager, steps last week into the wilderness of the Sleepy Creek parcel in the Holly Shelter Game Land in Pender County. Photo: Trista Talton

There’s almost something deceptive about walking through the newest addition to Holly Shelter Game Land.

Trees rising from sandy ground largely blanketed by a thick cover of pine needles and wind-rippling wiregrass deafen any sense you’re just a short way from U.S. Highway 17.

Ben Jones summed up the experience during a recent hike through a small slice of the tract referred to as the Sleepy Creek property, a 1,616-acre parcel where baby longleaf pine trees sprout in savannas, carnivorous plants thrive and dense brush coats the surface of pocosin wetlands.

“It feels like we are miles from civilization,” he said.

That’s the idea behind rerouting a stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail from the side of U.S. 17 in Pender County near Surf City and tucking it on land safely away from the four-lane blacktop.

Jones is the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail’s Coastal Crescent project manager and architect of the future section of trail, one that will link with nearly 20 miles of existing North Carolina trail snaking through the vast game land.

On a blustery cold day last week, Jones, Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail Associate Director Betsy Brown and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission officials offered a tour of the portion of game land where the new trail is anticipated.

This is a particularly unique project, one where the plan is to steer hikers away from the gravel roadways that cut through the game land and onto natural surface defined by upland sand ridges, longleaf habitat and pocosin wetlands.

“We want to keep it wild,” Jones said.

The exception will be a boardwalk structure planned through a little more than a mile of pocosin. The walkway will be constructed of some type of fireproof material, perhaps precast concrete that can withstand fire from prescribed burns state wildlife officials will administer to manage the land.

The modern method for maintain longleaf pine forests is through controlled burns, which reduce hardwood growth and manage grasses and forbs in the understory. Fires are essential to longleaf habitats for a number of reasons, one being that longleaf pine seeds germinate on bare ground.

The Sleepy Creek parcel that is part of the Holly Shelter Game Land expansion is outlined in yellow on this map from the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

This habitat is essential to a variety of plants and animals, including federally threatened red-cockaded woodpeckers.

The Nature Conservancy acquired the Sleepy Creek property about two years ago, permanently conserving land that would have most likely been developed. The Nature Conservancy transferred ownership to the state Wildlife Resources Commission.

Growth along the U.S. 17 corridor between Wilmington and Jacksonville has exploded in the last couple of decades as demand for property along the coast has skyrocketed.

The roughly 64,000-acre game land sits almost half way between the two cities – 25 minutes from Wilmington and 30 minutes from Jacksonville.

While Holly Shelter is a draw for hunters of game ranging from whitetail deer to rabbit to turkey, it’s also a formidable hiking spot.

The new, natural trail will extend a little more than 3.5 miles through the game land addition, which will also be made available for public hunting.

Negotiations are underway to purchase an additional 45-acre tract surrounded by the game land. If plans go accordingly, that property will be the site of a primitive camp ground.

Brown said kiosks and signage explaining trail and hunting etiquette to help educate those groups on how to coexist will be installed at the trail head.

Hikers are urged to plan ahead, make sure they have sufficient supplies, including water, and check for hunting seasons before heading into the game land. Wildlife officials ask hikers to wear something blaze orange, whether it be a hat, vest or other attire, if traversing Holly Shelter during a hunting season.

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail stretches more than 1,100 miles from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks.

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail winds through some of North Carolina’s most biodiverse habitat. Map: Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

The Coastal Crescent Trail gives its guests the opportunity to experience a portion of the Cape Fear Arch, an area tapped as having the greatest biological diversity on the East Coast north of Florida.

The Arch spans between Cape Lookout National Seashore, a barrier island system in Carteret County, and Cape Romain in South Carolina, and inland beyond Fayetteville to the Carolina Sandhills.

The Coastal Crescent Trail runs through Johnston, Sampson, Cumberland, Bladen, Pender and Onslow counties.

The segment (there are 18 total) of Mountains-to-Sea Trail included in Holly Shelter Game Land spans a little more than 90 miles. It includes 3.5 miles of trail, just over 9 miles of beach, about 5.5 miles of multi-use path, 19 miles of forest roads and a little more than 53 miles of paved road.

Jones said he did not have an exact timeframe on when the new rerouted trail will be open for hiking, though it is expected to be complete in fewer than five years.

October therapy: Grow your own ‘Little Shop of Horrors’

Liz Biro — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 04:00:00 +0000

A student carefully places a Venus flytrap in the shallow container the plants love during a carnivorous plant class at Carolina Home & Garden in Newport. Photo: Carolina Home & Garden

The therapeutic power of gardening has been richly studied and solidly proven, so it was no surprise that a class on how to grow Venus flytraps meandered quickly into something more like group counseling.

Cocktails paired with happy small talk confirmed a safe space to confess what really happened in each student’s own little shop of horrors.

“I fed my Venus flytrap bacon to keep it alive.”

“Mine didn’t even have to work. I trapped the bugs!”

“I set up grow lights and everything, but it died anyway.”

The instructor, Franchesca Davis, a certified plant professional, rare plants collector and horticulture degree holder with six different specializations, had heard it all before.

Certified plant professional and rare plants collector Franchesca Davis holds a pot of Venus flytraps, pitcher plants and sun dews created at a Carolina Home & Garden carnivorous plant class. Photo: Carolina Home & Garden

“People will go above and beyond to keep their carnivorous plants alive,” she said. “I’ve heard of cat food … regular fish food instead of raw meat because raw meat stinks over time.”

In “The Little Shop of Horrors,” Audrey II ate Seymour in 10 seconds. Venus flytraps savor their prey over 3 to 5 days. That’s one of the interesting facts attendees learn during Davis’ carnivorous plant classes at Carolina Home & Garden, in western Carteret County.

Around Halloween, interest in Venus flytraps takes off as gardeners of all skill levels imagine their own miniature Audrey II, and Davis provides more than surprisingly simple steps for growing them.

Venus flytraps, native only to an area within about a 75-mile radius of Wilmington, have been around 85 million years. Despite their endurance, native Venus flytrap populations are in trouble. Increasing development razes their habitat and poachers illegally snap up survivors to sell.

Davis said she hopes that helping people understand Venus flytraps will grow greater appreciation of North Carolina’s most famous native plant.

Students learn how to grow, care for and help native Venus flytraps during a Carolina Home & Garden carnivorous plant class. Photo: Carolina Home & Garden

“If we can work as a community to bring awareness to these things and care for them and not use them just as a tourist attraction, then we can probably keep them in the state that they’re most iconic for,” Davis said. “I want people to picture them growing wild…I want people to go home and plant them in the ground.”

Growing tips

Here are some of Davis’ tips for success with Venus flytraps.

Nature copycat containers

Wild Venus flytraps thrive in peat-rich pocosin bogs. The plants draw moisture from below. Therefore, choose a shallow container with at least one substantial hole in the bottom. Rest the planter inside another container that always holds enough water to keep the Venus flytrap constantly damp, as it would be in a bog.

Not just any soil

Forget fertilizer-enriched potting mixes. Enhanced organic mixes won’t work either. That’s because Venus flytraps digest nutrients not from the ground but from the insects they capture. Davis recommended straight peat moss — no added nutrients — or sphagnum peat, free of fertilizers, plus a little pine bark to aerate the sphagnum.

Watering secrets

Rainwater is best, Davis said. Tap, well, bottled and distilled waters are usually too alkaline and mineral rich. If you can’t collect rainwater, Davis suggested trying a pH adjuster like those used for freshwater fish tanks. Assess your water’s pH level and then add the adjuster to achieve a pH in the 5.0 to 5.3 range, Davis said. Outside, flytraps like rainwater that drips from pine trees rather than direct rain, she noted.

Location, location, location

You might think of pocosin bogs that Venus flytraps love as dark places, but flytraps live “on the edge, right on the outskirts of the swamp,” Davis noted.

“They can totally take full sun.” That means at least six hours of sunlight a day. Light intensifies the Venus flytrap’s red colors and ensures the plant’s success after its winter dormancy. Indoors, choose a sunny window. Outside, plant flytraps in well-lit places that are constantly wet, “fingertip-deep wet,” Davis said, like ditch banks and low spots that receive dappled sun, preferably under pine trees. Pine needles allow more sunlight to pass through and help keep the ground below acidic.

Overwinter and forget it

Growers in colder climates have reported ice-covered flytraps in pots coming back strong in spring. The plants need that dormant period so that they don’t exhaust their energy and die.

“They’re pretty prehistoric. Their cycle of energy and how they conserve it is what has been keeping them alive for so doggone long,” Davis said. Slightly damp soil and cold temperatures are all Venus flytraps need for three to six months. They don’t even require light.

Around Halloween, garden centers stock up on Venus flytraps as gardeners of all skill levels imagine their own “Little Shop of Horrors” in miniature. Photo: Liz Biro

Learn more

Carnivorous Plant Class, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 22, Carolina Home & Garden, 4778 N.C. Highway 24, Newport; carolinahomegarden.com, 252-393-9004.
N.C. State Fair, native garden featuring Venus flytraps and other carnivorous plants, last two weeks in October, https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/ncstatefair.
N.C. Native Plant Society news, education and events. The organization promotes the enjoyment and conservation of North Carolina’s native plants and their habitats. ncwildflower.org.
Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden, 2025 Independence Blvd., Wilmington, 910-341-7852, wilmingtonnc.gov/Parks-Recreation/Parks-Trails/Piney-Ridge-Nature-Preserve-Stanley-Rehder-Carnivorous-Garden.

Resident’s fight leads to balloon bans on 80 miles of beach

Kip Tabb — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 04:00:00 +0000

Debbie Swick uses her car to spread the word about balloons and the perils they pose to marine life. Photo: Contributed

The vote to prohibit balloon releases within Dare County’s unincorporated areas was anticlimactic when its commissioners unanimously voted last week to support the ban.

Southern Shores resident Debbie Swick, the force behind the ban, addressed the board before they took up the vote.

When Swick began, she pointed to a large, opaque trash bag filled with pieces of balloons propped against the front of the speaker’s podium.

“This bag was collected by five of us over six months. Just five people (and) there’s several hundred balloons in there,” she said. “The National Park Service last year picked up 1,786 balloons along our 70-mile stretch of coastline.”

Now that the rule is in place, it is illegal to release balloons anywhere along the Outer Banks shoreline, from Duck to Hatteras Village.

The county joins its incorporated towns of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head in banning balloon releases. Manteo, which is on Roanoke Island, has yet to prohibited releasing balloons, but the town is in Swick’s sights.

Dare County towns are not the only beach towns in the state that have banned releasing balloons. Similar ordinances are in effect in Wrightsville Beach, Topsail Beach, North Topsail Beach and Surf City. Ten states have also banned balloon releases.

For Swick, a member of Network for Endangered Sea Turtles, or N.E.S.T., based on the Outer Banks, and Outer Banks Marine Mammal Stranding Network, banning balloons has become a crusade, and she has created Ban Balloon Release NC to accomplish her goal.

Debbie Swick speaks during a recent Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting. Also in this screenshot from the meeting video, a bag containing balloons found on the beach rests on the floor next to the podium.

Although she is a one-person movement now, she said that may change over time.

“I will probably just plug along until I can’t do it by myself and then start looking for more people,” she told Coastal Review.

Coastal North Carolina is just a small part of the problem, she noted.

“You release (the balloon), it’s unretrievable, and it’s going to drift upwards of 1,300 miles from where you release it,” she said, adding the state’s beaches are an ideal location to get the word out about the dangers of balloons in the environment.

“Millions of visitors come from places like Ohio and Kansas and Indiana and Pennsylvania. Balloon releases in their states impact our wildlife and our coastline. So, I’m going to use every opportunity I can to get the word out and educate them,” she said.

Her fears for wildlife are based in science. One of Swick’s arguments for banning balloon releases is that the balloons do not break down in the environment.

Mylar, which is a polyester, can take hundreds of years to completely break down in the environment. Even latex balloons that are marketed as biodegradable take five years or longer to decompose. The strings used hold balloons in place until they are released are generally not biodegradable.

Balloons in the water look similar to the marine life that are part of whales’ diets. Once in the digestive tract, the balloons are not digested and can cause blockages and death.

Education, understanding are key

Keith Rittmaster, natural sciences curator at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, has been responding to reports of dead and dying whales for a number of years, and he has witnessed firsthand the impact balloons have on marine life.

A Gervais beaked whale that beached off Emerald Isle in 2023 was, to Rittmaster, particularly sad.

Keith Rittmaster has devoted his career to protecting and saving marine mammals. Photo: N.C. Maritime Museum

“(It was) a nursing calf that had no food in the stomach. No squid parts or fish parts. They had mother’s milk,” he said. “This balloon was blocking the entrance to the stomach so no milk could pass. I had to use my imagination to figure out what was going on. I can’t imagine it was anything but this was the first bite that this whale took.”

Whales are not the only marine species affected by the balloons that have landed at sea. Seabirds and sea turtles regularly become entangled in the lines and sea turtles, like whales, will try to eat the balloons.

This ingested balloon was blocking the whale’s gastrointestinal tract. Photo: UNCW

Rittmaster, whose area of expertise is marine mammals, said that researchers are seeing an unexplained phenomenon regarding whales.

“What we’re learning, which is kind of an ‘oh, wow!’ to me is, we’re finding more plastic balloons all the time in deep-diving whales rather than shallow-diving whales,” he said.

He then sounded a cautionary note about the problem’s pervasiveness.

“It’s going to get worse even if we ended it today,” he said. “If, for some miracle, we could end the releasing of balloons today — I feel pretty confident since these plastics last hundreds of years — this problem is going to continue to get worse, not just the balloons themselves, but the plastic and nylon strings that they are tied to.”

Like Swick, Rittmaster is resolute in calling for action.

“There’s a lot of things that are terrifying us that we can’t even conceive how to solve in generations. This is something we can solve,” he said.

The challenge is often frustrating.

This Gervais beaked whale washed ashore alive in Emerald Isle Oct. 30 but died shortly thereafter. The nursing calf had ingested a balloon that was the cause of death. Photo: UNCW Marine Mammal Program

After the city of Greenville voted 4-3 in the fall of 2023 against an ordinance that would ban balloon releases, Rittmaster led some workshops about what happens when a balloon is released.

“A politician was there,” he recalled. “And I gave the presentation and she said, ‘Can we just release the balloons inland but not release them along the coast?’ This isn’t a bad person. She doesn’t really understand, and that highlighted to me what we’re up against.”

Swick believes education is the key, and with that knowledge will come a better understanding of the world around us and perhaps a hope for future generations.

“This is just such small potatoes, so it gets pushed on the back burner…This is one of those things, it’s not going to go away until we decide to make a change,” she said. “It’s going to take a lot of educating but my hope is that the generations of children that are coming up, (that they) learn a valuable lesson and take that with them as they grow into adulthood and raise children.”

St. James folk bask among beauty, birds certification brings

Trista Talton — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 04:00:00 +0000

St. James’ town sign proclaims the news about the National Wildlife Foundation certification. Photo: Contributed

This story has been updated.

Any time Barry Fulton spots a species of bird in his yard he has not seen before, he can’t help but ask himself the same question.

Did I do that?

“You see new species coming and you just ponder, was that because I have more water sources or more plants that have berries for a food source?” Fulton said. “Next thing you know, you’re downloading apps to identify birds.”

Fulton and his wife, Debi Gallo, are among dozens of St. James residents who have in the past several months become part of a unique, yet growing club of property owners who’ve worked to get their town certified as a Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Foundation.

St. James officially earned the designation in late February, making it the only coastal town certified in the state. Wilmington is registered but not yet certified — that could happen next year.

To date, nearly 20 towns, cities, communities and neighborhoods in North Carolina have achieved the designation, one that denotes areas where residents have put in the time to create and enhance wildlife habitat on their land.

Proponents of the program say earning the designation is not particularly difficult or expensive.

“In someone’s typical yard they’ve already done some landscaping, so a lot of people are well on their way in what would be needed to certify their property,” said St. James resident Ernie McLaney.

McLaney, member at-large on the St. James Conservancy’s executive board, moved from Charlotte to the coast a couple of years ago to settle in a life of quasi-retirement with his wife, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge about the National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Habitat Certification program.

He was one of the originators in supporting Matthews earn its certification in 2012. Three years later, Charlotte picked up the designation, making it, at the time, the largest certified city east of the Mississippi.

McLaney said he was immediately struck by what the town of about 7,000 residents had to offer as a wildlife habitat community.

“When I saw the beauty and amount of tree canopy that St. James has designed into this development here I was just really blown away,” he said.

Roughly 42% of land within the town, which incorporated in the mid-1990s, has been set aside as natural preserve. Natural buffers cushion areas along N.C. Highways 211 and 906, main county thoroughfares that intersect at the town’s northwest corner.

“With all of that in mind and seeing that people were incorporating native plants, bird feeders and birdhouses in their landscape, I thought that this would be an easy project to take on,” McLaney said.

He reached out to the conservancy with the idea, eventually landing him on the nonprofit’s board. Soon he would discover that around 45 properties in St. James were already certified. The requirement to become certified was 150 individual wildlife habitats from everyone including homeowners and churches to fire stations and schools.

The conservancy, with help from organizations including The Garden Club at St. James, hosted a number of community environmental education and outreach programs to spread the word.

“It took us less than a year to get St. James certified,” McLaney said. “Record time. We were impressed.”

Today, around 165 properties in the town are certified.

Certification can be as simple as placing a bird bath or other water feature, birdhouses or nesting boxes and feeders, or planting berry-bearing shrubs in your yard.

“It’s something you can do at your own pace as your time and finances allow,” McLaney said.

That’s a message he hopes resonates throughout other communities in coastal North Carolina.

“It’s an easy lift for some and it’s a recognized process that if people see habitat destruction in their community from growing developments they can counter some of that loss by enhancing what they have in their yard,” McLaney said.

Fulton agreed.

“It’s important that we maintain habitat for our wildlife,” he said. “There’s so much of the habitat that is getting clear cut for development. Everybody can do their fair share to provide some more shelter. They’re getting chased from their natural environments in every way. It’s important to do what we can now.”

State wildlife officials seek volunteers to tally terrapins

Trista Talton — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 04:00:00 +0000

A diamondback terrapin. Photo: Ken Taylor/N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission

As far as shell-encased reptiles go, sea turtles are the show stealers on the North Carolina coast.

But in the saltwater marshes on the backside of the string of North Carolina’s barrier islands live a lesser-known species of turtle, one that was once so common they were considered a nuisance to fishermen.

Today, diamondback terrapins, the only turtles that live in brackish water, are listed in North Carolina as a species of special concern.

“Having that type of listing status, it really points to the fact that we need more information to fully understand how the species is doing,” said Hope Sutton, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission eastern wildlife diversity supervisor. “We know that their population numbers are dramatically lower, but we really don’t have enough data to do a full sort of population assessment and fully understand the population trend in the state.”

This is where you come in.

With some training, your kayak, and your phone, you can take part in the 10^th annual “Terrapin Tally,” a state-run, volunteer-led census of these reclusive little turtles.

Why volunteers? Well, the potential habitat area for diamondback terrapins in North Carolina is, in a word, huge.

North Carolina’s estuarine waters span more than 2 million acres.

Terrapins live in coastal estuaries from Cape Cod to Texas, though the Southeast is a major hotspot for the species.

At the turn of the 20^th Century, terrapins were so abundant they were an annoyance to fishermen.

A combination of events – overfishing (terrapins were a food delicacy in the early 1900s), habitat degradation and loss, and being bycatch of the blue crab fishery – has led to their population decline.

The shells of males typically grow 4-6 inches long. Females’ shells are usually larger, growing anywhere from 6-9 inches long.

Terrapins reproduce slowly. The typical nest in North Carolina will have anywhere between four to 12 eggs.

Though their span is between 25 to 40 years, terrapins do not move around a lot. As far as researchers can tell, a turtle will stay within a square-mile area throughout its lifetime.

In the nine years since the tally began, data collected by volunteers has allowed researchers to make at least some definitive statements about diamondback terrapin population trends. Specifically, researchers have been able to identify areas where there are larger concentrations of diamondback terrapin.

This has allowed the tally footprint to expand in recent years from routes mapped along Masonboro Island in New Hanover County to stretches of estuaries at Sunset Beach in Brunswick County to Cape Lookout in Carteret County.

“More people need to be involved,” said Cathy Meyer, who, along with her late husband, Peter, were among the original tally volunteers and instrumental in helping researchers gain access to areas where they could map out trails through the estuary.

The couple caught their first glimpses of diamondback terrapins in the early 1990s when they began exploring the marshes near their home in a waterfront neighborhood in Wilmington.

“Every time we would go through our boat basin, the channel to the Intracoastal Waterway, there would be these little turtles popping their heads up and I was like, wow, this is really cool. We became very fascinated with the turtles and an insatiable curiosity about all things coast led us to explore more and more about terrapins,” Meyer said.

When they were offered the opportunity to take part in the first tally in 2014 they jumped at the chance, excited to not only count terrapin, but to see more people on the water, taking part in what Meyer calls “citizen science.”

“When my husband passed away in 2016, the ‘Terrapin Tally’ was still just a real important part of me and my family and so I’ve just continued on an active role ever since,” she said.

Fellow volunteer Karen Dunn has also taken part in the terrapin count since the tally began in 2014.

Dunn, a North Carolina environmental educator, is a natural fit for the job.

“The fact that as I would kayak through and see these little heads pop up, they’re very elusive, and it’s kind of exciting when you can see them because it’s kind of a rare occurrence. You really have to know what you’re looking for. You just have to really focus on it,” she said.

Volunteers must attend a mandatory training session on how to spot the turtles and record their findings.

There will be two, in-person training sessions, both scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 13, at the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Center for Marine Science and at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. Training will also be offered that day and time virtually via Zoom.

Volunteers may choose which location, routes and day they would like to paddle. There are some area businesses that rent kayaks and transport them to and from route accesses.

Times will be scheduled based on the tide and, in the event of inclement weather, a paddle may be canceled.

Volunteers are paired in two-person teams. One person is an observer. The other person is the recorder.

Sutton said she does not want to discourage volunteers, but warns that some may not spot diamondback terrapins. But, even no count counts.

“Zero data is actually really, really important also. We need to understand where these turtles aren’t as well as where the turtles are at this point,” Sutton said.

Paddles are scheduled for later this month, in May and in June.

For more information and to sign up for training visit terrapintallync.org.

Land of the longleaf pine through a conservationist’s lens

David Cecelski — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Beginning in the 1970s, The Nature Conservancy began purchasing the pine savannas and pocosin lands that now make up the Green Swamp Preserve. The Preserve is located on Hwy. 211 a few miles west of Supply, N.C. Photo by Tom Earnhardt

Coastal Review regularly features the work of North Carolina historian David Cecelski, who writes about the history, culture and politics of the North Carolina coast. He shares on his website the essays and lectures that he has written about the state’s coast as well as brings readers along on his search for the lost stories of our coastal past in the museums, libraries and archives he visits in the U.S. and across the globe.

I recently asked my friend Tom Earnhardt if he would share some of his wonderful photographs from The Nature Conservancy’s Green Swamp Preserve with me.

I think I just wanted to dwell a bit on one of the beautiful wild places that I hope to visit when this cold weather is gone and spring is here and the wildflowers begin to bloom again.

The Green Swamp Preserve is made up of 17,000 acres of largely pocosin and pine savanna in Brunswick County and Columbus County, just to the west, in the southern most corner of the North Carolina coast.

A gentleman tried and true, Tom not only sent me the photographs, but kindly gave me his permission to share them.

As I’m sure you know, Tom was for many years the creator and host of “Exploring North Carolina,” WUNC-TV’s very popular weekly television show featuring the glories of our state’s natural heritage.

Over the last half century, Tom has been one of North Carolina’s most dedicated conservationists. Day in and day out, he has devoted himself to protecting our wild places and to deepening our appreciation for them. And as you can see here, he is also a very talented photographer.

I’ve gone here and yon with Tom, but I have never had the chance to go to the Green Swamp Preserve with him.

However, I have long known that he has a special passion for the place. Located in the swampy low country of southeastern North Carolina, the preserve is made up of pocosin swamps and longleaf pine savannas that are a precious remnant of an ecosystem that once stretched across hundreds of square miles.

Biologists and nature lovers are especially drawn to the Green Swamp Preserve for the abundance and rich diversity of its carnivorous plants and for its wild orchids and other wildflowers, all of which are incredibly beautiful and some of which are quite rare.

“If the The Nature Conservancy had never done anything else, it would have proven its worth just with the Green Swamp Preserve,” Tom once told me. “That’s how important I think it is to preserving North Carolina’s natural heritage.”

The only time that I’ve been to the preserve was more than 25 years ago now. At the time, I was doing historical research for my book “The Waterman’s Song” and I just wanted to get a better feeling for the land on which the people I was writing about lived.

What I remember most from that visit are the things that I could never have discovered in old books and manuscripts: the smell of the longleaf pine savannas, the music of the birds and insects, the quality of the light, the feeling of the earth beneath my feet.

I still remember walking across the sphagnum moss, it being so spongy that it made the ground itself feel alive.

Earth, but also sea, or so it felt.

For me the Green Swamp Preserve is an otherworldly place, more precious yet because it is still there when so much is not.

When I first saw Tom’s photographs, my memories — the smells, the sounds, the light, all of it — came back to me in a rush, as real as the day I was there all those years ago.

Tom once wrote me:

“The Green Swamp and our other remaining longleaf pine forests appear to be so simple and ‘even boring.’ From a distance our savannas appear to be composed of only one kind of tree (longleaf) and one kind of grass (wire grass). But take a closer look, and wow!”

He went on to explain:

“The biodiversity found in these places — rare carnivorous plants, exquisite flowers, and unusual insects and birds — form tight-knit communities in which all things are connected. The success of each living thing is dependent on the success of their neighbors. We have a lot to learn from the land of the longleaf pine.”

I hope you enjoy Tom’s photographs as much as I do.

Tom told me that yellow pitcher plants (Sarracenia flavaare) are common throughout the Green Swamp Preserve. They are one of 14 insectivorous plants in the preserve. “The Green Swamp is the epicenter of insectivorous plants in North Carolina,” Tom explained. The preserve’s insectivorous plants include large populations of Venus flytraps, sundews, butterworts, bladderworts, and 4 species of pitcher plants. Unlike Venus flytraps, pitcher plants do not close on their prey. Instead, they lure insects down their tubes with nectar, then digest or drown them in fluids. Photo: Tom Earnhardt

This is one of the wonders that Tom seeks out every year in the Green Swamp. Catesby’s lily (Lilium catesbaei), also known as the pine lily, is found in wet longleaf savannas from North Carolina to Florida. In 1788, a botanist in South Carolina, Thomas Walter, named the lily after the English naturalist Mark Catesby, whose “The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands” was the first published account of the flora and fauna of North America. Photo: Tom Earnhardt

A cloudless sulfur butterfly (Phoebis sennae) on a white-fringed orchid (Platanthera blephariglottis) in the Green Swamp Preserve. Photo: Tom Earnhardt

And here we see a katydid hiding out in a white fringed orchid. Photo:Tom Earnhardt

Tom reminded me that the red cockaded woodpecker (Leuconotopicus borealisis) is one of the signature species of North Carolina’s longleaf pine savannas. It plays an especially significant role in the Green Swamp Preserve because it digs its nesting cavity in living trees, creating homes for many other species of birds, including the blue bird below, as well as flying squirrels, the occasional raccoon, insects, and several species of reptiles and amphibians. Photo: Tom Earnhardt

A bluebird in the Green Swamp Preserve. Photo: Tom Earnhardt

The Green Swamp Preserve is home to at least 16 species of native orchids, including the rose pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides). Photo: Tom Earnhardt

The grass pink orchid (Calopogon tuberous) is another of the native orchids found in the Green Swamp Preserve. Photo: Tom Earnhardt

Cinnamon ferns in springtime, the Green Swamp Preserve. Photo: Tom Earnhardt

The only native habitat of the Venus flytrap is the bogs, pine savannas, and similar wetlands within approximately 90 miles of Wilmington, including the Green Swamp Preserve. “There’s no better place to observer Venus flytraps (Dionaea muscipula), especially when they begin to turn red, or even a deep crimson, in August and September,” Tom told me.

Tom told me that the yellow fringed orchid (Platanthera ciliaris) is one of his favorite North Carolina wildflowers. It blossoms in the Green Swamp from late July into early September. Photo: Tom Earnhardt

This is blazing star, one of several species of Liatris found in the Green Swamp starting in August. Photo: Tom Earnhardt

Timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) are not common in the Green Swamp Preserve, but Tom has seen a couple of them on rambles through its pine savannas. He said hello to this one in September 2020. Timber rattlers and other reptiles play a critical role in longleaf pine ecosystems. Photo: Tom Earnhardt

The Nature Conservancy has provided a mile-and-a-half-long trail to give visitors a chance to see the Green Swamp Preserve for themselves. You can learn more about visiting the preserve. Photo: Tom Earnhardt

Looking up into the longleaf pines at the Green Swamp Preserve. Longleaf pine forest once stretched across a vast swath of the American South. Photo: Tom Earnhardt

Lucky for us, we can find all 14 seasons of Tom’s award-winning show “Exploring North Carolina” at WUNC-TV’s website. And to learn how you can support the Green Swamp Preserve and other critical land conservation efforts in our part of the world, be sure to check out the website for the Nature Conservancy’s North Carolina chapter.

Red knots make Outer Banks stopover on spring migration

Peter Vankevich — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 04:00:00 +0000

Red knots of Ocracoke May 22. Photo: Peter Vankevich

Reprinted from Ocracoke Observer

Those spending time on Ocracoke beach and other areas of the Outer Banks this spring may have been pleasantly surprised to see flocks of binge-foraging red knots, the rufa subspecies (Calidris canutus rufa).

Transitioning from the drab basic or winter gray/white plumage to their bright orange/red breasts and rufous backs could make identification a challenge. But their behavior of feeding along the waterline in flocks from 10 or so to more than 100 distinguishes them from other shorebirds here.

Red knots in varying plumage photographed on Ocracoke May 22. Photo: Peter Vankevich

The knots were using the beach as a foraging stopover, fattening up to make their long migration to their nesting grounds in the central Canadian Arctic.

Listed in 2014 as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, their presence in large numbers here and other areas added to a cautious sign of optimism that the species is doing better.

Historically, the Delaware Bay region has been considered the most important stopover for red knots’ long migration because that area coincides when horseshoe crabs arrive to spawn and lay millions of eggs. Horseshoe crab eggs are a high-fat, nutrient-rich food source and essential to fueling the Red Knots’ migration to their Arctic breeding grounds.

An independent Delaware Bay survey in May reported 22,000 red knots, the highest number in four years. The lowest number tallied in these surveys was in 2021 with just 6,880. By contrast, the highest count was in 1989 with 90,000 individuals.

Another encouraging sign was aerial surveys taken in key Tierra del Fuego areas reported the highest number of wintering knots in 10 years. The southern tip of South America has been an important wintering ground. Those wintering individuals make one of the longest migrations — some 9,000 miles to nest and again return in the fall.

The two national seashores on the Outer Banks monitor red knots along with other species.

According to Amy Thompson, the biological science technician for Ocracoke, Cape Hatteras National Seashore collects red knot data a couple of different ways.

One of these methods is to systematically survey the entire island on the fifth, 15th and 25th of every month when weather conditions permit. The May 15 survey counted 1,318 individuals combined from the three districts of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore that include Bodie, Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, she wrote in an email.

“The other method is to collect opportunistic counts of Red Knots while we’re conducting morning patrols,” she added. “This provides a general idea of the total number of Red Knots stopping along the Seashore to rest and refuel on a daily basis. In the month of May, Ocracoke staff counted over 100 Red Knots every day with a minimum of 106 on May 1 and the maximum of 1,951 on May 10.”

The staff of Cape Lookout National Seashore, south of Ocracoke Islan, concluded their last red knot spring migration survey on June 5. Their surveys are divided into South Core Banks (SCB) and North Core Banks (NCB). The combined peak count was on May 15 with 1,986 individuals, according to Jon Altman, supervisory biologist for Cape Lookout National Seashore. “This number is lower than the high count of 2,997 birds last year on May 25, but overall, May 2023 had more birds the whole month than 2022,” he said in an email.

The combined total from nine surveys from March 15 to June 5 for Cape Lookout was 7,402 individuals.

“Unfortunately, we have not been able to cover from Ocracoke Inlet to Evergreen Inlet which is three miles of prime Red Knot habitat with little to no disturbance since it is hard to get to by boat and people can only walk that section.,” he said.

The red knot has a been a source of concern due to a rapid decline of its population, as much as a staggering 87% since 2000, according to a study, and more than 94% since the 1980s in some areas of the Atlantic Coast.

The principal cause for this decline is from a drastic decrease of horseshoe crab eggs which have plummeted due to the overharvesting of horseshoe crabs.

Horseshoe crab. Photo Peter Vankevich

Of the 22,000 red knots observed, only 2,200 were seen on the Delaware side of the bay, the rest were in New Jersey. This is due, in part, to New Jersey having more protections for horseshoe crabs than Delaware, including a 2008 moratorium on harvesting, beach closures and habitat restoration projects.

The Carolina coasts are important foraging/resting stopovers for red knots as well as wintering grounds for them in small numbers.

The information gathered by the National Park Service along with aerial surveys adds to a better understanding of red knot migration and helps in making a recovery plan.

Taking active steps to help red knots increase their numbers will also benefit other species that make long distance migrations such as the ruddy turnstone and the semipalmated sandpiper.

There are many governmental agencies, conservation organizations, researchers and volunteers from Tierra del Fuego to the Arctic working to save the red knot. These efforts and limiting excessive harvesting of horseshoe crabs go hand in hand to removing them from the threatened list of the Endangered Species Act.

One website worth reading is A Rube with a View written by Larry Niles, Ph.D. He chronicled surveying the red knots presence in New Jersey this past spring.

Red Knots on Ocracoke, May 14. Photo: Peter Vankevich

This story is provided courtesy of the Ocracoke Observer, a newspaper covering Ocracoke island. Coastal Review is partnering with the Ocracoke Observer to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast.

Refuge exudes natural diversity, wonders of pocosin lakes

Corinne Saunders — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 04:00:00 +0000

Swans cover Pungo Lake in winter 2021. The refuge is a popular destination for migratory waterfowl. Photo courtesy of Wendy Stanton, refuge manager for Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.

To say Pungo Lake is off the beaten path would be a generous understatement.

Situated in the northeastern part of North Carolina that all major roads avoid and even Google doesn’t update, any attempt to travel there brings the possibility for adventure or the potential for mishap.

“Make sure you’re gassed up (with) at least half a tank of fuel, because you’re a long ways away from gas stations,” advised Wendy Stanton, refuge manager for Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, in which Pungo Lake is situated.

Access from the south or west puts travelers on N.C. Highway 45, N.C. 99 or both, since the roads run together for a stretch. Coming from the north or east, the most direct routes involve a variety of tiny roads and then what should be a straight shot on several miles of unpaved, single-car-width peat lanes. But these often end up being closed, either to protect wildlife or to protect the roadways’ accessibility for refuge maintenance vehicles. Google Maps does not reflect these closures, and cell phone service is spotty to nonexistent on the refuge.

When they’re open, in ideal conditions, “driving on them is basically driving on a dry crust of peat,” Stanton said. But traffic breaks down the peat’s structural integrity, as does rainfall, turning the roadways into “mucky slurry” that is unsafe for motorists.

“Last winter, we had to close all our refuge roads because they were in such bad shape,” she said.

Signs announce a road closure on the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Photo: Corinne Saunders

Peat is a very fine, organic soil formed from fallen leaves and branches that remain on the ground in an anaerobic (without oxygen) environment, she explained. “When it’s dry, it’s almost the same consistency as corn starch.”

Scientists think the refuge landscape, pockmarked by lakes now, was once contiguous peatlands that wildfires burned down in places, forming lakes as rainfall accumulated there, Stanton said.

“We think Pungo Lake was formed by a groundfire …When those peat soils ignite, they can just burn and smolder for a long period of time.”

Nearby, Phelps Lake, as well as New Lake and Lake Mattamuskeet, each are thought to have formed in that same way. Those lakes, and Pungo Lake, too, are all on North Carolina’s large Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula.

Pungo Lake is a “blackwater lake” with very little to no sunlight penetration, due to the “tannins from the peat and the vegetation, and particulates from the peat soil,” Stanton said. That means there is no submerged aquatic vegetation growing in it, and the lake — with holes up to 6 feet deep in places — looks deeper everywhere than it is, she explained. Swimming, boating and fishing on the lake are always prohibited because “the focus of Pungo Lake is inviolate sanctuary” for wildlife.

The nearly 2,800-square-acre lake is the centerpiece of the refuge’s 12,000-acre Pungo Unit, which was first established as a national wildlife refuge in the 1960s. The rest of the land that now constitutes Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge was added in the 1990s; so currently, the refuge spans over 100,000 acres in Washington, Hyde and Tyrrell counties, according to the refuge website.

A refuge map shows its piecemeal sections spread over the large geographical area.

Refuge map. Source : U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The refuge’s easternmost swath is by the western bank of the Alligator River, while small areas just south of Columbia include the refuge office. The Pungo Unit is almost the westernmost reach; just one small section of refuge lies even further to the west.

Southeast of Pungo Lake, a larger body of water mostly included in the refuge, New Lake, has been so named since at least 1998, when Stanton began working for the refuge as a biologist. It’s still mislabeled as Alligator Lake on Google Maps.

The refuge owns about 85%, or 4,500 acres, of that roughly 4,900-acre-lake, she said, with the remainder privately owned.

North of Pungo Lake, the refuge includes about 4 miles of shoreline around Lake Phelps’ perimeter, so refuge staff works closely on projects with Pettigrew State Park, which includes Lake Phelps, Stanton said.

While all three lakes are rainwater lakes, their waters are each strikingly different colors because of the soil types beneath them. Lake Phelps appears clear to blue-hued, Pungo Lake is blackwater and New Lake appears brown due to its mixture of peat and mineral soils, she said.

Even not being the farthermost reaches of the refuge, traveling just from the refuge office to the Pungo Unit takes 50 minutes, Stanton said. The only facilities on the refuge, apart from the volunteer-staffed visitor center, are two porta-potties. She encourages visitors to bring water and to be mindful of the weather.

Most of the year, Pungo Lake and the surrounding refuge are quiet, almost seeming otherworldly. No rush of passing traffic or other human-related noises exists to overrun the occasional birds’ calls or the steady thrum of insects.

Trash is strewn across Shore Drive on Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in early July. The road runs just south of Lake Phelps and several miles north of Pungo Lake. Photo: Corinne Saunders

Early one July morning, the contents of three overturned trash cans were spread across both lanes of Shore Drive, which is included in the refuge and runs just south of Lake Phelps. There had been no overnight storm or significant wind. Turning onto Allen Road, which leads to Pungo Lake (about 6 miles to the south), a plausible explanation appears: A big black bear lumbers off the peat roadway into the bushes.

The Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula has the largest recorded black bears and the highest black bear population densities in the world, according to the nonprofit North Carolina Wildlife Federation.

Many people visit the refuge specifically to see black bears, according to Stanton.

Plymouth, the most populated town on the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula and about half an hour’s drive northwest of the Pungo Unit, hosts an annual black bear festival in June to celebrate its famous residents.

A 2003 black bear population estimate based on collected hair samples found 3.5 black bears per square mile, meaning between 300 and 400 bears lived on the refuge, Stanton said.

The bears of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge were found to have the highest genetic diversity in their population out of three regional refuges, meaning “that population is more adaptable to change,” she said. The next-highest genetic diversity was found at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, located to the northeast, also on the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula, and which is connected to Pocosin Lakes by a “wildlife corridor.”

The lowest genetic diversity was found in the black bear population of the Great Dismal Swamp Natural Wildlife Refuge in Virginia, which “makes sense because of all the development going on around it,” she said.

Two decades later, a new black bear population study is in the works for northeastern North Carolina. “Genetic technology has expanded in the last 20 years,” Stanton said. “I’m excited to see that study.”

Other year-round refuge residents are also numerous, including whitetail deer, beavers, muskrats, nutria, otters, marsh birds, wood ducks, hawks, owls, bobcats, foxes, red wolves, turtles, frogs, toads, salamanders, snakes, alligators and more.

“I consider it ‘the Yellowstone of the East,’ too, with the diversity of species,” Stanton said of the refuge, borrowing phrasing from one of her friends.

The only sound first thing on a July morning is the aggressive bumping of huge horseflies into the parked car’s windshield. The roadway is closed immediately ahead. A beaver scuttles across the road into a ditch, quickly disappearing from sight.

About a quarter-mile west of the chained-off Allen Road, turning from Shore Drive onto F2 Road, a longer stretch is drivable before a metal gate comes into view, closed and locked, with posted signs announcing the road’s closure to vehicles. Turning around reveals curious wild turkeys, one creeping out first to check the surroundings and apparently giving its nod of approval to another, who then ventures out. The turkeys run down the road together.

A wild turkey checks its surroundings a few miles north of Pungo Lake on the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Photo: Corinne Saunders

Rabbits and quail are well-camouflaged among refuge flora, which includes wildflowers, grasses and ferns. Honeysuckle and wild grapevines dangle from trees and bushes overhead. A combination of high humidity and the smoke from Canadian wildfires obscures everything more than a short distance away in haze.

Each year from about November through January, the refuge gets naturally louder as more than 100,000 migrating swans, geese, ducks and other birds convene annually to rest and recharge before continuing south. For over 20 migratory species — including ducks, tundra swans and snow geese — the refuge is more than a stopover: It’s their winter retreat, according to the refuge website.

With “very minimal human disturbance” and proximity to fresh water and waterfowl impoundments — designed to grow native plants for the birds’ consumption — Pungo Lake provides an ideal sanctuary for migratory waterfowl, Stanton said. In the winter, “amazing flyouts” take place around sunrise when the birds leave to go forage, and then again at sunset as they return to the lake at night.

A turkey vulture flies overhead in Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in February 2023. This bird species is commonly found in the refuge, according to a wildlife list the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published for the refuge. Photo: Corinne Saunders

Over 30,000 people annually visit Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, which is about a 5,000-person annual increase since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Stanton maintains even the 30,000 reflects “a real underestimate.” She said there is sometimes bumper-to-bumper traffic in the winter when people flock to see the waterfowl, which settle on all area lakes.

Landowners’ objectives before the refuge was established were different, Stanton noted.

While nearby areas boast rich soil and productive farmland, peat is a “nutrient and mineral poor soil” that people unsuccessfully tried to farm in the past, she said. Much of northeastern North Carolina’s pocosin land — “pocosin” is a Native American word for “swamp on a hill” — was ditched and drained, with numerous canals dug by hand by enslaved people, such as those around Lake Phelps and Lake Mattamuskeet.

Stanton thinks the area near Pungo Lake was ditched and drained with “old, heavy equipment” more recently, closer to the 1960s, to access a valuable commodity — white cedar wood. For a time, she said the land was also mined for the alternative fuel source, ethanol.

“Now we recognize the value of healthy pocosin land,” Stanton said. Pocosin is also called “Southeast shrub bog” and provides “tremendous carbon storage…(and) excellent wildlife habitat.”

A rabbit’s colors help it camouflage well in the refuge grasses. Photo: Corinne Saunders

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the refuge with main goals of providing quality wildlife habitat, reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire and preserving the “tremendous water quality benefit,” she said.

Wet peat ensures a higher water quality for the surrounding area as it reduces both catastrophic fire and flood risks, she explained. Over the years as the refuge has received funding, it has installed water control infrastructure designed to rewet the peat.

“We have now restored over 37,000 acres of pocosin habitat,” she noted, and the goal is to add more water control infrastructure to keep water in the peat in an additional 7,000 to 8,000 acres.

This is one of the largest hydrology restoration projects in the country, according to www.fws.gov.

“Just over the years as we received funding, we piecemealed that infrastructure in to start rewetting the peat,” she said.

The refuge drafted a water management plan, which it put out for public review in 2020, and Stanton said that plan is still being finalized.

The refuge’s visitor center, the Walter B. Jones Sr. Center for the Sounds, is located at 205 South Ludington Drive in Columbia. Free, public programs take place there regularly, as well as at the Red Wolf Center, located a mile south of Columbia on N.C. Highway 94.

For more information about either the visitor center or the red wolf programs, call 252-796-3004 or visit the refuge website at www.fws.gov/refuge/pocosin-lakes. For updates on road closures, call 252-796-3004, extension 225.

Green Swamp now turning green again after burn, wildfire

Cassie Freund — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 04:00:00 +0000

Deb Maurer with The Nature Conservancy, right, leads a media tour Thursday of the Green Swamp Preserve in an area where a controlled burn was safely accomplished in January. Photo: Mark Courtney

North Carolina is home to nearly 4,000 species of plants. A small percentage of them, but some of the most unusual, can be found in the Green Swamp Preserve, a 17,424-acre nature preserve managed by The Nature Conservancy.

The Green Swamp Preserve in Brunswick County, about a 40-minute drive southeast of Wilmington, remains closed after a recent wildfire, the result of flames escaping the area of a prescribed burn that was in process in June. The fire spread across most of the preserve, covering nearly 16,000 acres and prompting state air quality alerts.

But once it reopens later this summer, visitors can see 14 species of carnivorous plants, 16 species of native orchids, and other endangered wildflowers on the sun-dappled ground beneath a tall longleaf pine canopy.

The recent blaze was prevented from reaching any nearby private property, and due to the distinctive nature of the fire-adapted longleaf pine ecosystem — and conservancy’s management practices, which included a successful controlled burn in January — it’s more a problem for people who wish to explore the area than the plants that live there.

Meadow beauty blooms Thursday in an area of the Green Swamp Preserve where a controlled burn was held in January. Photo: Mark Courtney

“There are already grasses popping up in the preserve,” Michelle Ly, conservation coordinator for the conservancy’s southeast coastal plain office, explained last week to Coastal Review. She noted that they expect to see some plant species recovering in areas where they previously had been crowded out by taller vegetation. “This wildfire and burnout will benefit the preserve greatly.”

The Nature Conservancy also hosts a “Fire in the Pines” festival in Wilmington, where visitors can learn how controlled burns help plants and animals in these coastal environments and watch a live demonstration burn. This year’s festival is set for Oct.14.

With the recent containment of the blaze called the Pulp Road fire, conservancy officials and scientists on Thursday led a media tour of a part of the preserve that was unaffected by the most recent fire but that was subjected to the controlled burn in January.

The area of the media tour was lush with color and new growth emerging from the char below.

An area of the Green Swamp Preserve Thursday where a controlled burn was held in January. Photo: Mark Courtney

Protecting star species

The star plant species of the Green Swamp Preserve include a huge range of carnivorous plants: Venus flytraps, sundew, bladderworts, butterworts, and four species of pitcher plants.

The conservancy works to ensure the Green Swamp remains a healthy, balanced ecosystem for these specialized plants. It has taken care of the land since 1977, when the Federal Paper Board Co. gifted it nearly 14,000 acres. The company donated an additional 2,577 acres in the late 1980s. Over time, the conservancy has purchased the rest.

The conservancy’s conservation activities center on the longleaf pines that tower above the understory layer. These trees once covered about 90 million acres of the Southeast, from Virginia to Florida and as far west as Texas. Logging and urban development have shrunk their numbers. Today, slightly more than 5 million acres remain, up from just 3.2 million acres in the early 2000s.

The conservancy has been protecting and restoring longleaf pine ecosystems across the tree’s original range. In Ly’s experience, walking through the Green Swamp is like stepping back in time to a less anthropogenically influenced landscape. Longleaf pine stands are naturally open and were historically maintained by low-intensity natural fires often sparked by lightning strikes.

In the early 1900s, forest management policies changed, ushering in an era of fire suppression. This altered longleaf pine ecosystems and put people and infrastructure in danger of larger, uncontrolled wildfires fueled by newly dense understories.

Now, prescribed fire is once again an important part of longleaf pine management. The conservancy performs controlled burns on regular intervals of three to five years to mimic natural fire regimes.

“Preserving longleaf pine is not just about the tree, it’s about the ecosystem,” Ly explained.

The controlled burns knock back any hardwood trees that have taken root and open the understory, so Venus flytraps, orchids, and other native flora can get the sunlight they need to flourish. These burns are also great for birds and other wildlife that thrive in longleaf ecosystems.

Venus flytrap are shown Thursday in an area of the Green Swamp Preserve where a controlled burn was held in January. Photo: Mark Courtney

‘An iconic plant’

The conservancy’s website notes the preserve is closed to the public through Aug. 31 as it upgrades the trail, including building a new boardwalk. Don’t let that stop you from planning a trip to visit this fall, though – seeing Venus flytraps in the wild can be a special experience.

“This is such an iconic plant, and there’s just no other place in the world you can see this plant in the wild except here in the Carolinas,” explained botanist and author Scott Zona, who took his first trip to the Green Swamp earlier this year. Zona manages North Carolina State University’s North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox and has an appointment at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium.

Wild Venus flytraps are only found within about a 75-mile radius of Wilmington.

Venus flytraps catch their prey using special leaves with sensitive hairs called trigger hairs. Once the hairs sense that an insect has landed on the trap, it snaps shut in less than a second. Any further movement of the prey causes the trap to stay clamped tightly shut as it digests the unlucky passerby. If some nonprey item, like a stick, falls onto the trap, it will slowly open back up for the item to be blown away or fall off.

Venus flytraps also have special reproductive adaptations. While their leaves and stems are low to the ground, their white flowers grow on tall stalks stretching about 8 to 12 inches into the air to keep the insects that pollinate them from becoming lunch.

Zona’s initial visit to the Green Swamp and seeing Venus flytraps in the wild for the first time did not disappoint: “To me, it’s right up there with the first time I went to the Muir Woods in California and saw redwood trees.”

That may be high praise coming from a man who has traveled around the world studying plant ecology and evolution and has a species of palm named after him.

Zona’s colleagues from the United Kingdom, who visited with him, also enjoyed the experience.

“Both of them are very well-respected, well-known botanists who travel the world, and they were just as excited to see these plants as I was,” he said.

A purple pitcher plant in an area of the Green Swamp Preserve Thursday where a controlled burn was held in January. Photo: Mark Courtney

Myriad other fascinating plants also inhabit the Green Swamp. Its purple pitcher plants lack the umbrella-like leaf “hoods” that other pitcher plants have. The preserve also is home to bladderworts, extremely unassuming plants with tiny sacs used to catch prey. Bladderworts are the fastest carnivorous plants in the world, able to trap and eat their prey in less than a millisecond. And the noncarnivorous plants are worth a close look, as well.

“If you’ve never seen native orchids out in the wild, they’re so beautiful and so unique, they’re much different than the ones you see in the grocery store,” Ly said.

While the area’s nutrient-poor and often waterlogged soil might not sound like a great place to be a plant, according to Zona, those are great conditions for Venus flytraps and other carnivorous plants. During the winter they go dormant; in the spring, they revive, unfurling new green leaves. Their diet of insects is an adaptation that helps them make up for the lack of nutrients in the soil.

A 2020 study of the Venus flytrap genome found that the genes associated with flytrap “traps” — the leaves that snap shut on prey — came from copies of genes found in their ancestors’ roots.

The Green Swamp is not only a botanist’s dream, but also a fantastic day trip destination for any nature enthusiast. Zona has just one regret from his trip to the Green Swamp: “We did not have the foresight to pack a lunch with us,” he said. “If we had packed lunch, we could have stayed there even longer.”

Symbol of Home: The Linnean Society’s Venus Flytrap

David Cecelski — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 05:00:00 +0000

Venus flytrap. Photo: File

Coastal Review Online is featuring the work of North Carolina historian David Cecelski, who writes about the history, culture and politics of the North Carolina coast. Cecelski shares on his website essays and lectures he has written about the state’s coast as well as brings readers along on his search for the lost stories of our coastal past in the museums, libraries and archives he visits in the U.S. and across the globe.

Today I am at the archives and library of the Linnean Society in London, England. Founded in 1788, the Linnean Society is the oldest biological society in the world. I am only in London for a few days, but while I am here, I cannot possibly resist visiting some of the Society’s treasures, including a letter from 1759 that I have wanted to see most my life.

The Linnean Society sits in an old and revered square in Piccadilly Circus, just down the road from Buckingham Palace, where, as I write this, tremendous crowds are gathering to mourn the Sept. 8 passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Linnean Society has been headquartered in Burlington House since 1858. Burlington House is also home to the Royal Academy of Arts, the Geological Society, the Royal Astronomical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Society of Antiquaries of London. Photo: David Cecelski

An English botanist, Sir James Edward Smith, was the Linnean Society’s founder. The Society’s first collections were those of Carl Linnaeus, the great Swedish botanist and physician who was the Society’s namesake. After Linnaeus’s death in 1778, Smith acquired his personal library and correspondence, as well as his specimen collection of plants, insects, shells and fish, and brought them to London.

They are still at the Linnean Society today. In fact, I’m sitting just across the room from a display case that features a doting fan letter that Jean-Jacque Rousseau sent Linnaeus in 1771.

One of the leading scientific figures of the Enlightenment, Linnaeus is best known for creating the taxonomic system for naming, defining and classifying organisms that is still used by scientists today.

The first known written record of the Venus flytrap. Letter from Gov. Arthur Dobbs in Brunswick Town, N.C., to botanist Peter Collinson in London, April 2, 1759. Peter Collinson Commonplace Book 2, Linnean Society of London

Examples of Linnaeus’s system of taxonomy—called “binomial nomenclature”— include Homo sapiens (meaning “wise human” in Latin) for us human beings.

Or as a less aspirational example, one of my favorite plants back home on the North Carolina coast is Ilex vomitoria, commonly known as yaupon, a species of holly with lovely red berries. (Ilex for holly and vomitoria because the coastal Algonquins used as it as a ritual purgative).

The library at the Linnean Society of London. Photo: David Cecelski

The Linnean Society holds an even more important place in the history of science for another reason: this is where Charles Darwin first publicly presented his theory of evolution and natural selection.

On July 1, 1858, here in these rooms, Darwin gave the world a first look at the theory that he would elaborate more fully 15 months later, when he published “On the Origin of Species,” arguably the most important scientific work ever published.

As I write this, I am sitting next to a display case that includes a vasculum, a collecting box for plants, that Darwin used while serving as a naturalist on the voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle in 1831-36.

Charles Darwin’s vasculum, Linnean Society of London. Darwin used the vasculum for preserving plants that he collected in South America, Australia and the South Pacific in 1831-36. He would protect the plants in the vasculum until he had the chance to preserve and press them. Photo: David Cecelski

I find it just breathtaking to be here. It’s exciting and awe inspiring and frankly heartbreaking too, because of course I can’t forget how the scientific discoveries chronicled here went hand in hand with the spread of European colonialism and unprecedented environmental devastation.

In these old manuscripts and relics, we see scientists and explorers discovering and celebrating the glories of the world’s biodiversity. But it also feels a little strange, because I can tell that they did not yet know what we know: that it is all fragile and will only last if we make it last.

If I could, I would be here all week. I would browse the great British naturalist and explorer Alfred Russell Wallace’s journals. I would also look at the Society’s rare copy of Elizabeth Blackwell’s “A Curious Herbal,” a gorgeous reference book of medicinal plants that was published here in London in weekly installments between 1737 and 1739.

Maybe I would even take a look at the seashells that were collected on James Cook’s epic voyage to the South Pacific in 1771.

But I have time to do only one thing today, and it’s why I am here. I am holding in my hand a letter from the North Carolina coast that colonial governor Arthur Dobbs wrote on April 2, 1759.

The first published illustration of a Venus flytrap. In 1769 English naturalist John Ellis included this illustration in a letter to the great Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus. He described the plant to Linnaeus as “a rat trap with teeth.” Ellis based the illustration on a live specimen of the plant that he had received from the royal botanist, William Young. From John Ellis, Directions for Bringing over Seeds and Plants from the East Indies and Other Distant Countries (London, 1770).

He wrote the letter to an English botanist, Peter Collinson. In that letter, he told Collinson about a tiny but amazing insectivorous plant that was only found in the moist longleaf pine savannahs and pocosin swamplands within a 90-mile radius of present-day Wilmington, North Carolina.

A Venus flytrap at the Nature Conservancy’s Green Swamp Preserve in Brunswick County. Only 3-10% of the Venus flytrap’s native habitat survives today. Photo courtesy, Skip Pudney

The description is brief, but unmistakable: “We have a kind of Catch Fly Sensitive which closes upon anything that touches it. It grows in Latitude 34 but not in 35. I will try to save the seed here.”

The plant of course was the incredibly beautiful, utterly fascinating species now called the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula).

Few of God’s creations symbolize the place I call home more. Few symbolize the beauty, uniqueness and fragility of our coastal wetlands more either. And, according to historians of science, this letter is the oldest and first known written record of the Venus flytrap in the history of the world.

Neuse River Rising: Sound River paddlers cover 150 miles

Lena Beck — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 04:00:00 +0000

Rogue Riverkeeper Emily Bowes paddles on Day 10 of the journey. Photo courtesy of Sound Rivers

Fifty years ago, in October 1972, the United States passed the Clean Water Act. This game-changing legislation regulates the discharge of pollutants into the country’s waterways, and establishes surface water quality standards. Part of the goal was to make waters fishable and swimmable by the 1980s.

“We know in retrospect that we’ve come a really long way,” said Samantha Krop, Neuse Riverkeeper for Sound Rivers. “But also, the Clean Water Act hasn’t yet delivered on that promise.”

Beginning in the Piedmont and emptying into the Pamlico Sound, the Neuse River is the longest that runs in its entirety through North Carolina. This month, three riverkeepers paddled over half of the river’s total distance to bring attention to the Neuse’s wonders and plights. At just shy of 150 miles in 11 days, the paddlers saw ample wildlife, a hurricane, sources of pollution and the most incredible sunsets.

First day of the paddle. Photo courtesy of Sound Rivers

Along with Krop, the paddlers were Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Jill Howell and Emily Bowes, the Rogue Riverkeeper from southern Oregon. Just as important are their dogs Miller and Charlie Girl. Keep reading to follow along on their journey.

Paddling Through the Let’Lones

Day 1 started with sunny weather from the put-in point at Smithfield Town Commons Park. The paddlers had about 15 miles to go through a stretch of the Neuse that is largely undeveloped and unpopulated — with people, that is. Though the paddlers didn’t see any other humans on the river, they did see a lot of river creatures, including deer, otters, and possibly even a marmot. The Neuse River derives its name from the Neusiok Tribe, and it means “peace” — something the paddlers would resonate with multiple times throughout their journey.

This section of the Neuse is known colloquially as the “Let’Lones,” a nod to the fact that this area is home to snakes and formerly a hub for illegal alcohol traders, two groups “best left alone.”

After spending their first night camping on a sandbar, Day 2 was another 15-mile stretch through the Let’Lones. On this day, in addition to witnessing many of the wonderful things about this section of the river — kingfishers, hawks and turtles — the paddlers also made note of the undercut banks along the river, a symptom of erosion.

Nearby development can increase erosion in a river like the Neuse. The addition of impermeable surfaces like pavement increases stormwater runoff, causing the riverbanks to collapse. This causes issues for the river like poorer water quality, which can harm the plants and creatures that call the river home. The paddlers saw evidence of locals trying to combat the erosion — concrete bags or cinder blocks along the shoreline — but these things aren’t real solutions.

The paddlers pulled their kayaks out of the river at the Richardson Bridge wildlife boat ramp. Instead of camping, they packed into an Airbnb — the beautiful weather had given way to the heavy rain of Hurricane Ian.

Waiting Out the Hurricane

As the rain came down on Day 3, the paddlers opted to stay off the river for safety. Fortunately, this did not set them behind schedule, as they had always planned to take a day off at some point during the paddle.

While North Carolina avoided the extensive damage by Hurricane Ian that states like Florida saw, intense rain and wind blew through the state, and five people lost their lives in storm-related incidents. What it means for the paddlers is that when they get back on the river the following day, there will be a lot more water in the river. This is actually something the paddlers had in mind when they named their trip “Neuse River Rising.”

“We really wanted something that symbolized the power of communities along the Neuse to be advocates for and active participants in the watershed,” Krop said. “There’s also obviously a nod to climate change, and sea level rise and flooding, and the fact that this is something in our future.”

The Coal Ash Catastrophe

On Day 4, the paddlers set out on a very different river than the one they left two days before. The water is much higher and therefore much faster. In developed areas, big flushes of rain like this tend to wash pollutants into the river. These inputs can cause problems like algal blooms and fish kills.

They are joined by Alan Capps, a Sound Rivers ally and owner of Down East Kayak Outfitter. Their first stop is in Goldsboro, site of Duke Energy’s HF Lee plant, and an environmental catastrophe that occurred after Hurricane Florence four years ago. Heavy rains flooded the coal ash storage ponds, which held approximately 1 million tons of coal ash, resulting in disastrous pollution for the river.

Coal ash pollution has long been a concern in North Carolina, and in the early days of 2020, the issue came to a head. A landmark settlement forced Duke Energy to remove all their coal ash ponds across the state. The company is in the process of excavating them.

“One thing that we’ve learned is that it’s not safe to store coal ash alongside our waterways, especially in areas that could flood and have flooded before,” Krop said. “But we don’t want to forget. So as we go by this location it’s important for us to remember what can happen if we’re not careful about how we store toxic waste, and if we’re not thoughtful about the way that our rivers change with increased flooding and climate change.”

After 19 miles, the team camped out on a friend’s property.

How are Forever Chemicals Affecting the Neuse?

On Day 5, the paddlers made their way past a park for all-terrain vehicles and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. The paddlers took the time to examine how some of these different land uses impact the river.

According to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, there should be a 50-foot riparian buffer between the Neuse River and activities that disturb the land. These rules help filter stormwater runoff before it can reach the river, and mitigate the effects of erosion. Paddling by the Busco Beach ATV Park, the team observed ATV tracks going all the way down to the river.

“This is one of those things where we would advocate for recreation in a responsible way,” Krop said.

At the Air Force base, the paddlers stopped to collect a water sample. They’re testing for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. Because they take such a long time to break down, PFAS are sometimes colloquially referred to as “forever chemicals.” PFAS are ubiquitous — they’re found in water, air and soils across the world, and detected in human blood. It is suspected that they are associated with detrimental health effects. The Environmental Protection Agency has been aware of PFAS since 1998, but many environmental advocates find the agency’s regulations for PFAS, which are still evolving, unsatisfactory. The paddlers collected a water sample in the vicinity of the air force base because a common source of PFAS is firefighting foam.

Locations like this are a stark reminder for the paddlers that it is the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act.

“I feel like when you’re celebrating anniversaries, it’s sort of like you’re celebrating this static thing,” Howell said. “When in fact, the Clean Water Act has changed over time.”

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could decrease the amount of power the EPA has to regulate the discharge that goes into wetlands. This comes just months after the Supreme Court ruled to limit the EPA’s ability to curb emissions under the Clean Air Act.

“It’s a huge deal in terms of defining the scope of what types of waterways and wetlands are protected under the Clean Water Act and what are not,” Howell said.

After 10 miles, the paddlers camped at the Highway 581 boat ramp.

Community Along the River

Day 6 featured a magnificent paddle past Cliffs of the Neuse State Park — this is a 90-foot-tall cliff formation that took shape millions of years ago when the combined forces of a shifting fault in the Earth’s crust and the carving power of the river left exposed layers of sand, shale, clay and more. For the paddlers, this was one of the highlights of the trip.

After a cold and windy 15 miles, the paddlers pulled off the river in the small town of Seven Springs, where they were warmed up by a home-cooked meal courtesy of Ronda and Robert Hughes. Since Ronda is the mayor of Seven Springs and Robert is one of the town’s commissioners, the paddlers were able to learn a lot about the history of the town and its future. Seven Springs is known for its history of offering spring mineral baths (though there are actually nine springs, not seven), causing the town to become a hub for physical and mental rejuvenation. Seven Springs is in its own process of rejuvenation now, as they continue to address damage caused by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. After talking about flood resilience and what the town has to offer, the paddlers left Seven Springs with a lot of appreciation for the area.

Paddling Past Hog Farms

The 17 miles on the river for Day 7 were bright and sunny. The paddlers passed some hog farms on this stretch of the river. Many North Carolina hog operations store swine waste in large open pits, which can flood during hurricanes. Even with a riparian buffer, this waste can result in pollution to the river during floods. Not only are the fecal bacteria a health risk, large nitrogen inputs can increase the frequency and intensity of algal blooms.

As they floated by, the paddlers talked about the swine farm buyout program, a North Carolina state program that will compensate CAFO, or concentrated animal feeding operation, farmers to remove their operation from the floodplain, in order to keep hog waste out of the river. No funding was allocated to this program this year.

In the evening, the paddlers spent the evening with their friend Bob Griffin, just upstream of Kinston. The next morning, they set out on Day 8 — only 7 miles. While Capps had left them in Seven Springs, they are joined by another friend, Kelsey Curtis, owner of Knee Deep Adventures, an outfitter in Greenville.

The paddlers have been seeing evidence of beavers along the river — something that Bowes noticed immediately, being from Oregon, also known as the Beaver State. This is the third year that Sound Rivers has done a paddle like this, but this is the first time that they’ve had a riverkeeper from across the country joining them. According to Krop, it’s been a great learning experience for the three riverkeepers to compare notes.

“It’s amazing how many of the same issues that we deal with out here in North Carolina, Emily’s dealing with in Oregon,” Krop said. “And then also, because of the geographical differences and the differences in the members themselves, there’s also a lot of unique struggles.”

After a full week on the river, the paddlers saw another kayaker for the first time. They had a lighthearted conversation with the stranger, but also recognized that they wished that more people were recreating responsibly on the river.

They spent the evening in Kinston at Neuseway Nature Park, and rounded out the evening with a trip to Mother Earth Brewing.

Day 8 of the paddle. Photo courtesy of Sound Rivers

A Sound Rivers Investigation

Day 9 featured the longest distance paddled at once by the team — 25 miles through a beautiful stretch of river, with cypress trees, flowers and wildlife. Along the way, there were two notable stops:

First, they paddled past Adkin Branch, a stream that flows through Kinston and drains into the Neuse. Adkin Branch faces a lot of issues with pollution, but a local group called Kinston Cares recently received a large grant aimed toward research and engagement with Adkin Branch.

Then, the team also stopped at the spot where Contentnea Creek meets the Neuse. Contentnea Creek flows through several towns on the way to the Neuse, and is a popular spot for recreation. But it’s also a spot that Sound Rivers has been monitoring with extra focus lately. As those who are familiar with Sound Rivers are aware, the organization engages in not just advocacy and education but also investigations and monitoring.

During a routine flyover monitoring excursion in August, the riverkeepers noticed that the waste lagoon at a swine CAFO biogas facility near Fremont didn’t look quite right. After digging into public records, Sound Rivers discovered that in May the lagoon — where the facility was storing swine waste, decomposing food and hog carcasses — had overflowed and 3,000,000 gallons of this harmful material had spilled out when the digester cover ruptured. Sound Rivers is continuing to investigate the extent of the pollution, and what effects it will have on the ecosystem.

After this long-haul paddle, the kayakers paddled into the sunset and spent the night at the Maple Cypress Wilderness boat launch. They ate a fresh fish fry, courtesy of friend and Sound Rivers member Pat Griffin.

The Final Stretch

Day 10 was the team’s last full day on the river. Hotter than the previous days, through the course of 11 miles the paddlers got to watch the water transform from a swamp-like environment into a more estuarine river as they got nearer to the coast.

They made camp at Cow Pen Landing boat ramp, accepting dinner from some generous locals.

The next morning, the team got out paddling in time to see a mind-blowing sunrise, as well as make a few important stops along this stretch of river. First up was West Craven Middle School, which partnered with Sound Rivers to install a green stormwater project. This is part of Sound Rivers’ Campus Stormwater Initiative, which works with schools to figure out what kind of stormwater management system works best for them. Having seen many of the effects of stormwater runoff on the river in the preceding days, the paddlers felt really proud as they passed West Craven Middle School.

They also passed the International Paper Co. plant. Paper companies use various chemicals to transform wood into paper, some of which end up back in waterways because of a special permit that allows for waste discharge as long as that waste doesn’t exceed certain levels of things like nitrogen and phosphorus.

Passing by the paper plant, the paddlers once again worried about the impact of PFAS, which are not yet as thoroughly regulated as some other chemicals. It’s a reminder that for all the victories of the Clean Water Act in the last half century, the issues continue to evolve.

“There’s a lot to celebrate, and a lot more to do,” Howell said.

By the time the paddlers reached Glenburnie Park in New Bern, they encountered choppy waters and opted to forgo the last few miles of the paddle out of safety. With 150 miles in the bag, the paddlers blogged after their final day:

“The Neuse River sure wore us out, but it also filled us up. Walking away from this adventure of a lifetime, each of us are in awe of the impeccable beauty of the Neuse River and inspired by the many, many opportunities for exploration that it offers. We are also inspired to take action to protect it, and have a not-so-short list of the many next steps we plan to take to address pollution and advocate for the river and all who rely on it.”

Tired but also content, the team will be back on the river sometime soon.

“I can’t wait to get back out here and explore so many of the tributaries that we passed,” Krop said. “There is so much opportunity for getting out on the water and having all kinds of adventures, and this is just the beginning.”

‘Forest bathing’ or hiking a trail can make you feel better

Connie Leinbach — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 04:00:00 +0000

The woods trail in Hammock Hills. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer

Reprinted from the Ocracoke Observer.

Negative ions caused by crashing water can elevate our feeling of well-being, and so, apparently, can walking in the woods.

A growing number of studies show that when people are exposed to negative ions — electrically charged particles that occur when air is under the influence of energy sources such as crashing waves or waterfalls — they feel better, owing to negative ions raising the brain’s serotonin (happy hormone) levels.

Apparently, forest trees can also impart beneficial substances.

According to an April 2021 New York Times article, in the 1980s, researchers in Nagano, Japan, found that the practice of spending time in forests lessens stress, boosts immunity and lowers blood pressure.

Subsequent studies showed that soaking up the forest environment reduces cortisol (the body’s primary stress hormone) and activates the parasympathetic (self-healing) nervous system.

According to some reports, breathing in phytoncides, the aromatic oils released by trees, can increase the number of the body’s natural killer cells (a type of white blood cell crucial to the immune system that can limit the spread of microbial infections and tumors).

So “forest bathing” has become a thing, especially in Japan, where it is called Shinrin–yoku and where nature therapy has ancient roots.

For a recent article on forest bathing, visit www.japanesegarden.org based in Portland, Oregon.

You don’t need to get naked, put on your swimsuit or get wet during a nature “bath” because you’re bathing in the energy and clean air while walking in the woods.

The Hammock Hills trailhead. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer

On Ocracoke, one can experience this along the mile-long Hammock Hills trail across from the National Park Service campground.

A refreshment if you will.

“That’s exactly how I feel,” said islander Barbara Adams, who visits the trail just about daily with her dog. “I’ve always loved walking in the forest. Hammock Hills is just so fresh.”

This trail was heavily damaged during Hurricane Dorian in September 2019 and the wooden enhancements — some bridges and the look-out platform at the Pamlico Sound — have not yet been repaired.

And they might not be replaced since the trail has been thrice flooded and damaged in hurricanes Matthew in 2016, Florence in 2018, and most recently Dorian.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent Dave Hallac said that his staff is taking a longer, open-minded look at the trail.

“It is, in fact, a hiking trail, and hiking trails get wet and flooded sometimes,” he said. “For some folks, that’ll be part of the experience and for others, it just might not be able to be used all the time.”

So, they’re looking for a less complex and less costly, long-term way to manage it, he said.

Nevertheless, the trail is open and available for breathing in the pine-scented atmosphere.

In the warm months, arm yourself with bug spray.

In the fall and winter, listen for the high pitched “yank-yank” call of the red-breasted nuthatch, a northern visitor that loves longleaf pine trees.

A ranger-guided, 60-minute nature walk on the half-mile trail will be held at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20. Attendees are encouraged to bring bug spray.

Ranger-guided paddles encourage ecosystem appreciation

Corinne Saunders — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 04:00:00 +0000

“Kayak with a Ranger” program participants paddle down a natural canal, formed by sandbars and marsh grass growth, in Pamlico Sound. Photo: Corinne Saunders

A dragonfly zipped over the water.

“Who knows why we love dragonflies?” queried Sarah Burgart, the National Park Service lead interpretation ranger for Hatteras Island.

For a moment, one could only hear the wind and the quiet dip of kayak paddles in Pamlico Sound, a large body of brackish water that separates the barrier islands of Hatteras and Ocracoke from their respective counties’ mainland portions of Dare and Hyde, just to the west.

“I don’t know; why?” responded Tara Augustin, as she paddled a double kayak with her 7-year-old son, Nicholas.

“Because they eat mosquitoes,” Burgart said.

“I didn’t know that,” Tara’s husband and Nicholas’ father, Randy Augustin, admitted Monday after the tour, the first in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s new “Kayak with a Ranger” program.

Education and sustainable enjoyment of the area are goals of the program, which is scheduled for 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. every Monday and Friday through Labor Day in Salvo.

The Augustins, vacationing from Maryland, participated in the first program offering Monday. The couple said they appreciated being guided by those with knowledge of the area and nature.

“We like to kayak,” Tara Augustin said. “We like to learn about the area. It’s better than us going around by ourselves, not knowing what we’re looking at.”

As it was, they saw many common sound residents during the tour: Laughing gulls wheeled overhead, a skate flashed briefly in the water and a startled blue heron flew upward out of the marsh grasses. Several pelicans shared a sandbar with a small flock of laughing gulls, all standing in the shallow water.

They also saw plenty of seagrass just underneath the water, which was never much more than a foot deep on the tour.

“The sound is a really good way to test the health of your environment because our seagrass is a little bit endangered and very important to the species that we have,” said Park Ranger Lauren Spier, who led the tour. “If we start to lose it, then we’re going to lose the opportunity for a lot of species to grow up.”

Nicholas Augustin, 7, takes a break after a strenuous paddle against the wind as his mother Tara Augustin keeps their tandem kayak moving during the “Kayak with a Ranger” program Monday. Photo: Corinne Saunders

The sound serves as a nursery for many species, including blue crabs, shrimp and a variety of fish. The seagrass provides a place for them to hide from predators and from wind-driven currents.

The wind was blowing steadily at 11 mph, with gusts up to 16 mph, when the park rangers measured it before the program began.

Burgart said the cutoff to cancel a program would be winds of 15 mph or at the discretion of the instructors. Eight rangers are trained to lead the program, and after the first few weeks, two rangers will lead it. Originally from Iowa, Burgart most recently lived in Seattle, Washington, and was the third ranger on Monday, providing extra support to Spier and Chris Knoll, who brought up the rear on the tour.

“With the wind, a lot of smaller creatures were hunkered down,” Spier noted. “If you’re smaller, the wind will just take you. You can even feel that, just on the kayak.”

Originally from Texas, the 25-year-old has lived in five states and worked in several other national parks since graduating from college.

Ranger Lauren Spier explains kayak safety at the start of Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s first “Kayak with a Ranger” program Monday. Photo: Corinne Saunders

Spier began the tour with a brief caution about not swimming against rip currents in the ocean, advising to instead swim parallel to shore or make noise and wait for help or for the current to stop, since “they don’t go on forever.” Rip currents can move as quickly as 8 feet per second, faster than any Olympic swimmer, she noted. There are no rip currents in the sound.

Then she shared safety explanations, including a brief overview of how to kayak since all the participants had done it before, advising to just stand up if a kayak flips, since the water is shallow, and to blow the whistle attached to the life jacket if anyone needed help.

The tour started against the wind and was slow going until the kayaks reached the shelter of tall marsh grasses forming natural canals in the sound.

“This was just one small section of the sound,” Spier told participants afterward. “There are miles of coastline to explore.”

Cape Hatteras National Seashore was the first national seashore established in the country. It stretches over 70 miles on the southernmost end of the barrier islands known as the Outer Banks, including Dare County’s Bodie Island — South Nags Head — and Hatteras Island, as well as Hyde County’s Ocracoke Island. There are various public beach and sound accesses throughout.

Pelicans, right, and a small flock of laughing gulls share a sandbar Monday in Pamlico Sound, just some of the wildlife that “Kayak with a Ranger” participants saw up close. Photo: Corinne Saunders

“It was great,” Randy Augustin said of the tour. He enjoyed getting outdoors away from the crowds, and the “kayak with a comfortable seat” surpassed his expectations of typical rental equipment.

“We didn’t see as many osprey as I would have thought we would have seen today,” he noted. “There’s a ton of osprey where we’re at. Every once in a while, you’ll find a random fish in your yard (that an osprey drops).”

Tara Augustin said the family vacations regularly on the Outer Banks and saw the program announced on a few Facebook pages they follow to keep up with the area. That it was free with all gear provided and knowledgeable guides is what sparked their attention.

Knoll hosed off the kayaks after the tour. Originally from New Jersey and in his fourth season at Cape Hatteras, said that if participants are first-time area visitors, he hopes they’ll leave the program “with a better understanding of responsibly enjoying the area.” His hope for returning visitors or locals is that they’ll see “there’s always more to learn” about responsibly enjoying the area.

Burgart said the program encourages appreciation of all the ecosystems present around the national seashore: “They all exist in balance and are all important.”

Jonathan Polk, the national seashore’s supervisory park ranger, expressed a similar sentiment in an email response to Coastal Review.

“We are very excited about this new opportunity because kayaking is a popular recreational activity here at Cape Hatteras National Seashore and a great way to explore habitats such as salt marshes and the waters of the Pamlico Sound,” Polk said. “We wanted to provide the public with a new and engaging experience that would allow them to explore these habitats of their National Seashore that they may not have been able to fully experience in the past.”

Besides kayaking, Knoll also leads a surf fishing program and Spier also leads a “soundside explorers” program. Burgart said the rangers are able to provide a variety of interpretive programs to the public because the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse has been closed to climbing since 2020. The lighthouse was initially closed because of COVID-19 precautions, and then renovations were started in 2021.

Rangers from Bodie Island Lighthouse will be assisting with the kayaking program on Fridays. Salvo is “about halfway between” the two lighthouses, located slightly closer to Bodie, Burgart said.

Registration is required. Call 252-475-9622 after 9 a.m. the Saturday before the desired program date. Each program has 10 available spots. Children must be at least 7 to participate and at least 12 to paddle their own kayak.

Donations may be made to Outer Banks Forever, a nonprofit supporting the three national parks of the Outer Banks, at obxforever.org.

Red knots, northern gannets highlight Christmas bird count

Connie Leinbach and Peter Vankevich -- Ocracoke Observer — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 05:00:00 +0000

Double-crested cormorants, black, and northern gannets, white, feast from the ocean. Photo: Peter Vankevich

The hunt was on for all kinds of birds on Ocracoke as dozens of avid birders fanned out on the island in late December for the annual Christmas Bird Count.

A red-breasted nuthatch was what Jeffrey Beane, Stephanie Horton and Lloyd Lewis were trying to find early in the morning as they strolled the village.

“It’s usually found in Hammock Hills,” said Beane, who is the collections manager for herpetology with North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.

While Beane is a renowned expert in reptiles and amphibians, he also knows his birds, and a novice tagging along with him would learn a lot.

The call of a nuthatch emanating from Horton’s mobile phone brought an answering call from the live bird flitting among the shrubbery.

“Some would say that’s cheating,” Beane said about using recorded bird calls.

By 8 a.m. the three village birders had counted 30 species.

During the count, participants must identify the birds they see and also count the numbers of each species. Sometimes number counts can be easy for sparsely populated species such as the peregrine falcon or eastern phoebe, which will total fewer than 10 individuals for the entire count day.

But counting others can be quite challenging, especially for birds like the spunky yellow-rumped warbler much in abundance on the island from fall into early spring.

“We count the best we can,” Beane continued, noting that they count this species by the tens, “but it’s really just estimates.”

It’s even trickier with the thousands of double-crested cormorants that winter around Ocracoke.

“We count them by the 100,” Beane said, meaning they count one hundred in a long line and repeat over and over as they fly by. The highest report of this species was in 1990 when they counted about 120,000 cormorants, the highest number reported in the country.

“The bird people questioned that, but they hadn’t been down here,” Beane said. “They don’t know how many cormorants are here.”

This year, nearly 40,000 were reported.

Horton noted that not only do they count the birds they see, but they also count the species by their unique calls, chip notes and songs, known as birding by ear.

Beane, Horton and Lewis have participated in the Ocracoke count for many years with this being the 24th consecutive year for Lewis, who lives in Maryland.

“There wasn’t anyone doing the count on Ocracoke (before Vankevich and Bob Russell) started it),” Lewis said. “We stayed for the fellowship.”

On Dec. 31, when the Ocracoke count took place, the day began overcast and misty and later a thick fog rolled in.

Around the island community cemetery, Beane and Horton were hoping to spot a hermit thrush.

An American bittern along South Point Road Dec. 31, 2021. Photo: Peter Vankevich

A brown thrasher was tallied in the meantime and Beane said that while these birds are pretty common elsewhere — it’s the state bird of Georgia — they’re not common on Ocracoke.

Fun fact: Many state birds are robins or bluebirds, Beane said. “Because they let school kids choose the birds and those are all they know.”

As one walks the village with Beane, Horton and Lewis, the three correct some misconceptions.

“Don’t call them ‘sea gulls,’” Lewis said about the ubiquitous water birds that are also seen thousands of miles inland.

“That was never a name for them,” Beane added. “They are just gulls.”

Same with that green, stringy stuff on the beach.

“It’s not ‘seaweed,” Lewis said. “It’s sea grass.”

Horton, who has been a birder for more than 30 years, reiterated what other birders say about the activity, “It’s fun to get out here and see what (the birds) are doing. Birding is a good way to get people thinking about conservation and nature.”

And that is the primary reason for the nationwide Christmas Bird Count.

Begun in 1900, it is the world’s longest-running citizen science wildlife census. It began in opposition to a tradition popular in the 19th century called Christmas “side hunts,” where people competed to see how many birds they could kill, regardless of whether they could be used for food.

American ornithologist Frank Chapman, founder of Bird-Lore, which became Audubon magazine, proposed counting birds on Christmas instead of killing them.

That year, 27 observers took part in the first count in 25 places in the United States and Canada, and this event, administered by the National Audubon Society, has grown substantially ever since.

Last year the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a lot of cancellations of counts out of safety concerns. The Ocracoke and Portsmouth counts ran with fewer than normal observers and safety measures implemented that included no new participants and a cancellation of the social “tally rally” get-together, as was the case again this year. Only 64 species were reported for Ocracoke and 57 for Portsmouth, both far lower than the average.

Nevertheless, despite the cancellations last year, 1,842 counts took place in the United States, 451 in Canada and 166 throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands.

These counts are conducted between Dec. 14 to Jan. 5 and each count site is a 15-mile-wide circle.

Ocracoke’s count, started in 1981, is on one of the last two days of the year and alternates with the neighboring Portsmouth Island count, which began in 1988. Since its beginnings, 187 species have been counted on Ocracoke and 160 for Portsmouth.

Considered by some as the “Super Bowl of birding,” these offer an opportunity to be part of citizen science and help scientists understand trends in bird populations.

A Cooper’s Hawk takes flight. Photo: Peter Vankevich

Horton, Beane and Lewis covered Ocracoke’s village area while other teams spread out from Ocracoke Inlet to Hatteras Inlet counting birds on the waters, the beaches, dunes, marshes and woods.

Ryan O’Neal, a duck hunting guide, reported pintail, bufflehead and redhead ducks on the Pamlico Sound.

A few residents participated and sent yard and neighborhood reports, including seven ruby-throated hummingbirds, a record for this count.

Perhaps in part to an increase in hummingbird feeders and/or more wintering insects because of climate change, some hummingbirds that normally winter in South Florida and Central America are spending the colder months on the Outer Banks, especially in the Buxton Woods area.

In the early morning, Janeen Vanhooke and Karen Rhodes, assigned to cover South Point Road, were delayed just beyond the road’s entrance as an American bittern nonchalantly hunted for worms that had appeared on the road from an early morning rain. The bittern was one of four that would be seen throughout the day and into dusk.

Matt Janson and Peter Vankevich entered the beach from South Point Road, or Ramp 72, and were greeted not only with thousands of double-crested cormorants flying by, but also an amazing number of northern gannets mostly flying south over the water close to the beach. Others were foraging, diving spectacularly into the water for fish. This flight lasted several hours, and later in the day many continued to be seen feeding offshore.

By mid-morning, a fog shrouded the island during the Christmas Bird Count. Photo: Peter Vankevich

They were joined by Amy Thompson, Ocracoke’s biological science technician for the National Park Service. At the large salt flat at the South Point, she tallied 1,159 dunlin, a small shorebird with a drooping bill. This was the most she has counted in that area, but Thompson noted the absence of several shorebird species that could be seen this time of year.

The morning got better as along the intertidal zone a large number of red knots, 205, were feeding. In the middle of the island and especially the north end, many more knots were seen, for a count total of 516.

By mid-morning, when the fog rolled in, it was enough to temporarily suspend the Hatteras Inlet ferry service. The fog limited ocean views, obscuring possible flocks of black scoters and other sea ducks. Other than that, it was much of an impediment and its eerie aesthetics cast a memorable shroud over the island.

For Rhodes, her incentive to participate derives from her art.

“My joy of drawing and photographing birds has turned into a passion to actually learn about the species and their habits here on the island,” she said.

After finishing her assignment, she headed home to count the birds in her neighborhood and her favorite heron spot.

Sanderling left, with red knots. Photo: Peter Vankevich

Islander Susse Wright has participated in the count every year since the 1980s. If not too windy, she kayaks along the sound side of the island. Conditions were favorable until the fog appeared. Among the birds she found were two American Oystercatchers and a flock of about 100 Red-winged Blackbirds.

Andy Hawkins of Yorktown, Virginia, shares an equal love of surf fishing and birding and is a seasonal volunteer at the National Park Service campground. He spent much of the day on the dunes and trudging through the grasses and cedars, finding a high number of Savannah sparrows.

“The Christmas Bird Count importance cannot be overstated,” he said. “As sea coasts are affected by global climate change, one year’s data tells little, but over many years trends can show. A good day of birding, for an important cause, on a very special island.”

Some of the other count highlights: At Springer’s Point, Matt Janson had 10 snow geese fly overhead and a Baltimore oriole. He also saw a banded Ipswich sparrow and a red knot with a green satellite tag.

Lee Kimball and Tucker Scully, part-time islanders who have been doing this count for more than 20 years, reported a pair of wood ducks in Island Creek, the slough across from the campground.

Throughout the day, endless lines of double-crested cormorants streamed by. The estimate of about 40,000 was no doubt far fewer than the actual number of this species who have been present in large numbers since October.

In the end, a total of 87 species were recorded on Dec. 31. A provision of the count includes birds not seen on the official day but seen on any three days on either side of count day. This is called “count week,” and four species were count-week birds including a bald eagle that has been seen regularly on the island since early fall.

The weary diamondback terrapin’s latest foe: phragmites

Peter Vankevich — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 05:00:00 +0000

A diamondback terrapin attempted to nest in the middle of South Point Road, Ocracoke Island. Photo: Peter Vankevich

Reprinted from Ocracoke Observer

The diamondback terrapin, an estuarine turtle seen throughout much of the Outer Banks, has a special niche in the Atlantic coastal ecosystem, being the only turtle in the world that inhabits exclusively the brackish waters of estuaries, tidal creeks and salt marshes.

But islands such as Ocracoke may not be as welcoming to them as in the past due to a highly aggressive and invasive exotic plant that is eliminating much of their nesting habitat and putting their future at risk.

There may be a way to fend off this threat and help ensure long-term survival for this handsome turtle (Malaclemys terrapin) with its spotted face, striking colors and variable patterns on its shell, but action will be needed.

Terrapins have faced many obstacles to their existence over the centuries. In one case, it took a constitutional amendment to save them from extirpation.

In the latter decades of the 19th century, terrapin “turtle soup” became a popular and trendy gourmet item on menus at high-end restaurants, private clubs and even at the White House.

The demand for this perceived delicacy led to excessive harvesting, and nearly caused the species’ demise by 1920.

In a quirky twist of society’s mores, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution that banned the consumption of alcohol during the prohibition era, benefitted the terrapin.

How could teetotaling have had such an impact? The key ingredient in a decent terrapin soup or stew was sherry, which became a banned substance under the 18th Amendment, ratified in January 1919.

With restaurants unable to use this Spanish fortified wine in the recipe, the soup lost its pizzazz and disappeared from the menus. This ended the terrapin soup craze and harvesting became nearly nonexistent, allowing their drastically dwindled numbers to begin to increase. By the time the amendment was repealed, culinary fads had moved on to other delicacies.

Diamondback terrapins in a tidal creek on Ocracoke Island. Photo: Peter Vankevich

Although massive commercial harvesting is long gone, both legal and illegal wildlife trade as pets and food remain a problem and the terrapin has not fully recovered. It is listed both federally and in North Carolina and several other states as a species of Special Concern. The North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan considers it a priority species.

These days, in addition to trafficking, by-catch mortality from commercial and recreational crab pots, road crossing fatalities, pollution, sea level rise affecting coastal marshes and loss of habitat are the main causes of their premature deaths.

Unlike sea turtles, such as the loggerhead and the green turtle that spend their lives in the high seas with females only coming to land to lay eggs, terrapins stay close to shore in narrow Atlantic coastal estuarine habitats of tidal creeks and marshes.

Their range is from Cape Cod in the north, down to the coasts of Florida and along the Gulf Coast to Texas. Bermuda also has a terrapin population. With philopatric tendencies to remain in the same areas from where they hatched, terrapins do not make long-distance migrations. Females can lay two to three clutches of four to 24 eggs in late spring. The eggs usually hatch in 60 to 85 days, with hatchlings emerging from the nest in August and September. Sometimes hatchlings overwinter in the nest and emerge the following spring. During the cold winter months, they hibernate buried in the mud at the bottom of tidal creeks and marshes.

The bad guy: Phragmites in North America

Of the more than 5,000 invasive plant species embedded in North America’s ecosystems, phragmites, or Phragmites australis, is considered to be the most dominant and destructive. Also known as the common reed, it is highly aggressive and has many adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems, impacting native flora and fauna species. It is now found throughout the world, except for the continent of Antarctica.

The nonnative phragmites first appeared in North America in the late 18th or early 19th century, most likely brought over in ships from Europe, and has spread in wetlands throughout much of the continent.

Although there is a widely distributed but not very common North American native subspecies of phragmites (Phragmites americanus), it does not occur in the Southeast, which includes North Carolina. It is not the native subspecies but the invasive subspecies (Phragmites australis) that is the problem for terrapins and is found in abundance on Ocracoke.

Cassandra Cook cited many examples of this plant’s harmful effects in her College of William and Mary master’s thesis, “Impacts of Invasive Phragmites australis on Diamondback Terrapin Nesting.” Her research focused on Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia.

Cook noted that phragmites reduces marsh habitat quality for terrapins. Its presence has been linked to decreases in the abundance of smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), the aquatic plant found in brackish tidal marshes which hosts the marsh periwinkle (Littorina irrorata), a staple in the diamondback terrapin diet. Less cordgrass means fewer periwinkles for the terrapins to eat, thus making their foraging even more difficult.

Thick stands of phragmites creates an additional problem by lowering surrounding soil temperatures that can also jeopardize terrapins. The reason is that, like many turtle species, terrapins have temperature-dependent sex determination, meaning that the sex of hatchlings is the result of incubation temperatures. Cook found that a phragmites cover of greater than 50% causes a decrease in incubation temperatures of terrapin nests sufficient to produce predominantly male hatchlings. Fewer females mean fewer hatchings.

Nonnative phragmites australis, now in abundance on South Point Road, Ocracoke Island. can be impenetrable for a diamondback terrapin to find a suitable nest site. Photo: Peter Vankevich

It is easy to identify phragmites by its height, which can be up to 15 feet. It has long, thin, green leaves and a large purple-brown flower head that turn silver in the fall. Despite its striking appearance, the scary part is subterranean.

Its rhizome stem system creates a root structure that can grow up to 60 feet in length at a depth of more than 6 feet. It spreads very efficiently, with new stalks growing off the roots. New locations can be infected through wind dispersal of its seeds.

In the spring, female terrapins look for sparsely vegetated sandy areas above the tide line to lay their eggs. When phragmites invade these open areas and takes root, the nest site is no longer viable. The plant also spreads rapidly right up to the waterline. This high density creates an impenetrable hedge that prevents terrapins from easily finding a suitable nesting site.

As their habitat diminishes, terrapins must travel longer distances to find a site to lay their eggs. Early one morning a few years ago, I saw one attempting to lay her eggs in the middle of the sandy, busy Southpoint Road on Ocracoke.

The longer terrapins search for a suitable nesting site on land, the more vulnerable they are to predation. Later, an even worse danger occurs for the hatchlings which are exposed for much longer periods on their long, dangerous maiden trek to a marsh or tidal creek. This makes them easy pickings for ghost crabs, gulls, crows, raccoons and other predators.

Not to be confused with phragmites, sea oats, a tall subtropical grass, are an important component of coastal sand dune and beach plant communities in the southeastern United States. Photo: Peter Vankevich

What can be done

Large-scale phragmites removal can be a bottomless money pit and, once the plant is firmly rooted almost impossible to completely eradicate. It is much easier to remove, or at least control, when detected in its early stages.

One feasible solution is a selective small-scale phragmites eradication process in areas where terrapins would most likely nest near water.

Cook agreed that a phragmites eradication effort could be effective. “Open it up and they will find it,” she said, noting that terrapins have nested on clear, sparsely vegetated dredge spoil islands.

Rob Emens also thinks this is doable. “I’ve been pushing for more phragmites management, just in general in North Carolina because I’ve seen what it does in states like Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia,” he said in an interview.

Emens, the aquatic weed program manager with the state’s Division of Water Resources in the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, assists local governments and other stakeholders with the removal of aquatic weed infestations.

Two herbicides, glyphosate and imazapyr, can control phragmites effectively when used individually or in combination. Careful use of these chemicals is vital to protect nearby native plants. Controlled burning and mechanical plant removal using small mowers, weed whips and brush hogs can be combined with these chemical applications.

By the time phragmites has been removed or greatly diminished, the chemicals are long gone, Emens said.

Unlike sea turtles, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently do not track diamondback terrapins, according to their officials. These two federal services, in partnership with many federal and state agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and hundreds of volunteers, have made remarkable progress increasing the number of nesting sea turtles, especially loggerheads, on the Outer Banks in the past 15 years.

Fortunately, there is one ongoing terrapin research project in the state.

For the last seven years in May, volunteers, mostly in kayaks and canoes, have participated in a citizen science project, known as Terrapin Tally, to collect data to better understand terrapin distribution and density.

Phragmites, like these at the Swan Quarter ferry terminal, can be seen all over North Carolina and the East Coast. Photo: Connie Leinbach

The North Carolina Division of Coastal Management’s North Carolina Coastal Reserve, partnering with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, North Carolina State Parks, Bald Head Island Conservancy, North Carolina Audubon, North Carolina Aquariums, and National Park Service, has spearheaded this important project.

So far, these surveys have taken place in the southeastern part of the state where phragmites does not have the densities of the northeastern region. Sarah Finn, a coastal wildlife diversity biologist with North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, said there are plans to extend the range of these surveys to areas farther north and could include Ocracoke if volunteers can be found. Expanding these surveys into areas where phragmites is present or appears to be increasing can help biologists understand the regional populations and determine if loss of habitat is a factor in decreased numbers.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation hosted a workshop a few years ago to discuss the development of a coastwide management plan addressing the spread of phragmites. Any plan should include the needs of the diamondback terrapin.

Losing nesting habitat to phragmites can be threatening to their long-term survival like turtle soup that appeared on menus more than 100 years ago.

Taking effective measures now can go a long way toward avoiding having the diamondback terrapin placed on the endangered species list.

We have a chance to take on the phragmites threat to terrapins in North Carolina and nip it in the bud, to use a terrible floral cliché. If we don’t take action, the consequences could be far worse than groaning at a bad pun.

NC Bird Atlas to help prioritize conservation efforts

Peter Vankevich — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Black-bellied plovers at the National Park Service campground area Sept. 25. Photo: Richard Taylor

Reprinted from Ocracoke Observer

North Carolina will finally have its own comprehensive bird atlas, a project that will rely on many contributors such as recent college grad Matt Janson.

Janson, who this year graduated from Cornell University in environmental and sustainability sciences, is the northeast coastal conservation technician of a five-year project known as the North Carolina Bird Atlas that will catalog the size and distribution of North Carolina’s bird populations.

Since the 1970s, nearly every state across the country has undertaken these multi-year, large-scale, standardized surveys. Data collected during the study will help prioritize conservation efforts for the most imperiled North Carolina birds.

This citizen science project which began this spring is coordinated by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, which works closely with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York. For the purposes of the survey, the state is divided into 937 “priority blocks,” areas targeted for thorough bird surveying.

Birders scan the dunes on the Sept. 25 field trip. Photo: Richard Taylor

Ocracoke is fortunate to have three priority blocks that combined cover the entire village, the South Point Road, Hammock Hills and the South Dock area at the north end.

During the breeding season, observers note if a bird is singing, carrying nesting material or feeding young. Some highlights Janson observed on Ocracoke this summer included a common nighthawk’s “booming” courtship display over South Point Road, a ruby-throated hummingbird carrying nesting material at Devil Shoals Road and nesting yellow-crowned night-herons in the village.

Other surprising birds found during the survey in northeastern North Carolina included singing sedge wrens in Beaufort County and a red-cockaded woodpecker family in Camden County.

Data collected by volunteers and the Wildlife Resources staff will be submitted through the eBird app, an online database of bird observations.

Kris Smith, the Citizen Science Program manager with the Wildlife Resources, is the atlas project coordinator. Sarah Toner is the northeastern region volunteer coordinator and recruits those interested in contributing their own sightings to the survey.

Citizen science is important to the success of this bird atlas, Smith said in an interview, explaining how the process of connecting amateur observers and professional scientists aids conservation.

Matt Janson. Photo: Richard Taylor

“There simply are not enough trained scientists or technicians to go out and survey everywhere,” she said. “So, we rely on volunteers who are knowledgeable amateurs and can input their observations online.”

One Saturday morning, Sept. 25, more than 20 enthusiastic volunteers gathered at the parking lot of the National Park Service’s Ocracoke campground, receiving tips on using the eBird app and pointers on identifying local birds from Toner and Janson.

Over the course of three hours traversing the beach, dunes, Devil Shoals Road, the open trail of Hammock Hills and the pony pasture, a total of 40 species were tallied. Highlights included a merlin, northern harrier, warblers such as American redstart, northern parula, common yellowthroat, palm warbler, yellow warbler and a black-and-white warbler, a bobolink and a rare Traill’s flycatcher.

Whereas many states are limiting their compiled information to breeding-bird surveys, the North Carolina Bird Atlas will be more comprehensive, identifying migratory and wintering species, too. Only three other states — Connecticut, Maine and Oklahoma — have attempted a year-round bird atlas.

Rare for Ocracoke, a Traill’s flycatcher seen Sept. 25 at the pony pasture. Photo: Peter Vankevich

There are many reasons to track North Carolina’s birds.

A disturbing survey published in the journal Science in 2019 reported that North American bird numbers had declined by 3 billion individuals since 1970 or 30% of the continent’s population. This summer, a mysterious illness caused large-scale fatalities of certain mid-Atlantic songbirds including blue jays, American robins and common grackles.

The massive decline of North American birds is a dire warning about the planet’s well-being, according to a commentary in the New York Times following the Science article.

“Birds are indicator species, serving as acutely sensitive barometers of environmental health, and their mass declines signal that the earth’s biological systems are in trouble,” wrote the authors, John W. Fitzpatrick and Peter P. Marra.

Birds face a myriad of reasons for their decline. Spring and fall migration, always perilous, are even worse these days with the loss of stopover habitats needed for feeding and resting. Buildings are collision magnets, as large windows and bright night lights confuse navigation. Predators have increased, just waiting for an exhausted bird to rest.

Janson’s credentials for bird knowledge, field observation and citizen science contributions are impressive.

“I’ve birded in 49 states, not yet in Hawaii, along with several countries, including China,” he said.

While growing up in Charlotte, he joined the Mecklenburg Audubon Society and the Carolina Bird Club at age 12.

At 15, he was instrumental in forming the Carolina Young Birders Club and became a board member of the local Audubon Society chapter at age 17.

In college, he volunteered extensively in the summer of 2020 with New York State’s Breeding Bird Atlas.

Sarah Toner. Photo: Peter Vankevich

Ocracoke has had a special place in his formative birding years, especially in 2014 when he saw this author’s post on the Carolina Birds listserv about two Snowy Owls that had shown up on Ocracoke that winter.

“My mother, brother and I decided to take a trip to see them, and we saw both,” he said.

Returning to the Ocracoke Variety Store that day, they ran into Ocracoke’s famed storyteller Donald Davis who along with his late wife Merle had earlier expressed an interest in seeing the owls.

“I remembered him from my elementary school days,” Janson said about Davis. “He gave a presentation on the art of storytelling. I just remember being enamored of his stories.

“So, when Peter heard my connection, he immediately deputized me and said we were heading back out to the dunes, and I would help find the owls for them. We did.”

For more information go to www.ncbirdatlas.org or send an email to ncbaregion1@ncbirdatlas.gmail.com

Butterfly Chaser’s Quest Leads to NC Coast

Kip Tabb — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 04:00:36 +0000

A crystal skipper investigates a bull thistle on Bogue Banks. Photo: Jeffrey Glassberg/North American Butterfly Association

BOGUE BANKS — Now that he has seen and photographed the crystal skipper, Dr. Jeffrey Glassberg, of Morristown, New Jersey, a one-time molecular biologist and current president of the North American Butterfly Association, can subtract one more butterfly from his quest to see every resident butterfly of the United States.

The crystal skipper is not a well-known butterfly. It only lives in a 30-mile stretch of barrier islands from Fort Macon State Park to Hammocks Beach State Park, an area tourism marketers long ago dubbed the Crystal Coast.

Although it was not identified until 1978 or given its own species name, Atrytonopsis quinteri, until 2015, the crystal skipper, named for the marketing term, is fairly common where and when it appears.

“It’s very local. It’s only found right around Fort Macon and Bogue Island. Just a very small area,” Glassberg said during his visit here last week. “When I was there, in an hour, I saw 30 of them. On one thistle I saw six of them.”

Jeffrey Glassberg in his yard in Morristown, New Jersey, in 2018. Photo: Contributed

The crystal skipper’s brief life cycle, though, makes its appearance somewhat rare. The nonmigratory butterfly appears annually in April and May, mates and a new brood appears in July and August. The July and August broods over winter, reappearing in April and May.

The species does not live anywhere else, and evidently cannot.

The seaside little bluestem is the only host plant for the crystal skipper. The butterfly lays its eggs on the plant’s stems and when the eggs hatch, the plant provides food for the larvae in its first stage of life. The plant only lives in the sand dunes of coastal North Carolina from the Outer Banks to the Bogue Banks with the heaviest concentration along the Bogue Banks.

There are concerns about the long-term outlook for the species. It thrives, evidently, at Fort Macon and Hammocks Beach state parks, where habitat is protected. However, along areas of the Crystal Coast, where development has divided natural habitats, the butterfly is not seen as often, and there are efforts to plant seaside little bluestem to increase habitat.

A crystal skipper. Photo: Jeffrey Glassberg/North American Butterfly Association

The family of skippers is widely distributed with some 3,500 distinct species distributed worldwide, mostly in Central and South America. They are usually a smaller butterfly, so the crystal skipper stands out because of its larger size.

“Most of them are smaller than the crystal skipper,” Glassberg said.

It is also one of the more striking butterflies in the skipper family, said Glassberg.

“They just are beautiful. A lot of people see the picture and they think that looks like a moth. But I think it’s pretty snappy looking. There’s lots of skippers that are plainer than this one, which is very striking,” he said.

With the sighting of the crystal skipper, Glassberg crosses another butterfly off his list of seeing every butterfly that is a regular part of the United States.

“There’s something like roughly 600 species of butterflies in North America that are resident,” he said. “I’m trying to see all of the resident butterflies. I’m making an actual concerted effort to see them.”

The quest began after his wife died, he explained.

“My wife of 45 years passed away 10 and a half years ago, so I have to do something for fun,” he said, although it has only been in the last four years that he has made the intensive effort to see all the butterflies.

“I’ve had to be everywhere,” he goes on to say. “I’ve gone to Alaska a bunch of times. I had to go to the top of the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming. I’ve been to Hawaii. I’m going back this November. It’s a difficult quest but as they say someone has to do it.”

The numbers on the list have dwindled to a very manageable figure.

“I’m at this point I’m missing about 15 or so,” he said.

He’ll be back in North Carolina in early May, this time in the mountains looking for the Appalachian tiger swallowtail. The trip will also give him a chance to visit with his son who lives in Charlotte. Earlier in the year, before he was on the Bogue Banks, he was in California where he had a chance to visit with friends and look for another butterfly.

He first became intrigued with butterflies when he was 5. It has been a lifelong fascination that persisted through his career as a molecular biologist and marriage. It is something he cannot explain, but it is real, nonetheless.

“They’re beautiful, their lives, they’re ephemeral,” he said. “They, of course, undergo this remarkable transformation, metamorphosis. There’s something about being in a beautiful field with flowers filled with butterflies. It just makes me feel good and relaxed. I was married 45 years. I passionately love my wife. She was a brilliant scientist, and she was beautiful and she was warm, and she was all those things. But none of those things are why I loved her. I loved her for some inexplicable reason as I think most people love people. And that’s the way it is for me and butterflies.”

Read more about the crystal skipper: Crystal Skipper Earns Species Status

Lookout Closer to Becoming Dark Sky Park

Jennifer Allen — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 04:00:59 +0000

Full moon setting at Cape Lookout National Seashore. Photo: Sam Bland

The Crystal Coast Stargazers Club members and Cape Lookout National Seashore rangers are working together to preserve the night sky by having the seashore designated as an International Dark Sky Park.

A group of astronomy and space enthusiasts in eastern North Carolina that organize and participate in stargazing activities, the Crystal Coast Startgazers Club approached the seashore about applying for the designation through the International Dark Sky Association, or IDA. The IDA was founded in 1988 to preserve the night sky by promoting efforts to reduce light pollution, or the inappropriate or excessive use of artificial light that can have serious environmental consequences for humans, wildlife and the climate.

An International Dark Sky Park, or IDSP, is land with “exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment,”that is protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage resource or public enjoyment,” according to the application. The land can be publicly owned or privately owned with the landowner’s consent.

“International Dark Sky Association recognizes entities that demonstrate and document their commitment to preserving the night skies. There are designations for parks, reserves, preserves, communities. It’s a pretty rigorous application process — and there’s a chance we may not make it on the first try,” club member Vermandel Nienstedt said in an interview Tuesday.

Nienstedt, along with Cape Lookout Superintendent Jeff West and Stargazers club coordinator David Heflin, asked Carteret County for support Sept. 21 during the board of commissioners meeting.

Nienstedt explained to the board that as part of the application process, applicants are to go out in the community and educate the public about light pollution. She also mentioned the emerging astrotourism industry.

“Astrotourism is a real simple concept. If we have dark skies, they will come,” she said, citing examples of the number of visitors dark skies attract to other destinations.

Also as part the application, Cape Lookout has to create a five-year plan for replacing any light in the park that is not what “we call dark sky compliant. We’ve had to do an inventory of every light in park,” Nienstedt told the board, which is still being taken.

The board voted to approve a resolution in support of the Dark Sky designation, after repeated questions confirming that there would be no regulations or rules imposed outside the 56 miles of national seashore.

The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center, which neighbors Cape Lookout’s visitor center on Harkers Island, the town of Beaufort and the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce have also voiced their support of the designation.

Cape Lookout chief of interpretation and education BG Horvat told Coastal Review Online that from this point, “we continue to take our light readings and finish our lighting inventory around the park. Then, we need to put our application together. We hope to submit our application for review in January. From there it will go under review by the IDA Board. A decision could come sometime next year.”

Horvat added that COVID-19 pandemic precautions from Gov. Roy Cooper prohibiting large gatherings “perhaps may have ‘wrinkled the process’ in terms of providing educational night sky programming over the summer, out of a concern for everyone’s safety.

“However, the application process for Night Sky Park Designation can’t be pursued until we get some things in order first,” he explained, such as the extensive lighting inventory around the park, taking readings of the amount of light observed around various areas throughout the park, and documented support from park partners and community leaders.

“All of this takes time, and we were able to use this year to get all of that in place. Educational programming, which is another aspect of the application process and is also a big part of the designation, is still to come and in the works, whether virtual or in-person,” Horvat said. “To date, we really haven’t been thrown off track in pursuit of this designation much at all, given the other work and steps that go into the application process for this designation.”

Nienstedt added that the Stargazers Club will continue to working with the park on documentation, giving presentations as COVID-19 allows and assisting the park staff with the observations and readings required.

“Part of the application requirements are that we will have programs throughout the year on the topic of preserving night skies. So this will be an ongoing project which we will have to document with a yearly report after we get the designation,” she said. Adding they had numerous presentations scheduled that had to be canceled for the time being.

Having the Dark Sky Designation will help the Crystal Coast Stargazers Club members continue stargazing and attract other enthusiasts.

A view of the Milky Way above Cape Lookout National Seashore’s Harkers Island Visitor Center. Photo: Bob Decker

“For those of us that love stargazing and the night skies, our participation is literally efforts to preserve what we love. Another benefit we have seen from our outreach activities for the application is exposure for the CCS Club,” she said. “Even though we have been doing public programs for both Cape Lookout National Seashore and Fort Macon State Park for several years and we have a great social media presence, we still are now reaching people that didn’t know about us. Hopefully, this will result in more folks coming out to enjoy our night skies.”

For the seashore, Horvat said achieving an International Dark Sky Park, or IDSP, designation recognizes the park’s effort to protect dark skies. He noted benefits highlighted in the application, such as that the designation “raises the awareness of dark skies among Park leadership, staff, visitors, and the surrounding community. IDSP designation entitles the Park to display the IDA logo in official Park publications and promotions, and enables use of this logo by commercial or other groups within the community when identifying the park area itself.”

This means that that Cape Lookout National Seashore will be able to promote as an International Dark Sky Park.

The idea came to pursue the designation from the club coordinator Heflin, Nienstedt said.

“We were already working with Cape Lookout providing programs and observing for the public so we talked with Superintendent Jeff West and B.G. Horvat. Mr. West was onboard from day one,” she said. “In fact, the National Park Service already had a policy about preserving the skies. Without Mr. West’s leadership and commitment this would not be happening.”

Horvat expounded that the national seashore has partnered for two years with Crystal Coast Stargazers in community-based night sky programs. “The relationship grew into a common interest to preserve and educate visitors about this unique, and rich resource of Cape Lookout National Seashore – the view of the ‘Milky Way’ and a myriad of seasonal, and constant awe-inspiring features available to us all in the dark, above.”

Nienstedt interest in astronomy began about five years ago when she and her husband got their first telescope.

“We were really kind of lost at first — then we heard about the Crystal Coast Stargazers and made contact with David. He immediately welcomed us into the group and with his and the group’s help we have learned so much. This past Christmas we moved up to a new telescope — it’s kind of additive,” she said.

Due to COVID-19, the club did have to move their meetings online in March because of the pandemic, Nienstedt added, but as late summer approached, a few stargazers met up to observe together. “With the equipment involved, keeping the 6-foot social distancing is not a problem. We miss having programs for the public — you get a lot of ‘wow moments’ when folks look through a scope the first time.”

Nienstedt impressed that this application is about preserving night skies as a natural resource for future generations.

“It’s a sad fact that only two people out of 10 worldwide can see the Milky Way where they live — something that is easily seen in our county at dark sites,” she said, adding that when we get back to normal, folks should visit “our beautiful skies in Carteret County.”

Bird Care Continues at Cape Amid Lockdown

Chloe E. Williams — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 04:00:33 +0000

A piping plover at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Photo: Katie Walker

CAPE HATTERAS — The Outer Banks has a strong connection with North Carolina birds.

Wild ducks stop on their Atlantic Flyway from the Arctic to the tropics, and the town names of Duck and Kitty Hawk bring their namesakes to mind. With the ocean, the sound and the woods, there are a variety of environments that nearly 400 different kinds of birds the Outer Banks call home.

In the 1800s, many birds were considered valuable because of their plumage, meat or eggs. While these birds are protected by laws and are no longer hunted for profit today, they are still subject to predators, storms, and disturbance from humans.

In response to these dangers, staff members at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore have made it their mission to protect the wildlife they find. Sometimes that means regulating walking and driving on the beach, or closing parts of the beach entirely.

“When shorebirds show signs of nesting, small areas of beach — 100-200 yards — are closed to public entry to reduce disturbances and to prevent direct impacts to eggs and chicks,” said Meaghan Johnson, deputy chief of resource management and science at the national seashore. “While these closed areas are important to facilitate successful wildlife nesting, the large majority of beaches remain open to the public during nesting season.”

Every morning, seashore staff check on these closures, which consist of posts, string and signs, to ensure that they successfully “provide undisturbed habitat needed by breeding birds to successfully nest and raise their young,” according to the National Park Service. Taking care of nests in this way requires a great deal of care and dedication.

“Intensive monitoring, using binoculars and spotting scopes, is designed to ensure protection of developing chicks that may be highly mobile and require daily adjustments to protection areas,” Johnson said. “Monitoring and management of nesting wildlife occurs seven days a week, so … different trained individuals may take shifts as they monitor nesting progress.”

Among the protected birds are the American oystercatcher and the piping plover. The oystercatcher is a loud, large bird with dark brown and white plumage and an orange bill, while the plover is smaller and more soft-spoken. Its pale buff color serves as camouflage, helping it blend in with the sand.

“For some species, such as piping plover, more intensive monitoring may occur once chicks are present and if the chicks are using habitat close to visitor activity,” said Johnson.

The population of these two species at the national seashore declined in the late 1990s and early 2000s, according to the American Ornithological Society Committee on Science Arbitration, or AOS. While the plover population has since increased, the oystercatcher is still recovering. A recent report from the AOS shows the extent that beach closures benefit nesting birds.

Despite the global pandemic affecting life on the Outer Banks this summer, the national seashore has not cut back on any of its wildlife care. “There have been no changes this year to shorebird monitoring and resource protection areas compared to previous years,” Johnson said.

The shorebird nesting season is currently wrapping up, which means that national seashore staff will analyze the nesting data for their shorebird annual report. Initial estimates of these nesting numbers are similar to previous years, Johnson said.

The annual report, the Resource Management Field Summary, is updated weekly between mid-April and the end of sea turtle nesting season in August. As of Thursday, 43 American oystercatcher nests, six piping plover nests and 413 colonial waterbird nests have been found across the Outer Banks this year.

There is a sense of accomplishment when the hard work pays off.

“Any time we have a bird leave its nest, or fledge, there is great excitement and pride among our staff that have spent countless hours protecting and monitoring these important shorebirds at the seashore,” Johnson said.

While the staff has been working to take care of the birds that live on the island, new and unusual birds have had the opportunity to find their way to the Outer Banks this summer.

A white-winged tern was spotted on the national seashore, near Ramp 44 in Buxton, in June. The only other time that the small European bird has been seen in North Carolina was in August 1994 near Bodie Island Lighthouse.

Bodie Island Lighthouse also attracted another rare species. On July 13, the national seashore reported that a sandhill crane had stopped by the lighthouse.

“These birds migrate from Florida and Texas to the western United States and are typically not seen in this area,” according to a Facebook post from the park. “Sandhill Cranes are one of the largest cranes in North America….They stand between three and four feet tall with a wingspan of more than six feet!”

The beach is not the only place that visitors can find birds. The nature at Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo attracts nearly 175 different species of birds every year. This summer was no different.

“The birds were feeling exceptionally at home while the garden was closed to the public,” said Dan Hossack, gardens manager.

From bald eagles and osprey to a great blue heron and screech owl, the gardens have been populated throughout the spring and summer this year.

“The new children’s garden is usually full of curious kids and their associated noises,” he said. “Without their presence, the great blue thought it was a peaceful place to rest and have a bite to eat.”

At this point in the summer, staff at the gardens are already looking forward. “We are preparing to clean our birdhouses this winter to help attract some of the diversity that we come to expect in this type of woodland and open forest setting,” Hossack said. “Our summer is usually fairly predictable with who comes and goes from the grounds.”

Each day, the gardens can expect to see familiar birds such as cardinals, jays, nuthatch, Carolina wren, chickadee, and ruby-throated hummingbirds. Staff at the gardens strive to mimic and enable natural cycles to provide the birds with a natural environment and keep them comfortable.

“The seasonality of fruit that our birds can depend on is a more reliable network than feeders and human intervention,” Hossack said. “We carefully manage our trees, shrubs, and perennials that provide nutriment for our local birds and that is what keeps our bird population in good stead.”

Portuguese Men-Of-War Dot NC Beaches

Robert Michelson — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 04:00:06 +0000

This Portuguese man-of-war’s blue bubble and tentacles are visible after washing up on the beach May 23 at Fort Macon State Park. Photo: Vicki Hibbs

The Portuguese man-of-war, a blue-crested float attached to a dark mass of tentacles, has been spotted in large numbers on beaches during the past several weeks at Fort Macon State Park, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Wrightsville Beach and elsewhere along the North Carolina coast.

Found in the Atlantic, Pacific, where they’re called “blue bottle,” and Indian oceans, men-of-war are not jellyfish, but are a colonial group of animals that function as one creature. Starting in the early spring every year, the men-of-war are carried up the coast from the Caribbean by prevailing Gulf Stream currents and winds that move them along in the ocean before being stranded on the sand the tide.

Karen Duggan, interpretive park ranger with Cape Lookout National Seashore, said that how many men-of-war they see during a season depends on the storm tracks and the winds and waves or swells they generate.

Two Portuguese men-of-war are washed up in a wrackline of seaweed May 23 at Fort Macon State Park. Photo: Vicki Hibbs

Cape Lookout in Carteret County is made up of 56 miles of remote beaches that can only be reached by a boat of some sort.

“We can go without any all season or we may get several episodes. The number coming ashore will vary and it is often really hard to estimate as we have 4 individual islands – two are about 20 miles in length, one is about 9 miles in length and the last is only a mile or two,” said Duggan. When you are dealing with a developed beach, such as in a town, and only maybe a couple of miles in length, it’s a lot easier to get there and estimate the numbers.

The seashore posted on May 2 the first Portuguese man-o-war of the season had been observed and photographed, showing a tendril, or group of tentacles training in the sand, with a capability to sting anyone who stepped on it.

“We had more Portuguese man-of-war washing in on the soundside beaches behind the island of Shackleford Banks on May 31^st. Currents have carried them through Beaufort Inlet and onto the beaches of the western end of the island,” said Duggan.

Duggan said the National Park Service believed the men-of-war came ashore with the help of a south and east wind associated with weather fronts moving through the region.

Duggan said that men-o-war have tentacles that average 30 feet in length, with a maximum tentacle length of about 50 feet.

The tentacles are covered in venom-filled stinging cells, called nematocysts that the animal uses to paralyze and kill fish, and other small creatures that swim into their dangling net of tentacles.

For humans, a man-of-war sting is very painful, but rarely deadly. But beware, even dead men-of-wars that have been washed up on the beach can still deliver a powerful sting.

“The float is what we notice the most when they’re on the beach. Often the tentacles are buried in the sand but they are still a danger to bare feet and pets. If you step on them, you’ll know it — They hurt. Give any floats that you see a wide berth, so you don’t encounter the tentacles,” Duggan said.

If you see the blue bubble of the Portuguese man-of-war, watch your step. Photo: Vicki Hibbs

If you see the blue bubble of a man-o-war on the beach keep your kids away, and bury the tentacles by using a credit card, or other creative barrier you may have with you on the beach, Duggan suggested.

“Anyone who encounters the animals should be cautious and avoid contact,” she said. “The tentacles release thousands of microscopic venom-injections onto the skin and can lead to death on rare occasions, especially if stung around the face, and neck area while swimming.”

North Carolina Aquarium Education Curator Dia Hitt explained that the Portuguese man-of-war is a colony of zooids, or small animals, that work together for survival. Together they are known as a siphonophore.

“They are not considered jellyfish since they are not one animal but many. They don’t have a propulsion system; instead, they are at the mercy of the wind and the currents. Which is why some years we see them and other seasons we don’t,” Hitt said. “As far as I know, there is no count available to determine how many show up each year. Some years we see lots of them and other years we hardly see any.”

Their polyps help them with feeding, defense and reproduction. The large air bladder on top is a type of polyp and is filled with gases. It helps keep the animal afloat.

“They are invertebrates which means they have no backbone. They are also carnivores eating plankton and other small animals,” Hitt added. “Jellyfish and other planktonic animals are a very important part of the food chain. Sea turtles, marine mammals, fish and other animals all depend on these animals. In fact, jellyfish is one of the favorite foods for leatherback sea turtles, and Giant Ocean sunfish.”

Hitt said the tentacles have venom-filled structures called nematocysts on them that they use to capture prey. “Unfortunately, these structures can also cause a powerful sting in people.”

If you get stung, the best course of action is to rinse that part of your skin with vinegar to get rid of anything the animal may have left behind, according to a 2017 news release from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Then, researchers recommend putting that part of the skin in hot water or covering it with a warm object.

“I recommend that visitors carry a small bottle of vinegar with them so if they, their children or their pet are stung they can treat the affected foot, paw, or hand immediately. If swimming and stung in the face, or neck area, seek medical help as soon as is possible,” Duggan said.

“A second treatment involves using Adolph’s Meat Tenderizer, the plain version without any other spices added, and is the brand of choice as it uses papain, which counteracts the effects of the poison injected by the jellyfish. Mix some of the meat tenderizer powder with water to make a muddy compact, and place it over the affected area. There may be other brands available, but Adolph’s is basically your choice, especially here in the Southeast,” Duggan added.

Birders Count Portsmouth’s Avian Population

Peter Vankevich — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 05:00:45 +0000

Participating in the Christmas Bird Count Dec. 31 on Portsmouth Island are, from left, Elizabeth Cisne, Janeen Vanhooke and Hal Broadfoot. Photo: Peter Vankevich

Reprinted from the Ocracoke Observer

It takes about a half hour by boat from Ocracoke’s Silver Lake harbor to the loading dock at Portsmouth village.

A group of birders took the ride in the early morning of the last day of 2019 to participate in the island’s annual Christmas Bird Count. This census started in 1988 and attracts between 15 to 25 participants who walk the village and beach identifying species and counting the number of individuals seen or heard.

A total of 18, though not all were hardcore birders, came over that morning. One was Allan Fairbanks, chief photojournalist for WCTI-TV 12 of New Bern. He was intrigued by both Portsmouth and the idea it would make a good story to cover the activity and provide a story on how Hurricane Dorian impacted the 20-plus structures. The news stories produced by WCTI-TV are available here and here.

Usually, Capt. Rudy Austin or his brother, Donald, of Portsmouth Island Boat Tours drops the birders off on the sound side to a long, empty dock, covered with broken shells dropped from above by herring gulls.

This year was different. Waiting to greet the group was Jeff West, Cape Lookout National Seashore’s superintendent and the park’s Lead Biological Science Technician Chelsey Stephenson and Evan Knight.

Chelsey Stephenson and Evan Knight. Photo: Peter Vankevich

This count would be different in another way. The observers would get to see how changed the village was from the peaceful tranquility they experienced the previous December. Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 6 delivered to Portsmouth village the same 7-foot plus storm surge that devastated Ocracoke.

Portsmouth, part of Carteret County, was established in 1753 by the North Carolina Colonial Assembly and served as a point for shipping and fishing. Its heyday was the 1860s with a peak population of 860 residents who engaged in fishing and shipping and functioned as a lightering port, where cargo from oceangoing vessels could be transferred to shallow-draft vessels capable of traversing Pamlico and Core sounds to the mainland. Over its two centuries, there was never any electricity or running water.

The village went into decline as alternative means for getting goods to the mainland were used. The last residents left in 1971 and it is now administered by the National Park Service as part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore.

Over the centuries, Portsmouth has withstood many hurricanes, some a direct hit such as Isabel in 2003. The 21 structures remaining today include a post office/store, church, school and a large lifesaving station. The rest are mostly homes and a few sheds. On the edge of the village, ocean side, are the park service infrastructure buildings for a generator, maintenance and to store tractors.

West thanked everyone, saying the longtime data gathering from the bird counts gives people a good idea of what species spend the early winter there. Over the 30 years, nearly 200 species have been identified in varying numbers from year to year.

Doctor’s Creek, Portsmouth Village. Photo: Peter Vankevich

Heading into the village, which is still officially closed to visitors, the group stopped at the Salter-Dixon house, which serves as the visitor’s center, to leave some gear on the porch and get their coverage assignments. Flying overhead was a flock of white ibis, and a clapper rail could be heard clucking in the marsh. Absent this year was a Merlin which often perches on a nearby tree, serving as a sentry.

The birders divided into four teams, two headed out to the dunes and beach, the other two carved up the village. West stayed with one of the village teams while Fairbanks filmed him talking about the damage and recorded the count activities.

Some of the participants in the 2019 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count Dec. 31. From left, Lars Skriver, Chelsey Stephenson, Tucker Scully, Peter Vankevich, Lee Kimball, Janeen Vanhooke and Elizabeth Cisne. Photo: Evan Knight

West is a high energy, hands-on, blue collar administrator who loves to talk Portsmouth. When Ocracoke islander Dave Frum retired several years ago as the village’s part-time caretaker, he was not replaced due to budget constraints.

To make up for it, West often spends weekends there landscaping and doing small but much-needed repairs. He knows every building in the village and their status. None of it is good news.

Superintendent Jeff West chats with Portsmouth Island scholar Kenneth Burke at the 2018 Portsmouth Island Homecoming. Photo: Peter Vankevich

After Dorian, West headed to the village by boat to assess the damage and take photographs. All of the structures were damaged and some may have to be torn down, he reported. Soon after, 68 volunteers and contractors, making up the National Park Service Incident Management Team, descended on the village for about three weeks to assist in cleaning up debris and stabilizing the buildings. The Arrowhead Fire Crew from Sequoia, California, sent 23 of their members.

The George Dixon house suffered so much damage that it may have to be demolished, West wrote in a report in the Doctor’s Creek Journal, recently published by the Friends of Portsmouth Island. He chronicled damage to all the structures in the village, two cemeteries and the infrastructure of the roads and docks.

The George Dixon house may have to be demolished. Photo: Peter Vankevich

And it wasn’t only the buildings that Dorian impacted. Fifty-four new inlets were carved into the Cape Lookout National Seashore. Almost all of them have since been filled in, but four remain.

Birds in the village can vary from year to year, or for that matter week-to-week or even day-to-day. After heavy rains and there are puddles in the grass around the church, shorebirds such as greater yellowlegs, dunlin and a few species of plovers can sometimes be seen foraging. Not this year.

The only shorebirds were a flock of nine killdeer that flew overhead. The large majority of shorebirds for this count were observed on the beach and along the inlet, including 300 short-billed dowitchers and 350 dunlin. The ubiquitous myrtle warblers were present throughout in good numbers as usual.

The presence of birds in an area where they are relatively unscathed by human presence can bring surprises and this year yielded some. On the beach area of Ocracoke Inlet near Doctor’s Creek and the Methodist Church was a resting flock of American oystercatchers and 60 were visible with the use of a high-powered spotting scope. Oystercatchers, normally solitary or in pairs, can congregate in large flocks like this in winter.

Numbers like this are normally farther south and this count usually gets about 10 to 12 individuals. About an hour later, an adult bald eagle glided by that spooked them into flight which permitted a more precise count of 94 individuals. It’s nice when a bald eagle decides to help a Christmas Bird Count.

“Ocracoke and Portsmouth provided the perfect landscape for breaking in our new Muck boots!” said Elizabeth Cisne and Janeen Vanhooke jointly when asked about the day. They traveled from Nebraska and Chicago, respectively, to participate. “This was our second time at Portsmouth, and the show put on by the American oystercatchers there was amazing. Never have we seen such a large flock of them in flight. Where’s the camera when we need it?”

A bald eagle over Portsmouth during the Christmas Bird Count Dec. 31. Photo: Jeff Beane

The other amazing feature of the count was the high number of brown pelicans. Tom and Susse Wright of Ocracoke ventured out to the beach on foot. There they encountered a long line of brown pelicans that they estimated to be 5,000. Again, that’s a large number to be in North Carolina this time of year. To pile on, the Ocracoke count that took place the day before had nearly 2,000 pelicans. Brown pelicans have been increasing in the mid-Atlantic and expanding into the Chesapeake Bay.

Since the temperatures have been seasonally much warmer and there is an adequate number of fish in the waters, these two factors may explain why so many are still in the region and not farther south.

Another high number was 154 royal terns. There is a large nesting colony of these terns on the dredge island at Big Foot Slough off Ocracoke where the Cedar Island and Swan Quarter ferries pass. Again, most winter in the warmer waters farther south.

Another special find was a blue-headed vireo, photographed in the village by Jeff Beane, another longtime veteran of the count. This was only the fourth time this vireo has been observed in the 30 years of the count.

Blue-headed vireo. Photo: Jeff Beane

Spending the last day of the year on Portsmouth Island located in this “watery part of the world,” to borrow from the title of Michael Parker’s well-written veiled novel about Portsmouth, is both an adventure and a memorable experience.

Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count list for Dec. 31, 2019:

Snow goose: 4
Brant: 80
Gadwall: 110
American black duck: 74
Mallard: 2
Redhead: 7,000
Scoter sp. (unidentified species)
Bufflehead: 2
Hooded merganser: 14
Red-breasted merganser: 6
Northern gannet: 80
Double-crested cormorant: 2,225
Brown pelican: 5,000
American bittern: 3
Great blue heron: 2
Great egret: 5
Snowy egret: 4
Little blue heron: 2
Tricolored heron: 7
Black-crowned night heron: 7
White ibis: 58
Northern harrier: 10
Sharp-shinned hawk: 1
Cooper’s hawk: 1
Bald eagle: 2
Clapper rail: 17
Virginia rail: 1
Oystercatcher: 94
Black-bellied plover: 61
Killdeer: 9
Willet: 1
Yellowlegs sp.: 18
Sanderling: 200
Dunlin: 350
Peep sp. (small sandpiper unidentified by species): 1
Short-billed dowitcher: 300
Ring-billed gull: 1,547
Herring gull: 29
Great black-backed gull: 58
Royal tern: 154
Black skimmer: 1
Belted kingfisher: 5
Northern flicker: 7
Eastern phoebe: 6
Blue-headed vireo: 1
House wren: 1
Sedge wren: 5
Marsh wren: 2
Carolina wren: 8
Golden-crowned kinglet: 1
Ruby-crowned kinglet: 1
American robin: 64
Gray catbird: 6
Northern mockingbird: 10
Cedar waxwing: 40
Common yellowthroat: 3
Palm warbler: 2
Yellow-rumped warbler: 378
Chipping sparrow: 3
Savannah sparrow: 4
Song sparrow: 2
Swamp sparrow: 1
Eastern towhee: 20
Northern cardinal: 3
Red-winged blackbird: 4
Eastern meadowlark: 5

This story is provided courtesy of the Ocracoke Observer, a newspaper covering Ocracoke island. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Ocracoke Observer to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast.

Event to Celebrate Role of Fire in Pine Forests

Lynda Van Kuren — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 04:00:11 +0000

Photo: Fire In the Pines

WILMINGTON – Far from being a destructive force, fire is essential to North Carolina’s forests. Without fire, North Carolina’s state tree, the pine, and specifically the longleaf pine, as well as many other plants and animals that live in our forests, could disappear.

“Like rainforests need rain, our pine forests need fire,” said Angie Carl, coastal fire and restoration manager for the Nature Conservatory.

That’s why controlled, or prescribed, burns, which are fires that are purposely ignited to restore ecosystem health, recycle nutrients, or prepare an area for new trees or vegetation, are set in southeastern North Carolina’s forests every two to four years.

Controlled burns are so important the area hosts an annual Fire in the Pines Festival, at which children and adults can learn about these beneficial fires as well as a host of other environmental issues. This year the Fire in the Pines Festival will be 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at its location since 2013, Halyburton Park, 4099 S. 17th St.

The Southeast’s forests developed with fires, which occurred naturally and regularly. These fires achieved many of the same goals as today’s controlled burns — they cleared the forest ground layer and allowed sunlight to reach the forest floor. This enables a rich, diverse ecosystem to grow and thrive.

Angie Carl sits amid a field of pitcher plants, a native species that depend on periodic fires. File photo: Tess Malijenovsky

“These forests favor plants that are pollinators and the like, the ones that produce food and berries for the carnivorous plants and animals. Then the animals that are associated with those plant species prefer that area,” said Carl.

Hundreds of different plants in North Carolina’s forest must have fire to prosper. For example, there are tree cones that only open after a fire crosses them, plants that use smoke for pollination and other plants that don’t seed until they are burned. Some plants, such as the Venus flytrap, pitcher plant and orchids, depend on fire to remove grasses and other vegetation so their seeds can grow in bare ground.

Forests that develop with fire are good for birds and animals, too, said Carl. They produce flowers and insects that birds such as the red cockaded woodpecker feed on, as well as huckleberries, persimmons and acorns that make up the diets of large animals such as deer and bear. Also, forests that have been cleared by fire are more open, which some animals prefer.

Controlled burns are also a safety measure — they reduce the risk of wildfire. This is important, because North Carolina has the potential to have large wildfires. It has the largest area of wildland-urban interface, or more houses within the forests, than any other state in the country.

“The forests like to burn, they want to burn, they were developed with fire,” said Carl. “If we don’t burn them, the forests will burn at some point. Controlled burns reduce the effect of wildfires by slowing them down or even stopping them.”

Finally, controlled burns are vital to helping preserve our forests, and especially the longleaf pine forests, Carl said. Longleaf pine forests, which have the highest biodiversity east of the Mississippi River, used to be in nine states. Now, due to agriculture and the growth of cities and suburbs, only 5% of the longleaf pine forests remain.

“We’re losing this valuable resource and asset with all this biodiversity,” said Carl. “Doing controlled burns provides a great ecosystem that makes our southern forests really special.”

The Venus flytrap and others in longleaf pine forests depend on fire to propagate. Photo: Fire in the Pines Festival

The Nature Conservatory, North Carolina Forest Service and Wilmington Parks and Recreation joined forces in 2010 to educate the public about the importance of controlled burns, and the Fire in the Pines Festival was born.

While festivalgoers can learn all about controlled burns, the area’s forests, their ecosystems and other environmental issues, they can also have a whole lot of fun.

A highlight of the day, weather permitting, is the controlled burn demonstration, which Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo and a local celebrity help with, but it faces stiff competition from Smokey Bear, Burner Bob and the fire engine and helicopter tours.

In addition, more than 60 environmental organizations and other participants will be on hand to answer questions and provide interactive, hands-on activities. And there will be animal exhibits including turtles, snakes and lizards, birds of prey demonstrations, carnivorous and rare plant displays, hayrides, games, arts and crafts, face painting, scavenger hunts and opportunities to win prizes — all accompanied by live music by the Folkstone String Duo. Attendees can satisfy hunger pangs at some of the area’s favorite food trucks, including Wheelz Pizza, Trolley Stop, A & M Red Food Truck and Poor Piggy’s BBQ & Catering. Except for food purchases the entire festival is free.

“The festival is a wonderful opportunity for families to come together with nature, have fun and learn about importance of environmental protection and controlled burning,” said festival organizer Francine DeCoursey.

Festivalgoers are encouraged to ride their bikes or hike to Halyburton Park via the cross-city trail. Drivers should park at 3147 S. 17th St., which is at the corner of Independence Boulevard and S. 17th St., and take the free festival trolley to the park.

The Fire in the Pines Festival is Saturday at Halyburton Park, 4099 S. 17th St., Wilmington.

Learn More

Fire in the Pines Festival

Beachcomber’s View: Sand Dollar Treasures

Kristin Hissong — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 04:00:47 +0000

Reprinted from Island Free Press

Growing up in North Carolina, my family often spent summer vacations on one of our state’s beautiful sandy beaches, our favorite being the tiny island of Sunset Beach. On most of the small-town Carolina beaches, time stops. Things that mattered before your vacation don’t anymore, and you instantly find yourself at peace surrounded by the majestic ocean.

Sand dollars are a type of flattened sea urchin that are also closely related to starfish and sea biscuits. Photo: Kristin Hissong

On most of our trips, my mom and I diligently woke up every morning before sunrise, (sometimes before the birds and definitely before anyone else in our family), to go look for shells. I wasn’t a professional beachcomber back then, so I only looked for shells. My mom and I quickly learned where the best shells would wash up, and we would spend the majority of our vacation scavenging the beaches for our seashell treasures. Year after year, we would go for only a few weeks out of the year, where we usually found scallops, eastern cockles and coquinas.

However, on one magical morning, we hit the jackpot.

As we walked along the coastline at dawn, toward the north end of the island we saw a boat pull up and the man operating it started throwing stuff to the shore. On the north end of Sunset Beach is a small channel that lets you into the calm waters of the bay. It’s similar to Oregon Inlet and the sound side, except that the currents at Sunset Beach are nowhere near the power experienced on the Outer Banks.

At first, my mom and I could not figure out what he was tossing ashore. It looked like globs of seaweed or cow patties, to be honest, flying in the air, and it wasn’t until we got right up to him that we were able to figure out what he was discarding.

His net was full of sand dollars, and he was throwing them onto the beach. We did not know what to think. I was 7 and my mom could tell I was starting to get a little upset because they were alive and the man was tossing them so hard that many were breaking in half. He had hundreds of them and my mom and I threw most of them back into the ocean in an attempt to save them, not knowing if their fate had been sealed because they had been removed from their environment.

We worked through the excitement, trying to save the ones we could and keeping a few as treasures, but we were experiencing something new about our beloved ocean and we didn’t full understand what had happened. We gathered up many of the broken ones and the ones that were already dead and went back to our beach house with half smiles on our faces. Our family was certainly impressed by our haul, but this was maybe the second time in my life I had ever found a sand dollar, and I just couldn’t shake how we acquired them.

At the time, I decided to do some research about sand dollars because I wanted to know more about them. I wanted to know where they lived and if there was anything I could have done differently that day to save more of them, or if they could have been saved at all.

Unlike today, I had to wait until we got back home so that I could go to our public library and try and find books about seashells. The problem I ran into was that there was little information, (and still is, actually), about living shells, because they are nocturnal, and it is challenging to study seashells in their natural environment in the dark, as you can imagine.

But what I have been able to learn throughout the years still blows my mind away.

The sand dollar is a flattened sea urchin that buries into the sand. They are closely related to starfish and sea biscuits, which are puffed-up urchins. All the urchins filter ocean water in their own unique way. The sand dollar uses the five, star-shaped openings to flush seawater through its body. This process also helps propel them across the sea floor, although they don’t typically do much moving around due to their extremely dense population.

Sand dollars live just below the surface of the oceans’ floor, and in massive amounts. Hundreds of sand dollars can live in the tiniest space, with the larger ones on the bottom and the younger, smaller ones on top. This is why you typically find hundreds of sand dollars washed up at one time if you are lucky enough to stumble across this type of beach scene.

When a storm comes and stirs up the area where the sand dollars live, hundreds can be destroyed. Often, after a storm, you can even find the powdery remains of a large quantities of dried-out sand dollars along the tide line.

When sand dollars are alive, they are covered with tiny hairs which help them eat; usually algae, but they also eat larvae and other microorganisms. These tiny hairs help sweep food into their mouths which contain five teeth. The sand dollars chew very slowly, and digests food equally as slow. The diet of the sand dollar is how it get its coloring, similar to mollusks, which also get unique coloring from their diets. It is only after the sand dollar dies and the fine hairs fall off the skeleton that it gets bleached by the sun, turning it white.

Once the sand dollar has turned white, it becomes incredibly fragile. In fact, I can remember finding a tiny one that I was holding in my palm, when a wind gust blew it right out of my hand. It hit the wet, sandy shore, and shattered in 20 pieces. Although most of the sand dollar was gone, there were five little pieces that survived, that looked like tiny seagulls. I found out later that there is a religious legend about these tiny pieces, and the sand dollar in general.

When a sand dollar breaks, the five objects that fall are believed by some Christians to be the five Angels of Peace who sang to the shepherds on the day of Jesus’ birth. Scientifically, they are actually just their teeth, which is why you can sometimes find them among the powdery remains of their skeleton in the tide lines. (I like thinking they’re angels.)

Although they have a mouth with teeth, they are not considered a predator, and they have very few enemies in the vast ocean. Sheepshead fish and some larger starfish will prey upon them, but they usually meet their death naturally by storms. Thunderstorms, nor’easters and hurricanes can stir up the areas where the sand dollars are living, resulting in hundreds of them dying.

They get tangled up in the seaweeds that are ripped off the floor, and the sun cooks them as they ride the weeds on the surface of the water. The freshest ones become bird food, and the others get bleached out by the sunshine and turn white. If the water stays calm enough for the white ones to make it ashore, then an unsuspecting beachcomber may find one of the most fragile treasures in the ocean.

As an adult, I still get a thrill out of finding large, white sand dollars, but now that I have been beachcombing for many years here on the Outer Banks, I have learned something even more fascinating about one of my most favorite treasures.

A fossilized sand dollar. Photo: Kristin Hissong

The Outer Banks is known for its shoaling, where sand is being tossed around by underwater currents which creates shallow bars that can be there one day, and gone the next. These currents can be so powerful when storms are approaching, that they can bring up sand that is thousands of years old. On rare occasions, this old sand has equally old seashells, which is how you can find fossilized sand dollars.

These fossilized sand dollars are as hard as rocks, encrusted with extremely hard sand. They could have become fossils from an underwater magma leak from an opening in a fault line, or just died of natural causes before being buried under the depths of the sea for thousands of years. In many of the ones I have found, I can see a part of their five-star pores, which is like their signature marking to most collectors. To the untrained eye, and sometimes even to experts, they can appear to be camouflaged, as they are flat and usually sand color.

Whether it’s freshly deceased or an ancient fossilized sand dollar you are looking for, if you walk a little slower and think a little less about all that stuff that matters, you may have a chance of finding one of these spectacular gifts from the ever generous ocean.

This story is provided courtesy of the Island Free Press, a digital newspaper covering Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Free Press to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast.

Summer Brings Southern Rarities, Songbirds

Jeff Lewis — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 04:00:03 +0000

Reprinted from the Outer Banks Voice

Black-bellied whistling duck. Photo: Jeff Lewis

By June, after long flights from Central and South America, most of our spring migrants have reached their destinations and begun new families.

The majority of shorebird species are in Canada or Alaska, many of them on the Arctic tundra, where conditions and abundant food are perfect for raising youngsters in a hurry.

The woodland songbirds that didn’t settle here in North Carolina are also far north of us, many of them breeding in lush Canadian forests.

So what’s a birder to look for on the Outer Banks in June?

First, we still have a few species of shorebirds on our beaches and mudflats. Some are are too young to nest, so they stayed behind. Others, like piping plover, Wilson’s plover, killdeer, eastern willet, American oystercatcher, and black-necked stilt actually nest here. In addition, our beaches are full of terns and gulls, many of them nesting.

Second, there is a plethora of breeding songbirds in our forests, scrub habitats, marshes and backyards to entertain us. From warblers to wrens and hummingbirds to hawks, they are available.

For those birders always looking for something rare, let’s look at several southern species that you just can try for. You may get lucky.

Black-bellied whistling-ducks have been slowly moving northward, with sightings in North Carolina becoming annual. This southern “tree duck” has been seen in Mann’s Harbor twice now, as well as in several other locations in the state. A black-bellied whistling-duck is like a goose, with a long neck, long legs, a black belly and a bright red bill. They almost never stay in one location for long, apparently liking their frustrating status as “one-day wonders.”

Mottled ducks have not been seen in Dare County yet, but will undoubtedly show up here eventually. Looking like a black duck, but lighter, with a very pale head, these dabbling ducks are gradually extending their breeding range northward. Wouldn’t it be exciting to find the first one ever recorded in Dare County?

Wood stork is another southern species that is expanding its range northward. There are already several large colonies in the southern coastal section of North Carolina and stray birds have been showing up in Dare County for several years now, including in 2018. These are unmistakable, large, black and white wading birds with heavy, down-curved bills. Wood storks have been spotted feeding in ditches, roosting in trees and soaring overhead.

Roseate spoonbills occasionally make their way to the Outer Banks. Photo: Contributed

Limpkin is a species that I’ve personally been anxiously waiting to add to my North Carolina list. Limpkins are large, brown and white-streaked wading birds normally found in swamps and wetlands in Florida. In recent years, there have been several reports north of Florida, including in North Carolina. One was spotted May 22 in Mecklenburg County.

Yet another wading bird from the Deep South that is possible in our area is the roseate spoonbill. 2018 was a banner year for this large wading bird, with several seen in our area, and there is no reason it can’t happen again. Look for this beautiful, spoon-billed bird at Pea Island and other wet habitats. You can’t mess up on the ID – it’s pink!

Search high in the air over the ocean for magnificent frigatebird. Although rare in our area, these “man-o-war” birds are seen annually in summer along our coast. They spend practically all of their time searching for fish, which they either steal from other birds or snatch from the water’s surface. Frigatebirds are easily identified by their dark plumage, 7 to 8-foot wingspan and a long, forked tail. This is a huge “wow” bird.

Purple gallinule is another awesome bird that makes its home in the Deep South but is sometimes seen in our area. Keep an eye out for them in densely vegetated wet habitats, such as swamps, marshes and even roadside ditches. More than one has been spotted in the ditch in south Nags Head in recent years. Look for a purplish-blue chicken-like bird, with huge yellow feet and a red and yellow bill. Purple gallinules are often seen walking on top of floating vegetation, feeding on plant parts and small animal matter.

The swallow-tailed kite is arguably our most graceful bird-of-prey. White with black trailing wing edges and a long, black, deeply forked tail, these beautiful birds are like no other. Historically breeding from Florida to South Carolina, these birds have now moved north and are nesting in southern North Carolina bottomlands along the Cape Fear River.

They are usually seen in spring and summer along our coastline, but may also be seen slightly inland. They hunt on the wing, catching flying insects; also dropping down to catch small snakes and lizards. You’ll never forget your first sighting of this graceful raptor. It’s always a good day when you see a swallow-tailed kite.

Purple gallinule. Photo: Contributed

Gray kingbird, a summer resident from Florida to South Carolina is almost annual in Dare County. Similar to our common eastern kingbird, gray kingbirds are paler gray on the back, lack the white terminal band on the tail and have a heavier bill. They prefer open habitats, where they fly-catch for food from a low perch.

Shiny cowbird is another species to look for. A South American brood parasite that has spread northward, there were several sightings in North Carolina in the 1990s and early 2000s, but no reports in recent years.

They have been seen on Pea Island, Bodie Island and in Stumpy Point. Similar to our common brown-headed cowbird, but with a glossy purple head instead of a brown one, and a thinner, sharper bill. The females are more difficult to distinguish, looking very similar, but darker than, brown-headed cowbirds.

Very unlikely, but entirely possible, black-whiskered vireo has been seen several times in North Carolina, including once in Dare County, in my yard!

May and June seem to be the best months. Normally found in the mangrove swamps of Florida, mine was singing high in an oak in Manteo. Black-whiskered vireos look very similar to our common red-eyed vireos but have a larger bill and a different pattern on the face, including a dark malar stripe. Consult a good field guide.

Good luck, and let the birding world know if you find any of these gems. See you in the field!

Beachcomber’s View: Science of Sea Glass

Kristin Hissong — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 04:00:10 +0000

Sea glass can be found in a range of colors along Outer Banks beaches. Photo: Kristin Hissong

Reprinted from Island Free Press

The Outer Banks is home to an array of natural beauty, from the long stretches of wild beaches, to the calming waters of the sound, to all the many varieties of marine life.

People come from all over the world, year after year, to enjoy all the treasures that these miles of sand have to offer, and one of these treasures that is growing in popularity and diminishing in availability is sea glass.

Most sea glass comes from broken bottles, with just a small percentage from decorative items like vases or tableware. Photo: Kristin Hissong

Sea glass is a piece of glass that has become smooth and frosty from being out at sea for an extended period of time, usually more than 25 years. Sea glass is glass that has been chemically altered – naturally – by the intense ph levels of the body of water it has been submerged in over many years.

If the ph levels are high, like in the Atlantic Ocean or Great Lakes, then the water will yield collectible pieces. If the ph levels are low, like in most lakes and sounds, then that body of water will yield slick glass, which are sharp shard-like pieces that are not favorable for sea glass collectors.

About 90% of sea glass pieces come from broken bottles and the other 10% come from decorative items like vases or tableware. On the Outer Banks, the sea glass supply comes mostly from commercial glass containers like Clorox or Listerine, and on rare occasions, one can find a red piece from a boat lens or a teal piece from a telephone insulator.

In the early development of America, ships would carry goods up and down the coast, but the Outer Banks is not know for its smooth sailing, and consequently many ships wrecked causing their goods to be dumped into the Atlantic Ocean.

Years later, and unknown to anyone, some of the glass objects turned into beautiful, collectible sea glass.

Storm surges from hurricanes and other storms like nor’esters pound the shores of the Outer Banks annually. Sometimes these surges wash away homes and the contents of these houses ends up in the ocean. Items made out glass from these homes also have the potential to become sea glass. One of my favorite pieces that I donated to the Sea glass Museum was an intact insulator from a GE range from the early 1950s.

The colors of sea glass that can be found depend on the history of the beaches. For example, chunky aqua pieces are frequently found on beaches in Japan because historically they are known for their glass fishing buoys which are famed for their thickness and beautiful aqua blue coloring.

The Outer Banks is known for having lots of brown and clear sea glass, because of all of the aforementioned commercial vessels, but it is known for having lots of black glass as well.

Black glass, or “pirate glass,” is glass that looks black, but when held up to the light, its true color is revealed. For the Outer Banks, the pirate glass is usually dark olive green, often with an air bubble stuck inside which indicates that it was made by hand and thus very old.

The true pirate glass pieces that are found here could date back to the 1700s, and are usually thicker that all other pieces of sea glass. These are often over looked by beginners because they sometimes look like a black rock.

Beachcomber Kristin Hissong searches for sea glass, which she photographs.

On rare occasions, black glass can also be a deep amethyst or indigo blue, which typically stems from electrical insulators. Light bulbs have a tiny glass insulator wrapped in metal at the base of the glass. These insulators can be a deep purple or blue color, and can sometimes be found washed ashore with the bulb intact. Telephone poles used to have glass insulators on them, and they came in a wide variety of colors all which can be found on the Outer Banks. These type of insulators are exciting for collectors because they are usually very thick and often a rare color.

People always ask me where the secret spot is to find sea glass, but truthfully, no one really knows.

The beachcombers I know that collect sea glass go often and they walk slow, picking up everything they come across. Many times I have bent down to pick up a piece of trash only to discover a beautiful piece of sea glass hiding under a shell or a pile of seaweed. Walking slow and thinking about the colors of sea glass I want to find are some of the things I do when I am out sea glass hunting.

I also walk the areas again because sea glass likes to hide between shells and rocks, and even the most experienced collector can walk over pieces that are tucked away.

Have patience, stay happy, and soon enough the sea glass will find you.

Warblers and Shorebirds and Terns, Oh My!

Jeff Lewis — Thu, 16 May 2019 04:00:29 +0000

Male yellow warbler in Duck. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Reprinted from Outer Banks Voice

Spring birding on the Outer Banks is awesome in May. Our summer breeders have already arrived and are in place, defending territories, building nests and raising young.

A good variety of beautiful, migrating songbirds, headed north, are flying through. Many will pass to the west of us, some will fly over us, but good numbers representing a great variety should drop in for refueling. These are the ones we’re after.

One of the best things about spring migration, in comparison to fall migration, is that the birds, whether songbirds, shorebirds or wading birds, are in their most beautiful plumage.

Unlike during fall migration, indigo buntings are actually indigo, scarlet tanagers are actually scarlet, red knots are actually red and black-bellied plovers actually have a black belly.

An early May morning venture into an Outer Banks forest has the potential to produce a long list of feathered jewels: warblers, vireos and flycatchers, with an occasional cuckoo, oriole, tanager, bunting, grosbeak or thrush mixed in.

Wood-warblers are very popular among most birders. In addition to the 12 species that breed in Dare County, plus lingering yellow-rumped and palm warblers, look for the other regularly occurring warblers. Yellow warbler, pretty easy in open habitats with small, brushy trees, especially willows. Magnolia warbler, any wooded habitat, but not easy — listen for its song. Black-throated blue warbler, look in the forest understory. Blackpoll warbler, any wooded habitats — listen for the very high-pitched song. American redstart, usually dancing around high in the trees. Northern waterthrush, in damp woods near water or bobbing up and down on the ground next to the water.

More challenging warblers to hope for in spring include Cape May, Blackburnian and blue-winged warbler. Do you feel lucky? In the “very difficult” category are chestnut-sided, bay-breasted, cerulean, golden-winged, Tennessee, Nashville, and Canada warbler. Most of this last batch are “mountain birds.”

Likely sites for migrant songbirds of all types include Buxton Woods, Bodie Island Woods, Nags Head Woods, Fort Raleigh and vicinity, Kitty Hawk Woods, the Duck boardwalk (edge habitat), and the Corolla Lighthouse area. Other possibilities include patches of woods in any of the southern villages, the woods of Southern Shores, and any wooded areas that are accessible from Sanderling to Corolla, especially those spots closest to Currituck Sound.

Tree swallow feeds nestling. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Open habitats near water are great places to look for purple martins and a variety of swallows. Tree swallows, bluish above and white underneath, nest in tree cavities and in birdhouses.

One dependable location is on the Coastal Studies Institute’s campus in Wanchese, where several pairs compete with the bluebirds for the boxes. Barn swallows, nesting under bridges, piers and boat docks, as well as in barns, are colorful with a red throat, cinnamon underparts, and a beautiful, long, forked tail. These common birds are wonderful acrobats and amazing to watch as they hunt aerial insects.

Brown and white northern rough-winged swallows, with their distinctive buzzy calls, nest in holes in cliff banks. Bank swallows, challenging to find, are similar to rough-wings but are smaller and have a brown breast band. They have been spotted in recent years in the Buxton campground area and in the Whalehead Club area in Corolla.

Cliff Swallows, with a dark red throat and a buffy rump, are very hard to find on the Outer Banks. They do not nest here yet but are expanding their range. They are nesting under the U.S. 17, Roanoke River bridge in Williamston, as well as under several bridges in the Greenville area.

May is a huge month for shorebird migration, and these birds are mostly in breeding plumage, too. Search the beaches, shorelines, inlets, impoundments and grassy fields for up to 35 or so species of plovers, sandpipers and other shorebirds.

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, with its sandy beaches, wet grassy areas, mudflats and shallow waters, is the most obvious place to look first. Bring a spotting scope, if possible, a good field guide and start early. Not only are the birds very active in the morning, but the light is awesome and disturbance from N.C. 12 traffic is minimal.

In the surf zone and on the dry ocean beaches, where traffic is usually not a problem, look for sanderling, willet, whimbrel, red knot, ruddy turnstone, American oystercatcher, black-bellied plover, the rare Wilson’s plover, semipalmated plover and piping plover. Many of the black-bellied plovers will have jet-black underparts — stunningly beautiful! If you spot a Wilson’s plover, an irregular nester in our area, please report it to U.S. Fish and Wildlife. Please stay out of any posted nesting areas.

Along the sound edges on low tides, as well as in the impoundments, look for many of the same birds listed above, as well as many more species. You should certainly spot greater and lesser yellowlegs, ruddy turnstone, semipalmated and least sandpipers, Dunlin, short-billed dowitcher, black-necked stilt, American avocet, black-bellied plover, and semipalmated plover. Solitary, spotted and stilt Sandpipers and marbled godwits are fairly likely, too.

American avocet at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Several species of terns are possible in May. Best locations are along the beaches, especially near the inlets, as well as in the Pea Island impoundments, especially roosting on sand bars. Least terns, gull-billed terns, common terns and black skimmers are beginning to nest on the beaches, while royal and Sandwich terns are setting up house on some of the nearby spoil islands in the sound.

You may also see Forster’s terns, black terns and (huge) Caspian terns on your birding forays. Black terns are very different from the rest; instead of plunging into the water, these small birds feed mostly on insects and other animal prey, usually plucked from the water’s surface. An adult black tern is a very striking bird, almost entirely black and dark gray, they do have a white vent area.

In wooded Outer Banks back yards, the month of May provides you with good potential to see some of the migrant birds mentioned above. A good variety of native trees and shrubs will help tremendously, as will feeders and water features.

Migrant birds that will come to feeders include indigo buntings, rose-breasted grosbeaks and Baltimore orioles. Species attracted to water are — virtually all of them. Late afternoon until dusk are good times to sit quietly and watch the bird baths, and remember, moving water is best, by far.

Hope to see you in the field!

Plymouth Set to Celebrate Black Bears

Jennifer Allen — Mon, 13 May 2019 04:00:22 +0000

Black bear tours, like the one shown here, are one of the 30-plus activities planned for the fifth annual North Carolina Black Bear Festival May 31-June 2 in Plymouth. Photo: Tom Harrison

PLYMOUTH – It’s a little-known fact that coastal North Carolina is home to the world’s largest black bears according to the organizer of the North Carolina Black Bear Festival, and he wants to change that.

Festival founder and director Tom Harrison, who serves as part-time director of the Washington County Travel and Tourism Authority, explained that the state Black Bear Festival, set for the first weekend in June, started as a way to educate the public and particularly North Carolina residents about the state having the world’s largest black bears and highest black bear densities on the planet.

Tom Harrison is shown with the Rising Star Award.

“We celebrate this important superlative through hosting the award-winning N.C. Bear Fest along with National Black Bear Day, (June 1) that intentionally coincide,” he said.

In its fifth year, the festival celebrates the sizable critters over the course of three days, May 31 to June 2, with 30 educational and bear-themed activities including a 5K, wild bear watching tours, wildlife photography excursions, pontoon boat rides on the Roanoke River, a classic car show, wooden boat show, shark tooth fossil dig, fireworks, live music throughout the weekend, a blackberry extravaganza and more.

The festival park opens at 10 a.m. June 1 where there will be a full schedule of family-friendly activities, such as mechanical black bear rides, airboat rides, a black bear tent theater, a make-your-own bear, a free children’s fishing event, lazy river tubing, a magic show and vendors. The festival park will reopen 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 2.

National Black Bear day, created in Plymouth, will be celebrated at 11 a.m. June 1 at Feyer Ford Music Stage. National Black Bear Day will always be held on the first Saturday in June in conjunction with the event, according to the website.

Harrison, who photographs and records black bears all year and gives private bear tours, told Coastal Review Online that the success of the festival is because “Everyone loves bears! No matter what your age, bears seem to appeal to everyone.” Attendance has grown for the festival from 7,000 to 30,000.

Harrison added that many attend the festival for the “Bear Tours to see these magnificent animals in the wild. Others come for the huge variety of activities and unique events that are added each year. The Reflections on the Roanoke Fireworks Show is a jaw dropping, multi-media event that attracts thousands of people.”

Harrison said that his interest in black bears began almost three decades ago.

“For over 25 years I have been observing, photographing and taking video of black bear that are so large and so abundant in this area,” he said. “In March of 2015, a friend suggested we have a bear festival. My jaw dropped and I said, ‘That’s a great idea!’ So three days later I led our first Black Bear Festival meeting and three months later we had our first Black Bear Festival.”

Harrison applied in 2017 to the National Day Calendar to create the first National Black Bear Day.

“I noticed upon investigation that there was a National Polar Bear Day, but no National Black Bear Day – even though black bears are found in 40 of our 50 states,” he said in a statement, and in 2018 the first National Black Bear Day was celebrated at the festival, when there were visitors from 18 states and four foreign countries.

The Bear Fest gospel concert kicks of the event at 7 p.m. May 31 and will feature Brian Free and Assurance and Soul’d Out Trio at the Plymouth Church of Christ Family Life Center at 905 Washington St. Doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets are $10 each. There will also be live music 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. A full music schedule is available on the website.

The annual North Carolina Black Bear Festival draws thousands to Plymouth. Photo: Tom Harrison

Festivities on June 1 begin early with the 7:30 a.m. Run With The Bears 5K, a group paddle at Bear Track Landing and motorcycle poker run. The day wraps up with the 9 p.m. Reflections on the Roanoke Fireworks Show.

Festivalgoers can find out why bears hibernate, what they do during the different seasons and more with featured speakers, biologists Colleen Olfenbuttel and Chris Turner from 10 to 11 a.m. at Bear-Ology Black Bear Museum.

Olfenbuttel has served as the statewide black bear and furbearer biologist for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission since 2007. A certified wildlife biologist, she has been working in the wildlife profession for 20 years.

“We are glad to celebrate the bear,” Olfenbuttel said, especially because not only does the festival celebrate the bear, but also promotes how to responsibly coexist with bears.

During her presentation, she said she will speak about bear biology and what the bear does throughout the year. “I also talk about our BearWise initiative to try to teach people to live responsibly with bears.”

She added that they will have a booth at the festival with more details about BearWise, which teaches the six BearWise basics to help humans and bears coexist.

She told Coastal Review Online that the Wildlife Resources Commission’s biologists in the area have been participating in the bear festival since it was conceived.

“We are thrilled to be part of the festival,” she said, adding that the agency has been trying to promote for years that residents should be proud of the black bears on the coast. At one point, the species was almost eradicated but were able to hang on.

A bear mascot appears to jump off the mechanical black bear ride at the North Carolina Black Bear Festival. Photo: N.C. Black Bear Festival

This will also be the second year for the Blackberry Extravaganza. Harrison said that they debuted the extravaganza to expand the festival and attract a new demographic.

“We chose blackberries because black bears love to eat them, they begin to get ripe at the time of the Bear Festival and there is a similarity in name with black bears. We had a lot of fun with it last year and we are having it again this year,” he said. ”We have large blackberry character cutouts, a giant inflatable blackberry, a blackberry eating contest and vendor contests.”

The food vendors are required to include a blackberry food item on their menu and organizers award a prize to the best tasting food. “We also ask retail vendors to decorate their booth with a black bear/blackberry theme and the one judged best gets a prize.”

Harrison established Bear-Ology Black Bear Museum in Plymouth to have a year-round facility to promote Northeastern North Carolina having the world’s largest black bears the highest black bear densities on the planet, according to a release, after garnering success from the festival.

The festival has received many accolades since its inception, including the Rising Star Award from the North Carolina Association of Festivals & Events, Best Event in the state twice and the Top Twenty Event Award from the Southeast Tourism Society. Last year Bear Fest was named Best Small Festival from the Southeast Festival & Events Association.

“It’s remarkable what a small town can accomplish with a dedicated team, loyal sponsors and the support of the community,” Harrison said.

Plymouth Mayor Brian Roth said in a statement, “We are super-proud and honored to receive this special recognition. The N.C. Black Bear Festival has had an amazing impact on the town of Plymouth. It has created great awareness about the huge numbers of magnificent black bears on the Albemarle/Pamlico Peninsula and brought an economic resurgence to the town of Plymouth.”

Beachcomber’s View: Whelks Versus Conchs

Kristin Hissong — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 04:00:27 +0000

There are many differences between conchs and whelks, shown here, which are a favorite of beachcombers to collect. Photo: Kristin Hissong

Reprinted from Island Free Press

Beachcombing on the Outer Banks, especially during the winter and early spring, can prove to be a challenging adventure due to the harsh weather conditions that frequent the area. Our sandbar is known for its many shipwrecks due to high seas, strong currents and blustery nor’easters.

In the winter months, the Labrador Current dips down and pushes its arctic waters close to Hatteras Island, colliding with the Gulf Stream. This collision can stir up the ocean floor and cause huge amounts of debris to wash ashore, from shell piles to shipwrecks.

Many shells favor cold water over tropical waters, and one kind in particular that many beachcombers enjoy collecting is the whelk.

Whelk shells are often mistakenly called conch shells, but there are many differences in the two shell types. For starters, aside from the whelks preferring cold water and conchs preferring tropical waters, whelks are carnivores – and at times, cannibals – whereas conchs are herbivores.

Known as the “bullies of the sea,” whelks attack each other, as well as any other smaller animal they find. Conchs are not aggressive, for they eat algae or kelp and so they don’t have to kill for survival.

The whelk has a “foot” on its opening which is how the shell can move around the floor, dragging its large whirling shell behind itself. This foot is also used to help protect the shell from attacks, as well as aid it in its own attacks. The conch does not have this foot, and instead, it leaps around the floor by contracting its muscle.

Whelk shells are often confused for conchs. Photo: Kristin Hissong

Whelks are also hermaphrodites and sexually reproduce on their own. They lay a string of spiraling eggs cases that they implant into the sand. On Hatteras Island, beachcombers can often find these cream-colored spirals washed ashore after storms.

Each case can contain 25-plus tiny shells, and each strand can have over 40 cases – that’s more than 1,000 baby shells! These tiny shells burst out of the cases and swim on their own through the sea, in hopes of landing among a seashell sandbar where they can grow and develop. Comparatively, conchs are either male or female, and reproduce by having intercourse.

There are more than 50 kinds of whelks around the world, and there are six varieties of whelks that can be found along the coast of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands – knobbed, Kiener, lightning, channeled, pear and fig.

The knobbed whelk is Georgia’s official state shell, established in 1987, and in the same year, Texas made the lightning whelk their state shell.The Kiener whelk was established in 1995 as New Jersey’s state shell, and all three of these shells can frequently be found on the islands.

The channeled whelk is rare but not uncommon, whereas the pear and fig whelks are very rare in our area, as these are much more fragile than the other three kinds of whelks on the Outer Banks.

The lightning whelk is my personal favorite out of the six types mentioned above because it is one of the only shells known in the world that opens to the left. Almost every shell known, when you hold it in your hand with the point – or the apex – pointing upwards, the opening is on the right side, except for the lightning whelk.

Knobbed whelks resemble lightning whelks, but knobbed whelks open to the right. The Kiener whelk, in comparison to these two, has very defined points and often does not have the same coloring as the knobbed and lightning whelks.

Whelks have been around for over 60 million years and humans have been collecting and using them throughout the ages. On Hatteras Island, the legend goes that pirates would put the extra-large whelk shells on their fists, using the lightning one on their left, and have boxing matches using the whelks as gloves. There are other stories of sailors using the egg cases as a bath loofah, and evidence of Native Americans using them as gardening tools.

Nowadays, beachcombers collect them for their aesthetic value and not for their function. Some collect them for crafting, like making air plant pots. Since these shells get so large, our state record is over 12 inches, their size combined with the huge amount of eggs each one can lay means they are highly populated in the Atlantic Ocean.

They range in size from 0.5 inches to over 12 inches, and because of their toughness, broken pieces of these whelks can be found on almost every beach on the Outer Banks. Many of these broken whelk parts are gathered by shelling enthusiasts and artists. Although shells are no longer used in our culture like they once were, they are still valued among collectors and beachcombers.

The next time you are out beachcombing on the Outer Banks or on the North Atlantic coastline and you come across a huge spiral shell, you have most likely have found a whelk. Now that you know the difference between a whelk and a conch, fewer people will confuse the two species, so you’re “whelkome.”

Trail Supporters Set to Converge on Surf City

Mark Hibbs — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 05:00:28 +0000

Lorie Hansen, far right, who completed the Mountains to Sea Trail in 2015, poses with other hikers, from left, Dianne Griffin, Debbie Baity and Jan Gilliam along the trail. Photo: Randy Mays/Friends of the MST

SURF CITY – The annual membership meeting for the nonprofit volunteer group that supports the 1,175-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail and a planned weekend of excursions are expected lure to the area this spring hundreds of visitors from across North Carolina.

Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail announced that registration is open for the 2019 MST Gathering March 22-24.

The alternative Coastal Crescent Trail portion of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is the dip in the eastern part of the state which goes through Johnston, Sampson, Cumberland, Bladen, Pender and Onslow counties. The blue line is the original paddling route along the Neuse River. Photo: Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail is a footpath from Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains to Jockey’s Ridge on the Outer Banks. The trail, according to the MST Friends, represents a partnership involving local communities and trail groups, land trusts, federal and state land agencies, private landowners, the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation and the Friends. The trail is part of the state parks system, but segments of it are managed by different agencies and local governments.

The Friends’ mission includes trail building and maintenance, promotion of the use and care of the trail and providing information such as printed trail guides, trail improvements, advocacy and fundraising. The event is planned as a mix of showcasing for the first time coastal segments of the trail and the historic and natural attractions here, promoting the trails and the Friends’ organization, and providing help for the community.

Betsy Brown is the outreach manager for the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. She said this will be the third year of the organization hosting a weekend-long gathering, but the first in a coastal setting. The first two events, including the kickoff for the trail’s 40^th anniversary celebration in March 2017, were held in Elkin, which Brown described as “a great example of a trail town.” The celebration’s success, drawing 350 Friends that first year, sparked the idea of an annual gathering.

“We realized it was a really great way to show the trail off to our membership,” Brown said.

In Pender County, the trail route crosses what the Friends call “special places,” such as Moores Creek National Battlefield, the Holly Shelter Game Land and the beach attractions in Surf City.

The event, however, is more than just a showcase for the roughly 270-mile Coastal Crescent Trail, which was designated as part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail by the North Carolina General Assembly in a unanimous vote in June 2017, it’s also an opportunity for the Friends to serve. Because of the timing of event, amid the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Florence, organizers said they have an opportunity to be “purposeful partners in the rebuilding of our trail communities.”

Brown said the group was still putting together plans for service excursions during which attendees can work to repair or improve segments of the trail, such as those at Moores Creek Battlefield, or other nearby areas. There could be as many as 30 to 40 sawyers arriving for the event to clear the trails and help with whatever is needed, she said.

“Our trail workers love working on the trail, but they just want to be helpful,” Brown said.

Pender County was selected from a dozen communities across the state who responded to a request for proposals to host the event. Brown said site visits helped narrow the choices.

“The Surf City-Pender County area was the right place this time around,” she said, adding that much work had gone into developing trails in the eastern part of the state, both the long-planned Neuse River segments and the more recently realized Coastal Crescent Trail, which traverses the southeastern part of the state. She said that for more than 40 years, the trail was envisioned as a route along the Neuse River, until 2017 when the General Assembly agreed to add the Coastal Crescent Trail.

“The Surf City-Pender County area was the right place this time around.”
Betsy Brown, Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail

“It’s on an equal standing with Neuse River route,” Brown said. “The timing (of this year’s gathering) was perfect to bring as many folks as we can to the coast and showcase what makes this area so beautiful and special.”

She added that hikers who have walked the entire trail from the mountains to the coast often become emotional when they reach the crest of the dunes. “We’ve had so many hikers who have just burst into tears when they see the ocean. They’re really moved by it.”

Tammy Proctor, tourism director for Pender County, said the site selection for this year’s event was important in various ways.

“It means a lot to us that they selected us,” she said. “It shows we have a lot to offer. We view the trail, the Coastal Crescent segment, as an economic development driver. This is the first time that the gathering has been on the coast, so we’re real excited about the folks that will come to the coast, instead of the mountains.”

Morning at Topsail Island: Some hikers who have walked the entire trail from the mountains to the coast become emotional when they reach the crest of the dunes. Photo: Pender County Tourism

Proctor said that the Friends’ desire to help rebuild trails and offer other help was also significant for the community.

“We have a lot of folks who love the trail but haven’t built a trail before,” she said. “The fact that they are coming in to build and rebuild and train, they are offering us a lot in return.”

Proctor noted that the coastal trail may also offer more for trail enthusiasts of all abilities. She said some of the more challenging trails in the mountains are better suited to “billy goats” and climbers rather than walkers, whereas in Pender County, “The Surf City bridge is probably the only elevation they’ll see.”

But the attractions here are worth seeing and several are planned excursions during the event, including the Friday, March 22, reception at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, where members are to meet Director Jean Beasley and learn about the center’s work to protect, rescue and rehabilitate sick and injured sea turtles, educate the public about the plight of sea turtles and meet a few turtle patients.

Also, a portion of Coastal Crescent Trail is called the Land of History, which winds through the Moores Creek Battlefield, the only national park in southeastern North Carolina.

And visitors can choose to paddle parts of the trail, either on kayaks or stand-up paddleboards, she added.

“We have so many natural resources that you can take advantage of,” Proctor said.

Planned events include a Friday, March 22 reception at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. Photo: Pender County Tourism

The Friends announced their selection during the Pender County Board of Commissioners’ meeting in May. Hurricane Florence slammed the coast in September. In Surf City, about three-quarters of homes were damaged in some way and the town hall was destroyed.

The Friends coordinated with county officials after the fall storms to be sure the community was still able to host the event.

Proctor said the state of local accommodations had improved since the storms and several were ready to open immediately afterward.

“We’ve got the accommodations,” she said, adding that bed and breakfast inns as well as hotels and motels are open. “It’s not what we would have had last year at this time, but a lot of folks like to camp, and we have some excellent campgrounds on the Intracoastal Waterway.”

The Friends’ annual meeting is set for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 23, and is to include reports on progress to build, maintain and promote the MST, various workshops and recognition of hikers who have completed the trail and outstanding volunteers. Walker Golder, director of the National Audubon Society’s Atlantic Flyway Coast Initiative, is the planned keynote speaker.

Also, at sunset that day, the Friends plan to hike as a group over the new bridge to Surf City.

At 9 a.m. Sunday, March 24, a guided hike in Holly Shelter with the Coastal Plain Conservation Group’s Andy Wood, who has spent decades working to protect rare and imperiled plants, is planned that will highlight the transformation after a devastating peat fire in 2006 and explore the longleaf pine savannah.

Other events include the following:

Guided hikes in Stone’s Creek with lead volunteers that work in that area.
A hike on the beach section of the MST with the 2018 class of trail “completers.”
Demonstrations on how to build a bowstring bridge with lead volunteers from Onslow County and how to do geographic information system mapping with Surf City’s GIS technician Mike Dickson.
A journey along Topsail Island with Surf City Mayor Doug Medlin as he shares the island’s history.
A paddle along the Intracoastal Waterway with guide George Howard.

Also, members are to work with Surf City Parks and Recreation staff to build a kiosk and trailhead for a trail at the town’s community center and help with a beach sweep cleanup.

Most of the excursions require pre-registration but all are included in the registration fee, except the Intracoastal Waterway paddling trip.

The Gathering is a membership event, Brown noted, but new members are welcome. Membership fees start at $35 and the weekend event fee is $75 with additional, lesser fees for spouses and children.

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Front page featured photo: Danielle Marple/Friends of the MST

Audubon NC Expands Native Plant Guide

Jennifer Allen — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 04:00:46 +0000

Lupinus diffusus is a perennial native to the southeast attracts birds and butterfly larvae. Photo: Will Stuart, Audubon North Carolina

Birds, bees and butterflies are getting a little help from Audubon North Carolina.

The nonprofit conservation organization, which has offices in Corolla, Boone, Wilmington and Chapel Hill, announced Oct. 11, in time for fall planting, that its free, downloadable guide that helps identify the best plants for wildlife by habitat has been expanded from 400 to 692 native and cultivated plants that thrive in North Carolina.

“Since publishing our first 400 plant list four years ago, we’ve seen native plants soar in popularity,” said Audubon North Carolina Field Organizer Kim Brand in a statement. “Everyone from home gardeners to the governor and first lady of North Carolina are adding bird and pollinator-friendly plants to their backyards.”

The 700 list is a single source of recommended bird- and pollinator-friendly plants that can be filtered by habitat, food source type, animals benefited, wetland status and more.

Rattlesnake master is a perennial that attracts butterflies, bees and other pollinating insects. Photo: Will Stuart, Audubon North Carolina

“Our hope is that anytime a native plant sparks someone’s interest, they can go to our list for full information on what wildlife the plant attracts and how to choose a spot for the plant where it will thrive,” Brand told Coastal Review Online.

Brand said that Audubon North Carolina decided to expand its bird- and pollinator-friendly native plants list because, “From home gardeners to nursery managers to landscape architects, people found the 400 list very helpful. But even though it was 400 plants – a lot of plants – we realized that many great native plants that people might come across were not on the list, especially as native plants became more popular and nurseries began to stock more species.”

She explained that the first list developed in 2013 and 2014 was a monumental effort. “We were lucky enough that Lisa Lofland Gould and Susan Andrews were ready and willing to do the research to expand it to 700.” Gould and Andrews are Winston-Salem residents and volunteers for Forsyth Audubon and the Audubon North Carolina Bird-Friendly Communities Team. Gould, North Carolina native and author of “Coastal Plants from Cape Cod to Cape Canaveral,” founded Rhode Island Wild Plant Society.

The recently expanded list is not a comprehensive list of all native plants in the state but Brand said they expect the new version to last several years.

“Even with 700 species, I’m sure we’ll discover plants we want to add to the list,” she said. “We’ll update it just as we did with the 2014 list of 400 plants — in response to requests from people who use the list. For example, we included wetland status this time around because several city planners and stormwater managers asked for it.”

Every North Carolina species that appears in Larry Mellichamp’s “Native Plants of the Southeast: A Comprehensive Guide to the Best 460 Species for the Garden” and all North Carolina Botanical Garden “Wildflower of the Year” plants are included in the updated list.

Brand said that the 400-plant version of the Audubon North Carolina list was developed before Mellichamp’s “Native Plants of the Southeast: A Comprehensive Guide to the Best 460 Species for the Garden” was published in 2014.

“Dr. Mellichamp is an expert on the use of native plants in landscaped settings like home gardens, and it was a no-brainer for us to make sure our list includes all the plants he recommends in the book,” Brand explained.

“Similarly, folks at the North Carolina Botanical Garden are experts on native plants and we wanted to make sure we include all their ‘Wildflower of the Year’ plants, all of which are real attention-getters in the garden as well as being very valuable to pollinators and birds,” she said.

Brand explained that planting for birds is something anyone can do.

Trailing Phlox attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, other pollinating insects and mammals. Photo: Will Stuart, Audubon North Carolina

“All our gardens in yards across North Carolina are not only places for birds like wrens and cardinals to raise young and live year-round, they are also rest stops along the Atlantic Flyway – the superhighway in the sky along which millions of birds migrate south in the fall and north in the spring – for our migratory songbirds like the wood thrush, gray catbird and a variety of brightly colored warblers,” she explained. “The simple act of planting spicebush, American beautyberry, or dogwood in a yard can mean that robins and catbirds can refuel and continue their journey south.”

Brand said to find native plants in your area, “We have a terrific ZIP code locator at www.nc.audubon.org where people enter their ZIP code and get not only a list of recommended bird-friendly plants native to their area, but also their nearest Audubon chapter and a list of area businesses that sell native plants.”

Using the ZIP code locator, gardeners can refine the list of plants suitable for their area, specifically for plants that attract butterflies, caterpillars or specific groups of birds, for example, hummingbirds, cardinals and grosbeaks or thrushes, she explained.

“We encourage coastal North Carolina residents to ask their favorite garden centers to carry more native plants so they’ll become more readily available to everyone,” Brand added.

Charlotte Glen, state coordinator for the North Carolina Extension Master Gardener Program, said that the updated Audubon North Carolina list will be a helpful resource to determine which plants are native.

“When it comes to garden and landscape plants, there is not a standard definition of native. Nurseries may label plants as native, but that does not mean they naturally occur in North Carolina or the Southeast,” Glen explained. “Some nurseries label any plant that naturally occurs anywhere in the contiguous U.S. as native. To benefit birds and pollinators, gardeners should select plants native to their region. This list will help gardeners select plants that will provide the most benefit for local wildlife — plants from the local region.”

Glen said that native plants, along with the birds, pollinators, insects and the wildlife they nourish, support biodiversity needed to sustain ecosystem services.

“The services provided by nature include crop pollination, air and water purification, soil conservation and generation, the regulation of disease carrying organisms such as mosquitoes, balancing pest species, and moderation of weather and climate,” she said. “In addition, when native plants are selected for the site conditions and helped to establish, many make tough, low-maintenance and beautiful additions to landscapes. The birds, pollinators and other creatures they attract add a new dimension of life to yards and gardens.”

Painted Buckeye can be found across the state. Photo: Will Stuart Audubon North Carolina

For those new to growing native plants, Glen said that fall is the best time to plant in the South because trees, shrubs and perennials planted during this period all have time to establish roots before heading into the heat of summer.

“You don’t have to start big — you can add a few new native species each year,” she added.

Glen recommended assessing what is already growing in your yard and when those plants bloom or set seed or fruit. Add varieties that bloom or fruit at times of the year when little else is blooming or fruiting in your yard. This will extend the habitat value of your landscape by making it a food source throughout the growing season. Try to include at least three different species that will bloom each season for pollinators.

“Plant in layers — diversity is greatest when there is a diversity of habitat — different species live at different levels, from ground level up to the tree tops,” Glen said. To get the most benefit in your yard, Glen recommended adding plants that fill in the missing layers, be it groundcover or herbaceous plants, shrubs, understory or canopy trees.

“Choose plants that are adapted to the site conditions in your yard,” she said, adding to consider sun and shade as well as soil type and drainage. “If your soil has become compacted or organic matter has been removed, amend your soil with compost before planting. Keep new plantings watered after planting and during drought that occurs within the first few years of planting.”

If you can’t find native plants at local nurseries, ask them to order the species you need, Glen said.

Learn More

October Brings More Migrants Heading South

Jeff Lewis — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 04:00:47 +0000

Blackpoll warbler. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Reprinted from The Outer Banks Voice

An exciting time of year is upon us!

September jump-started the songbird migration, with a brief pause for a hurricane, and October will keep the birds moving through, on their way to their wintering grounds. There will be plenty of birds to see this month and hopefully some rarities to find.

In addition to a continuing mix of warblers, vireos, tanagers, orioles, cuckoos, thrushes, grosbeaks, buntings and flycatchers, look for our first winter birds to show. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers, red-breasted nuthatches, brown creepers, blue-headed vireos, golden-crowned kinglets, ruby-crowned kinglets, and several wren species will arrive in October. A good variety of sparrows will show up, as well.

The experts predict that this winter will be a “finch winter,” meaning that there should be a greater chance than usual of us seeing pine siskins, purple finches and other northern finches, due to failures in the natural food production of trees up north, so keep your feeders full and your fingers crossed. It could be interesting. One “finch winter” a few years back, we had redpolls, red crossbills, and even white-winged crossbills.

Personally, I’m hoping for evening grosbeaks this winter.

With reference to the wrens, look for sedge wrens and marsh wrens in fresh and brackish marshes. They are shy birds in dense habitat, so it may take some effort to see them. Search for the also secretive, tiny, chocolate-brown winter wren in damp, shady, woodland habitats, especially areas with lots of tangles and fallen trees. House wrens are the easiest to find – look for them in thick shrubby areas, wet or dry. They are usually plentiful along the brushy canal banks at the edge of the fields on the Alligator Refuge.

To find sparrows, search weedy fields for chipping, clay-colored, field, savannah, song, and white-crowned sparrows; the last two species preferring fields with a wooded edge or some high brush in which to hide. Look for bobolinks, too, which share the same habitat. Swamp sparrows prefer moist to wet habitats with thick cover. They are fairly common, especially toward the end of the month. White-throated sparrows prefer dry areas with heavy brush and trees, including backyards.

American wigeons in flight. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Salt and brackish marshes are where you can find seaside, Nelson’s and saltmarsh sparrows. You will need long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and boots to protect you from the sharp marsh plants. Strength, balance and endurance are helpful, too.

Several of the above sparrows, especially chipping and white-throated sparrows, will visit bird feeders in yards with good habitat. Scatter some millet or a good quality seed mix on the ground in an area with nearby cover.

October also brings a big increase in waterfowl. Pea Island and Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife refuges are the local hot spots. Puddle ducks especially, should increase in numbers and variety. Look for gadwall, American widgeon, American black duck, mallard, blue-winged teal, northern shoveler, northern pintail and green-winged teal.

Keep a sharp eye out for Eurasian wigeon – one has already been spotted this fall. While scoping for ducks, pied-billed grebes and American coots should be spotted and American white pelicans are a possibility. The first-of-the-season snow geese are usually spotted in October, too, so keep an eye on the sky. Diving ducks usually don’t move in until November, although you may find a few ruddy ducks toward the end of this month. Sea ducks such as surf, black and white-winged scoters should begin migrating south over the ocean in mid-to-late October, so an ocean watch is not out of place. A spotting scope is needed.

Peregrine falcon. Photo. Jeff Lewis

Raptor migration is good in October. Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks fly south, terrorizing songbirds, including the ones at our feeders. Northern harriers, American kestrels, merlin, peregrine falcons and red-tailed hawks may also be seen. On days with clear skies and cool, north winds, find a high sand dune, or an observation platform at Pea Island, and do a hawk watch. Start early, although mid-morning is usually best, and enjoy the show.

Shorebirds are still present in October, but diversity drops by the end of the month. Keep an eye out for unusual species, like American golden-plover, Hudsonian godwit, Baird’s sandpiper, buff-breasted sandpiper and any of the three phalaropes: Wilson’s, red-necked or red.

The 22nd annual Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival takes place Oct. 16-21 on the Outer Banks. Considered one of the premier East Coast wildlife festivals, Wings Over Water offers nature-oriented field trips and programs – everything from birding to paddling to photography to astronomy.

Field trip leaders will guide you to the nearby hot spots, including wildlife refuges: Pea Island, Alligator River, Mackay Island, Mattamuskeet and Pocosin Lakes, as well as other wild areas, including the Palmetto-Peartree Preserve in Tyrell County, Nags Head Woods, Kitty Hawk Woods, Pine Island sanctuary, Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. This is one of the few times that you may be allowed access to some of the normally closed areas of the refuges.

The volunteer trip leaders are experts and will do their best to show you a lot of birds. There is also a dinner and keynote speaker one evening. For more information google www.wingsoverwater.org. I hope to see you there.

At home, continue to keep those bird baths clean and filled, with moving water if possible. Fill the bird feeders with fresh, good quality bird seed and put out a cake of suet. Also, keep the hummingbird feeders filled with fresh sugar-water. If you still have hummingbirds coming to your nectar feeders in October, then these are the birds that will probably spend the winter with you. Keep your eyes open for different hummingbirds – sometimes western species turn up in North Carolina during fall and winter.

Head outside on these crisp fall mornings if you can and enjoy nature. It’s a blast!

This story is provided courtesy of the Outer Banks Voice, a digital newspaper covering the Outer Banks. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Voice to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast.

It’s August, So Let the Fall Migration Begin

Jeff Lewis — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 04:00:31 +0000

Reprinted from The Outer Banks Voice.

August is here. And, hooray, fall shorebird migration is in full swing.

It doesn’t take these long-distance sandpipers, plovers and company to fulfill their parental duties in the far north, and they’re on their way back south for the “winter” – right through the Outer Banks.

Stilt Sandpiper. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Visit the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge impoundments, ocean beaches and salt flats this month, and you’re apt to come away with a long list of plovers, sandpipers and other shorebirds to your credit.

But what’s the attraction? Why would you want to stand in the sun and heat just to see some old shorebirds? Or any other bird, for that matter? What is it about birds, anyway, that lures people out of their beds at the crack of dawn?

Well, let’s look into it.

Birds are exciting. For starters, they can fly. Watching their behavior can be incredible.

Have you ever watched a black skimmer slice the water in two, skimming for a fish? How about a flock of northern gannets diving into a school of fish from 50 feet high – striking the water like missiles? Awesome!

How about the acrobatics of a couple of hummingbirds competing for that nectar feeder in your yard. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a bald eagle attack a coot, or watched a Merlin chase down a shorebird. Or watched a razorbill flying – underwater.

I could go on and on – but you get the picture – birds are super cool. Birds are really beautiful. What in life is prettier?

Think of the brilliant orange and black Baltimore oriole, or the bright red of our common northern cardinal, with his handsome crest.

Some birds, like painted buntings, are downright gaudy with their blues and greens and reds.

How about the stunning black and white pattern, complete with a long, forked tail, of a swallow-tailed kite.

Black Skimmer. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Flip through any bird book and be amazed at all the colors and patterns. Even the little brown jobs are gorgeous, when you really look at them.

Most birders like the challenges and rewards of searching for and identifying birds, especially new birds – species they’ve never seen before. And the playing field is – anywhere outdoors. What could be better than that?

The quest for rare species is like combining hunting and collecting, except, at the end of the day, there is no game for the table or trophy for the wall.

In birding, you hunt birds, but you don’t shoot, and you collect memories (and photos, sometimes). Like hunting, it takes preparation.

To successfully find the species you’re after, you first need to learn how to identify them. Some species are very unique in appearance and identification is straightforward.

Others can be downright tricky; in fact a few can be identified only by their call.

It also helps to understand their life history – the habitat they prefer, their food preference, the time of year that they are most likely, the time of day they are most active.

Maybe they are easier to find on a low tide, perhaps during a full moon, maybe with a Northwest wind blowing – these things can matter.

Rare birds are usually migrants, and are often birds that are seen only once or twice a year, sometimes less often, usually under certain conditions during a certain season.

Sometimes you can look for 20 years, or a lifetime, without finding a particular “nemesis” target bird. But how rewarding it is when you finally succeed.

More often, rare birds come to you – suddenly, unexpectedly and often for only seconds. That’s why it pays to have studied ahead of time – you’ll already be familiar with their identifying field marks, their song and their habits. By cracking the books before you go out, you’ll be rewarded with a rare sighting instead of going home wondering what it was that got away.

The rarities that are the most exciting of all are the birds that are completely out of range – accidental – like the crested caracara (a Texas and Mexican raptor) that turned up in Buxton a few years ago, or the broad-billed hummingbird from Mexico that spent several weeks at a feeder in Southern Shores this past winter, or the curlew sandpiper, a Eurasian species, that is hanging out at Pea Island, even as I write this article.

These are the birds that birders dream about – the reason they wake up at 5 a.m.

Many bird watchers enjoy keeping lists of the birds they’ve seen. Most have at least a “life list” – a list of all the (wild) bird species that they have ever seen anywhere in the world.

Many also have a “state list” and a “yard list.” Of course, you can keep whatever lists you like: North American list, county list, year list, list of “birds-you’ve-seen-while-surfing” – you get the picture.

Black-crowned night heron. Photo: Jeff Lewis

These “honor system” lists give birders a little extra motivation and can make the game a little more rewarding and competitive.

Some birders are very competitive, trying to set records for the most birds ever seen in one year (or even in just one day).

A movie was even made about competitive birding, titled “The Big Year,” starring Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. It was a hoot.

Some people like to go birding for the companionship. They prefer groups and enjoy the social aspects. They may even make new friends.

If you are new to the sport, birding in groups is a good way to learn about birds or at least pick up some birding tips. Plus, with more sets of eyes, more birds can be spotted, potentially.

Birding alone allows one to connect with nature on a more personal level. You can move quietly, at your own pace, listening for the most subtle of sounds. You can study nature at your leisure.

Going solo can be very calming and is a great way to escape your troubles or unwind from a hard day at work.

Personally, as a birder and a photographer, I can be stealthier and approach my subject much more closely if I’m birding alone. I can wait out a bird (or other animal) until it moves into the open, or until it does something exciting, like catches prey.

In general, I enjoy birding alone or with a friend or two if birding for songbirds in the woods, and I enjoy the comradery of groups when scoping for shorebirds or waterfowl, where noise isn’t as much of a factor.

Now, let’s get back to those August shorebirds at Pea Island.

In the plover category, search through the black-bellied and semipalmated plovers for an American golden plover, hard to find, but possible. Look especially in wet, grassy areas.

Look also for piping plovers on the beaches and mudflats. Wilson’s plover is a possibility.

Two of our prettiest shorebirds, black-necked stilt and American avocet, are both present now. Look for them in the impoundments, especially South Pond.

Various sandpipers should be present in good numbers. Sort through them and you should be able to identify at least a dozen species, on a good day.

Of course, they’re all good days if you’re out birding!

That Which We Call A ‘Starfish’

Jared Lloyd — Thu, 19 Jul 2018 04:00:54 +0000

Is it a “sea star” or a “starfish?”

For marine bio nerds, this is kind of like a Ford-versus-Chevy argument, like Land Rover versus Land Cruiser, or vinegar versus no vinegar on your barbecue. Actually, that last bit about barbecue is not up for discussion. This is eastern North Carolina, to suggest that anything other than vinegar, cold slaw and hot sauce belongs on our pulled pork would solicit a mob of angry villagers storming your house in the night with pitchforks and torches in hand.

Somehow, the debate over what to call these iconic little echinoderms surfaces in my world on at least an annual basis. I’m not so sure as to what this says about the company that I keep. Given all the things happening in the world of politics and science and pseudoscience that can be argued these days, it seems almost trivial, dare I say pedantic, to get sucked into the “sea star” versus “starfish” debate. And yet, I just can’t help myself.

Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville

I’m not going to beat around the bush here. If we were being completely honest with ourselves, neither starfish or sea star would be the real name of our five-legged friends – though not all of them actually have five legs and some have as many as 40. Technically speaking, scientifically speaking, we should probably just look toward the name that their class was given in 1830 by the French zoologist Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville. Studying the shape and form of various starfish, Ducrotay brought together the Greek “aster” and “eidos” in the classical manner of giving animals a descriptive name from ancient languages. “Aster” simply means “star,” which, it would seem, everyone has picked up on already. “Eidos,” on the other hand, means “form” or “essence” or was used to suggest similarity. When combined, “aster” and “eidos” mean “star-like,” and the class of echinoderms that starfish reside in is the Asteroidea. Thus, starfish are really asteroids! Problem solved. Everyone is wrong.

But as much as I would love for the name asteroid to catch on, I hear it’s already taken. I can understand not wanting to confuse people any more than they already are. Just think about it: In the chance of an extinction-level event from space, we wouldn’t want the public thinking that a giant starfish was hurtling toward Earth. Although, that could be scarier.

Is that a starfish or a sea star hurtling toward Earth?

So, I digress. Asteroid is off the table. Though technically correct, we must leave this title to rocks and ice floating around in space. But if not asteroid, then what? This just brings us back to the original question at hand, and for this it may be best to turn toward history.

Anytime we get into the historical use of words, we risk wading into murky waters. Language is alive. It changes. It grows, evolves. Meanings drift over time. Take the word “fish,” for instance. Today, we have a very well-defined definition of the word “fish.” Consulting with Lord Google on the matter will bring up a variety of definitions as to what a “fish” is, but at the heart of it all is a cold-blooded vertebrate with gills and fins and a two-chambered heart. But this is a purely modern-day understanding of the word. If we go back to the 16^th century, for instance, the word “fish” simply meant any animal that only lived in water. In this understanding of the word, whales and dolphins were both fish and so were crabs, for that matter. So, a starfish was simply a star-like animal that lived only in the water.

The earliest documentation of the word “starfish” that I could find is from 1538 in the Oxford English Dictionary. Really, it’s the word “starfyshe.” If the word made it into the dictionary by the early 16^th century, this means that “starfyshe,” had been part of the common vernacular for a long time.

When we look into the origin of the name “sea star,” however, we find that the earliest definition in the English-speaking world was actually a star that guides mariners at sea. Fair enough. I can get down with celestial navigation. But it’s not that simple. Just 30 years after our “starfyshe” appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary, Edward Fenton, an English sea captain, translated the French Pierre Boaistuau’s immensely popular “Histoires Prodigieuses.” in to his native tongue. “Histoires Prodigieuses” was collection of stories and common-knowledge explanations of the natural world. Though that’s really the polite way of saying it. A more accurate explanation is that it was a collection of myths and stories that surrounded the freaks of nature, which, it would seem, all echinoderms qualified as freaks of nature at the time. Thus in 1569, the phrase “sea starre” enters the English version of this conversation “bycause it hath the figure of a painted starre.”

A collection of sea stars, or starfish, clockwise from upper left, beaded, banded, gray and Forbes. Photo: Sam Bland

The fact that “sea starre” first entered the English vernacular thanks to the translation of a French book says a lot about the two terms. You see, “starfish,” it turns out, is a distinctly English word. The rest of Western civilization, from Germany to France to Spain, called these things sea stars. At least, that’s how their names translate.

In America, use of the word “starfish” ultimately betrays our English roots. I find this funny. After the Revolution, America entered into a phase of cultural anxiety. Read: identity crisis. We had fought for and won our freedom from England, and in every way possible we tried to cast off our artistic, literary and even scientific ties to the Old World. However, language persisted, such as “starfish” and “buffalo” and “antelope.” But hey, there are far greater ironies in American culture than something as trivial as this really – such as the fact that we celebrate our independence from an empire by reveling in the fruits of that empire: Chinese-invented fireworks.

Come the 1990s, a bandwagon rolled into town telling us all that we were wrong to use the term “starfish.” All the cool kids in Europe were saying “sea star.” We needed to get with the program. Starfish were not fish, they said. We were using the word incorrectly. We were confusing people. Maybe this was why countries from Vietnam to Estonia far outranked our own students in their knowledge of science, according to the Pew Research Foundation. It’s all the starfish’s fault, right? Oh, the power of language!

But, jellyfish are not fish. And sea urchins are not really poor street kids that live in the sea. What about crayfish? Horseshoe crabs? Sea cucumbers? Brain Coral isn’t really made of brains. Flying lemurs are not really lemurs and they certainly do not fly. And if we are really going to ride this train, it can also be pointed out that the name “sea star” is also incorrect, given that they are not actually stars.

Furthermore, to argue that the proper term for these echinoderms is “sea star” ultimately invalidates much of the rest of the world. Though we like to think we are special, Europe and it’s political offspring like the U.S. are just a small group of countries with very big egos. In Japan, for instance, they are called “hitode,” meaning “palm.” In Malay, they were known as “tapak sulaiman,” or “Solomon’s footprint.” And the Korean word, which I can’t type because I don’t know how to create all the cool symbols on my keyboard, means “immortality.”

“Starfish,” “sea star,” “seastar” or “Solomon’s footprint” – call them what you will. All are correct. And yet, none of them are correct.

Really, they are asteroids: star-like.

Deal with it.

Ocracoke’s Trumpeter Swan Has Flown On

Peter Vankevich — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 04:00:28 +0000

Trumpeter Swan on Ocracoke Island, 2018. Photo: Peter Vankevich

Reprinted from the Ocracoke Observer. Read an earlier story about this swan.

The young trumpeter swan’s two-month sojourn on Ocracoke appears over. May 2 was the last time it was reportedly seen where it had been feeding for the last two months along Southpoint Road. Should, by chance, it reappear, we will post an update.

This species, the largest North American waterfowl with an 8-foot wingspan and weighing up to 32 pounds, was a highly unusual avian visitor, in the league of the two Snowy Owls that spent the winter on the island’s dunes in 2014.

It was first brought to my attention by Denny Dobbin. A frequent visitor from Chapel Hill, he sent a text that he saw a swan at dusk in the ditch along South Point Road on March 5 and watched it fly in the direction of Springer’s Point.

Subsequently, many people noticed the swan as it adopted the marsh area near the beginning of Southpoint Road. It was seen daily, sometimes at a distance at the back of the marsh, other times, close to the sandy road, permitting many striking photographs. It became a favorite for social media posters on Facebook.

When first reported, many — including myself — assumed it was a tundra swan (Cygnus columbianus). Although not common on Ocracoke, tundras have never been reported on the islands Christmas Bird Counts which have run since 1981. They winter in large numbers in the region, particularly in the Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge area of mainland Hyde County and the Pea Island Wildlife Refuge on the Outer Banks.

Up until now, trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator) have not been reported on the Outer Banks.

Trumpeter swan in Ocracoke. Photo: Peter Vankevich

While adult trumpeter and tundra swans can be identified by the tundra’s yellow lore, which is the space between bill and the eye, subadults can be more challenging. Since this was a first-year bird, called a cygnet, several field factors had to be considered to determine that it was a trumpeter.

Size can be a factor when the two species are together since trumpeters are larger and longer necked, but when a bird is solo, determining its species takes more observation. The plumage of a trumpeter cygnet is darker and the forehead has a V-shaped border while the Tundra has a U-shape.

But the best diagnostics is voice. Trumpeter swans make a soft honk, sometimes in a series of two to three notes “do-do-doo” that has been compared to a trumpet, hence its name. Tundra Swan calls are varied and include various bugling notes and a whistle sound. North American Tundra Swans were formerly known as Whistling Swans.

This video was made on a windy day by Beth Layton that provides its call. You might need a headset to hear it.

“I listened to the video,” said Margaret Smith, executive director of the Trumpeter Swan Society. “It sounds to me like a cygnet distress call, calling for other swans. When it makes repeated short calls like that in my area, usually the cygnet is separated from its family and calling for it, not loud, just repeated.”

It is noteworthy that this swan appeared on the island after a nor’easter, but it’s a mystery as to where it was previously. In migration, first-year trumpeter swans normally flock with their parents and other swans. This one had no bands that could provide some information.

Perhaps the storm caused it to be separated. Once it arrived on the island, it appeared to be healthy with a good appetite, spending long portions of the day feeding on the marsh vegetation. It was also very vocal, making single call notes.

When the cygnet was still on the island a few weeks after the Tundra Swans in the region had left for nesting in the far north, I wondered whether a young bird, separated and alone, has an instinct to migrate and if it could survive the hot temperatures of an Ocracoke summer.

I turned to the Trumpeter Swan Society, Plymouth, Minnesota. For the past 50 years, this nonprofit has been an important resource for providing expertise, research, monitoring, funding and on-the-ground support toward every major trumpeter swan conservation effort, restoration project and management activity.

“We don’t know if the swan will migrate or not,” said one of their biologists, Dr. Gary Ivey, on April 26. “It is pretty late in the season to be migrating and it very well could, but it may stay there all summer until next fall’s wintering swans come down.” He also noted it would not be too warm for the swan spend the summer here.

Here is a little history on this swan and its amazing comeback.

Once common across most of the northern United States, by the 1880s trumpeter swans had pretty much disappeared, having been hunted for their meat, soft skins used in powder puffs and feathers for quill pens and hats.

The Passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 gave protection to trumpeter swans and many other bird species and helped curb illegal killing.

But whereas many endangered birds made a comeback under this act, it did not help the trumpeter swan. By the early 1930s, only 69 trumpeter swans were known to exist in the lower 48 states in a remote location of Yellowstone.

The Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a 1949 report considered trumpeter swans “the fourth rarest bird now remaining in America.”

Here is where the good news begins. In 1956, Melvin Monson, a scientist with the Fish and Wildlife Service, published an article in the ornithology journal, “The Condor,” that a previously unknown population of trumpeter swans was discovered in the lower Copper River Basin of Alaska.

As more trumpeter swans were discovered in Alaska and western Canada, by relocating some of the swans and eggs from these areas, restoration efforts in the 1960s began in earnest by states and provinces.

In 1968, the first North American Trumpeter Swan Survey (NATSS), a major cooperative effort by federal, state and provincial governmental agencies, took place. A tally of 2,752 swans were reported. The next survey in 1975 reported 3,727 individuals. The survey now runs on five-year intervals and it has shown significant increases with each survey. The two most recent are 2010: 34,249 and 2015 nearly doubling, 63,016. The big increase is in Alaska. However, the midwestern (Mississippi and Atlantic Flyways) population increased significantly as well with a count of 26,591.

‘The Carolina Bird Club provides a wealth of information and photographs of birds of the Carolinas. It produces a journal, the Chat, and a records committee that reviews reports of rare birds.

The following are some edited Trumpeter Swan records and reports available on its website:

A group of four trumpeter swans was banded on Feb. 25, 2004, at the Pungo unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff. This is a first record for the state. The Committee reviewed many websites and email correspondences regarding re-introduced populations in the East and Midwest. The general feeling was that the birds were probably not vagrants from the natural range in the Far West but rather from populations in the Great Lakes region.
A subadult was photographed on Jordan Lake, Chatham Colorado, on Dec. 19, 2013. Another was seen in the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge border of Hyde and Washington counties, on Feb. 7, 2014. It’s not certain whether these two sightings were of the same bird.
Two were seen in the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Hyde County, in January 2015.
Two were seen at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, on December 20, 2015.
In the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Washington County, a high count of three was made Jan. 14, 2017.
A report of a subadult trumpeter swan on the French Broad River near Alexander, Buncombe County, was made on Dec. 25, 2016 and stayed through March 27. If accepted, it would be the first record of this species in the mountain region.

Beth Layton, the Ocracoke High School math teacher, spotted the trumpeter swan and captured this photo.

The cygnet made an impression on many.

Beth Layton, the Ocracoke high school math teacher, was one of them.

“I first saw the trumpeter swan on March 17 – Saint Patrick’s Day – and I felt lucky indeed,” she said. “As a matter of fact, I whispered ‘thank you, God!’ when I got my first glimpse.

“Almost every day after school, I walk several miles. Usually I go to the beach. If the wind is too bad, I’ll walk in the village. Once the swan arrived, I always started my walks on South Point Road. It was mesmerizing, calming, fascinating,” she said. “And now he has left us, and a little part of me is sad to know that he won’t be part of my daily walk. What I really want to know now is that he made it safely to wherever he belongs, that his instincts led him back there. This experience with the trumpeter swan feels like yet another gift in my time here on Ocracoke.”

Margaret Smith, who has been following the updates I have been sending her, finds the cygnet’s presence here intriguing.

“It is exciting to get reports of swans in the eastern United States,” she said. “Trumpeter swans are slowly but surely finding their way to new areas in the Atlantic Flyway. You are seeing the pioneering swans making history in your area! How absolutely thrilling.”

So where is the swan now? We hope it has headed to somewhere in the Midwest to join other trumpeters. Since this cygnet is so large, perhaps we will hear of a report of a sighting on its way.

North Carolina might see more of these swans with the increase of nesting birds about 1,500 or so miles away, instead of a rare stray from Alaska.

Maybe it will return next winter to Ocracoke and bring a few friends. The small marsh where it spent time here appeared to be a suitable habitat.

April Brings Beloved Birds Back to NC Coast

Jeff Lewis — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 04:00:49 +0000

Black-bellied Plover. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Reprinted from The Outer Banks Voice.

If you were asked “what is your favorite bird,” what would be your answer, and why?

Would it be a common bird, like a blue jay or a rare bird, like an ash-throated flycatcher? Would it be a large, fierce species, like a bald eagle, or a diminutive one, like a nuthatch?

Maybe a backyard feeder-bird with a great “personality,” like a Carolina chickadee? You can feed chickadees from the palm of your hand if you really try.

How about a really colorful bird, like a painted bunting? I’ll bet that one hits a lot of top 10 lists.

You may be into owls – snowy owl is not a bad favorite – beautiful, graceful and dangerous.

Hummingbirds are a favorite of many people. I know people out west that devote their whole lives to hummingbirds.

How about a bird you’ve never seen – impossible? I’ll bet a lot of people would pick penguin as their favorite.

I have a friend whose favorite bird is a turkey vulture. While “buzzards” have a face only a mother could love, they are actually very fascinating and graceful creatures.

Personally, I don’t have a favorite. When asked, I’ll usually respond with “my next lifer is my favorite” because I love to see new species.

There are many reasons to like birds: their beauty, grace, speed, behavior, personality, song and of course, they can fly. Well, most of them. Those that can’t are usually very fast runners, or really great swimmers, like the penguin.

Backyard flowers are an alternative to feeders to attract “hummers.” Photo: Jeff Lewis

April presents us with a whole plethora of newly arrived songbirds to choose from.

Dazzling warblers in their bright breeding colors: yellows, greens, blues and oranges, with bold stripes, bars, spots, lines – each species unique and beautiful.

Vireos, painted in various shades of green, yellow, blue and white are a little more subdued but still handsome. Swallows, quick on the wing and good looking, too.

The sassy little blue-gray gnatcatcher, with a long gray and white tail. Shy thrushes, known for their unbelievable songs, begin to arrive by mid-month and continue into May.

Other migrant songbirds arriving include: orchard oriole, indigo bunting, eastern kingbird, great-crested flycatcher, chimney swift, summer tanager, chuck-will’s-widow and of course, our beloved ruby-throated hummingbird.

Where did all these birds come from?

Primarily Central and South America. It was a long-distance flight, with no control tower, no spelled-out flight plan, no guarantee of good weather and no calendar, and yet many (most?) of these birds arrive at the right location (habitat) at the right time, often on the very same day as the year before.

Awesome!

Let us explore the life history of one of our most cherished yard birds – the ruby-throated hummingbird – a real favorite with a lot of people. What’s not to like? They’re beautiful, feisty, tiny and easy to attract to your yard. And they are masters of flight.

They can fly up and down and sideways and backward and can stop on a dime. As small as a ruby-throat is, at just over 3.5 inches long (including the bill) and weighing in at only 0.12 ounces, they still have to make an incredibly long flight each spring from Mexico and Central America, some as close as Florida and others as far away as Panama, to their breeding grounds in the U.S. and Canada.

The males arrive first in early April, set up a territory and start defending it against other males. These are feisty birds. I’ve seen two males lock up and fall to the ground in battle. As I’ve said many times “it’s a good thing they are so small – otherwise, they’d be dangerous.”

When a female arrives about a week later, courtship begins, with the male making looping, U-shaped, high-speed dives from 40 to 50 high to attract her attention.

His wings during these flights, produce a loud buzzing sound and he often chatters as well. As soon as she accepts his advances and mating is over, the male and female have little to do with one another. The female begins the nest building and the male looks for more females.

Ruby-throated hummingbird on the nest, which is smaller than a teacup. Photo: Jeff Lewis

The nest is a tiny, cup-shaped home, no more than about an inch deep and a couple of inches across. It is constructed of soft plant materials and held together by spider web silk and camouflaged with bits of moss and lichen. The nests are built far out on a downward sloping or horizontal tree limb, often in a small crotch.

On the Outer Banks, I’ve seen several nests in live oaks, a few in dogwoods, one in a maple and one in a loblolly pine. The ones I’ve seen have been from about 8 feet high to around 25 feet high, although they can be higher.

The best way to find a nest is to sit quietly and watch to see which direction the female flies. Eventually, with a little luck, she will lead you to the nest. She lays two tiny, white eggs about the size of Tic-Tacs.

The eggs are incubated for about two weeks. The female then does all the feeding while still protecting her young. The male does not help at all. It takes about three weeks for the nestlings to fledge and when they do, they are full grown and can forage on their own.

Ruby-throats often produce two broods in this area and I actually had a nest in my yard once with eggs in August.

Ruby-throats prefer wooded areas with open areas for feeding; a backyard with lots of flowers is perfect.

Hummingbirds prefer tubular flowers such as cardinal flower, coral honeysuckle, trumpet creeper, red buckeye and bee balm.

Flowers do not have to be red, but hummingbirds are attracted to the color. Nectar feeders work well but must be kept clean and filled with the correct solution of sugar water.

To make the solution, heat up one cup of water to boiling and add one-quarter cup of plain, white sugar – use nothing else. Red dye is unnecessary and may actually harm the birds.

The nectar found at box stores is a huge waste of money. All you need is plain, white sugar and water. Feeders need to be cleaned twice a week. Do not use soap. I prefer the small, saucer-style feeders for their ease of cleaning.

In addition to ruby-throated hummingbirds and all the other fabulous songbirds, April is a great month for shorebirds. Most are in full breeding plumage and are gorgeous.

So get out there and find your next favorite bird!

March Birding: Fewer Species this Month

Jeff Lewis — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 04:00:59 +0000

Yellow-throated warbler: Photo Jeff Lewis

Reprinted from the Outer Banks Voice

March, at last. The days are growing longer, the temperatures are rising, shorts are back in style and spring is right around the corner. Sure signs of spring here on the Outer Banks are the return of the ospreys and laughing gulls this month.

For birdwatchers, March is a transitional month. The winter waterfowl are clearing out for the summer and traveling north and west to breed. Neotropical migrants are just starting to show up: beautiful warblers, swallows and gnatcatchers. And, our resident birds are beginning the breeding process, singing and searching for mates.

After the hoard of ducks and swans all winter the Pea Island impoundments in March are eerily quiet.

You can find a few species in March, but you’re better off birding the ocean, where you can still see plenty of birds. In addition to sanderlings and willets, brown pelicans numbers will have increased and they will be gliding by in their formations.

Northern gannets and red-throated loons should still be plentiful, and large flocks of red-breasted mergansers may be found. Look also for common loons and horned grebes. Scoters, or sea ducks, may be seen as they migrate north in their long strings. Near the inlets, look for the return of royal terns and black skimmers.

Razorbills have been plentiful again this winter, and a few should still be around in early March. These are really cool birds that resemble penguins. They are black and white and have a bill like a razor. These birds dive deep for their fish and shrimp prey.

Dainty Bonaparte’s gulls are numerous in March and this is a great time to search their flocks for they are little gull, a visitor from Eurasia. Look for a gull even smaller than the Bonaparte’s that has rounded wings that are dark on the underside.

A spotting scope is a big help in spotting this tiny gull, although persistence and luck are more important!

The first neo-tropical warblers to arrive in spring are yellow-throated warblers, black-throated green warblers and common yellowthroats. Their beautiful songs can be heard on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and anywhere else the habitat is suitable.

Other songbirds to look for in March are blue-gray gnatcatchers, white-eyed vireos, barn swallows, tree swallows and purple martins, especially toward the end of the month.

Egret, heron and ibis numbers should increase this month. These graceful, long-legged waders will begin nesting soon, mostly in dense rookeries in trees and shrubs.

Razorbill. Photo: Jeff Lewis

In the salt and brackish marshes, you can easily hear red-winged blackbirds and marsh wrens singing. The blackbirds are easier to see than the skulking wrens, though. You may also detect the grunting sounds of clapper and Virginia rails from deep in the grass.

Everyone’s getting in the mood for romance.

In the backyard, cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, bluebirds and the rest of the gang are pairing up and looking for good nesting sites, too.

I hope you have your bird houses cleaned out from last year. Keep those bird feeders filled with seed, especially black oil.

The demand for suet should increase as the temperatures rise.

Around the end of the month, you can put out your hummingbird feeders – the ruby-throats arrive in April. I recommend an ant moat above the feeder to keep out the ants.

If you still have fruit on your holly and pyracantha bushes, look for hoards of cedar waxwings in March. They will also swarm a clean bird bath. These beautiful birds are always a crowd pleaser. In fact, let’s take an in-depth look at this beauty.

Cedar waxwings are arguably one of the most beautiful birds that we have. Theirs is not the flashy, bright beauty of a northern cardinal or a painted bunting, but a more subtle, elegant beauty.

They are a smooth pale brown and yellow with a black mask and sleek crest. Their tail is dipped in lemon yellow and their inner wing tips show red, waxy tips, hence the name – waxwing.

Cedar waxwings travel in flocks most of the year, only disbanding to nest. In our area, waxwings first show up in small numbers in fall and their flocks increase until in late winter and early spring “everybody” is seeing them.

They swarm trees and shrubs that are hanging with ripe berries, eating with an astonishing intensity. Sometimes they even get a little “tipsy” if the fruits have started to ferment.

Their favorite foods during this time of year are cedar (Juniper) cones, firethorn (Pyracantha) berries, privet (Ligustrum) drupes and various holly (Ilex) fruits. I’ve also seen waxwings devouring over-ripe crabapples. Cedar waxwings will also feed on insects and flower petals, especially in spring and summer.

Cedar Waxwing. Photo: Jeff Lewis

When not feeding, waxwings can be seen perched on high limbs, usually in the sun. If you have good ears, you may hear a high-pitched trilling coming from the flock.

Cedar Waxwings have only begun to — sparingly — nest in our area in recent years. Their nests are most likely to be in pine trees and they are difficult to find.

Usually what gives them away is an adult bird carrying nesting material or food back and forth to a particular tree. I’ve found evidence of nesting cedar waxwings now in Dare, Camden and Currituck counties in recent years.

Cedar waxwings usually begin nesting about mid-May and it extends through the summer. The female usually lays from three to five eggs and they can raise two broods some years. Juvenile birds, once they have left the nest, can be identified by the duller plumage and the streaking on the breast and sides.

While birding this month, keep your eyes peeled for one of the most spectacular birds in the country, the swallow-tailed kite. A few are seen each March and April along the Outer Banks. These unmistakable, black and white raptors, with their long forked tails, have to be seen to be believed.

Swallow-tailed kites are the very essence of grace. They “kite” over the land, plucking insects, small snakes and lizards from treetops.

Although they nest well south of here, they have been recently discovered nesting in southernmost North Carolina, seemingly spreading northward. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Good birding!

February’s Wind, Cold Draw Great Birds

Jeff Lewis — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 05:00:33 +0000

Red-necked Grebe. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Reprinted from The Outer Banks Voice.

Cold, windy, dreary February. The perfect month for staying indoors, watching movies (or basketball), catching up on chores and yearning for summer, right? Wrong. February is a great month for birding.

The ocean is full of life, and seabirds are plentiful.

Along our beaches, especially the wide ones like at Cape Point and the inlets, look for rare gulls mixed in with the gull flocks.

An all-white gull can be either an Iceland or a glaucous gull.

Iceland gulls are smaller than our common herring gulls, while glaucous gulls are larger. For specific field marks, refer to a good field guide.

Several other rare gull species are possible, as well. Sort through the Bonaparte’s gulls feeding over the ocean and see if you can spot a little gull, a European species.

Northern gannets can be common to abundant some days over the sea. Watch for huge white birds, with black wing tips, plunge diving from 50 to 100 feet high and at almost 60 mph. They hit the water like arrows, and then pursue fish underwater. They are incredible to watch, especially when present in large numbers. Nesting on rocky islands in the cold waters off Canada, gannets move south to our waters in winter.

For ocean watching, a spotting scope is almost a necessity. On many days, red-throated loons will be plentiful, and there are usually a few common loons to see, too. Sometimes the birds are close to shore, often they are way off the beach.

Always keep an eye out for the rare Pacific loon. On days when horned grebes are fairly common, look for red-necked grebes. Fairly rare here in winter, red-necked grebes are about twice the size of horned grebes and have a large, yellow bill. Again, consult a field guide for details.

Razorbill. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Red-breasted mergansers are common in winter in the ocean as well as in the sound. These long-bodied, diving ducks have flat, saw-toothed bills, just right for grasping slippery bait fish. For a closer look at these ducks, check out the marinas in the area. There are often a few mergansers at Oregon Inlet, Wanchese Harbor and the back side of Hatteras Island, especially near the inlet.

Beautiful long-tailed ducks, formerly called oldsquaws, are also found in and around the inlets and near marinas. Another good place to look for them is in Roanoke Sound near the Daniels (“Little”) bridge. You should at least see some buffleheads.

Auks can be seen off our beaches in winter. Razorbills are the most common species seen, but some years we get a few Dovekies, a tiny auk only about 8 inches long. Both of these short and stocky birds are black and white, resembling penguins. They are great divers, with razorbills capable of reaching depths of around 400 feet.

A good place to look for seabirds is from the end of an ocean pier. Mornings are generally better; the birds are in closer and move offshore as the day grows old. While on the pier, check around the pilings for common eiders and scoters; even a harlequin duck is possible. Humpback whales are occasionally spotted in winter, too. If your favorite pier is closed, you may still be able to spot some of these birds from shore, as they feed around and under the pier.

Another good spot for winter seabirds is the south side of Oregon Inlet (North end of Pea Island). Sea ducks, grebes and loons are attracted to the jetty and the bridge pilings, which harbor lots of prey items. One year six harlequin ducks spent the winter here. You may see a harbor seal in this area, as well.

The ferries that run from Hatteras to Ocracoke can be good for some of these species as well.

Keep an eye out for flocks of brant, a dark sea-goose that can usually be seen behind Hatteras inlet in the sound. The longer trips, from Ocracoke to Swan Quarter and Ocracoke to Cedar Island, can usually produce several species of diving ducks, grebes, loons and gannets, as well.

The impoundments at Pea Island, Alligator River and Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuges remain outstanding for many species of dabbling and diving ducks in February.

Get there early while the sun is low. Bad weather is often the best time to look, so don’t roll over and go back to sleep because the wind is howling.

On the Alligator and Mattamuskeet Refuges, raptors are a big draw in winter. Among the red-tailed hawks, northern harriers and bald eagles, you may spot a Swainson’s hawk or a golden eagle, if you’re lucky. More common raptors often seen are red-shouldered, Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks, American kestrel, Merlin and peregrine falcons.

Long-tailed duck. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Short-eared owls are sometimes seen at dusk or slightly later, flying over the farm fields, especially from Milltail Road.

A good winter day-trip to take from the Outer Banks is to the Pocosin Lakes Refuge near Plymouth, North Carolina. The impoundments on the refuge hold lots of ducks, swans and coots and the farm fields support a huge population of snow geese and tundra swans each winter.

Among the Snow Geese, keep an eye out for the diminutive Ross’s goose. Among the flocks of swans, hope for a trumpeter swan. If you encounter large flocks of Canada geese, scan them carefully for cackling goose and greater white-fronted goose. This seems to be a good year for them. Sandhill cranes are also a possibility.

If large flocks of blackbirds and grackles are encountered, search carefully for yellow-headed blackbird, a western species. At least one or two are seen each winter. Brewer’s blackbird is another rare possibility.

In wooded habitats, many species of songbirds are taking cover from the winter weather. In addition to the permanent residents, look for hermit thrush, blue-headed vireo, orange-crowned warbler, winter wren, fox sparrow, brown creeper and yellow-bellied sapsucker. Cool, calm, sunny days are usually best.

In your backyard habitats, some of these same species can be seen, if you live near woods. Otherwise, you may be able to attract a good variety of birds to your yard using a variety of feeders and seed, plus a good bird bath or water feature. If you have shrubs with berries you may get big flocks of robins or cedar waxwings.

So, don those winter clothes and get out there. Winter birding on the Outer Banks is amazing.

Coastal Owls: Mysterious, Misunderstood

Jeff Lewis — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 05:00:54 +0000

Reprinted from The Outer Banks Voice.

Eastern screech owl. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Owls, those phantom creatures of the night.

Their eerie calls raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Their flight is dead silent and the strikes on their prey are swift and lethal. Mysterious for sure, and considered evil by many – the stuff that legends are made of.

To others, especially since the advent of the Harry Potter books and movies, owls are delightful. I’m one of those.

An “owlaholic” you might say. Owls, are awesome; they’re just misunderstood.

So let’s explore the species of owls that call eastern North Carolina home; the permanent residents. Then we’ll take a look at a few of the species that visit the Outer Banks during the winter months. Beware, you may become an addict.

The smallest year-round owl in this area is the eastern screech owl. At 8 to 9 inches long, they are about the size of a man’s hand.

Common birds, they live in forests, swamps, woodlots, even residential sections, if there are plenty of trees — especially old trees with cavities for roosting and nesting.

There could be one in your backyard right now. Like most owls, screech owls are nocturnal and seldom seen by humans.

They have small ear tufts that can be raised or lowered and their color can run from red to brown to gray, and families are often mixed.

Screech owls feed on a great variety of animal life: small mammals and birds, insects, earthworms, snakes and snails. They will even catch fish and sometimes their prey is larger than they are.

Screech owls don’t usually, if ever, screech. Their normal calls are either a high-pitched, descending whinny, similar to a horse, or a lower-pitched, even tremolo. Pair bonding can consist of synchronized duets.

I’ve most often heard screech owls when I’ve stepped outside at night during the cooler months. Occasionally, you can locate one during the day when small songbirds are scolding the poor owl.

Great horned owl. Photo: Jeff Lewis

You can help attract screech owls to your yard by putting up a large bird house for them. Wood duck boxes work well.

Great horned owls are our owls that actually hoot. These huge beauties — 22 inches long, wing span close to 4 feet and weighing around 3 pounds — are another of our owls with ear tufts; the “horns” that give them their name. They look like the typical “wise old owl.”

They can often be heard calling at night during late fall, winter and early spring. Go outside on a calm night and there is a good chance that you’ll hear one or a pair, if you are near wooded habitat.

Great horned owls nest in winter on the Outer Banks from Corolla to Hatteras, often in osprey nests, since owls do not build their own nests.

Recently a pair has nested in an osprey nest on a channel marker at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center and another in an osprey nest at the government center in Manteo.

Great horned owls use their great night vision and acute hearing to find their mammal and bird prey, and their silent flight and powerful talons to quickly dispatch it.

They feed by swallowing the animal whole or tearing it into bite-sized pieces with their sharp, hooked beak. Afterwards, they regurgitate the undigested bones and fur.

Barred owls, slightly smaller than great horned owls, live in wooded, wet areas. In this area, the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is the most reliable place to find them.

Although primarily nocturnal, they can sometimes be seen during daylight hours, often perched on a low limb over a ditch, hunting for snakes, frogs or crayfish. They will also take small mammals, birds and large insects.

Barred owls lack the visible ear tufts and yellow eyes of the great horned; instead they have round heads and dark eyes. One of the strangest things about barred owls is their calls.

They give a loud “who-cooks-for-you, who-cooks-for-you-all” and when two or more are within range of one another, they sound even crazier, like a group of monkeys. Sometimes you can call barred owls in by imitating their calls.

Barn owls are the scarcest of our permanent owls, in fact, they are declining on the Outer Banks and may only be occasional winter residents.

Rodenticides and collisions with vehicles are two reasons for their decline. Barn owls get their name from their willingness to roost and nest in man-made structures, such as barns, abandoned homes and grain silos, when they can’t find a suitable tree cavity.

Barn owls are about 16 inches long and are a beautiful tan and white, with a heart-shaped face. Their feeding tactic is to fly over open marshes, grasslands or farm fields looking for mice, rats and other small mammals.

Barn owls produce a blood-curdling screech and have almost given me heart attacks a couple of times. If you wish to see a barn owl in this area, you can try looking for them at dawn or dusk over the marshes on Bodie Island or the farm fields on the mainland.

They are much more common, although still difficult to find, in the Lake Mattamuskeet area.

Short-eared owls, another beautiful species (but aren’t they all?) are winter residents only, arriving around November and leaving in early spring. They are named for their tiny ear tufts, usually hidden from view.

Like barn owls, they prefer to hunt over farm fields and marshes, but unlike barn owls, they roost on the ground. Short-eared owls are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk.

They are mainly silent while in North Carolina, but their barking can occasionally be heard. The most popular place to look for them is on the Alligator River Refuge, from Milltail Road. You can also try the marshes of north Bodie Island.

The short-eared owls come out to feed about the same time that the northern harriers call it a day, just about when it’s too dark to see. A lucky birder may occasionally see one hunting during daylight hours or while roosting on the ground. They feed primarily on rodents.

Our smallest visiting winter owl is the northern saw-whet owl, named for one of the many sounds that they make.

This diminutive species, only 7 or 8 inches in length, spends the winter in a variety of wooded or scrubby habitats, usually roosting during the day in a dense shrub or conifer.

Not rare, but nearly impossible to find while roosting, they can often be approached rather closely if located (I’m still waiting). Strictly nocturnal, and mostly silent while they hunt for small rodents, birds and insects, saw-whets are difficult to find at night, as well.

Go into the woods at night and if you’re lucky, you may hear their monotonous “toot-toot-toot-toot-toot.”

The first snowy owl spotted on the Outer Banks this season was near the Pea Island visitor center in mid-December. Photo: Jeff Lewis

All right, I’ve saved the best for last.

There is a huge, white, arctic owl that only rarely visits the southern U.S. We were astonished here on the Outer Banks four winters ago, when several of them paid us a visit and now it looks like they are going to irrupt again this winter.

At the time of this writing, four have already been seen in North Carolina, including one on Pea Island.

I’m talking about the magnificent snowy owl, of course. Measuring 20-25 inches long, with a 4-foot wingspan and a 4-pound body, these beautiful beasts prey upon mammals and birds, from mice to rabbits and songbirds to waterfowl.

Snowy owls, when they are here, are usually found on the ocean beaches and dunes, the habitat that most closely resembles the arctic tundra where they live and raise their families.

They sit in the open, usually at the base of a small dune or piece of driftwood while they look for prey, and watch out for people. They will hunt day or night.

The best way to find one of these fantastic owls is to walk the beaches — the more secluded the better. If you see one, keep your distance — they usually do not allow a close approach and will flush.

Good luck in your quest!

New Whale Skeleton Museum Taking Shape

Brad Rich — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 05:00:43 +0000

BEAUFORT – One of the more unique museum concepts in recent coastal North Carolina history appears to be rapidly coming to fruition.

Keith Rittmaster has devoted his career to protecting and saving marine mammals. Photo: N.C. Maritime Museum

Keith Rittmaster, natural science curator at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, said late last month that he is confident that the building to house the Bonehenge Whale Center will be completed, although not necessarily open, sometime before the end of 2018. The facility, now occupying a trailer in Beaufort, will be a home base for research, exhibit preparation and display, marine conservation, educational programming, outreach, publications and stranded specimen collection and maintenance that focuses on North Carolina cetaceans, or aquatic mammals.

The term “Bonehenge” was conceived in 2009 to represent a volunteer-built pole barn, a fundraiser and a website dedicated to the bone preparation and skeletal rearticulation of a 33.5-foot-long male sperm whale that stranded and died at Cape Lookout in January 2004. That skeletal display, named Echo, was completed in March 2012 after years of painstaking work by Rittmaster, and is on display at the Maritime Museum.

But that one whale skeleton, challenging as it was to piece together and prepare for display, is nothing compared to what Rittmaster is planning. He wants to display skeletons and other artifacts to represent and teach others about all of the 34 cetaceans – whales, dolphins and porpoises – that inhabit North Carolina waters, either year-round or intermittently.

The planned building on West Beaufort Road is being entirely financed by donations. And what gives Rittmaster such confidence about a 2018 completion date is that in just a few months, the Bonehenge website has generated more than $80,000 in contributions toward construction of what is expected to be a $300,000 building.

“I’m to the point now where I’m starting to say ‘when’ we finish it instead of ‘if we can’ finish it, Rittmaster said. I don’t know if we can sustain this level of donations, but it’s been amazing so far. People are very interested, and they’re being very generous. They want to see this happen.”

There’s been at least one $25,000 donation, and one for $15,000, plus many smaller ones. What makes folks want to donate large sums of hard-earned money to a museum for whale and dolphin bones, among other things?

One of the renderings shown on the Bonehenge website represent concepts being considered for a new building to house the collection.

It varies from person to person and group to group, of course, but Rittmaster said that for many, there’s a common thread: personal experience.

One donor became excited because she took part in the effort to put together the skeleton of the sperm whale.

“She told me she loved being part of the team that made that happen,” Rittmaster said. “She said it was great to be a part of something that was bigger than anything anyone could have done individually” to display the skeleton of such a majestic creature for all to see.

Others have been moved by experiences of seeing whales on cruises, or just seeing dolphins frolicking in waters, or by participating in local efforts to save stranded cetaceans.

Rittmaster recalled the incredible community effort years ago to try to save “Benny,” a dolphin that was stranded on a Carteret County beach and ended up in a tank at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries lab on Pivers Island in Beaufort. Countless people helped, whether by bringing food or providing comfort to Benny in the tank.

It’s not unlike how Rittmaster came to enter his unusual career.

As reported here in September 2016, Rittmaster, now 61, while growing up in Princeton, New Jersey, never expected to wind up putting together dolphin and whale bones.

“Growing up I hated museums and I had no interest in bones or anatomy,” he said then. “In fact, I thought it was macabre whenever I saw animal bones on display in someone’s home.”

It all changed in 1975, according to that article, when Rittmaster, then 17, moved to Buxton on the Outer Banks. He started surfing among dolphins and saw his first whale stranding. It was a life-changing event.

He eventually met his wife-to-be-and-still, Vicky Thayer, the central coast marine mammal stranding coordinator for the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, in grad school at Duke University.

Since 1985, according to that 2016 article, Rittmaster, Thayer, and others have collected bottlenose dolphin fin photos. Rittmaster said around 4,000 photos, representing about 1,200 dolphins, have been added to an online database that allows people to help match the fin photos, and in turn, lead to discoveries in bottlenose dolphin migrations, associations, genetic stocks and birthrates.

Federal fish biologists use it to learn about the genetic pools of bottlenose dolphin populations.

Humans, Rittmaster said last month, have a deep connection to these creatures – whales and dolphins – after encountering them, whether in the wild, from a distance, or up close and personal in captivity. And he thinks Bonehenge will only strengthen that connection, and make people want even more to save the marine mammals that are threatened by pollution, fishing nets, ship strikes and other dangers.

He wants people to feel that connection, not just figuratively, from a distance, but physically, by touch, at Bonehenge.

“I want people to handle whale baleen,” a material usually called whalebone. It is not to be confused with whale bone or whale’s bone, meaning the actual bones of whales, used in carving, for cutlery handles and other uses for the bones of various large species. “I want them to touch a whale heart. I want them to ‘feel’ whales and other cetaceans.”

That, Rittmaster said, is how to make the emotional connection to these majestic creatures, usually seen on television or at a distance from a cruise, even more personal, to make people want even more to save them.

“I don’t want to keep these things in glass,” he said. “I want them accessible to you and your kids.”

Bonehenge is to be open to the public of course, and free. It’s going to be for visits by those who are interested, from students to adults. Rittmaster envisions a slow start, with some set hours, but he lives nearby, and said he can and will open it up on demand. In fact, he looks forward to that.

“I want it to be accessible to all people when they want to see it,” he said. “There’s going to be lot there. It might start off slow, but I think a lot of people will come.”

The idea is not that it’s separate from the museum, but more of an adjunct to it. Rittmaster said he was advised from the beginning that it would be a long and arduous process to make Bonehenge a reality if he and the others involved sought to make it a state project. State involvement necessitates countless bureaucratic hurdles not only for property acquisition, but for curating. So it will stay, at least in the beginning, a nonprofit, private organization.

He’ll remain a maritime museum employee and continue his other important work, among it that rearticulation, putting bones back together. He buries locally stranded or donated marine in a “graveyard” near his trailer office on West Beaufort Road, close to the Maritime Museum’s Gallants Channel Annex. After a few years, time enough for the flesh to decompose, he digs them up and gives them to interested researchers. Or sometimes, if the specimen is especially unique, he makes displays.

He works with a variety of people on these projects, including “volunteers, students, colleagues, co-workers, family, experts, and sometimes even people off the street,” he said in 2016. He wants to keep doing it.

The Bonehenge building effort really began in early 2017, when volunteers and donors collaborated with Rittmaster to purchase land on West Beaufort Road. The land is now owned by the charitable nonprofit Carolina Cay Maritime Foundation.

Rittmaster said he’s had numerous offers to help with the project gratis, things like landscaping and interior lighting and architectural designs. But he wants to pay for the actual construction of the building through the fundraising effort, in part because he wants a local contractor to do the job and get paid for it. It’s important to him.

The bones of Pitfall, a 37-foot female humpback whale that died from a ship strike, make up an exhibit Keith Rittmaster uses to highlight the perils whales face. Photo: Caroline Lamb

Needless to say, Rittmaster is excited. He currently has his office in a trailer, with no running water, on an otherwise empty lot near the eventual building site. It’s crammed with books, dolphin photos, marine mammal bones, tooth molds and monofilament fishing line – a huge problem for marine mammals – not to mention the bones of Pitfall, a 37-year-old female humpback whale who died years ago from a ship strike.

“I’m glad to have this space,” he said. “But we just can’t embrace all the opportunities we have.”

For example, there’s a skeleton of the very rare Gervais’ beaked whale hanging in the state-owned Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head; Rittmaster would love for it to have a home in Beaufort.

“The new building will be so much better. We have (school) classes come through here now, but there’s really only room for about six people at a time. In the new building, we’ll have room for whole classes, and room for scientists to do research and collaborate.”

He believes it is all very important; with some whale species and other cetaceans threatened with extinction, it’s crucial for the public to learn about them and make that emotional connection necessary to make a real commitment to saving them.

He admits he’s been surprised by the outpouring of support for Bonehenge. But again, it’s similar to that effort to help Benny years ago; it’s a grassroots effort, Rittmaster said, born of an emotional attachments by people who recognize the importance of saving species that we might not see every day, but to which we relate.

It’s akin, one might say, to the formation of teams of volunteers who prowl beaches all over the world, including Carteret County, to make sure that sea turtles nests are not disturbed and that turtle hatchlings can make their way to the sea.

“People care, and they are concerned,” Rittmaster said. And he thinks Bonehenge will serve to heighten awareness and concern.

“I can’t wait for this to happen,” he said.

Learn More

To donate, or to help make Bonehenge a reality in other ways, visit bonehenge.org or call 252-528-8607.

Birds of Ocracoke: The Snow Bunting

Peter Vankevich — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 05:00:47 +0000

Ocracoke high school math teacher Beth Layton spotted this rare snow bunting on Ocracoke last winter. Photo: Beth Layton

Reprinted from the Ocracoke Observer

Birds are amazing in that they may be found in the most extreme habitats.

One of these is the snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis). They have the distinction of being the most northerly passerine bird in the world, breeding on the rocky tundra in the utmost levels of the circumpolar arctic.

Migratory birds, the males, from “balmy” areas such as southern Quebec, return north in April when the weather is still freezing and snow present. Females wait four to six weeks before venturing to their nesting grounds.

Speculation as to why the males arrive so early is that they compete to secure a nesting site amidst a limited number of crevices in the rocks that will be safe from predators and near vegetated tundra for feeding.

Because the rocks are cold, the female will line the nest with moss, fur and feathers to help keep the eggs and nestlings warm. The female must remain on the nest for most of the incubation period while the male feeds her. They also nest in artificial sites including buildings, barrels, cans and stone foundations.

Their winter habitat includes open weedy, grassy and plowed fields, grain stubbles, roadsides and farm yards. They can also be found on shores, beaches and dunes.

In the East, they sometimes can be seen in mixed flocks with horned larks and Lapland longspurs.

They are most likely to be seen on the upper Outer Banks from late October into March. Although not unusual to be seen on Pea and Hatteras islands, they are rare on Ocracoke, Portsmouth and points below. Ocracoke’s high school math teacher, Beth Layton, discovered this bunting on a late afternoon walk last winter.

Predators that will kill the birds or take the eggs in these remote parts of the world include gyrfalcons, peregrine falcons, long-tailed jaegers, snowy owls, short-tailed weasels and Arctic foxes. Its most dangerous foe, however, is adverse weather that can lead to freezing and starvation.

The female usually lays four to seven eggs starting in mid-June and incubation is only about 10 days. Both parents feed the nestlings, which fledge within about two weeks.

During breeding season, males are white with a black back, wingtips and bill. The female has the same coloration pattern but is reddish-brown instead of black.

In flight, the clear contrast between the white and black of the wings is evident. The female resembles the male, but has a grey-brown head and back. Both sexes have a black bill and legs. In winter plumage, the male has brownish upper-parts that have black streaks. The crown, sides of the head and the breast have a yellow-brown tinge. The female in winter plumage is more buff than in summer. The bill of both sexes is yellow during winter.

The song has been described as short, but musical, bold and loud for size and with fair variety of phrasing. Typical version might be rendered “turee-turee-tureet-turiwee.”

These are ground birds, sometimes seen individually but often in flocks of up to 100 or more. Their primary food source is seeds of grass and weeds. During breeding season, they will also feed on invertebrates.

Snow buntings were hunted in the past for food. A New York Times article in 1903 noted a person on trial in violation of a state law for possession of 30,000 dead birds harvested in Canada.

Because of their remote breeding range in the high arctic and their nomadic habits during winter, they have not been closely studied.

Best time to see: Unusual but possibly mid-fall through winter

Where: Beach and dunes, pony pasture

A curious note about this species is that John James Audubon in his “Birds of America,” first published as a series in sections between 1827 and 1838, noted that only a single nest of this bird had been found within the limits of the United States (Alaska was not yet a state).

“It was seen by J. Wright Boott Esq. of Boston, on a declivity of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, in the month of July 1831. That gentleman described it to me as being fixed on the ground amid low bushes, and formed like that of the Song Sparrow. It contained young ones.” Boott was a prominent, though eccentric and troubled, Bostonian who had a passion for plants, especially orchids. He discovered a small previously unknown species of Prenanthes that is now known as Alpine Rattlesnake root, Prenanthes boottii.

December Brings New Birds, Annual Count

Jeff Lewis — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 05:00:22 +0000

Reprinted from the Outer Banks Voice. Each month Jeff Lewis, an expert on birds and bird-watching, writes an article on the subject for the publication.

What does December mean to you? Christmas shopping, decorations, time off work, time with family, candy canes, tinsel and Santa Claus?

A Eurasian wigeon. Photo: Jeff Lewis

To serious birders, December also means waterfowl and Christmas bird counts.

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge in December is magical.

The three refuge impoundments are full of ducks, geese and swans (and lots of other birds, too).

To best observe these birds, get there very early for good viewing conditions – sunrise is about right – and, starting at the north end of North Pond, work your way south, stopping in spots safe from fast-moving traffic to scan the ponds. Safe locations include the small parking lot at the north end, the wide, sandy pull-off by the photo blind and the paved parking lot at the visitor center.

Heading south, the shoulder is just wide enough about midway at New Field, the middle impoundment, for safe parking.

Then, there is a nice location at the north end of South Pond to park. Driving south from there, look carefully before pulling off because some spots are firm and others are soft sand. After that, with the sun higher in the sky, I usually turn around, drive back to North Pond and walk the north and south dikes, taking advantage of the observation platforms. A good spotting scope is a real asset.

You should see lots of ducks and swans, Canada geese and maybe snow geese, and lots of other birds.

American white pelicans are common now at Pea Island in the winter, and several species of shorebirds should be visible on any mud flats that are exposed. Wading birds – herons, egret and ibis – should be present, as well. American coots should be easy to find in their big rafts and common gallinule is a possibility, especially at the north end of North Pond, a little ways back toward the west.

A northern shoveler. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Puddle ducks, or dabblers, that are common in December include mallard, American black duck, northern shoveler, gadwall, green-winged teal, American wigeon and northern pintail. You may also find a blue-winged teal or two. Be sure to carefully search flocks of American wigeon for Eurasian wigeon; the drakes will have a red head, creamy yellow forehead and a gray back and sides (see photo).

Diving ducks that are usually present include redhead, sometimes in huge rafts; ring-necked duck; greater scaup; lesser scaup; red-breasted merganser; hooded merganser; bufflehead; and ruddy duck. Canvasbacks can sometimes be spotted in the redhead flocks. Some years, one or more common mergansers are present. The diving ducks are often farther back in the impoundments and may require a spotting scope for good views.

If the ducks suddenly take off, check the skies. This often means that a peregrine falcon or bald eagle is nearby.

While tundra swans are usually scattered everywhere, the best spot for snow geese is often at the south end of South Pond, fairly close to the road. Search through them for the smaller, stubby-billed Ross’s goose.

If you want to add a few more waterfowl to your day’s list, scan the ocean. Black and surf scoters can often be spotted, and a white-winged scoter is possible, too. You will usually see common and red-throated loons, as well, and maybe a few horned grebes.

Inside Oregon Inlet, near the Bonner Bridge, you may also find scoters and even a common eider, long-tailed duck or a harlequin duck, if you’re lucky. At the time of this writing, a rare female king eider had been seen, first near the Bonner Bridge, then in North Pond. Hopefully, it will stick around for a while.

Another great waterfowl location within range of Outer Bankers is Lake Mattamuskeet, about an hour drive from Manteo. The lake itself has been declining in productivity, but the impoundments at Lake Landing and especially Wildlife Drive should be super this winter. Cold, windy days are usually best.

Other good spots to try include the pond at the Bodie Island Lighthouse, the Alligator River Refuge, the Pocosin Lakes Refuge, which is about a two-hour drive west, and Mackay Island Refuge, to the north. Try to time your visit to Mackay when they have their periodic Open Roads Days. These locations are more rewarding if you have a spotting scope.

The National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Counts started in 1900 and are an annual citizen-science tradition in this country.

Count areas are circles with a 15-mile diameter, and they remain the same, year after year. A compiler is in charge of organizing his or her circle, which involves picking a date, recruiting participant birders, providing count sheets and arranging a meeting place afterward to compile the data.

The participants record the species seen as well as the actual numbers – basically taking an inventory of the birds found in his or her section of the circle. The birds are identified by sight or sound, so a good knowledge of birds is desirable. Inexperienced people who wish to learn are paired up with the more experienced birders.

Waterfowl gather in large numbers. Photo: Jeff Lewis

The information gathered is used to determine winter bird distribution, population health, population trends, migration routes, habitat use and even clues to the effects of climate change on populations.

In our area are the following counts: Kitty Hawk, Bodie/Pea, Hatteras, Ocracoke, Alligator River and Mattamuskeet. For more information, check out the Audubon website and follow the links. Locations of the circles and contact information for the compilers in your area should be available.

Woodland, including edges, birds to look for in December include winter wren, blue-headed vireo, red-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper, yellow-bellied sapsucker, eastern phoebe, white-throated sparrow, fox sparrow, hermit thrush, ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglet, American goldfinch, purple finch and pine siskin.

Also, keep an eye out for cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks. Many of these birds will visit the birdfeeders or water features of people living in wooded habitats.

In open brushy or field habitats look for dark-eyed junco, savannah, song, swamp, Lincoln’s, white-crowned, chipping and field sparrows, along with house wren, eastern phoebe, northern harrier and American kestrel, in addition to the year-round residents.

When large flocks of blackbirds are found, look for the rare, but annual, yellow-headed blackbird.

In salt or brackish marsh habitats, you may find Nelson’s, saltmarsh and seaside sparrows and clapper, king, Virginia rail and Sora. Look here also for northern harriers flying low over the marsh. At dusk, you may spot a short-eared owl.

Good birding!

Learn More

Audubon North Carolina

Shorebird Banded 17 Years Ago Brings Hope

Anita Stone and Barbara Burns — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 05:00:51 +0000

An American oystercatcher stands watch, providing shade for two chicks. File photo: Sam Bland

MASONBORO ISLAND – Biologists here recently recaptured a previously banded American oystercatcher, an East Coast and Gulf shorebird. While that’s not unheard of, the bird that is listed as a species of special concern in North Carolina had a leg band placed in 2001 in Georgia.

The discovery of a 17-year-old oystercatcher was exciting news for advocates and conservationists who had worked tirelessly during the past 15 years to bring this wading bird back from near extinction. But despite the encouraging discovery, the species still faces challenges.

“It’s really tough being an American oystercatcher these days,” said Walker Golder, director of the Atlantic Flyway Coast Initiative at the National Audubon Society. “Oystercatchers are highly susceptible to chronic human disturbance.”

Golder also noted that oystercatchers have faced loss of nesting habitat from beach construction, rising sea levels, ongoing erosion and strong storms, resulting in reduced food resources and increasing animal predation.

Although the distinctively colored wading bird with a large red bill can be seen engaging in its unusual eating habits at intertidal areas on beaches and islands along the North Carolina coast, their numbers have been in serious decline from two centuries of hunting practices.

Studies in the early 21^st century showed population losses up to 50 percent. Earlier counts found the bird virtually extinct along the New England coast. Oystercatchers are considered an umbrella species in conservation terms, meaning their reproductive status reflects overall ocean health, making them harbingers of the well-being of all wildlife on North Carolina beaches.

Walker Golder

“We will have to act to protect the North Carolina coast for the North Carolina people and for wildlife,” Golder said. “American oystercatchers are susceptible to human disturbance and new predators.”

Lindsay Addison, a coastal biologist with Audubon North Carolina, said predation can be higher near human development. Animals follow human habitation, which creates greatly increased predation, including dogs, cats and some wildlife.

“Raccoons, for example, prey on eggs and chicks and when there are too many (raccoons) on a barrier island, they can wipe out an entire season’s nesting effort,” Addison said, adding that habitat management has helped increase oystercatchers’ numbers.

A statewide census is carried out every three years with the cooperation of partners around the state including Audubon North Carolina, the national seashores, the state park system and the North Carolina Coastal Reserve System. The most recent count taken in 2016 shows pairs have stabilized and increased, with 435 nesting pairs, Addison said.

Lindsay Addison

“We don’t have counts for 2017, because it’s not a census year in North Carolina, but from nesting monitoring, which goes on every year at some sites, we observe nesting success,” she added.

The increase is largely from stepped-up efforts by Audubon North Carolina, North Carolina Fish and Wildlife Services, the North Carolina Coastal Reserve System, the National Park Service and the American Oystercatcher Working Group, which works to develop, support and implement research and management.

American oystercatchers breed once a year and are considered excellent parents with both adults incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks, which may remain with the parents for up to six months or until their beaks become strong enough to feed for themselves. Oystercatchers eat by stabbing their bill into a partially open oyster, clam or other bivalve and cutting the hinge that allows the clam to close its shell, exposing the remaining soft tissue.

Human encroachment reduces open beach areas and limits nesting sites for oystercatchers. Seawalls are of particular concern because their construction involves the leveling of sand dunes and plant cover, leaving flattened sand plains. Terminal groins and jetties, which disrupt sand flow and food supply, are a similar threat.

American oystercatchers nest on higher ground when they can find it, so with high sand features razed in preparation for sea walls, they can be forced to make their nests near the high-tide line, leaving eggs and chicks vulnerable to sudden rogue waves.

Beach areas open to off-road vehicles often lead to crushed nests, and hard-to-see fledglings can easily be run over. Engine noises can cause frightened oystercatcher parents to abandon their nests.

Oystercatcher eggs are at the mercy of storm tides, raccoons and other predators. File photo: Sam Bland

“Given the threats they face, it’s important we don’t compound oystercatcher problems with human disturbance, which can cause eggs and chicks to fail. Also, respecting signs marking nesting sites and moving away from an area where a bird is upset by pacing, flying up or calling repeatedly should be clues for us to help these birds by respecting their existence,” Golder said.

Included in these efforts is the involvement of local communities in marking nest locations, fencing off nesting areas or making signage to warn beachgoers of the presence of nesting activity. Helping to keep the beach clear of ensnaring human debris and objects such as fishing line and plastics is important as is keeping pets leashed or off the beach areas.

Beachgoers are encouraged to report observed banded birds to Audubon North Carolina, the American Oystercatcher Band Database or to the American Oystercatcher Working Group. The working group’s website lists members to contact regarding banded birds or problems observed. The public’s help can be crucial for the species.

“There has been an accelerated erosion of beaches,” Golder explained. “And we will have to adapt to future conditions on the coast. Ignoring these problems is not an option. We need management, restoration and sustainability if the American oystercatchers are to survive.”

Learn More

Winter Birds Are Arriving On The Outer Banks

Jeff Lewis — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 05:00:26 +0000

Reprinted from The Outer Banks Voice. Each month Jeff Lewis, an expert on birds and bird-watching, writes an article on the subject for the publication.

Yellow-bellied sapsucker. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Cool November temperatures and chilly north winds send us our winter birds.

In wooded habitats, and along the edges, look and listen for yellow-bellied sapsucker, eastern phoebe, blue-headed vireo, brown creeper, winter wren, golden-crown kinglet, ruby-crown kinglet and hermit thrush.

Some of these species are easily overlooked, so let’s look closely at three of them, a trio that nests in the North Carolina mountains.

Yellow-bellied sapsuckers are fairly common here in winter but are easy to overlook. These woodpeckers can be heard drilling into trees or mewing, similar to a catbird, but if you approach too hastily they move around to the back side of the tree, remaining hidden. Stand still for a minute, and they’ll usually show themselves again.

As their name implies, sapsuckers feed on tree sap, and this is the reason for the drilling, of course. Interestingly, a sapsucker will drill various sizes and patterns of holes, depending upon the species of tree. They will peck deep holes, shallow holes, holes in horizontal rows, holes in vertical rows, tightly spaced or distant holes, round holes, oval holes or even shallow flat squares, small or large.

It is incredible how these unique birds have learned how best to harvest the sap from each tree. After the hard work is complete, sapsuckers return periodically to harvest the sap that has collected, which they lick up with their tongue. The insects that get stuck in the sweet sap add a little protein. Sometimes hummingbirds and other species will steal a little of the sap when the sapsucker is not watching. In addition to tree sap, sapsuckers also feed on berries and insects.

Brown creepers are a bizarre little bird. Brown above and white below, and only about 5.5 inches long, a brown creeper looks a little bit like a Carolina wren, except with a stiff woodpecker tail. Their feeding behavior is unique.

Brown creepers start at the base of a tree, usually a large one, and using their stiff tail and down-curved bill for support, creep up the tree in a spiral searching for insects and spiders in the cracks and crevices of the bark. When they reach the top, they simply flutter down to the base of the next tree and start all over again. They remind me of a mouse or a large bug, flat against the trunk.

Brown Creeper. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Brown creepers are very cryptically patterned and are easily overlooked against the brown bark. Even the calls that creepers give are hard to hear, as they are extremely high pitched. Many people cannot hear them at all. So fixated on tree trunks, brown creepers even build their nests, similar to a hammock, under a wedge of bark.

Winter wrens have one of the prettiest songs of any bird, in my opinion, a long, bubbly concoction of about 100 separate notes, but you’re very unlikely to hear one during the winter on the Outer Banks.

They will sometimes sing in spring just before leaving for their breeding grounds, though. Winter wrens are dark brown and tiny, only about 4 inches long, or about the size of a chicken egg, with a head and stubby tail attached. They prefer dense tangles in woods, often in moist habitats, and forage for insects along the ground.

They are considered secretive and hard to see, but mostly, if you sit still for a while, they just ignore humans; I’ve actually had one hop right over my feet. Once you learn the two-note call that they give, a hard “jip-jip,” they become easier to find.

Winter wrens have a peculiar habit of bobbing up and down and they have a very short tail that they keep stuck straight up, so they are easily identified, once found. They mostly forage along the ground for their insect prey.

Other winter resident songbirds that are present by November include orange-crowned warbler, palm warbler, and a good variety of sparrows: Savannah sparrows, song sparrows, swamp sparrows and fox sparrows are four common to uncommon ones. white-throated sparrows and chipping sparrows are common in some of our yards and some years we have good numbers of dark-eyed juncos. Nelson’s and saltmarsh sparrows can be found by trudging through brackish and salt marshes. Unusual to rare sparrows to look for in winter include Lincoln’s, vesper, lark and tree sparrow, to name a few.

By November we are inundated with yellow-rumped warblers, aka butter-butts, so named for their bright yellow rumps. These little birds are found in abundance and in a great variety of habitats; just about anywhere there are some shrubs or trees for a little cover.

Waterfowl are mostly in place by November, especially by the end of the month.

Winter Wrenn. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Get out early and scan the pond at Bodie Island and especially the impoundments at Pea Island, Mattamuskeet, Mackay Island and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuges — many species of ducks are available for viewing. Snow geese and tundra swans should also be present.

Ocean watching can be fun in November.

Northern gannets should be present, flying south or plunge-diving into schools of fish.

On many days large numbers of red-throated loons can be seen, and a few common loons are usually present, as well.

Look for horned grebes, too. Long strings of black scoters and surf scoters can be seen as they migrate south over the ocean and sometimes a white-winged scoter can be seen as well.

Our ocean piers are the best vantage points from which to scan for these birds. You may even see a Humpback Whale. If you’re lucky you may spot a common eider or long-tailed duck or erant; eiders are more often seen around structures like jetties and piers and long-tailed ducks and brant are more often seen in the sounds, especially near the inlets.

One of the best ways to see Brant is to ride the ferry from Hatteras to Ocracoke. Some years you can see many of these species inside Oregon Inlet, especially around the Bonner Bridge. Harlequin ducks are even present occasionally.

In the backyard, keep a good variety of bird food out, in feeders and on the ground; this is the time of year when unusual birds sometimes show up at feeders. Look for painted buntings, Baltimore orioles and white-winged doves.

Even western tanagers show up occasionally.

Good birding!

Eagles Island Stewards Look To Expand Effort

Katelynn Watkins — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 04:00:43 +0000

Eagles Island at US 74/76/17 between New Hanover and Brunswick counties is an untouched marshy wilderness. Photo: Lee Ann Bolton

Reprinted from North Brunswick Magazine

EAGLES ISLAND — Along the busy stretch of US 74/76/17 between New Hanover and Brunswick counties exists a veritable marshy wilderness, barely touched by the locals. But contrary to the likely assumption, its stewards, The Eagles Island Coalition, are actually hopeful that this will soon change.

“For many years no one really gave Eagles Island much thought, but the coalition has helped to change that perception,” said Niel Brooks, Leland’s Parks and Recreation Department Director of Operations and an active participant in the Eagles Island Coalition (EIC). “We have had some good press over the years for some of our efforts including the installation of Paddle Trail signage throughout the island, the development of a Conservation Management Plan and some of the work Jim Kapetsky did with regards to mapping old rice canals on the island.”

The Eagles Island Coalition is a multi-agency, municipal, and non-governmental organization partnership focused on protecting the existing natural areas on Eagles Island and the lower Cape Fear/Brunswick River Marsh complex, according to the organization’s website.

Eagles Island Coalition has installed paddle trail signage throughout the island and hopes to add more recreational opportunities. Photo: Lee Ann Bolton

But Rob Moul, consultant with Land Management Group Inc. and the other members of the EIC, don’t have visions of storefronts and pristine parking lots. The current chair of the organization said that instead, the hope is for the stretch to become a central location for education and recreation in the area.

“It’s just fascinating when you get out there on the water and see what pops up in the low tide,” he said of recent kayaking ventures he and Brooks took to identify possible paths and small boating excursion paths. “The report that we put together is pretty detailed, but until you see what’s going on it’s hard to describe how awe-inspiring the work is that these folks do around here.”

Land Management Group, with which Moul has been employed for nearly 28 years, was one of the organizations responsible for the research compiled into a comprehensive study in July 2011 featuring the land’s cultural, environmental and historical resources. This meant assessing everything from the impacts of regional dredging, water quality, flood frequency and more based on the area’s past and present activity.

The land, first donated to the New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors by H.L. “Whitey” Prevatte in 2001, consists of 52 acres of wetlands. Over time, the levels of salt water have been rising due to dredging channels influenced by ships and the rising sea levels. Additionally, since 2001, the original Eagles Island area was gifted nearly 800 acres in government land contributions.

“For now, our plan is to educate everyone about the land here, but we also want to expand,” Moul said. “We’re hoping to make this an even bigger project by including land from private owners who may want to sell or donate to our cause. If we can expand, that’s just a little more we can offer to everyone else wanting to learn about the natural history we have.”

But in addition to future guided kayaking and recreational pursuits (which are major draws to the area), the coalition wants to emphasize the rich background that has helped shape the area, namely its reputation as a hub for turpentine production and rice cultivation.

In short, the area’s history has a lot to thank Eagles Island for, Moul said, although some native North Carolinians aren’t completely aware of just how rich that background in trade is.

Eagles Island Coalition members want to increase the popularity and create attractions at Eagles Island for nature lovers. Photo: Lee Ann Bolton

To rectify this, Moul and his fellow Eagles Island Coalition members want to expand the opportunities around Eagles Island. They are hopeful the desired land can be added to the original parcel. Walkways, observation decks, and even possibly an educational tour via water taxi are all included in a sort of wish list that the coalition wants to make reality, he said.

“We want to make this the grand park between two urban environments,” Moul said. “After all, this stretch would have been the glue between commerce areas back in colonial times.”

With the assistance of local government entities on the board, as well as the remainder of the coalition team, Moul is confident that eventually Eagles Island will be placed on the map as a stop for tourists and locals alike to take in the natural beauty as well as learn a little about the history of southeastern North Carolina.

And for the rest, he said they hope to recruit volunteers for various task forces: recreational staff, land trust coordinators, natural and cultural historical education, etc.

“We rely on a lot of teamwork to bring about all of our plans and goals,” he said. “So in the future, we’ll mostly look to continuing in that same way and hope we can share this with the community.”

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This story is provided courtesy of North Brunswick Magazine, a publication that highlights life in Leland, Belville and neighboring communities. Coastal Review Online is partnering with North Brunswick Magazine to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast.

Coastal Birding Trail Marks 10th Anniversary

Kip Tabb — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 04:00:49 +0000

A yellow-rumped warbler perches in a tree at the end of the Currituck Banks Maritime Hiking Trail near Corolla. Photo: Kip Tabb

COROLLA – More of a stroll through a forest than a rigorous hike, the Currituck Banks Maritime Hiking Trail here, part of a 10-year-old network of birding trails on the North Carolina coast, meanders for three-quarters of a mile from a boardwalk to the Currituck Sound, leading visitors through some of the most spectacular groves of live oak on the Outer Banks.

It is mostly quiet, except for the birds. In the canopy, crows are having a furious argument – or maybe it’s just a discussion – the cawing reverberating throughout the forest. To the north of the trail a woodpecker is drilling into a tree. There are three or four woodpeckers that are a part of this habitat, but can’t be seen from the trail.

The path terminus at the sound is a muddy expanse of cattails and rushes. Pine trees line the bank, their branches an ideal habitat for smaller birds, and there is a constant chirrup and rustle of wings as they navigate the branches.

The North Carolina Birding Trail includes more than 300 sites across the state. Map: N.C. Birding Trail

The trail is one of the Coastal Plain North Carolina Birding Trails. It’s part of the broader North Carolina Birding Trail, a cooperative project by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Audubon North Carolina, North Carolina Sea Grant, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension and North Carolina Parks and Recreation that totals 310 sites across the state. The coastal plain portion of the trail, which includes the Currituck Banks trail and 101 other sites, was completed in 2007.

The trail’s anniversary was observed Oct. 20 at a Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival gathering at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuges Visitor Center on Roanoke Island. Organizers estimated about 100 attended, including Kristin Cooper, North Carolina’s first lady, who also spoke at the event, which was a celebration of success and a reflection on what the North Carolina Birding Trail represents.

“It’s very exciting,” said Heather Hahn, executor director of Audubon North Carolina. “Audubon feels very privileged to have been a founding partner of the North Carolina Birding Trails. They offer … families a place to connect in nature. It rejuvenates us all.”

Scott Anderson

Nearly every state park, national park, state game land, U.S. Fish and Wildlife land and state recreational facility is part of the system.

Hahn’s observations about the importance of the trails were echoed by Scott Anderson, bird conservation biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission.

“The uniqueness of the birding trails lies in the captivating strength of our natural world, it’s endless capacity to evoke wonder,” he said.

Cooper, a self-proclaimed amateur birder, described at the event how bird-watching is a universal introduction to wildlife and explained how she became involved in birding.

North Carolina First Lady Kristin Cooper explains during the event at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuges Visitor Center on Roanoke Island how she became involved in birding. Photo: Kip Tabb

“I found myself snowed in during the blizzard of 1996 … with three young children,” Cooper said. “Fortunately, for Christmas I had gotten a couple of birdfeeders and a field guide to the birds of the eastern U.S. I started a bird journal. By the time summer had ended I had identified 54 birds in my backyard, and I had a new hobby.”

Earlier this year, Cooper worked with Audubon North Carolina to help establish a bird and pollinator-friendly garden at the Executive Mansion, the official residence of the governor and first family. The original Victorian garden planted by former first lady Dottie Martin was overgrown. Audubon played a lead role in designing and fundraising for the refreshed garden, which will now benefit pollinators, birds and other wildlife. In coordination with the dedication of the Executive Mansion native plant garden, Gov. Roy Cooper declared this week Native Plants Week to encourage North Carolinians to plant native plants at their homes, yards and businesses.

Growing Interest, Economic Boost

There has been for some time a growing interest in wildlife observation, and bird watching is a huge part of that. Every five years, U.S. Fish and Wildlife compiles an analysis of outdoor activities, and the latest preliminary report shows that trend continuing. Although state figures are not included in the report, nationally there has been a 21 percent increase in wildlife observing.

Some observations are made from the home, but large numbers of people travel, and the benefits to communities can be significant.

Heather Hahn

“They stimulate the local economy,” Hahn noted during the event.

Anderson also explained the specific economic benefits the birding community brings.

“We experimented with a birder-friendly business program, which we’re redeveloping now,” he said. The program was designed to provide tools and information to market business and community interests to birders as they travel the Birding Trail. The original program focused on hotels and lodging businesses.

In an interview after the event, Anderson explained how the North Carolina Birding Trails program is hoping to strengthen the revamped business program.

The latest annual report by U.S. Fish and Wildlife shows a growing interest in wildlife observation.

“There are a ton of businesses already set up as a bird-friendly business. They need to know what birding sites are near them. Also, (business owners need to know) when birders are around and how they can take advantage of those opportunities,” he said.

Birding and wildlife observation bring in more than $1.2 billion annually, Anderson noted, adding that the economic boost is an important part of a strategy that also aims to preserve habitat.

“The patterns of the past are predicted to continue,” he said. “We will have a more urbanized North Carolina in 2030. To ensure that birds and other wildlife have a place in the future landscape, we need to support not only the people but the local economies, the economies that provide for people.”

Anderson cautioned, though, against becoming too dependent on numbers when talking about the beauty of the North Carolina birding trails.

“An actuarial spreadsheet is not what measures the past 10 years of success, but (instead it’s) the communities we’ve built around it,” he said.

That growing community of enthusiasts is looking to experience wildlife through a camera or binoculars or in their backyard. The trend provides a foundation for efforts to conserve wildlife habitat. And, because birds are so much a part of everyday life, they take on an important introductory role to the natural world.

“Birds are the gateway access to nature,” Anderson said.

It is that gateway that helps people to understand the beauty of nature, and how important it is that it is protected.

“We want to work to assure that these areas are around for future generations,” Hahn said.

There are, Anderson noted, some 1.1 million acres of protected land surrounding the state’s birding trails, land that can offer both the casual hiker and avid birder that chance to experience something remarkable.

“The uniqueness of the birding trails lies in captivating the strength of our natural world in its endless capacity to evoke wonder,” Anderson said. “That is the basis of the birding trail—finding that wonder in the natural world.”

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October Offers Birding Opportunities, Festival

Jeff Lewis — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 04:00:02 +0000

A merlin, a small species of falcon, is one of the migratory birds arriving on the Outer Banks this time of year. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Reprinted from the Outer Banks Voice

OUTER BANKS – Great weather and great birding are ahead as migratory species flock our way this month and an event next week that is sure to make aspiring birders say, “Wow!”

Birders can expect everything from tiny kinglets to raptors to geese, and maybe a few swans as well. And with cool fall temperatures here, there’s every reason to get outside and enjoy the show.

If you’re new to the game, or just prefer birding in groups, the main session of the 21^st annual Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival takes place Oct. 17 to Oct. 22 on the Outer Banks. An “Encore” session is set for Dec. 8-10.

Considered one of the premier East Coast wildlife festivals, Wings Over Water, or WOW, offers nature-oriented field trips and programs, with everything from birding to paddling to photography to astronomy. Various trips will take you to any one of six nearby wildlife refuges or other wild areas like the Palmetto-Peartree Preserve, Nags Head Woods, Kitty Hawk Woods, Audubon Pine Island Sanctuary and Center and Hatteras and Ocracoke islands.

One of the attractions for me is being able to get into some of the normally closed areas of the refuges. The volunteer trip leaders are experts in their fields and will do their best to show you a good time. Check the WOW website for more details.

This month plenty of waterfowl should be available to enjoy.

A northern shoveler is a duck that uses its large, spoon-shaped bill to strain food from water. Photo: Jeff Lewis

All of the puddle duck (dabbler) species should be present, with the diving ducks not far behind.

Snow geese start to show up this month as well. Look especially in those refuges that have impoundments: Pea Island, Mattamuskeet and Mackay Island National Wildlife. The Alligator River Wildlife Refuge should be good, too, if the farm fields have been flooded. Other potentially good spots to try are the Bodie Island Pond and Morgan Futch Game Lands, just across the Alligator River Bridge in Tyrrell County.

October is a big month for raptors.

Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks arrive, wreaking havoc with songbirds, including the ones in our yards. Northern harriers can be seen gliding over our marshes and farm fields, tilting back and forth as they look for rodents. Our resident red-tailed hawks will be joined by their brethren from the north.

Our three eastern falcons, American kestrel, merlin and peregrine falcon, began arriving in late September and should be fairly obvious in October.

Kestrels hunt from a perch, consuming large insects and mice. Super-quick merlin prey on birds, especially shorebirds. Peregrines falcons, renowned for their speed, reaching over 200 miles per hour during their dives, hunt mainly ducks, although a nice, fat pigeon is good, too.

Links to National Wildlife Refuges included in the Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival:

On cool fall days, with clear skies and north winds, it is fun to find a high perch (pun intended), like a tall dune or an observation platform, and watch the migrating hawks.

You may see only a few, or you may see many dozens, winging their way south. I recommend one of the platforms along the Currituck Sound just north of the Dare/Currituck County line. The high platform in the southwest corner of the north pond on Pea Island can also be good, and you have the advantage of being able to view the waterfowl in the impoundment. Mid-morning is generally best. Many other migrants are usually seen, too.

Warbler diversity is still good in early October but begins to lessen by mid-month as these primarily neo-tropical migrants reach their winter destinations in Central and South America. Their numbers remain high, though, as yellow-rumped and palm warblers arrive, many to spend the winter. These are hardy birds.

To make up for the loss of warbler diversity, a dozen or so species of sparrows arrive, many to spend the winter. While not as colorful as warblers, sparrows have a subtle beauty of their own and are a favorite group for many birders.

Some, including the white-throated sparrow, even become backyard birds, feeding on the ground under your feeders. Other species are habitat specialists. Nelson’s sparrow and saltmarsh sparrow, as an example, join our permanent seaside sparrows out in the salt marshes where they spend the winter, not seen unless one specifically tromps through the marsh in search of them.

A palm warbler is an example of a migratory bird that winters along much of the East Coast and is known for constantly bobbing its tail. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Shorebird numbers remain high in October, but by the end of the month, their diversity declines. Look for them on mudflats, ocean beaches, large muddy or grassy fields, and along the shorelines of our sounds and inlets.

Many of our “winter” songbirds arrive in October. In addition to the already mentioned sparrows, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, eastern phoebes, blue-headed vireos, brown creepers, golden-crowned and ruby-crowned kinglets, American goldfinches and hermit thrushes arrive this month.

House, sedge and winter wrens also appear – yes, we have a few house wrens year-round. Marsh wren numbers increase as migrants join the year-round birds in the fresh and brackish marshes. Some years we get red-breasted nuthatches, pine siskins and purple finches, mostly during years when their natural food plants in the north have not produced well.

To best locate woodland songbirds, seek out areas that are heavy with native plants that produce fruit or attract insects.

Some of the best are flowering dogwood, tupelo gum, Virginia creeper, American beauty-berry, wax myrtle, muscadine grapes and pokeweed, just to name a few.

The more natural the habitat the better; manicured environments hold very few birds.

In more open habitats, look for areas dense with native grasses and goldenrod, great spots for sparrows and a few of the lower-feeding warblers. On cool fall mornings, look for the sunny edge of a patch of dense woods; this edge is sometimes teeming with life.

I have to tell you that, as I write this article, I am distracted by birds in and around the water feature, a tiny pond and a bird bath with a drip, that was strategically installed just outside my dining room window. My visitors, so far, include an American redstart, a northern parula, a black-and-white warbler, a black-throated green warbler and a couple of red-eyed vireos, not to mention the year-round cardinals and chickadees. I took a quick break, went outside, and added a Baltimore oriole and a yellow-billed cuckoo to my list.

Life is good!

So, let’s end this in the backyard. Continue to keep those bird baths clean and filled, with moving water if possible. Keep the hummingbird feeders filled with fresh sugar water. Fill the bird feeders with a good quality mix of seeds, making sure to scatter some on the ground. Put out suet or peanut butter, and enjoy the birds.

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Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival

September Brings Migratory Birds to Banks

Jeff Lewis — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 04:00:36 +0000

American redstarts are fairly common if you know where to look. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Reprinted from the Outer Banks Voice

OUTER BANKS — Fall migration is a magical time for birders.

We weather the summer heat and eagerly turn the calendar pages while we anticipate clear fall mornings, cold fronts and trees dripping with warblers.

Amateur meteorologists, we study the weather maps and wait for the right forecast. Over and over, the long range forecast looks good, then changes at the last minute. Northeast or southerly winds will just not suffice.

Finally, the overnight forecast is for brisk northwest winds and clear skies. We clean our binoculars, study our field guides, ready the coffee pot and set the alarm clock for o’ dark thirty. Tomorrow is the day.

Of course, we arrive too early; we always do. The sun is still down and the skies seem empty. But then we hear it — that first call note, a tiny “zeet” — a warbler. Soon followed by another and another.

Migrants are coming in. Many birds are high, and can’t be identified; some fly right by us, within arm’s reach. Others drop down into the shrubs like pellets of hail. Frustration and joy at the same time.

The day awakens and soon we are looking at warblers, orioles, flycatchers, and vireos, some in flight and others perched here and there in trees, shrubs and even on the ground. Some linger for two minutes – some for two seconds, so we quickly get on them with our binoculars.

A yellow warbler here, an American redstart there and a trio of Baltimore orioles in the distant snag. Several bobolinks just flew over, calling.

The orioles are gone now and have been replaced by an eastern kingbird — and here come three more. Now another oriole lands, flushing the kingbirds; this one’s an adult male — such a gorgeous bird. And a small green bird just disappeared into the bushes right in front of us. Maybe a vireo?

This frantic action goes on for a couple of hours, then the birds are gone.

Part of the fun is simply seeing and identifying the colorful migrants.

One of the goals is searching for unusual species. One of the most fascinating things is just getting caught up in the migration, feeling the energy of it all.

Where did these awesome birds come from? When did they leave? How far did they travel last night to get here? Why did they come to this exact spot at this exact time? Where are they headed next?

So what exactly is fall migration and how can birders predict which days will be best?

Eastern Kingbird. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Many species of birds are permanent residents. They stay put year-round. Good examples are some of our backyard birds: cardinals, mourning doves, towhees and chickadees.

Many other species have a home base, but move each spring to a better place to breed — a location where food is abundant when the eggs hatch. Each species has its own location, habitat requirements and its own schedule, requirements for successful breeding that are passed down from generation to generation.

Let’s look at wood-warblers, a colorful and popular group of birds.

Most of our migrant warblers nest in North America and/or Canada but spend the rest of the year in the West Indies, Central America or South America. Quite a round trip for birds the size of chickadees.

Blackpoll warblers, for a great example, fly from the boreal forests of Northern Canada all the way to eastern South America, often in a nonstop flight over the Atlantic Ocean of almost 1,800 miles in three days. Not bad for a bird weighing in at just 12 grams and measuring 5½ inches long. Some blackpolls even make the trip from Alaska, crossing the entire continent before reaching the ocean.

In fall, when nesting is over and it’s time to head home, warblers wait for the right conditions to make the journey easier. They prefer to migrate at night, for several reasons. First, to avoid predators. Second, because temperatures are normally cooler and skies less turbulent at night, making navigation easier. Third, because food is easier to find during the day, so they stop then to “refuel.” Migrants also prefer a tailwind to help push them along, saving energy. Since they are flying south in fall, this means they need a north wind.

They have complex, predetermined routes, but their timing is about the same each year, so they are fairly predictable. This helps birders know when to look.

What is important to birders on the Outer Banks is that one of the routes that many songbirds take during fall migration is along the Atlantic coast. On those occasions when the north winds that are aiding their migration are actually out of the northwest, the birds are sometimes pushed out to sea during the night.

Morning arrives and (yikes!) the birds realize that they have no land on which to stop, rest and refuel, so they turn around and fly back in the direction from which they came, northwest, to try and get back on track.

When they finally reach land, if they do, they are often exhausted and drop down into the first vegetation they find to rest. This is the scenario that enables birders to see so many songbirds first thing in the morning after a strong northwest wind.

So where are these “hot spots” for songbird migrants? The north end of Pea Island, the dikes between the impoundments at Pea Island, the north end of Roanoke Island, the sound front in Duck and in the village of Corolla, near the lighthouse.

Other spots that can be good are Bodie Island woods and Nags Head Woods, although there are a lot of habitats available there for birds to disperse. Sunny edges of habitat are generally good spots to try, rather than deep in the woods, especially in the morning.

Yellow warbler. Photo Jeff Lewis

Birding for shorebirds can also be great in September, with around 35 species possible. Best bets are mudflats around the inlets or impoundments. Water levels make a huge difference.

If the impoundments are high, shorebirds can be harder to find. If water levels are low, check Mattamuskeet — the impoundments and the lake itself. If rainfall has been plentiful, check out any flooded lawns: Bodie Island, Wright Brothers, the Manteo Airport, turf farms, even campgrounds can hold birds.

Several species of ducks migrate to the Outer Banks in September. Scope the local impoundments for gadwall, American wigeon, American black duck, mallard, blue-winged teal, northern shoveler, northern pintail and green-winged teal.

Wetland birds to look for in September are pied-billed grebe, American bittern, Virginia rail, sora and American coot.

Raptors that show up in September include northern harrier, sharp-shinned hawk, American kestrel, merlin and peregrine falcon, especially later in the month.

At home, keep those feeders and water features clean and filled. During fall migration there is no telling what may show up.

Sam Bland Shines light on Aug. Eclipse

Sam Bland — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 04:00:36 +0000

This photo shows the March 2016 solar eclipse as seen from South Tangerang, Indonesia. The United States will experience a solar eclipse Aug. 21 that will cover a portion North Carolina. Photo: Ridwan Arifiandi; Creative Commons license.

Reprinted from the Tideland News

EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA — In late winter of March 1970, three young boys, not quite teenagers, stood in an open field awash with brilliant sunshine in rural eastern North Carolina. They hovered over a rickety science project that was going to show them one of the greatest natural phenomenons to be witnessed on earth.

With their homemade pinhole solar projector in place, they waited; they waited to see the total eclipse of the sun. For these kids, the thought of the moon blotting out the sun was spooky, eerie and downright scary, but they weren’t going to miss it for anything.

The Great American Solar Eclipse viewing path. Graphic: GreatAmericaneclipse.com

On Aug. 21, eastern North Carolina is going to witness another solar eclipse.

While the central North Carolina coast is not in the path of totality, we will experience a close to 95 percent partial eclipse. As the moon begins to pass between the sun and the earth, those first to fall under darkness will be on the west coast in Oregon.

A 70-mile wide shadow, called the umbra of the moon, will begin to race diagonally across the states at 1,452 miles per hour until it spills into the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Island, South Carolina.

It will take the shadow just under 100 minutes to pass through 12 states, which include the extreme western tip of North Carolina.

If you want to see the total eclipse you are going to need to travel. From our coastal area, the best option is to travel to the Georgetown or Charleston, South Carolina area. Otherwise, viewing in the central coast of North Carolina will consist of a big bite taken out of the sun without complete coverage by the moon. Thus, the much anticipated corona halo will not be visible.

The sun will be eclipsed by the moon the afternoon of Aug. 21. Photo: Sam Bland

The solar eclipse has long fascinated cultures throughout the world resulting in many myths and legends. Many of these myths have a common theme with the sun being eaten by giant animals such as a frog, wolf, snake and even a dragon. One myth involves a big dog trying to steal the sun. Maybe this is why dogs never want to bring the ball back when playing fetch.

The eclipse is also seen as a struggle or fight between the moon and the sun with the sun always prevailing. The intriguing Native American Choctaw legend places responsibility for the solar eclipse directly on a hungry black squirrel. The black squirrel had a strong taste for the sun and would, from time to time, climb into the sky to have a picnic.

Related: What About Solar Power During A Total Eclipse?

The tribe realized that if the black squirrel consumed the life-giving sun that their world would be plunged into darkness. Whenever the black squirrel headed into the sky to take a chunk out of the sun, the tribe would create as much of a frightening commotion as possible to scare away the squirrel. They would bang drums, yell, scream and even incite their dogs to bark and howl. Each time, the tactic worked as the sun was restored whole.

Even today, it is customary in some cultures to make noise to scare away the spirits that are blocking the sun.

During the period of a total eclipse, nature’s rhythm is temporarily out of beat as darkness descends during the middle of the day. Animals and insects that are active during the day may begin to seek shelter for the night and nocturnal animals may begin to stir. However, as brief as the total eclipse is, they will quickly resume normal behavior.

Even though a total solar eclipse occurs about every 18 months, seeing one in a specific area is quite rare. It is estimated, on average, that a total solar eclipse will occur in a specific area only once every 375 years.

I was one of those excited boys in 1970 standing in the field waiting on the eclipse. I remember the image of a crescent shape biting into the ball of sun illuminated through our pinhole projector.

“It’s happening, it’s really happening”, we exclaimed, under a darkening sky.

A sign on NC 17 warns travelers to be prepared for the Aug. 21 solar eclipse. Photo: Mark Hibbs

We watched the moon chew through the sun until the sun was obscured. One of my friends had brought along a thick plate of smoke-colored glass used in welding helmets that his grandfather let us borrow. Stunned, we took turns looking at the corona through the scratched, dark welding glass, fearful that our eyes would be vaporized otherwise.

For some reason, I remember dogs barking and roosters crowing. Whether this was reality or a memory embellished, I don’t really recall. As the moon slipped away and the sun returned to its glory, we were proud little scientists. We had seen a solar eclipse and survived to tell the tale.

According to the website timeanddate.com, in the Emerald Isle, North Carolina area, the duration of the eclipse will last for 2 hours and 48 minutes starting at 1:21 p.m. with the peak coverage at 2:49 p.m. and ending at 4:10 p.m.

I’ll be hoping for clear weather on Aug. 21, to see, once again, this spectacle of our amazing world.

Experience the Eclipse

This story is provided courtesy of the Tideland News, a weekly newspaper in Swansboro. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Tideland to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast. You can read other stories about the Swansboro area here.

Battery Island Home to Growing Ibis Colony

Hannah Miller — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 04:00:58 +0000

Full of freshwater crayfish and fish to be regurgitated into the waiting mouths of offspring, a flock of white ibis glide toward home in the Cape Fear River. Photo: Hannah Miller

BATTERY ISLAND — When you see large white birds with red, curved beaks and red legs wading at lakes, golf courses, even backyard ponds in southeastern North Carolina this time of year, you’re seeing extreme parenting in action.

Map: Battery Island is a 100-acre site near Southport that’s protected and managed by the National Audubon Society. Map: Google

What’s attracting the white ibises, many of them part of a 10,164-pair nesting colony on the 100-acre Battery Island near Southport, are freshwater crayfish and minnows.

It’s not their own bellies the birds are trying to feed. It’s all those demanding mouths at home, which can be miles away from where the adults are probing in the shallows.

Unlike chicks of herons, oystercatchers and other shore birds that depend on close-to-home crabs, mussels and clams, baby ibises can’t tolerate salty food.

Just as human parents humor their infants’ dietary restrictions, the adult ibises scout out freshwater areas, like Lake Waccamaw 40 miles away in Columbus County, which have ample crayfish and then spend the summer winging back and forth to the coast with their prizes. Both males and females forage.

“If you sit on Highway 133, south of Winnabow and north of Shallotte, you can watch ibis fly over all morning long, flock after flock,” said Walker Golder, director of Audubon’s Atlantic Coast Flyway strategy.

Walker Golder

The distinctive-looking birds started appearing in North Carolina, specifically Battery Island, in the 1960s, said James Parnell, professor emeritus of biological sciences at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

They’ve nested on the state-owned, Audubon-managed island at the mouth of the Cape Fear River nearly every year since then. Their numbers have grown until they’re probably one of the largest colonies in the United States, said Lindsay Addison, Audubon coastal biologist. The colony, she said, “is of global importance.”

In the first half of the 20^th century, white ibis were considered Florida birds, their reputation enhanced by dazzling nature films.

“They’re one of the species that made the Everglades famous,” said Addison. “Billowing clouds of birds.”

Lindsay Addison

“They’ve just gradually been moving north the last 50-60 years,” said Parnell. “It may have to do with the warming trend.”

When they swooped down on Battery Island, where their white bodies make the ibis-covered yaupon and red cedar look like flower-bedecked magnolias in the summer, they brought with them the puzzle of their foraging habits.

Scientists asked, “Why do the ibis pass up great foraging habitat to fly so far inland?” recalled Golder. Adult ibises eat fiddler crabs and other salt-marsh crustaceans, as well as fish.

“They’re generalists,” said Addison. “I’ve seen them eat water snakes.”

With plenty of food close to home, there had to be another reason they were traveling inland, especially during nesting season. That’s a time, Golder said, when “their attention is just focused on raising the chicks.”

The answer, discovered by researcher Keith Bildstein at the Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences near Georgetown, South Carolina, is that the chicks’ salt glands don’t develop until they’re 5 to 6 weeks old, nearly ready to fly.

In Bildstein’s experiment, “Those fed salty prey lost weight and died,” Golder said.

It’s My Turn: Both ibis parents sit on the eggs, and both forage. Photo: Walker Golder/Audubon

Once that was discovered, a second question was: Where do they go to forage?

In protecting birds, it’s as important to know where they forage as where they nest, Golder said.

So, in the late 1980s, Golder, who was writing a master’s thesis on the birds, teamed up with the pilot of a small plane to find out.

The two took off at first light, headed for Battery Island. “We circled and picked up a random group that was leaving the colony in the morning,” Golder recalled.

Since the plane flew faster than the birds, whose top speed is thought to be 30 mph, it flew in large circles above them. “We were spiraling out.” And since they didn’t want to scare the birds, they flew 1,000 feet above.

The birds didn’t seem spooked by the plane, and after reaching Lake Waccamaw, they descended into its swamps where, Golder said, “They probe around till they feel food and then they snap it out. Their bills are real sensitive to touch.”

Waccamaw State Park Superintendent Toby Hall said the birds couldn’t have found a better place. In the 1760s, famed botanist John Bartram said of the 9,000-acre wooded lake: “I think it is the pleasantest place that ever I saw in my life.”

A Carolina Bay, the lake is full of bream, Hall said, and has species of fish, mussels and snails found nowhere else in the world. “The grass beds that are out in the shallows of the lake, we call them bream beds.”

They are, he said, “a buffet” for wading birds.

He typically sees the ibis on the largely undeveloped southwestern side of the lake. It’s a good place for them because there’s not much boating or other human activity there, he added.

Dad, mom and a young ibis at home in their nest on Battery Island. Photo: Lindsay Addison/Audubon

Not all the Battery Island ibis head for Waccamaw, however. In two seasons of tailing the birds by plane and observing them on the ground, Golder found that many go to Bald Head Island. So many, in fact, that a lake there has been named Ibis Lake.

“A great gathering spot for ibis; they feed in the lake, rest around the lake,” he said. Others fan out through rural areas of Brunswick County and into New Hanover County around Wilmington.

“I saw a flock in Brunswick County last week in a soybean field,” said Parnell. “I presume they’re getting grubs and worms.” Since they have no interest in seeds – only live prey – they present no danger to the crop.

A favorite sight from the Southport waterfront is the birds heading back to Battery Island in the evenings. They often fly in V formation – “that’s an efficient way to fly,” Golder said.

Over land, they’ll catch thermals, columns of air rising vertically as the sun warms the ground, and spiral upward, then break out of the thermal and glide.

Standing on the Southport waterfront, “you’ll see them hit that last thermal over the mainland, and glide onto the island,” Golder said.

When the chicks fledge, they are bundles of brown feathers over white underparts; they don’t molt into the white feathers of an adult until after their first year. They start learning to fly in the marshes of Brunswick County.

Adults keep feeding them as long as two months after they fledge, and many of the adults and young birds will remain in the state during fall and winter, said Parnell. “As our winters have gotten warmer, we’re seeing ibis all year now.”

There are ibis now all up the North Carolina coast and as far north as southern Virginia.

Audubon knows exactly how many are on Battery Island, which is off-limits to visitors, because they, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and volunteers conduct a painstaking ground count of nests every three years.

“You have to clamber and crawl. You can’t knock into anything; chances are each shrub has an ibis nest,” said Addison.

The current 10,164 pairs are 2,115 more than the 8,049 pairs in 2014, but not a record. The North American Breeding Bird Survey shows that, continent-wide, white ibis numbers went up 4 percent from 1966 to 2015.

“In North Carolina, they’re doing well. They have good nesting habitat, good natural areas for foraging,” said Addision.

Plus extra-attentive adults who’ll go the extra mile, or miles, to see that a new generation of ibises gets a good start in life.

Colorful flight: Red beaks and legs distinguish the white-bodied white ibises. Photo: Walker Golder/Audubon

White ibis nest, and fly, in groups. Photo: Walker Golder/Audubon

Trees and shrubs on Battery Island, an Audubon-managed sanctuary at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, are heavy with white ibis arriving from more southerly climates in the spring. Photo: Lindsay Addison/Audubon

Silhouetted by the sun, white ibis share a tree on Battery Island. Photo: Walker Golder/Audubon

Guarding Treasure: An ibis parent stands ready to protect an egg. Photo: Walker Golder/Audubon

Swamps are a favorite foraging spot of white ibis. Photo: Walker Golder/Audubon

Fledgling white ibises, in brown plumage, join their elders on a hunting expedition. Photo: Walker Golder/Audubon

Patience is a virtue when waiting for an unwary crayfish to scuttle by. Photo: Walker Golder/Audubon

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Our Celestial Coast: What to Look For in July

Gerry Lebing — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 04:00:56 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

June turned out to be a very poor month for astrophotography. High winds and low visibility made things very challenging. My primary targets for the month were Jupiter and Saturn, but you can’t always get what you want.

This is NGC 7023, the Iris Nebula. NGC is a +7 magnitude nebula that’s about 1,400 light years away. Photo: Gerry Lebing

M57, or the Ring Nebula, was discovered in 1779 by Antoine Darquier de Pellepoix. Charles Messier documented it a few days later.

This is M57, the Ring Nebula. Photo: Gerry Lebing

The nebula’s ring is believed to be the outer layers of a dying red giant star. The tiny white dwarf star in the center of the ring is what remains of the core of the star. The M57 has a visual magnitude of +8.8, and like NGC 7023, is estimated to be 1,400 light years away.

What to Look for in July

Jupiter starts the month fairly high in the sky toward the south-southwest.

What’s Apparent Magnitude?

The brightness of stars and other celestial objects is often defined as their apparent magnitude, a measure of brightness as seen from Earth. The brighter an object appears, the lower its magnitude value.

The sun, at apparent magnitude of −26.7, is the brightest object in the sky. A full moon has an apparent magnitude of -12.6. The faintest objects observable using the Hubble Space Telescope have apparent magnitudes of 30.

Source: Las Cumbres Observatory

Saturn will start the month in the southeast.

Venus will be visible near the eastern horizon in the early morning hours. Throughout the month, it will rise just after 3 a.m. Venus is very bright, with a visual magnitude of -4, and a gem to see with the unaided eye. Venus’ atmosphere is basically a cloud of carbon dioxide. The cloud reflects the sunlight and obscures all of the planet’s features, so it looks like a white sphere through a telescope. The carbon dioxide atmosphere also causes a greenhouse effect on Venus, resulting in an 850-degree Fahrenheit surface temperature.

Mercury will be visible near the western horizon just after sundown for most of the month.

Neptune will rise in the east just before midnight on July 1. With a visual magnitude of +7.9, you need a telescope to view this blue gas giant planet. Neptune is about four times the diameter of the Earth. It has 13 moons and takes about 165 years to orbit the sun.

Pluto will be in the night skies for all of July, too, but don’t expect to see it. With a visual magnitude of +14, you need a powerful telescope to get a glimpse of this dwarf planet.

The Delta Aquarids meteor shower will be at its peak on the morning of July 30. The shooting stars will appear to originate from the constellation Aquarius, which will be high in the southern sky at 1:30 a.m. on the 30^th.

Moon Phases

First quarter: June 30
Full Moon: July 9
Third quarter: July 16
New moon: July 23

Screech Owls of the Longleaf Pines

Jared Lloyd — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 04:00:29 +0000

Two young screech owls peer from a cavity in a longleaf pine. Photo: Jared Lloyd

DEEP IN THE NATIONAL FOREST — I feel like this is cheating. I’m drinking coffee, sitting in my truck, watching what I am beginning to think of as owl TV on my tablet. Technically speaking, I’m working – technically speaking. My camera sits about 50 meters away. A 600mm lens is mounted to camera, mounted to tripod. Pretty standard setup for me. Only tonight there is a new accessory: the Camranger.

Writing this real-time if you will, I find myself glancing back and forth between screens. Two owl chicks shove their heads out of an old, abandoned red-cockaded woodpecker cavity in a longleaf pine. A mix of curiosity and impatience with the parental figures keeps them animated and me entertained. My tablet rests on a holder attached to my dashboard. Laptop is, well, sitting atop my lap. Owls. Words. Repeat.

The Camranger is a Wi-Fi transmitter that plugs into the camera via an HDMI cable and gives me complete control over settings remotely. I watch the world happening real-time seeing everything my camera sees through a dedicated app on my tablet. Two heads pop out? Adjust the focus by tapping the owlets on my tablet. Click. Dad comes flying in? Adjust focus again. Click. You can’t tell me that this isn’t a great time to be a photographer. With so many gadgets ranging from drones to this Camranger, the only thing holding us back are the limits of our own creativity.

The eastern screech owl graces the forest with a couple different color phases. The standard across most of its range is gray, making them one of the most perfectly camouflaged birds in the Americas when sitting in a tree – especially at the entrance of a cavity. The only other owl that comes close to this camo in the U.S. is the great gray owl. This is what makes the eastern screech, especially in the southern parts of its range, a peculiar bird though. If camo is paramount to survival, then the other color morph raises a few questions because it’s red.

We know two things about the red-colored screech owl that may help explain things. First, they are much more common in the southeastern U.S. than elsewhere. Secondly, there seems to be a correlation between this color and pine forests.

The red morph screech owl lacks the camouflage of those in the species’ gray color phase. Photo: Jared Lloyd

Today, the landscape of the Southeast is quite different than it once was. When Europeans first came stumbling through the forests of this place, what they encountered in the south was not the great deciduous forests we now think of, but instead, some 92 million acres of longleaf pine savannas. The global shipping industry would change all of that. Naval stores, that odd phrase collectively referring to forests products used in the maintenance of wooden ships, quickly became a leading industry across the South. Through the 1700s, more than 75 percent of the world’s supply of pitch, tar and turpentine was produced from North Carolina’s longleaf pines. Once the trees were “used up” and dying, the forests were clear-cut for timber. By the 1800s, the industry had laid waste to North Carolina’s longleaf pine forests and began moving south across the coastal plain. By the beginning of the 20^th century, nearly 99 percent of this unique ecosystem that once stretched from Virginia to East Texas was no more.

The scale of this destruction may be historically unsurpassed. Not even logging in the Amazon has come close. An ecosystem that spanned the entirety of the southeastern coastal plain was wholly eradicated. And because the longleaf pine savannas both promoted and depended upon fire for its existence, once removed, it was replaced by other species and an entirely different ecosystem grew back in its place. Most people in the U.S. don’t even know this occurred. Today, oak, hickory and loblolly pine exist where once there was sweeping grasslands with longleaf pines spaced some 50-100 feet apart in an open and park like setting. Some ecologists believe that the complete destruction of the longleaf pine ecosystem is the greatest environmental disaster by our hands in our known history. I can already hear the gnashing of teeth by followers of the Pleistocene overkill theory.

So what does any of this have to do with red morph screech owls?

Disclaimer: what follows is only a working hypothesis of mine and does not necessarily represent the views of the editor, their housekeeper, or the mechanic at your local Toyota dealership. Before deciding to join a mob proceeding to my house wielding pitchforks and torches (I hate it when they bring the pitchforks), please remember this thoughtful disclaimer.

The longleaf pine is a particularly reddish-colored tree. Its bark is often a beautiful display of rufus-colored tones mixed with patterns of gray, especially those old trees infected with a type of fungus known as red heart rot. The fungus is important to the story because trees infected by this stuff are sought after by the red-cockaded woodpecker to excavate their cavities. Bear with me here.

The red-cockaded woodpecker is the only species aside from us that can create cavities in living longleaf pines. Because the composition of the longleaf forest promotes fire, there are very few dead standing trees at any given time in this ecosystem. For this reason, more than 40 different species of vertebrates are dependent upon this one woodpecker for their survival in this particular habitat that once spanned 92 million acres across the Southeast. The eastern screech owl happens to be one of those species.

When we look at a red morph screech owl, we may very well be looking at something of a genetic fossil. Genes that arose during a time when the longleaf pine forest was the dominant habitat type across the Southeast continue today even though the composition of those forests has been dramatically changed. Overtime, those same genes have spread northward into the population at large. But due to the lack of selective pressure working to promote this genetic characteristic however, the rufus-colored morph continues to be a minority outside of the South.

Back to photography, the situation in front of me is a simple one. I’m shooting straight-on at the cavity. There are three owlets inside. And mom and dad fly in and out from time to time with food, starting about an hour or so before sunset. The only problem is that I’m working remote, deep inside of a national forest. These are not suburban owls. This is the deep woods. I’m in a four-wheel drive vehicle, now covered in mud, required to even get back here.

Chances are, I’m the first human these owls have seen. And they are far less excited to see me than I am to see them. Let me get anywhere near the nesting cavity and both the chicks and parents stay hidden. Once I walk away, life returns to normal in a matter of minutes. It’s a sensitive situation. I’m working by the owls’ rules. No humans allowed.

Thus, in this situation, working from a remote device is better for the wildlife. It’s less stressful. Parents feel confident in coming into the cavity to feed their chicks. It’s the ethical thing to do. These owls have a tough time as it is without me playing wildlife paparazzi. I found a great horned owl nest earlier today only a quarter-mile away. These guys eat screech owls. And peregrine falcons. And, just about anything they can catch off guard. For the screech owl, odds are already stacked against them.

The sun has set and the colors are beginning to wash out as details become featureless. Lacking the requisite Tapetum lucidum in my eyes that give nocturnal species their characteristic eye shine, I have reached my limits of usefulness out here and prepare to give over the forest to those creatures of the night. The gray morph female flies back into the cavity one last time and disappears with her young for a few minutes. In the last bit of fading light, she climbs back up to the entrance of the cavity where she peers out into the forest with amber-colored eyes. Somewhere in the distance her mate, a red morph, begins to trill, joining the chorus of whip-poor-wills and the symphony of amphibians already beginning to crescendo.

Birding on the Banks: Brown Pelicans

Jeff Lewis — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 04:00:36 +0000

When a brown pelican hits the water, its pouch expands to help trap the fish. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Reprinted from the Outer Banks Voice

OUTER BANKS — We are very fortunate to live in an area that hosts so many fascinating animals. We enjoy dolphins, sea turtles, alligators, black bears, foxes, bobcats, even the occasional manatee — just to name a few.

We also have a huge variety of really cool birds. One of the most unique and amazing is the brown pelican.

The brown pelican is a large water bird with an oversized bill, long neck, webbed feet and a large, gray-brown body.

Immature birds are darker than adults, appearing chocolate-brown all over. As large as they might seem, with a length of around 48 inches and a wingspan of 84 inches, brown pelicans are the smallest of the eight pelican species on earth.

Their bizarre bills are characterized by a wicked, down-curved hook on the end of the upper mandible and a large, expandable throat pouch – like a beach ball – underneath. Pelicans are elegant, masterful fliers, plunge-dive like an Olympian, are great swimmers, with their big, webbed feet, yet appear rather awkward, even comical, when standing or walking on land.

Brown pelicans live here year-round in our coastal marine habitats. They are easily seen over the ocean, in the inlets and in the sounds. But don’t take them for granted — it was not always that way.

Habitat destruction and especially pesticides nearly eliminated brown pelicans from North America in the 1960s and early 1970s.

The pesticide Endrin was killing the birds outright and DDT was causing the egg shells to become too thin to be incubated: They simply broke under the weight of the pelican. Through enormous conservation efforts, including the banning of DDT, brown pelicans gradually recovered and are common now.

Along our coast, synchronized squadrons of brown pelicans can be seen as they head to and from their fishing grounds, gliding above the surf, rising and falling to stay just above the waves.

They use a phenomenon known as “ground effect” to reduce drag and increase lift. As the air flows between their wings and the surface of the ocean, it is compressed and exerts an upward force on the pelican, providing lift and saving energy.

In addition, the formations in which the pelicans fly reduce wind drag on all but the lead bird, again making it easier to fly. At times, you may even see pelicans soaring high in the sky, like vultures. They are riding thermals, heat rising from the earth, to give them lift, again saving precious energy.

A brown pelican eats mostly menhaden, mullet and other small fish that form schools near the surface of the water.

A brown pelican eats menhaden, mullet and other small fish that school near the surface of the water. Photo: Jeff Lewis

It feeds by diving into the water head-first, sometimes from as high as 50 or 60 feet. During a dive, it tucks its head and rotates its body to the left to protect, or cushion, the right side of the neck, where the trachea and esophagus are located. When the bird hits the water, the pouch expands to help trap the fish.

Once the fish is captured, the pelican comes up and drains the water, about 2.5 gallons, from its pouch. It is at this point that gulls will sometimes try to steal the fish right from the pouch. They will even boldly stand on the pelican’s back or head.

Brown pelicans occasionally feed by sitting on the surface and seizing prey with their bills, like other pelican species, usually when a dense school of fish is close to the surface and the water is too shallow and muddy to plunge. They also steal food from other seabirds, scavenge dead animals and eat invertebrates such as shrimp. They can also become acclimated to humans and will hang out around fishing boats and piers, begging for handouts.

Pelicans stay water-resistant by coating their feathers with an oily secretion from preen glands located on the backs of their heads.

In late winter, as breeding season approaches, the back of the neck molts into a dark brown and the top of the head turns a bright yellow.

Young brown pelicans tend to be noisier than their elders. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Pelicans breed in colonies in our sounds — usually on small islands where they are free from terrestrial predators.

The male locates and defends a potential nest site and perches nearby for up to three weeks, performing a head-swaying routine until he attracts a mate. Pelican nests, made of sticks and lined with grasses and seaweed, are built on the ground or in shrubs or trees.

The more experienced birds build on higher ground than do the rookies. The males bring the materials and the females construct the nests. Once the eggs, typically one to three, have been laid, the parents incubate — with their feet. If suddenly disturbed, pelicans may fly hastily, sometimes crushing their eggs, so it is important to stay away from nesting colonies.

Once the young have hatched, both adult pelicans regurgitate semi-digested fish onto the nest floor, later switching to fresh fish once the young are large enough. The young can fly and fend for themselves after about three months, but it takes three to five years to reach sexual maturity.

Brown pelicans are basically quiet birds but will make grunting sounds when at the breeding colony. The chicks are generally very noisy, and if you ever approach a nest, the young birds will lunge and snap at you.

Although the brown pelican story is a happy one, they still face threats, from habitat degradation to pollution to sea-level rise to entanglement in fishing gear and, on the Gulf Coast, oil spills.

Other Shorebirds

In addition to pelicans, coastal birders in June can find a good variety of terns, most of them nesting. Shorebirds will be present in small numbers until they begin to return in July from the breeding grounds. Egrets and herons are nesting as well, and when seen are usually busily catching prey to feed their young. Osprey should be feeding young, as well.

In the woods it’s the same story. The songbirds are feeding young, whether they are warblers, wrens or woodpeckers. This includes your backyard, where the cardinals, mockingbirds, brown thrashers, mourning doves and chickadees are all busy with new families. You can help them out by providing suet and clean water.

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Audubon: Priority Birds: Brown Pelican

Our Celestial Coast: Jupiter, Saturn in June

Gerry Lebing — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 04:00:36 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

May was a difficult month to stargaze, with several high-wind thunderstorms and lots of rainy nights. I was able, however, to get a few shots on still, clear evenings.

Messier 88, a spiral galaxy, is in the constellation Coma Berenices. Photo: Gerry Lebing

Messier 88 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices. Coma Berenices means the hair of Berenice. Berenice was an Egyptian queen who had her hair cut off as a religious offering. M88 has a visual magnitude of +9.5 and is 36 million light years away. It was discovered on March 18, 1781, by Charles Messier.

Messier 13 is also known as the Hercules Cluster. Photo: Gerry Lebing

This is Messier 13, the Hercules Cluster. With a visual magnitude of +5.8, it can be viewed with the unaided eye on very clear, dark nights. If you take the time to head up on the beach or get away from light pollution by driving to Ramp 27, you will have a better chance of spotting it. You can locate it by mentally drawing a line from Arcturus towards a very bright star to the northeast, Vega. The Hercules Cluster is about two-thirds the length of that line. It will be difficult to see without binoculars or a telescope, but if you have the option of viewing M13 through binoculars or a telescope, you will be amazed at how spectacular it is.

What to Look for in June

Jupiter and Saturn offer great viewing throughout June. Jupiter starts the month fairly high in the sky towards the southeast. To the unaided eye, it’s the brightest “star” in the sky. You can use binoculars or a telescope to get a closer look at this massive planet. Its diameter is 11 times larger than Earth’s, making Jupiter the second-largest object in the solar system – a distant second to the sun, which is 10 times brighter. Jupiter’s orbit is about 484 million miles from the sun. That’s more than five times as far from the sun, as we are 93 million miles away.

Saturn will rise just after 9 on the night of June 1. With a magnitude of +0.1, it’s pretty bright, but don’t confuse it with nearby red supergiant star, Antares. Antares is higher in the sky than Saturn and will be visible just after sunset. Like Jupiter, Saturn is fun to explore with the unaided eye, then with a good pair of binoculars, and then with a telescope. It appears to be a bright star to the unaided eye, but through very good binoculars you can distinguish an oblong shape that is caused by its rings. When you view Saturn through a telescope, its famous rings offer one of the most outstanding sights in the night sky. Saturn is nine times larger than Earth and almost nine times farther from the sun than Earth, 888 million miles. It’s the third-largest object in our solar system. Saturn will be at opposition to the Earth on June 15. That means it’s the closest to us it ever gets, about 746 million miles, and it will be visible all night long.

Mars will be visible near the western horizon just after sundown. Venus will be visible near the eastern horizon just before sunrise.

Moon Phases

First quarter: June 1
Full: June 9
Third quarter: June 17
New Moon: June 23

Roaming Bear? Caution But Don’t Be Alarmed

Jennifer Allen — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 04:00:33 +0000

A bear crosses N.C. 99 in the northeastern part of the state in 2015. Photo: Tom Harrison

BEAUFORT – The recent spike in reports of black bear sightings in town and in other communities along North Carolina’s coast is not unusual, according to the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission.

Don’t be alarmed when you see a black bear. Black bears are not inherently dangerous and rarely aggressive toward people, but precaution is advised to reduce potential conflicts, the state agency announced.

“Sometimes when a bear is sighted, crowds may gather. This seemingly harmless situation can become dangerous for both humans and bear,” said Ann May, the commission’s extension wildlife biologist. “But the best option is to stay away, not interfere and allow the bear to move out on its own.”

Christopher Kent, coastal regional wildlife biologist with the commission’s Division of Wildlife Management, explained that land development and increased human population often displaces wildlife.

If you find a bear near your home, Kent suggests letting it be.

“The best thing people can do is not to feed the bears, nor provide an easy food source such as unsecured trash cans, bird feeders, outdoor pet food, things of that nature. If someone should see the bear, don’t approach or harass it, just give it room and eventually it will find its way out of town.”

Many may be wondering why the recent surge in black bear sightings.

Tom Harrison, founder of the Bear-Ology black bear museum in Plymouth, and organizer of the North Carolina Black Bear Festival held June 2-4 in Plymouth, has been a keen observer, photographer and videographer of black bears for more than 25 years. He shared some insight into the patterns of North Carolina black bears.

Tom Harrison

Harrison explained that bears moving in, or more typically through, neighborhoods happens for a variety of reasons.
“If food is scarce, which is a rare phenomenon here in coastal Carolina, it can send bears foraging around homes and garbage cans. This sometimes happens in early spring before things begin to green up, or in the fall when bears are trying to put on extra weight to sustain them through the lean winter. But more often bear sightings in populated areas have to do with family issues.”

When bear cubs reach about 18 months, the mother leaves the cub so she can go mate and begin the process all over again. Eighteen-month-old female bears are allowed to stay near the mother to start their own families while male juvenile bears leave home and are expected to travel to a new area to begin a family.

“I refer to these young bears as orphans, which they are not, but they probably feel like orphans,” Harrison said. “Mom has left them and they don’t know why. Now they are left to figure things out on their own, which may mean passing through or exploring areas inhabited by humans.”

Harrison said another primary reason for increased sightings is that male bears travel during mating season looking for females.

Both behaviors take place at about the same time, Harrison added, because mating season is from mid-May to mid-July.

“So, male bears looking for love or 18-month-old bears searching for a new home are on the move during this time. Female bears are also more active during this time, but don’t travel as far as male bears.”

The bear population is also increasing, which is another reason there have been bear sightings, Harrison continued.

“We have a very healthy and growing black bear population that is literally colliding on our highways with a growing human population. It is an ugly side effect of having so many bears,” he said. “As a matter of fact, according to the North Carolina black bear biologist, Colleen Olfenbuttel, we have the highest black bear densities in the world here on the Albemarle/Pamlico Peninsula, with as many as four bears per square mile.”

This map from 2010 shows the expansion of black bears in North Carolina since 1971. Map: Wildlife Resources Commission

What should residents do if they see a bear? Enjoy the moment, Harrison answered.

If a resident perceives a threat, they can notify the police, their state wildlife biologist or their local game warden.

“But a threat is very unlikely for a couple of reasons. First of all, black bears, unlike other bears species, have a prey mentality instead of a predator mentality. They fear humans. Secondly, our coastal black bears are probably one of the least carnivorous omnivores. Their primary source of animal protein comes from insects. In short, bears don’t want to eat you or your pet. They don’t typically go to the effort to run after food. But they are quick to run away from perceived danger. Bears are lazy. They are opportunists that will eat almost anything that doesn’t require much effort.”

The Wildlife Commission explains that most transient bears, if left alone, will find their way out of town quickly and back to their natural habitat. People are urged not to approach or follow bears, or put themselves between a bear and its possible escape route.

Bears are rarely relocated by the Wildlife Commission since doing so can be dangerous for humans and the bear, and is generally unsuccessful because relocated bears often return to where they were originally captured. Additionally, there are few remote areas remaining to relocate bears. Fortunately, most situations do not warrant trapping, as removing attractants and leaving the bear alone resolves many conflicts, according to the commission.

Avoid Bear Encounters

The Wildlife Commission cautions people to not feed bears, whether intentionally or inadvertently. Bears can become bold when they grow accustomed to feeding on pet food, garbage and birdseed.

The Wildlife Commission suggests residents do the following to avoid attracting bears:

Secure bags of trash inside cans stored in a garage, basement or other secure area, and place the cans outside as late as possible on trash pick-up days, not the night before.
Purchase bear-proof garbage cans or bear-proofing existing garbage containers with a secure latching system.
Discontinue the feeding of wild birds during spring and summer, even with feeders advertised as “bear-proof.” Bears are still attracted to seed that spills on the ground.
Avoid open and unattended outdoor pet food containers. If you must feed pets outdoors, make sure all food is consumed and empty bowls are promptly removed.
Clean all food and grease from barbecue grills after each use. Bears are attracted to food odors.

“Black bears are magnificent animals that are fascinating to watch. Don’t approach them or corner them. Just watch from a safe distance and count yourself fortunate to have seen them,” Harrison said.

Learn More

Our Celestial Coast: What to Look For in May

Gerry Lebing — Tue, 02 May 2017 04:00:34 +0000

The evening skies of May begin with the star Arcturus just above the eastern horizon.

With a visual magnitude of 0, Arcturus is the brightest star is the northern hemisphere and the fourth-brightest star in the night skies. South of Arcturus, you will see two bright objects: Jupiter is the brighter of the two with a magnitude -2.4 and higher in the sky, and Spica has a visual magnitude of +1.05 so it seems rather dim compared to Arcturus and Jupiter but it’s the 15^th– brightest star in the night skies.

What’s Apparent Magnitude?

Source: Las Cumbres Observatory

Jupiter was visible all night long on May 1 and will continue to be throughout most of May. Jupiter is a great target for viewing with the unaided eye, a pair of binoculars or a telescope. To the unaided eye, Jupiter looks like a very bright star. Add a good pair of binoculars and suddenly there is a disk that is easy to identify as a planet. If your binoculars are powerful enough, you might see the four Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. They are easy to see through a 5-inch telescope. Galileo discovered them in 1610, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy re-discovering them for yourself.

Saturn will also be visible through much of May. On May 1, it rose about 11:15 p.m. and was visible for the rest of the night. By the end of the month, it will rise just after 9 p.m. Saturn is easy to spot with the unaided eye. With a visual magnitude of +0.1, it’s almost as bright as Arcturus.

If you want to see somebody get interested in the night sky, point out Saturn, then hand them a good set of binoculars or, better yet, let them look at the planet through a small telescope. Almost everyone smiles when they see those rings.

Mars will be visible near the western horizon just after sundown this month. Venus will be visible near the eastern horizon just before sunrise.

On the nights of May 5 and 6, this year’s Eta Aquarids meteor shower will be at its peak. The meteors will appear to originate near the eastern horizon. Peak viewing will be in the early morning.

The Hercules Cluster, or M13, can be observed just about every night this month. With a visual magnitude of +5.8, it can be viewed with the unaided eye on very clear, dark nights. If you take the time to head up on the beach or get away from city light pollution by driving to Ramp 27 on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, about 4.5 miles south of Salvo, you will have a better chance of spotting it. You can locate the cluster by mentally drawing a line from Arcturus towards a very bright star to the northeast called Vega. The Hercules Cluster is about two-thirds the length of that line. It will be difficult to see without binoculars or a telescope. If you have the option of viewing M13 with binoculars or a telescope, you will be amazed at how spectacular it is.

Highlights for April

Messier 83, the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, is about16 million light years away. Photo: Gerry Lebing

Messier 83, or M83, is also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy. M83 is a relatively close, barred spiral galaxy. It’s only 16 million light-years away. With a visual magnitude of +7.15, you cannot see it with the unaided eye, but you can spot it with binoculars. The “bar” is the bright stripe of stars that goes across the center of the galaxy.

M83 was discovered in 1752 by Nicholas Louis de Lacaille. It was the third galaxy discovered. M31, or the Andromeda Galaxy, and its satellite, M32, were the only other galaxies known to man. Scientists estimate there are 40 billion stars in M83.

M94, like M83, is relatively close to Earth, too. M94 is only 14 million light-years away and, like M83, is believed to contain 40 billion stars. With a visual magnitude of +7.96, you can probably spot it using a good pair of binoculars, but you really need a telescope to define its unique structure.

M94 is about 14 million light-years away. Photo: Gerry Lebing

M94 has a very bright core surrounded by an inner ring that some observers call the “starburst ring.” The starburst ring is believed to be an area of star formation. Surrounding the starburst ring is a second ring of young, blue star clusters. And finally, beyond that ring is a faint field of older, yellow stars.

For anyone who is curious about the “bright stars” that appear in the image of M94, they are more distant elliptical galaxies. The brighter one above and to the right of M94 is PGC 2180382. It’s a +16.3 magnitude galaxy that is 630 million light-years away. The fainter one just below and to the right of M94 is PGC 2177103. Its magnitude is +17.75 and it’s believed to be a billion light-years away.

Moon Phases

First quarter: May 3
Full moon: May 10
Third quarter: May 19
New moon: May 25

Our Celestial Coast: Showcase of Galaxies

Gerry Lebing — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 04:00:39 +0000

M51, or the Whirlpool Galaxy, about 23 million light years away. Photo: Gerry Lebing

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

Messier 101, the Pinwheel Galaxy, is about 21 million light years away. Photo: Gerry Lebing

M51, or the Whirlpool Galaxy, is a classic spiral that interacts with another, smaller galaxy. The larger galaxy is M51A and the smaller is M51B. They are about 23 million light-years away and have a visual magnitude of 8.4. M51A contains more than 100 billion stars.

Messier 101, the Pinwheel Galaxy, is about 21 million light-years away and has a visual magnitude of 7.7. It is estimated that M101 has a trillion stars.

Messier 63, the Sunflower Galaxy is 27 million light-years away. It has a visual magnitude of 9.3. M63 has more than 400 billion stars.

Messier 63, the Sunflower Galaxy is 27 million light years away. Photo: Gerry Lebing

What to Look for in April

If you are an early riser, you will be able to see Venus with an apparent magnitude of -4 in the morning, near the eastern horizon, throughout April.

At the beginning of April, Venus rose just before sunrise, but by the end of the month, it will be coming up at 4:21 a.m. Venus will be at its brightest point of the year on April 30.

Mercury and Mars were visible on April 1 near the western horizon, just after sundown. Mercury will fade into the sunset by April 9 but re-emerge as a morning star on April 29.

This photo of Jupiter was made on March 8. The faint object to the upper right isn’t a smudge, it’s one of Jupiter’s moons. Photo: Gerry Lebing

On April 7, Jupiter will be at opposition with the Earth and sun. That means you can draw a line through the three, with Earth in the middle. It also means Jupiter is the closest it gets to us this year. So, that makes Friday a great opportunity for viewing and taking pictures. Jupiter is the very bright object that will be visible just above the eastern horizon at dusk. Best viewing will be around midnight.

What’s Apparent Magnitude?

Source: Las Cumbres Observatory

The two very bright stars in the eastern evening skies this month are Arcturus, which is the fourth-brightest star in the night sky, and Vega, which is the fifth-brightest star.

Arcturus will rise in the east just after sundown. It is the closest red giant star to Earth, at a distance of about 37 light-years, and is estimated to be 7 billion years old.

Vega will rise about three hours later. It has a visual magnitude of +0.2 and is 25 light-years away. Vega is a blue-white star that’s about twice the size of the sun. It is believed to be about 400 million years old.

If you have a telescope or good pair of binoculars, you can use these two stars to help find the globular cluster M13, the Hercules Cluster. Mentally draw a line between the two and then look about a third of the distance from Vega to Arcturus. With a little patience, you should be able to find the cluster.

M13, the Hercules Cluster, is about 22 thousand light years away. It has a visual magnitude of 5.8. M13 contains about 300,000 stars.

M13, the Hercules Cluster, is about 22,000 light-years away. Photo: Gerry Lebing

The Lyrid Meteor Shower will take place between April 16 and 25. It should peak on the night of April 22. The meteors will seem to originate from the star Vega.

Vega is the very bright star that rises in the northeast at about 9 p.m. You can expect about 18 meteors per hour throughout the night.

Moon phases:

First Quarter: April 3
Full moon: April 11
Last Quarter: April 19
New moon: April 26

Our Celestial Coast: Planets Near and Far

Gerry Lebing — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 05:00:51 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

NASA recently announced the discovery of seven Earth-size exoplanets orbiting TRAPPIST-1, which is a star and planetary system initially discovered using the TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope.

Any of the TRAPPIST-1 planets could have water on them, though the three in the habitable zone are more likely to have liquid water. Artist’s rendering: NASA

Scientists think all seven are rocky planets, based upon their measured densities. Scientists believe it is possible that all of them could have liquid water, but three are in the habitable “Goldilocks Zone.” That means the orbits are in a range that’s not too hot and not too cold for liquid water. Liquid water is considered essential for the development of life as we know it.

TRAPPIST-1 is about 40 light-years from Earth. That means a spacecraft traveling at 52,000 mph would take more than 500,000 years to reach the exoplanet orbiting it.

I recently had a neat experience. At about 9:15, I stepped out of the observatory for a minute. As I opened the door, I saw the shooting star of a lifetime – a fireball that streaked down toward the western horizon burning out after two or three seconds. The fireball itself was brighter than Venus.

I reported the occurrence to the American Meteor Society and found out I wasn’t the only person who saw it.

Distant Galaxies

February also offered some very good opportunities to observe distant galaxies. My favorite image is this one of Messier 63, the Sunflower Galaxy.

Messier 63, the Sunflower Galaxy. Photo: Gerry Lebing

The Sunflower Galaxy is 37 million light-years away. It’s a member of the M51 Group and has a visual magnitude of +9.3.

What to Look for in March

The sun set at 5:57 p.m. on March 1, with the moon, Mars, Venus and Uranus all just above the western horizon at sunset. With a magnitude of -4.6, Venus is very easy to spot. The moon is the only other object in the night sky that is brighter and it will be about 8 degrees above Venus. Mars and Uranus will appear very close to the moon. Mars is the red object you can see with the unaided eye and Uranus is the blue object you can’t see unless you’ve got a good pair of binoculars or a telescope.

Mars and Uranus will stay close to the western horizon throughout the month. Mars will seem to appear in the same area of the evening sky each night. Uranus will get closer and closer to the horizon with each passing day. By the end of the month, you will probably not be able to see Uranus, because the brightness of the setting sun will obscure the planet.

What’s Apparent Magnitude?

The brightness of stars and other celestial objects is often defined as their apparent magnitude, a measure of brightness as seen from Earth.

The measure is an inverse relation, meaning the brighter an object appears, the lower its magnitude value.

The sun, at apparent magnitude of −26.7, is the brightest object in the sky. A full moon has an apparent magnitude of -12.6. At its brightest. The faintest objects observable using the Hubble Space Telescope have apparent magnitudes of 30.

Source: Las Cumbres Observatory

Venus will appear closer to the evening horizon with each passing day. Then, starting on March 20, you will be able to see Venus in both the evening and morning. Venus will set at 7:56 p.m.; the sun sets at 7:13 p.m. and rises at 6:45 a.m., just before sunrise at 7:03. This dual role as evening and morning star will be short-lived. Don’t expect to see Venus in the evening skies after March 24.

Mercury will start to be visible in the western skies starting around the middle of the month. It will appear higher above the western horizon each evening until early April. This makes the end of March an excellent opportunity to observe this small planet.

Jupiter rose in the east at 9:04 p.m. on March 1. Spica rises right after it, slightly to the south. The pair will continue to appear together throughout the month.

Saturn began the month rising at 2:14 a.m. By the end of the month, it will rise at 1:21 a.m.

If the skies are very clear and very calm, you might be able to see Canopus, the second-brightest star in the night sky, during the first part of the month. It will appear near the southern horizon almost directly beneath Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. If you have never heard of Canopus, try reading “Dune” by Frank Herbert. Arrakis, also known as “Dune,” is the third planet orbiting Canopus. If you don’t have time to read the book, you might like the movie. I have not found any evidence of any exoplanets orbiting this star.

Moon phases:

First Quarter: March 5
Full moon: March 12
Last Quarter: March 20
New moon: March 27

Learn More

Our Celestial Coast: February’s Visible Planets

Gerry Lebing — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 05:00:26 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

Mars and Venus will be visible in the southwest sky at sunset during all of February.

Uranus began the month slightly higher in the skies but you will probably need a good pair of binoculars to see it. Throughout most of the month, it will appear to get closer and closer to Mars. On Feb. 26, you might be able to see both planets at the same time.

Jupiter began the month rising in the east at 11 p.m. Right behind it and slightly to the south, another bright object is rising. Don’t mistake it for a planet. That’s Spica, the 15^th brightest star in the night sky.

The bright star in the east at sundown is Procyon. It’s the eighth brightest star in the night sky with a visual magnitude of +0.4. If you look closely with a telescope, you will see it’s a binary system, but Procyon’s companion is much dimmer, with a visual magnitude of +10.80.

Procyon is an ancient Greek word for “before the dog.” It got this name because Sirius, the dog star, rises just after Procyon. Procyon, Sirius, and Betelgeuse, the eastern shoulder star in Orion, are the corner stars of the “Winter Triangle.”

Cutline: Shown are the Horsehead Nebula, the Flame Nebula and two small reflection nebulae, NGC 2023 and HD 38087. Photo: Gerry Lebing

January Highlights

The above image offers four nebulae for the price of one. The Horsehead Nebula is displayed on the right of the page and the Flame Nebula is on the left. In between and below them are two small reflection nebulae, NGC 2023 and HD 38087, surrounding the double star. Although the image makes all four appear close to each other, they are quite far apart. The Horsehead Nebula is 1,500 light years away while the Flame Nebula is only about 1,350 light years away. When you think about 150 light years, it might not sound like a great distance, but that’s 900 billion miles between the two – not the kind of distance you want to drive for the weekend. HD 38087 is relatively close to us at 180 light years but that means it is not even close to the Horsehead Nebula. NGC 2023 is, astronomically speaking, very close to the Horsehead; it’s about 1,470 light years away, which means it could be within 30 light years of the Horsehead – about 180 billion miles.

I couldn’t help but notice that NGC 2023 and HD 38087 don’t appear to have any common names associated with them. For some reason they remind me of Nags Head and Buxton. Maybe the pair should be called the Outer Banks Nebula.

If these vast distances make you uncomfortable, don’t feel alone. When I started putting these figures together, I had to pause a couple of times to consider them. The following anecdote might make them a little bit more understandable:

Recently, an Earth-size planet was discovered orbiting Proxima Centuri, the closest star to Earth not counting the sun. It’s only 4.37 light years away. You probably remember the great images of Pluto that came from the New Horizons spacecraft in 2015. It took New Horizons 9.5 years to reach Pluto. Traveling at the same speed, 52,000 mph, a similar vessel could get to Proxima Centuri in about 54,000 years. If you have the time and money and could build a spaceship using the same technology, you could reach the Horsehead Nebula in about 6 million years.

Moon Phases:

First Quarter: Feb. 3
Full moon: Feb. 10
Last Quarter: Feb. 18
New moon: Feb. 26

Birding: Brave the Cold or Stock the Feeders

Jeff Lewis — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 05:00:26 +0000

Reprinted from the Outer Banks Voice

Now that winter has settled in, it’s time to don a couple of extra layers and get outside. This is the best time of year to visit the local wildlife refuges to observe waterfowl.

Redheads take flight. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Pea Island, Alligator River, Mackay Island and Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuges are hosts to lots of ducks, geese, swans and other water birds this time of year.

When you set a date, plan to get up early; birding is almost always best in the morning. Birds are active, the light is good and the traffic and other human noise are reduced. Early morning is also the best time to see big flocks in the air as noisy geese and swans move from roosting areas to feeding areas.

My personal favorite locations are North Pond at Pea Island right at sunrise, the Mattamuskeet causeway slightly before sunrise, Mattamuskeet’s Wildlife Drive anytime in the morning, and the Alligator River refuge at sunset. These favorite places are magical on cold, clear, calm days.

A little farther away, the farm fields near the refuge headquarters on the Pocosin Lakes Refuge near Plymouth can be amazing just before dark. If you can hit it just right, the winter flocks of snow geese and tundra swans all lifting off at one time to head for their roosts on Pungo Lake can be a thrilling experience.

If you simply must hibernate during cold weather, fear not, you can still get your bird fix.

Winter is the best time of year for feeder watching. Natural foods like insects and fruits are often in short supply, especially in more northern latitudes, and birds are naturally attracted to well-stocked feeding stations. For best results, offer a variety of bird food in a variety of feeders.

A red-bellied woodpecker samples a suet. Photo: Jeff Lewis

The No. 1 bird seed in this area is black oil sunflower seed. Chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, cardinals, white-throated sparrows, towhees, goldfinches, house finches, mourning doves, blue jays and woodpeckers all love these small sunflower seeds.

A tube feeder is the most popular choice for most of these birds, but the cardinals, doves, towhees and sparrows would prefer to feed on or near the ground. A low platform or hopper feeder is more to their liking, or you can just broadcast a couple of handfuls on the ground every day or two.

Thistle seed is very good for finches, especially those smaller-billed finches, such as goldfinches and pine siskins. These tiny, expensive seeds require a special tube feeder or sock.

White proso millet is good for a variety of sparrows, and the doves really love it, as well. This is what you must have if you want to attract painted buntings, which we do have in small numbers on the Outer Banks in winter.

White millet is best offered on a low platform feeder or on the ground, although most any feeder style will work for the buntings.

Peanuts attract a lot of birds, especially the ones already shelled or in pieces. Chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, Carolina wrens, various woodpeckers and blue jays love them. The standard tubular wire peanut feeder works well; the birds can peck the peanuts through the openings.

It’s hard to beat a good seed mix if you can find it. The good mixes will be composed of black oil sunflower, white millet, safflower, peanut pieces and sometimes dried fruit.

Almost all of the seed mixes offered at the “big box” stores contain filler that few of the birds eat – canary seed, milo, corn and wheat – and are just a waste of money.

A northern cardinal takes a dip. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Bird specialty stores usually carry the best seed mixes. They may cost a little more, but there is less waste. These mixes can be offered to the birds in a tube feeder, hopper feeder or platform feeder.

Suet is a popular food to attract birds. Many birds are naturally insect eaters and prefer suet, which is beef fat, to seeds. Suet cakes are readily available commercially and all brands and flavors will work to a certain extent, but some are better than others. If you have the time, you can even make your own, which are superior to the store cakes.

Suet cakes are normally offered to birds in little wire cages that can be hung up by a chain or mounted on a board.

Woodpeckers, nuthatches, wrens and many other birds love suet. Sometimes birds not usually attracted to feeders, including warblers, orioles, brown creepers and tanagers, will show up at suet feeders.

Raccoons love suet, too, so if you have a raccoon problem, you may want to purchase the hot pepper variety. The “heat” does not affect the birds.

Water, especially moving water, is the very best way to attract the greatest variety of birds to your yard.

Most birds do not even eat birdseed, but all birds need water, both for drinking and bathing. It is vital that birds keep their feathers in tip-top shape.

Shallow bird baths are superior to deep ones and it helps to place a rock in the bath, which gives the birds more confidence. Birdbaths need to kept clean and once again, moving water is best. This can be accomplished using a drip irrigation device that allows a controlled drip into the birdbath, or with a small pump that sends up a spray from a small pond or tub.

Regardless of what you feed your birds, or how nice your water features are, you will have better luck by far if your habitat is right. This means having a good variety of native trees and shrubs on your property and enough cover for the birds to feel safe.

There are numerous websites and books available to help you choose the proper plants to improve your yard and winter is a perfect time for such projects.

Our Celestial Coast: New Year Nebula

Gerry Lebing — Fri, 30 Dec 2016 05:00:11 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

As January starts, the constellation Orion will be visible near the eastern horizon as the skies get dark. This is a good opportunity to look for M42, the Orion Nebula, with no telescope required.

At magnitude +4, the Orion Nebula is pretty easy to see on a clear winter’s night. The nebula will appear as a fuzzy area around the second star in the sword of Orion.

After you spot it with the unaided eye, try locating it through a pair of binoculars. You’ll be amazed at how much detail will stand out. Now go one step further and view it through a telescope. This sky gem just gets better and better.

A view of M42, the Orion Nebula, through a telescope. Photo: Gerry Lebing

January also begins with Mars and Venus visible in the southwest at sunset. If the skies are clear and you have access to a telescope or binoculars, you should be able to see Neptune and Mars simultaneously. The two are in conjunction on Jan. 1, 2017.

If you stay up – and can stand up – after your New Year’s Eve celebration, you will be able to see Jupiter rise in the east around 1:15 a.m. Saturn will rise at 6:02 in the morning, so drink a lot of coffee and you might get a good view of it, too.

The Quadrantids meteor shower will be visible on the morning of Jan. 4. The peak action is scheduled for 9 a.m. on the East Coast, but you might see as many as 20 to 30 shooting stars per hour if you are up an hour or two before dawn. On the West Coast and in Hawaii, skywatchers might see as many as 120 to 130 per hour.

The shooting stars will originate from the constellation Bootes. You can find Bootes by looking for the Big Dipper and then following the arc of its handle to the bright, red giant star Arcturus. It’s the brightest star in Bootes.

December Highlights

In my October article, I mentioned the Pleiades, or M45. It’s a tight cluster of stars you can use to check your vision. There are six prominent stars that are readily visible with the unaided eye. Under very dark, good conditions, you might be able to spot more. Johann Kepler reported 14 in the 17^th century.

Here’s a close-up of Messier 45, the Pleiades. Photo: Gerry Lebing

M45 is a fairly small constellation to the unaided eye, but it’s pretty big through a telescope. When using my big scope, I can only get one or two of the brighter stars in the frame at a time. So, I learned a new technique for creating this image. It’s a mosaic of 16 overlapping tiles. Sounds straightforward, but it took three attempts to get the right spacing for the individual tiles. Each tile is composed of 15 20-second exposures, for a grand total of 240 images requiring about 80 minutes of exposure time.

You might notice that the nebulosity around the star is blue where the predominant color in most nebulae is red. That’s because M45 is a reflection nebula. Clouds of interstellar dust reflect the light from nearby stars, and blue light just happens to reflect better than red light.

Moon Phases

First Quarter: Jan. 5
Full moon: Jan. 12
Last Quarter: Jan.19
New moon: Jan. 27

Our Celestial Coast: December’s Supermoon

Gerry Lebing — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 05:00:08 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

The evening of Tuesday, Dec. 13, will feature the last supermoon 2016.

A supermoon happens when a full moon, or a new moon, coincides with the moon making its closest approach to the Earth in its elliptical orbit. This supermoon will not be quite as spectacular as November’s full moon, but it will still be bright. December’s full moon will have a visual magnitude of -12.5 – bright enough to throw shadows.

The supermoon of Nov. 14 was the closest the full moon had been to the Earth since 1948. Photo: NASA.gov

The brighter an object appears, the lower its magnitude value. The sun’s magnitude is -27.

Unfortunately, the supermoon will also make it super hard to get a look at the Geminids meteor shower. The Geminids peak on the morning of Dec. 14. Normally, an observer might see 120 shooting stars per hour, but the full moon will probably reduce this year’s visible meteors to about 10 to 20 per hour.

The supermoon will not interfere with the Ursid meteor shower. It will peak in the early morning hours of Dec. 22 and feature about 10 meteors per hour. The shower appears to originate from Ursa Minor. Ursa Minor – the Little Bear – contains the Little Dipper and the first star in the handle of the Little Dipper is Polaris, the North Star, so it’s pretty easy to get a handle on where to look for this meteor shower.

Another nice feature of the Ursid shower is it ends on Dec. 23 so it won’t interfere with any children (or parents) who want to keep an open eye out for flying sleighs on Christmas Eve.

December began with Mercury, Venus and Mars visible in the evening skies. Mercury will be closest to the western horizon early this month and disappear from view shortly after dusk. Venus begins the month fairly high and bright in the southwest sky with Mars appearing higher and more to the south-southwest. Neptune and Uranus are also present in the night skies, but you need a telescope to get a good view of them.

Jupiter will be visible in the pre-dawn skies near the eastern horizon. It rises in the east about 2:27 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6.

The bright star Capella will be visible slightly above the northeast horizon as soon as the skies begin to darken. Capella is the sixth brightest star in the night skies. Capella is a Latin word that means “the little she-goat.” If you look slightly south of Capella, you should be able to spot a group of three fainter stars. They are called the “kids.”

November Highlights

The biggest sight in November’s night sky was the supermoon of Nov. 14. This was the closest the full moon had been to the Earth since 1948. We will not see another comparable super moon until 2034.

The image of the Bubble Nebula is the result of stacking 100 frames. Each frame has a 25 second exposure time. Photo: Gerry Lebing

The clear skies of November also gave me a unique astrophotography opportunity. I was able to get a decent image of the Bubble Nebula. This faint emission nebula is 1,400 light years away and has a visual magnitude of +11. It is located in the constellation Cassiopeia.

The Pacman Nebula is 4,000 light years away. Photo: Gerry Lebing

I also got a fairly good shot of the Pacman Nebula. For those of us who were around in the ’80s, the reasoning behind the name is pretty obvious. If you’re too young to remember the video game, you might want to try Googling “Pac Man.” The Pacman Nebula is 4,000 light years away and has a visual magnitude of +7.4. Like the Bubble Nebula, it is found in the constellation, Cassiopeia.

The Owl Cluster is about 7,900 light years away. Photo: Gerry Lebing

Since I have been focusing on Cassiopeia, here is another object from that area of the sky, the Owl Cluster. The Owl Cluster has a visual magnitude of +6.4. It’s 7,900 light years away.

Moon Phases

First Quarter: Dec. 7
Full moon: Dec. 13
Last Quarter: Dec. 20
New moon: Dec. 29

October Brings Birds, Birders to the Banks

Jeff Lewis — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 04:00:12 +0000

Reprinted from the Outer Banks Voice

October is a special month for birders on the Outer Banks.

Waterfowl are flocking in. Most of our dabbling, or puddle, ducks arrive this month. Check out the impoundments on the Pea Island, Mackay Island and Mattamuskeet national wildlife refuges, as well as the pond on Bodie Island.

American wigeon, blue-winged teal, northern shoveler, northern pintail and green-winged teal should be easy to find. Gadwall, mallard and black duck numbers increase this month as migrants join our year-round populations.

An American kestrel. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Late in the month, a few snow geese and diving ducks may show up – but that’s mostly a November thing. Our local Canada geese (watch where you step!) populations will be increased by the “real” ones as they migrate down from the north.

As far as sea ducks go – a few start “stringing out” over the ocean late in October but November is a better month to look for them.

October’s Raptors

Our raptor species list during the breeding season is pretty slim: ospreys, a few red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks in our wet forests, a few bald eagles and very few – but increasing numbers of – Cooper’s hawks.

In October, most of our ospreys leave us for warmer climes, but we have a whole host of other raptors pushing through, some continuing south, others here to stay for the winter.

The woodland hawks that arrive are sharp-shinned hawks and Cooper’s hawks, the bane of backyard birdwatchers. These bird-eating accipiters like to find successful feeding stations and set up residency, much to the chagrin of the local mourning doves and blue jays.

Our local red-tailed hawks are joined by a wave of their overwintering brethren from the north – competition for the rats and rabbits.

Northern harriers, or marsh hawks, arrive this month to help keep the rodent population down to manageable levels. They can be seen – look for the white rumps – drifting low over marshes and farm fields as they search for their next meal.

Falcons began showing up in September but are here in greater numbers this month.

The beautiful American kestrel, or sparrow hawk, the quick-as-lightning and slightly larger merlin and the powerful and famous peregrine falcon are all present in October.

A lark sparrow. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Kestrels are easy to find on the Alligator River National Wildlife Reserve and on utility lines across the state where they feed primarily on large insects and mice. Merlin and peregrine numbers peak in October and can be found mostly around wet habitats. The impoundments at the Pea Island National Wildlife Reserve and the Cape Point area in Buxton are two good places to look.

Merlin feed on songbirds and shorebirds. Peregrine falcons feed primarily on shorebirds and ducks. They are incredible predators and have been clocked at more than 200 mph during dives.

Our bald eagle population increases in fall and winter as migrants join the local populations. They tend to congregate around the best feeding areas – places where there are plenty of fish, or habitats rich with waterfowl.

These majestic raptors are big, strong predators, but will also gladly eat carrion if it is available. Eagles can be reliably located on the Alligator River and Lake Mattamuskeet national wildlife refuges.

Shorebirds and Songbirds

Shorebird migration, which has been ongoing since July, continues this month.

A few species are long gone: black-necked stilt and upland sandpiper, to name a couple. Several sandpipers are nearing the end of their fall migration: spotted sandpiper, solitary sandpiper, stilt sandpiper, white-rumped sandpiper, pectoral sandpiper, semipalmated sandpiper.

Others, like greater yellowlegs, sanderling, dunlin, short- and long-billed dowitchers and Wilson’s snipe are just settling in for the winter. Look for them in the appropriate wet habitats.

Willets, here year-round, actually serve their terms in shifts. Our eastern willets, here during the summer, are replaced by their look-alike western willets during the fall and winter. Both can be found on our ocean beaches, along with the little “wave-chaser” sanderlings.

Songbirds undergo a changing of the guard, as well.

Many of our breeding birds leave us this time of year: indigo buntings and blue grosbeaks, orchard orioles, yellow-billed cuckoos, red-eyed vireos, blue-gray gnatcatchers and chimney swifts, to name a few. All of our swallows leave for the winter, except for tree swallow, which increases a hundred-fold as swarms of birds from the north move to North Carolina for the winter.

All of our flycatchers also depart, replaced by only the eastern phoebe, except for occasional western rarities, in winter. Almost all of our beautiful, neo-tropical wood-warblers exit for Central and South America.

Out of 17 species of warblers that nest in Eastern North Carolina, only two are hardy enough to remain for the winter, pine warbler and common yellowthroat. They are joined by orange-crowned, palm and yellow-rumped warblers as the only winter representatives of this large family in our region.

One of the most overlooked and under-appreciated families of birds that arrives primarily in October is the sparrow family, emberizidae. This family includes our beloved back-yard eastern towhee, found here year-round, dark-eyed junco and white-throated sparrow, as well as many others.

A mallard takes flight. Photo: Jeff Lewis

In various open habitats you can look for chipping sparrow, field sparrow, savannah sparrow, vesper sparrow, and lark sparrow. In brushy areas seek-out song, Lincoln’s and white-crowned sparrows. In swampy habitats you can find swamp sparrows. In wooded areas white-throated and fox sparrows are likely. And there are others, some that just pass through and some that spend the winter. These “little brown jobs” can be a very challenging and rewarding family of birds to look for and identify.

October for backyard birdwatchers means, in addition to keeping the year-round birds happy, watching for rose-breasted grosbeaks, indigo buntings, red-breasted nuthatches and Baltimore orioles.

If you live in an area that is heavy with wild muscadine grapes, then you probably have orioles. You can often hear them chattering in the treetops even if you can’t see them. Sometimes nectar feeders or grape jelly will lure them down. Ruby-throated hummingbird numbers will decline in October, but for those Outer Bankers who leave their feeders out, a new, overwintering crop of hummers should show up late in the month.

And keep an eye on those birdbaths, as any number of migrant songbirds may show up for a refreshing dip or drink.

Wildlife Festival Continues

Here on the Outer Banks we have the Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival held each October. Dozens of birding, paddling, photography and natural history trips are offered, led mostly by local or regional experts. There are also refuge tours, workshops and programs offered. The 20^th anniversary festival began Tuesday and continues through Sunday.

For more information, visit www.wingsoverwater.org or call 252-216-9464.

Our Celestial Coast: October’s Fireballs

Gerry Lebing — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 04:00:49 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

Expect the annual Orionids and Taurids meteor showers to put on shows this month.

The Orionids meteor shower will be active from Oct. 4 through the end of the month — and into November. It peaks on the night of Oct. 21. Expect 20 to 25 meteors per hour. The shooting stars can appear in any part of the skies, but they will seem to originate from the constellation Orion. Look for the Orionids between midnight and dawn.

The Southern Taurids meteor shower will peak on Oct. 9. This is a minor shower, but it has a good record of producing fireballs, or exceptionally bright meteors. The Southern Taurids are visible every night in October, with peak viewing around 2 a.m.

The Northern Taurids begin on Oct. 19 and are active until December. As with the Southern Taurids, this is a minor shower that has a reputation for producing fireballs. Peak viewing is around midnight.

Also like the Orionids, the shooting stars and fireballs from the Taurids can appear anywhere in the night skies, but they will appear to emanate from the constellation Taurus. If you’re a stickler for finding the source of the Taurids, try locating the Pleiades. It’s just about in the center of the constellation.

The Pleiades, also known as Messier 45 or M45, began to rise in the east at about 9 p.m. on Oct. 1. It’s a tight cluster of stars you can use to check your vision. There are six prominent stars that are readily visible with the unaided eye. Under very dark good conditions, you might be able to spot more. Johann Kepler reported 14 in the 17^th century. The last time I checked, I could only see five stars — getting old is tough.

Planet Viewing in October

October began with Venus visible near the west-southwest horizon. It’s visible just after sundown. Mars shows up almost directly above the southern horizon, and Saturn is visible between Mars and Venus. For those of you with a telescope, Neptune began the month near the eastern horizon.

Mercury became visible near the eastern horizon just before dawn on Oct. 1. Jupiter will start showing up near the eastern horizon early this month. On the morning of Oct. 11, the two planets will appear to be almost on top of each other. This is their conjunction.

October should be a great month for locating deep-space objects with binoculars. The Andromeda Galaxy is still a good starting point. But you might want to try to find the three objects I highlighted during September in next part of this article.

M51, a spiral galaxy about 30 million light years away, began the month in the northwest, just below Alkaid, the first star in the handle of the Big Dipper.

M27, also known as the Dumbbell Nebula, is almost directly overhead early this month. You can also turn your binoculars towards the Pleiades. There’s quite a bit of nebulosity surrounding the stars in that group and you might be able to see some of it.

September Highlights

September had two new moons. The first was on Sept. 1, and the second was on Sept. 30. A second appearance of a new moon during a calendar month is called a black moon. A new moon is the best time of month to look at deep-space objects and September didn’t disappoint me. The first new moon offered some very good nights for viewing the stars.

The Sculptor Galaxy, NGC 253, is the third-brightest galaxy in the night sky. Photo: Gerry Lebing

NGC 253, the Sculptor Galaxy, left, is also called the Silver Coin Galaxy and the Dusty Island Universe. NGC 253 is about 11 million light years away from us and roughly the same size as the Milky Way. It’s the third-brightest galaxy in the night sky. Only the Andromeda Galaxy, or M31, and Sombrero Galaxy, or M104, are brighter. You can’t see it with the unaided eye but you can see it through a good pair of binoculars or a small telescope.

M27, the Dumbbell Nebula, is about 1,300 light years away. Photo: Gerry Lebing

M27, the Dumbbell Nebula, right, is one of my favorite nebulae. I’ve shown images of it before, but I think this is probably the best one I’ve ever taken. It’s about 1,300 light years away, and yes, like the Sculptor Galaxy, you can see it through binoculars.

I added this image of M51, below, for three reasons. First, it’s a fairly good image, particularly since it was the very first deep-space object I photographed with my high-speed, high-sensitivity ZWO astronomy camera. Second, you can spot M51 with binoculars, as with M27 and NGC 253. And, finally, I shot all three of these images on the same night. I usually consider it a pretty good night if I get one decent shot, so getting these three in what seemed like rapid sequence was pretty special.

M51 is about 23 million light years away. The smaller galaxy on the right is NGC 5195. It’s often called M51B. And yes, there is some sort of interaction going on between the two. Photo: Gerry Lebing

Moon Phases

First Quarter: Oct. 9
Full moon: Oct. 16
Last Quarter: Oct. 27
New moon: Oct. 30

Learn More

Our Celestial Coast: Andromeda Rules Sept.

Gerry Lebing — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 04:00:55 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

September is good month to view the Andromeda galaxy, which I got a good photograph of during August.

The galaxy is about 2.5 million light years away from us. Scientists estimate that the galaxy, known as M31, contains a trillion stars. If that number is meaningless, think of it this way: A trillion pennies is $10 billion dollars. By comparison, the Milky Way, our home galaxy, contains about 300 billion stars.

The apparent magnitude of M31 is 3.4. Under clear, dark skies, it should be visible to the unaided eye. That also makes it an easy target for binoculars. M31 can be found in the northeast evening skies throughout September.

Look to the western horizon for the triangle formed by Venus, Jupiter and Mercury just after sunset. Mercury is the very small “star” nearest to the horizon, followed by Jupiter and finally Venus. You might still be able to see all three, but Mercury will be very close to the horizon after Sept. 4 and the setting sun. Both Venus and Jupiter will be visible at dusk until the Sept. 14. Venus will continue to be visible near the western horizon through the rest of the month. Then, it will appear to creep farther south as September progresses.

Another triangle that is easy to locate is the one formed by Saturn, Mars and Antares. September begins with it in the south-southwest. As the month progresses, Mars will appear to lag behind Saturn and Antares as they begin the evening closer and closer to the southwest horizon.

Neptune began September just above the eastern horizon at dusk. Uranus followed it, rising at 9:17 p.m. on Sept. 1. You might be able to spot Uranus with the unaided eye, but it’s easier to use binoculars or a telescope for viewing these two planets.

Pluto will be in the southern skies for all of September.

Highlights from August

August was a great month for both observational astronomy and astrophotography. We had a lot of dark, clear nights with relatively low humidity.

This is the M31, the Andromeda Galaxy.

And below is NGC 6357. It’s a star-forming area in the constellation Scorpius. NGC6357 is 8,000 light years away and has an apparent magnitude of +10.

Moon Phases

New moon: Sept. 1
First quarter: Sept. 9
Full moon: Sept. 16
Last quarter: Sept. 23

To Learn More

Catch a Glimpse of a Turtle Nest

Joy Crist — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 04:00:54 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

HATTERAS — On a recent Monday afternoon at the Sandy Bay beach access – a spot where sunbathing and swimming are typically the order of the day – a group of beach-goers were surprised when they were approached by a gentleman in uniform who happened to be carrying around a sea turtle skull.

It was certainly an unusual encounter for the crowd at the semi-popular beach that’s just north of Hatteras village, but within about 10 minutes, the man had drummed up about 35 to 40 people who followed him and his uniformed colleagues to the outskirts of a thin black barrier.

Beach-goers watch William Thompson excavate a hatched sea turtle nest. Photo: Island Free Press

As it turns out, the man with the sea turtle skull was Brian Winnett of the National Park Service, and he and his three-person crew – which included William Thompson, the lead biological science technician – were there to excavate a recently hatched turtle nest.

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore is having a record-breaking year for sea turtle nests, and as more and more nests start to hatch, the National Park Service has set up an excavation program hotline at 252-475-9629 where the public can learn more about where and when an excavation will take place.

The excavation is an opportunity for people to see the discarded sea turtle eggs up close, take a peek at the tiny tracks that trickle into the ocean wash and sometimes even see a live hatchling or two that — for whatever reason — were unable to make the initial run to the ocean.

When it’s at an area that’s easy to access – like the old Cape Hatteras Lighthouse site or another beach with ample public parking – the excavation is publicly announced so that people can stop by and get an insider’s perspective.

But when it’s in a slightly more remote location, like this particular beach between Frisco and Hatteras, it’s simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

“We try to regularly do the formal (public excavations),” says Winnett, “but so far they’ve been limited to day use areas – like the Old Lighthouse Beach or Coquina Beach. But if we have the opportunity, and people are available on the beach 15 minutes or so before we do the excavation, we try to drum up interest.”

The ensuing experience is an impromptu presentation that sometimes, as on this afternoon, tends to draw quite the crowd, and that starts with the NPS rangers approaching people on the beach to tell them that a potential opportunity to see sea turtle eggs – and maybe even live sea turtles – is just a few minutes and a few yards away.

“Basically we go around, and let people on the beach know what’s happening. That way, people can see firsthand how the Park Service operates, and see what this is all about,” says Winnett, indicating the small roped-off closure that’s immediately torn down after the excavation ends.

“It gives us an opportunity to do a little talk about what we’re doing, and how we protect the sea turtles,” he continues. “And a lot of times, there are live hatchlings, and that’s an opportunity for people to see them up close. This is the first one out of a handful (of nests) that I’ve been to where there weren’t live hatchlings.”

Thompson works in the sand as he explains the nesting process to an engaged crowd who have cell phone cameras in hand. Within 30 minutes or so, the nest has been fully examined, and although here are no live hatchlings present, there are a few unfertilized eggs that Thompson breaks open and shows to the crowd. Several have been semi-cooked due to the heat, and while there’s a slight disappointment that no live hatchlings were uncovered – which would have been transferred to the red cooler container that the Park Service crew has on hand – the overall story of the sea turtles, and the firsthand glimpse of turtle eggs, is nothing short of impressive.

Frank Welles, Freve Pace, and Olie Bedell – three volunteers who sat at the nesting site along with Amy Metting-Galetar and a few other volunteers – were also present for the excavation, and affirmed that seeing a couple of live hatchlings after the hatch was always a possibility, but never a guarantee.

Volunteers count the number of hatched shells in a nest. Photo: Jacksonville.com

“Often there’s live babies in there, even though we didn’t have any today,” says Welles, indicating the former nest site. “At least half of the time there’s one, two, or even three babies (still present) – and a couple of times, the number has been up in the teens.”

“We all wanted to see a couple of (live hatchlings), but we’re also happy that we didn’t see any,” says Pace.

“It’s the same as when we have to handle the turtles during the hatching,” explains Welles. “We hate to handle them because you really don’t want to have to be involved, but at the same time, we also love to do it because we actually have a chance to pick them up.”

The remnants of this particular nest shows that this nest held 115 hatched eggs out of 127 total. It included two deceased hatchlings, as well as five unfertilized eggs. This information is written down in the log book, as well as shared with the crowd on site.

“So it’s about 90 percent (success rate),” says Thompson to the crowd, “And that’s a pretty good number.”

After the 30-minute or so presentation, which includes the actual excavation of the nest, the Park Service crew answers questions and chats with people for a few minutes, and then the crowd goes back to their regularly scheduled afternoon of enjoying the beach, while the NPS staff members take down the former turtle nest enclosure and leave.

Ten minutes after the NPS crew departs, a couple of new groups arrive on the beach and set up umbrellas and chairs on the now vacant spot along the shoreline. And any indications that the site was a sea turtle nest enclosure just an hour before – with the exception of the still subtle hatchling tracks along the beach – have completely disappeared.

But the folks who were at the scene, and who were lured by the uniformed crew to see what was happening, won’t soon forget this otherwise nondescript Monday afternoon.

“This is really incredible,” says one beach-goer from Virginia. “I didn’t expect to see this when we went to the beach today.”

Volunteers are always needed to help with the sea turtle nest sitting, and volunteer opportunities will come in the fall, as well as for the 2017 summer season.

And in the meantime, visitors should keep an eye out for crowds gathered along the distinctive black barriers along the beach – chances are, it’s another impromptu sea turtle presentation that just happens to coincide with a beach trip.

“By hearing about the sea turtles, and seeing this firsthand, (the public) can appreciate the struggle – how tough it is for them to reach adulthood, and then come back to the beach to lay eggs,” says Winnett. “It’s definitely a numbers game.”

Some Birds Get A Head Start on Migration

Jeff Lewis — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 04:00:55 +0000

Reprinted from the Outer Banks Voice

Did you know that the “dog days of summer” actually coincide with the start of fall bird migration?

A common misconception about fall migration is that birds are flying south simply to avoid the cold temperatures of winter. Not so much, although this is certainly true for some species.

Instead of providing escape from a frozen environment, migration is more about relocating to an area with a richer food supply.

Just as birds fly north in spring to breed and raise their young in a habitat saturated with food, they return south when their parental duties are over, back “home” where living conditions and food are perfect.

Black-necked stilt. Photo: Jeff Lewis

Shorebird migration for many species is in full swing in August. Nesting primarily in the arctic or subarctic, those duties are winding down and the birds are beginning to head south. Amazingly, the adults of many species pack up and leave their young behind on the breeding grounds. The juvenile birds migrate later on their own, yet they somehow know when and where to go.

There are close to 40 species of shorebirds that can (possibly) be seen in North Carolina in any given year, each on their own schedule. A few, like American oystercatchers, don’t bother to migrate at all and can be seen here year-round. Most species, however, are long-distance migrants. American golden plovers nest in the high arctic of Alaska and Canada and then fly all the way to southern South America and back each year.

Our own Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge along the Outer Banks is a hotspot for seeing these amazing frequent flyers. Check the impoundments, mud flats, inlets, ocean beaches, even grassy lawns, as each species has its own particular habitat preference.

Other spots to check are the shorelines of our sounds and bays during low tides, when the mudflats are exposed. As with most nature-watching, early morning is often the best time for this pursuit.

Some of our North American woodland songbirds begin migrating in August, as well, some even in July. As with the shorebirds, it’s a case of when the nesting job is done. Look for yellow warblers and American redstarts, among others, in August.

Those in Dare County are treated to a huge purple martin spectacle each fall. As these familiar swallows prepare to head south for the winter, they congregate and roost by the tens of thousands each evening at the William T. Umstead bridge across Croatan Sound.

Marbled Godwit. Photo: Jeff Lewis

If you haven’t made the trip to the Manns Harbor at the west end of the bridge in late July or August to see the spectacle, you owe it to yourself to do so. It really has to be seen to be believed. Mid-July to mid-August is the actual peak, with up to 100,000 birds present each evening. You will need to be in place just before dusk to enjoy the bird spectacle … and the sunset.

Of course, there are many exceptions to the summer-is-fall migration pattern. Some birds, most notably our waterfowl, do indeed migrate later in the year, during the human-determined “real” fall. So there is plenty to look forward to.

Back to our current dog days of summer. In the back yard, please keep your water features clean and full; it is vital that birds have a reliable source of clean water this time of year. Moving water, from a fountain or drip is best. This keeps the water more fresh and mosquito-free. Also, moving water attracts more birds to your yard for you to enjoy. Shallow bird baths are more attractive than deep ones.

If you have sugar-water feeders in your yard for hummingbirds, you may notice that the numbers of these tiny flying jewels visiting your yard are peaking this month. Please keep these feeders clean and filled; change them out at least twice a week whether the nectar is gone or not. If you hang your feeders in the shade the solution will stay fresh longer.

Keep cool, enjoy August and look forward to September — when bird migration really heats up.

N.C. Aquarium Turns into Turtle Hospital

Ashita Gona — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 04:00:57 +0000

Lamping poses with a hatchling in a room of the aquarium where she cares for the babies. Photo: Ashita Gona.

PINE KNOLL SHORES — Every summer in the back halls of the North Carolina Aquarium here, several large tanks become hospital wards for injured, sick or weak baby sea turtles brought in from local beaches. The aquarium welcomed the first five hatchlings of the season last week, with dozens more expected in the coming months.

Michele Lamper, an aquarist at the aquarium, runs the rehabilitation program, which seeks to treat and release juvenile sea turtles back into the ocean. She works on the project with the state Wildlife Resources Commission, which makes decisions regarding sea turtles on land.

Most sea turtle species, including loggerhead, Kemp’s Ridley and green are endangered. Lamping said saving as many babies as possible is important because only one in a thousand will make it to adulthood. Saving and releasing a turtle, she said, still means that turtle might die, but it could increase the chance of another turtle surviving.

“Once they get to the water, then it’s up to nature, and most of the time it will get eaten,” Lamper said. “If he happens to be the one that gets eaten and it happens to save another one who does reach adulthood, then okay, great. We’re still accomplishing.”

Sea turtles come to the aquarium for a variety of reasons between May and October, their nesting season. Some are injured by predators, buried in their nest or are found moving away from the ocean after following a light source in the wrong direction.

This year’s nesting has been record-breaking, with about 1,520 sea turtle nests identified along the North Carolina coast. Of the nests, only four are Kemp’s Ridley and 17 are green. The rest belong to loggerhead turtles. Since the arrival of the initial five turtles, Lamping now has a dozen under her care.

Two turtles, found on Emerald Isle, are housed in a tank, where they are slightly submerged in water by mesh, called beds. Their left flippers did not properly develop and will require physical therapy. Photo: Ashita Gona.

With such large numbers of nests, Lamping expects more hatchlings to arrive. The aquarium, she noted, has never had less than a hundred in a season.

The five hatchlings, which are all loggerheads, represent a diversity of ailments afflicting baby sea turtles.

Two of the turtles were found on Atlantic Beach with little energy. Their shells and flippers were still soft and folded. Too weak to live in water, the turtles were placed by Lamping into a dry bucket with a moist towel upon arrival, but Lamping said they’re now swimming and eating on their own.

Two more turtles were found, dehydrated, at the bottom of a nest in Emerald Isle. A ghost crab had dug a hole in their nest, making it impossible for them to climb out. They also suffered from folded left flippers that Lamping plans to correct with physical therapy, including flipper rotations and stretches. One of the turtles was also taking antibiotics for an eye infection. Lamping said the turtles are also swimming and eating on their own.

The last turtle was found in Pine Knoll Shores after he made it out to the ocean, but was washed back to the beach. Lamping said the turtle hasn’t been able to eat on his own since he was found, and is not optimistic about his survival.

“We’re doing a mixture of force-feeding and we also have some fluids on him since he hasn’t been able to turn it around,” she said.

Lamping holds up two weak hatchlings found on Atlantic Beach. Upon arrival at the facility, they were not strong enough to live in water and Lamping made them a temporary home in a bucket. Photo: Ashita Gona.

There are a variety of treatments for the turtles, including vitamins in their food, plankton and injectable fluids. Lamping said most of her time is spent flushing out wounds and keeping the turtles clean.

“I clean them every day. I flush them every day,” she said.

Before they are released back into the ocean, a vet checks on all of them to make sure they’re swimming, diving and eating properly. Most will be released back. Lamping said some may need additional time to strengthen up or may have to stay in captivity if they are unable to live in the wild.

The turtles stay in the facility anywhere from a couple of days to months, depending on the illness or injury. Some turtles simply hatch too early and are released within days if they still have their yolk sacs, a nutrient source, attached. Those that do not will be released in October, when they are stronger.

Lamping said that for those turtles, the aquarium cannot simply release the turtles onto the beach after a few days because they won’t have yolk sacs to nourish them in waters near the shore, which don’t have much food. Instead, the aquarium waits a couple of months, until they know the turtles are healthy, can catch their own food and can swim proficiently, releasing them into the ocean with a higher chance of survival.

This turtle was found on the beach of Pine Knoll Shores, where it washed back after making it to the ocean. It is weak and unable to eat on its own. Photo: Ashita Gona.

Ten to 15 healthy turtles are selected to stay in the aquarium or are used as part of an educational loan program, where they are sent to aquariums all over the country for one to three years, after which they are released into the ocean. Lamping said programs like these help educate hundreds of visitors every day.

Lamping said there are several human factors that can contribute to the obstacles hatchlings face. For example, lights on beaches lead hatchlings away from the ocean and can lead to their deaths at the hands of ghost crabs or the scorching sun. Tire marks that run parallel to the water and holes left by beachgoers can trap the babies, leaving them vulnerable to prey and dehydration.

She recalled an incident when a group of hatchlings were found dead in tire tracks.

“It was probably enough time, enough heat and sun,” she said, “that it killed them.”

Celestial Coast: Perseid May be Showstopper

Gerry Lebing — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 04:00:07 +0000

This sky map shows the radiant of the Perseid meteor shower from the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky during the meteor display’s peak betweeen Aug. 9-14. The Perseids appear to radiate out from a point on the border of constellations Perseus and Cassiopeia. Illustration: Sky & Telescope Magazine

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

The Perseid meteor shower is visible from July 17 to Aug. 24 but will peak between Aug. 9 and 14. The Perseid is renowned for producing up to 60 meteors an hour, but some experts think this might be an exceptional year with double the rate of meteors.

They are best viewed after midnight. Shooting stars can appear anywhere in the sky, but these meteors will appear to come from the constellation Perseus, which will rise in the northeast just after 10 p.m. on Aug. 9.

August will begin with Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus and Mercury visible in the evening skies.

Look for Mercury and Venus near the western horizon just after sunset. Venus is the brighter of the two and will be a little closer to the horizon. Mercury will be a little higher and farther south — to your left.

Don’t confuse Mercury with the fainter star, Regulus. Regulus is the 21st brightest star in the night skies. It’s the brightest star in the constellation Leo and has been called the “Heart of the Lion.” Regulus appeared last night between Venus and Mercury. The three will appeared to form a line that points up to Jupiter.

If you haven’t taken the time to view Jupiter this year, now’s your last chance until October. It will get closer to the horizon every evening. By the end of August, Jupiter will not be visible in the evening skies.

The prominent triangle formed by Mars, Saturn and Antares will be due south at dusk. Mars will be on the western side of the meridian and Saturn and Antares on the eastern side. The meridian is the great imaginary line that extends from the north pole to the south pole and splits the sky in half.

Neptune will rise in the east at about 9:30 p.m., followed by Uranus at 11:20 p.m. These two planets are almost identical in size, but Neptune is 2.7 billion miles away from us while Uranus is a mere 1.9 billion miles away. The change in distance has a profound effect on how bright the two planets appear.

Neptune has a visual magnitude of +7.9, making it invisible to the unaided eye. But you can view it through a good pair of binoculars. It will appear to be a very bright star. Uranus on the other hand has a visual magnitude of +5.9. That means on a very clear dark night, you might be able to see it without binoculars or a telescope. Pick a place far from light sources.

July Highlights

July offered several good nights for astrophotography. The southern part of the skies offered views of several nebulae, including M8, the Lagoon Nebula, left.

The Lagoon Nebula is about 4.3 thousand light years away. Its visual magnitude is +6. That makes it very difficult to see with the unaided eye. M8 can be found with a pair of binoculars or a telescope in our southern skies throughout July.

Moon Phases

New moon: Aug. 2
First Quarter: Aug. 10
Full moon: Aug. 18
Last Quarter: Aug. 24

To Learn More

Our Celestial Coast: Planets, Meteor Showers

Gerry Lebing — Wed, 06 Jul 2016 04:00:42 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

July will begin with Jupiter, Mars and Saturn all prominent in the evening skies. Jupiter is the brightest object in the southwest. The prominent triangle formed by Mars, Saturn and Antares will be almost due south at dusk.

Neptune will rise at about 11:30 p.m., followed by Uranus at 1:20 a.m. Both will rise near the eastern horizon. These two planets are almost identical in size, but Neptune is 2.7 billion miles away from us while Uranus is a mere 1.9 billion miles away. The change in distance has a profound effect on how brightly the two planets appear.

Delta Aquarid meteor shower peaks on July 28 with about 15-20 meteors an hour. Photo: Wikipedia

Neptune has a visual magnitude of +7.9, making it invisible to the unaided eye, but you can view it through a good pair of binoculars. It will appear to be a very bright star. Uranus on the other hand has a visual magnitude of +5.9. That means on a very clear dark night you might be able to see it with your unaided eye. If you decide to do this, you can increase your odds by picking a location as far away from lights as possible.

July 28 and 29 will be the peak of Delta Aquarids meteor shower. The Delta Aquarids run from July 12 to Aug. 23, but the most activity is predicted for the night of July 28. The best viewing will be after midnight. You can expect about 20 meteors an hour. They can appear almost anywhere in the night sky but will appear to originate from the constellation Aquarius. Aquarius will rise in the southeast at about 9:30 p.m.

The Perseids meteor shower will also be visible from July 17 to Aug. 24. Its peak activity is in August, and the Perseids are renowned for producing up to 60 meteors an hour. Like the Delta Aquarids, the Perseids are best viewed after midnight. Similarly, the shooting stars can appear anywhere in the sky, but these meteors will appear to come from the constellation Perseus. Perseus will rise in the northeast just before 11 p.m.

June Highlights

M20

Sunspot

Messier 84

June offered several good nights for astrophotography. The southern part of the skies offered views of several nebulae including the Trifid Nebula and Lagoon Nebula.

That is M20, the Trifid Nebula, on the top. It’s about 5,000 light years away. Its visual magnitude is +6.3. That puts it out of sight for the unaided eye, but M20 is a good target for a pair of binoculars or a telescope. The Trifid Nebula can be found in our southern skies throughout July.

I took this image of a sunspot, center, on a bright afternoon when the moon was full, so I wasn’t thinking about doing any nighttime observations.

The sun is a pretty easy target to find in a telescope, but you need to take some serious precautions: Never look directly at the sun; don’t try to use your finder scope to “center the sun;” and make sure you have a solar filter on your telescope before viewing the sun.

I use a solar filter and camera to view the sun. That way I never have to look directly at the sun. If something goes wrong when viewing the sun, you could damage your eyes or even suffer blindness.

The last photo is Messier 84, center,and Messier 86, center bottom. They are the two bright galaxies in this shot. On their left are NGC 4386 and NGC 4387. NGC 4402 is on the right. There are four more galaxies near the top of the page, from left to right: NGC 4413, NGC 4425, and the Eyes (NGC 4435 and NGC 4438). Together, they all form part of Markarian’s Chain of Galaxies. Markarian’s Chain is in the constellation Virgo.

Moon Phases

New moon: July 4
First Quarter: July 11
Full moon: July 19
Last Quarter: July 26

Astronomy Talk

Sunspots are cool areas that appear on the surface of the sun. They can last from a few days to several months.

Our Celestial Coast: A Triangle of Planets

Gerry Lebing — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 04:00:52 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

The triangle formed by Mars, Saturn and Antares will continue to parade across the southern sky this month. It was visible near the southeast horizon at “nautical” dusk yesterday. Mars is the bright red lead star and Saturn is the trailing star. Antares, which is also red, is not as bright as the two planets and can be found between them, but a little closer to the southern horizon.

Saturn will be at opposition on Friday. That means it will be the brightest it gets. This is your best chance to get a look at the ringed planet and its moons. Saturn will be visible all night and, as usual, can be viewed with binoculars. Sometimes, you can make out the biggest moon, Titan, through binoculars, but it’s difficult.

Mercury will be at its highest point above the eastern horizon on Sunday morning. This makes it a great time to get up early and view the planet. Mercury will rise at 4:38 a.m. and probably stay visible until about 5:30 a.m.

Jupiter will start June a little to the south of the zenith. It will be visible until it sets in the west at about 1:50 a.m. It will follow this same pattern throughout the month, appearing a little bit more to the west at dusk and setting about two minutes earlier each night.

The summer solstice will be on June 20. That means the days will start getting shorter, but, on the plus side, the nights will get longer and give us more time to look at the stars.

May Highlights

May did not offer a lot of clear nights, so I tried to make the most of the few that came along. Surprisingly, the southern skies offered the best views because of the prevailing winds.

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Moon Phases

New moon: Saturday
First Quarter: June 12
Full moon: June 20
Last Quarter: June 27

Astronomy Talk

Civil dusk is when the center of the sun is six degrees below the horizon in the evening. There are a few stars and planets visible at this point, but the sky in the background is still bright through a telescope.

Nautical dusk is when the center of the sun goes 12 degrees below the horizon in the evening. There is still a bit of sky glow from the sun, but it’s usually dark enough to start doing some observing particularly in the eastern side of the sky.

Astronomical dusk is when the center of the sun is at 18 degrees below the horizon. That’s the time when the sun doesn’t add any sky glow.

Currently, civil dusk is about 40 minutes before nautical dusk. Astronomical dusk follows about 40 minutes later. In the winter, there is about 30 minutes between civil dusk and nautical dusk. Similarly, there is about 30 minutes between nautical dusk and astronomical dusk at that time of year.

A planet is said to be in opposition when it is on the opposite site of the Earth from the sun.

Active galaxies are galaxies that have a small core of emission embedded in an otherwise typical galaxy. Models of active galaxies concentrate on the possibility of a supermassive black hole, which lies at the center of the galaxy.

Our Celestial Coast: The Red Planet

Gerry Lebing — Thu, 05 May 2016 04:00:17 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

Mars will be at opposition on May 22. Opposition occurs when the sun and Mars are on opposite sides of the Earth. That means Mars will be the brightest it’s been in 11 years, with a magnitude of -2.1. This is the great opportunity to observe the “red planet.”

Jupiter will be well above the horizon at dusk in the beginning of May. It will set just before 4 a.m. Mars will rise around 9:46 p.m., followed by Antares at 10:06 and Saturn at 10:13 p.m. This small triangle is easy to spot, making it easy to find the two planets.

After our vacation, I took a couple of fair images on the night of April 26. This is M63, the “Sunflower Galaxy.” It’s about 31 million light years away.

Mercury sets at 8:40 p.m. beginning on May 1. It is very close to the sun, so don’t look for it before the sun has set. Even at dusk, the sun can be bright enough to cause eye damage. Mercury will set about seven minutes earlier each night during the month. Each night it will get closer to the setting sun.

On May 9, Mercury will transit across the face of the sun. Do not try to watch this event with the unaided eye or sunglasses — you will damage your eyes. If you want to view this event, you will need a telescope equipped with a very good solar filter. The next transit of Mercury will be in 2019.

Pluto rose about 12:40 a.m. on May 1.

Neptune and Uranus will not offer good viewing in May.

The Eta Aquarids meteor shower will peak at about 4 a.m. on May 6. The Eta Aquarids usually offer about 60 shooting stars an hour. This meteor shower will appear to originate in the eastern sky.

Vega, the fifth brightest star in the sky, rises just after sunset in the northeast. Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra. Vega was the first star — not counting the sun — to be photographed, which happened in 1850. You could consider that the first step in deep space astrophotography.

April Highlights

I also took this image of M51, the “Whirlpool Galaxy.” At 23 million light years away, it’s a little closer to home.

I want to express my gratitude to the Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative for improving the night skies of Hatteras Island. Replacing the old high-pressure sodium vapor streetlight fixtures with the new directional LED fixtures have made our night skies much darker. I hope our local businesses and homeowners will follow suit and reduce their use of outside lighting.

My wife and I were in Hawaii during most of April. When we were on the big island, we took the tour of Mauna Kea, a 13,800-foot, dormant volcano. Most of the time, the mountaintop is blessed with clear, dry skies because it is above the top of the clouds. Mauna Kea is home to several of the most advanced observatories in the world, including the 8.2-meter Subaru Telescope and the twin 10-meter telescopes at the Keck Observatory.

This was probably the only time in my life that I have had the pleasure to experience a Class 1 sky, as measured on the Bortle light pollution scale. Amateur astronomer John E. Bortle created the scale for the February 2001 edition of Sky & Telescope magazine to help other amateurs evaluate and compare the darkness of observing sites. Class 1 is the darkest sky available on Earth, whereas Class 9 represents a brilliantly lit inner-city sky.

Even though we were only allowed to view the big “working” observatories from the outside, I did get a chance to discuss several items of interest with local astronomers that will hopefully improve my observations and photography in future articles.

Moon Phases

New moon: May 6
First quarter: May 13
Full moon: May 21
Last quarter: May 29

Astronomy Talk

A planet is said to be in “opposition” when it is on the opposite site of the earth from the sun.

A planet is said to “transit” the sun when it crosses between the earth and the sun. Obviously, only Mercury and Venus can transit the sun.

Learn More

Our Celestial Coast: Jupiter Rules the Night

Gerry Lebing — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 04:00:32 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

April will start with Jupiter (magnitude -2.6) well above the eastern horizon at sunset. You should be able to spot it just after sundown. If you view it with a pair of binoculars or a telescope, you should be able to see its bands. On a good night, you might spot several of its larger moons. Jupiter will be visible for most of the night, setting in the west just before dawn.

Mars will rise around 11:40 p.m., followed by Saturn at 12:24 a.m. The two planets and the red star, Antares, will form a triangle that will move across the night sky throughout April. If you are having trouble distinguishing Mars and Antares, remember that Mars is the brighter of the two red objects–and it appears a little higher in the skies than Antares.

Pluto rose at about 2:30 a.m. on the morning of April 2. Neptune will rise at 5:40 a.m., just before dawn. With visual magnitudes of +14 and +8, neither will be visible to the unaided eye.

Mercury will be very close to the western horizon at dusk. As April progresses, Mercury will set a little later each night, so your chances of seeing it increase each evening. It will be at its highest point above the horizon on the evening of April 18. At this point, Mercury will be at its brightest, with a visual magnitude of +0.3. For the rest of the month, it will set a little closer to the horizon each night until it is lost in the glow of the sunset. Don’t look for Mercury before the sun has set. Even at dusk, the sun can be bright enough to cause eye damage.

The Lyrid meteor shower will peak on the night of April 22. The Lyrids usually offer about 10 to 20 shooting stars an hour, but sometimes you might see a fireball or two. The best viewing times will be after 10 p.m. on Friday. The full moon will make conditions less than ideal. The Lyrids seem to originate from the constellation Lyra. The prominent star in that constellation is Vega. You can find it by looking for the very bright star in the north-northeast.

Orion (the hunter) starts April as the most prominent constellation in the southwestern evening skies. But don’t overlook the Pleiades (M45). M45 will be between Orion and the horizon. It is often called the Seven Sisters because most people can easily make out five to seven of its stars with the unaided eye. If you look at it with binoculars, you will see much more. There are literally hundreds of stars in the Pleiades and lots of bright swirls of nebulosity.

Arcturus rises just after sunset in the northeast. It’s a bright double star that happens to be the brightest star in the northern hemisphere. It’s also very close to us – only 37 light years away. Its light was used to open the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago. At that time, measurements put Arcturus 40 light years away. Chicago had hosted the 1893 World’s Fair, so it seemed fitting to open the 1933 World’s Fair with starlight that had started its journey to Earth during the previous event. This was accomplished by using several telescopes to collect the light of Arcturus, focus it on solar cells, and then use it to switch on the current for the floodlights of the fair.

March Highlights

Photo: Gerry Lebing

In my last article, I presented this image of Jupiter, left, and told you this is a work in progress.

I think I made a little progress. On March 1, I started using a Canon DSLR camera for planetary imaging. This branch of astrophotography is very different than the approach I use for “deep space objects” like galaxies and nebula. The planets and moon are all relatively bright objects, so instead of taking multiple long exposure images, I’ve been using the DSLR as a high-quality video camera. The procedure consists of focusing on the planet, capturing a sequence of 500 to 2,000 frames, and then processing the frames with special software that selects the best 200 or 300, aligns them, and then helps pick out the details.

In theory, it sounds pretty simple, but it gets difficult real fast. Atmospheric conditions are a major obstacle. At times, Jupiter was jumping around so fast on the monitor I could only guess at the right focus.

Jupiter and its famous red spot. Photo: Gerry Lebing

Here are a couple of shots, right, that showed major improvements over last month’s image. I included both because the second one shows the famous red spot of Jupiter. That’s a massive storm that’s been observed for the past 300 years.

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun. It’s roughly 420 million miles from Earth and has a visual magnitude of -2.4. With a diameter of 88,846 miles, Jupiter is more than 11 times larger than Earth. It takes Jupiter 11.86 years to orbit the sun, and the planet has 67 moons.

I also got fairly good shots of Mars, top, and Saturn.

Mars. Photo: Gerry Lebing

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun. Mars takes 687 days to orbit the sun. Mars’ closest approach to the Earth is about 22 million miles. Its furthest distance from Earth is close to 155 million miles. Because of its small size — 4,220 miles, about half the diameter of Earth — the magnitude of Mars varies from -2.9 to +1.7. Mars will be at its closest approach to Earth in the beginning of May. It has two moons.

Saturn. Photo: Gerry Lebing

Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun. It’s about 893 million miles from Earth with a visual magnitude of +0.3. Saturn’s diameter is 74,897 miles which is about nine times that of the Earth. Saturn takes 29.4 years to orbit the sun. It has 62 moons.

I didn’t entirely abandon deep space object photography either. I also got this nice image of M3, which is a globular cluster in the constellation Canes Venatici. With a visual magnitude of +6.2, it is not visible to the naked eye! M3 is about 33,000 light years away.

Photo: Gerry Lebing

Moon Phases

New moon: April 7
First Quarter: April 13
Full moon: April 22
Last Quarter: April 29

Astronomy Talk

DSLR is an acronym for digital single lens reflex camera. All of the images in this month’s article were taken using a Canon T5 DSLR mounted on my Celestron telescope. I had to purchase a special adapter called a T-ring to mount the camera on the telescope. Once you have the camera on the scope, focusing and operating the shutter become major issues. Luckily, there is good cheap software available that can help solve both issues.

Our Celestial Coast: Jupiter’s Evening Display

Gerry Lebing — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 05:00:29 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

Venus (magnitude -4) will continue to be the bright morning star close to the eastern horizon during March. With a little luck, you’ll be able to see Mercury between Venus and the rising sun. Look for both planets around 6 a.m.

If you’re up that early, you can also look for Saturn and Mars flanking the moon. Saturn will be on the left of the moon, and Mars is the reddish object on the right. Don’t confuse Mars with the red star Antares that is between the moon and the horizon.

Mars (+0.3) is brighter than Antares (+1.0), but they’re still easy to get confused. Apparently, ancient astronomers had some problems confusing the two — Antares means “rival of Mars.”

Jupiter will rise about 6:30 p.m., starting yesterday. At magnitude -2.5, it looks like a very bright star on the eastern horizon. If you view it with a pair of binoculars or a telescope, you should be able to see its bands. On a good night, you might spot several of its larger moons.

The large white disk, left, is an over-exposed Jupiter. The smaller ones are four of Jupiter’s moons — Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto (in the lower right corner). They are called the Galilean satellites to honor Galileo who first observed them in 1610.

March 9 will be the best night of the year to view or photograph Jupiter. It will be at its closest point to the Earth and fully illuminated by the sun. Its famous red spot will be visible after 1:30 a.m.

Orion, the hunter, continues to be the most prominent constellation in the southern skies. M42, the Orion Nebula, surrounds the second star in the sword. That’s not the only nebula in the Orion Constellation. The first star in his belt is surrounded by two other famous nebulae, the Flame Nebula and the Horse Head Nebula. Neither one is visible by the unaided eye. They are both difficult to view through a telescope, but I find it extremely rewarding to get a good glimpse of them.

If you have access to a good telescope on a computer guided mount, you might want to try and do a Messier Marathon on March 12. There are 110 deep sky objects in the Messier catalog, and you might be able to see all of them that night. To pull this trick off, you need to start as early as possible with objects nearest the western horizon. Then, progress through the list when M30 will rise in the east just after 6 a.m.

February Highlights

I started the month getting this great shot of the Orion Nebula (M42). Some people think I’m fixated on photographing M42, and I guess they’re right. In my defense, M42 simply is one of the best deep space objects out there for viewing or photographing over and over. Located in the sword of the constellation Orion, it’s very easy to find. M42 is bright enough that you can see it without a telescope or binoculars. I’ve probably taken more than 100 shots of it, and I still know there’s room for improvement. I love the delicate, wispy details that I can make out in this shot. Hopefully, the next image I take will show even more detail.

I spent a fair amount of time imaging Jupiter, and getting a great shot has turned out to be a real learning experience. The turbulence of the earth’s atmosphere is one of my biggest problems when imaging planets. Some nights, the image literally dances around on the screen. To compensate for that, you shoot a long series of very short exposures and then process them using computer software. This is one of the best shots I’ve gotten to date.

This is still a work in progress, so I hope to have some better images in the near future.

Moon Phases

New moon: March 8

First quarter: March 15

Full moon: March 23

Last quarter: March 31

Astronomy Talk

The magnitude of an object is a scale of how bright an object appears in the sky. At -26.75, the sun is the brightest object in the sky. The full moon has a magnitude of -13. Intuitively, you might see something wrong with the scale. First, it seems to go backwards, since brighter objects have smaller negative magnitudes, and the sun is about 400,000 times as bright as the moon but only double its magnitude.

Those problems stem from the original system that tried to classify the apparent size of stars. The system was created by the ancient Greeks. It consisted of six classes of stars, based upon the apparent size of the stars. So the biggest and brightest stars were first class and the smallest, dimmest were sixth class. The sun and moon were not included in the system.

In 1856, Norman Pogson modernized the system to its current logarithmic scale that is based upon the brightness of the star. To compute the magnitude of any star, you need to compare its brightness against a baseline star. Vega is that baseline star, and its magnitude is defined as 0. Using Vega as the baseline gave Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, a magnitude -1.46. When the sun and moon were included in this modern scale, they kind of fell off the chart and ended up in the negative range.

The human eye can see objects out to about magnitude 6.0 in very dark, clear skies. If you are viewing the stars from your backyard or porch anywhere along the coast, the odds are you are not experiencing “very dark skies.” The house lights, security lights and business lights are all forms of light pollution that reduce the splendor of the night skies, so you are probably limited to seeing magnitude 4.

Find a dark spot along the beach. Cape Lookout National Seashore is one good spot. On Hatteras Island, you can make a short trip to Ramp 27 or 30, between Salvo and Avon, and get away from much of the light pollution of the villages. If you give your eyes about 15 to 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness, you will be amazed at how bright the night skies can be.

March 8 will be a new moon so it will be your best chance to go out and appreciate the stars.

Coyotes Emerge as Coastal Predators

Kip Tabb — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 05:00:34 +0000

At first glance, a coyote may look like a medium-sized dog or a small German shepherd, but with a more pointed muzzle and flatter forehead. Photo: N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission

Wily, intelligent and adaptive coyotes are in all 100 counties of North Carolina and they are here to stay.

“They are set up to use the habitat,” said Chris Kent, a biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission whose district includes the state’s largest coastal cities.

Chris Turner, a commission biologist in the northeastern part of the state agrees that coyotes are highly adaptable and can live in rural, suburban and even urban areas. “Being omnivorous, they can utilize many food resources, ranging from small mammals to fruit/berries to agricultural crops to dog food and table scraps,” he explained in an email.

Originally native to the grasslands and prairies west of the Mississippi River, coyotes first became permanent residents of the state’s mountains in the early 1980s. Within 30 years, they reached the Atlantic Ocean.

Although the evidence points to large populations in coastal North Carolina, they are rarely seen. “They are very wary of people and you just don’t see them very often,” Kent says.

And it may not be apparent to an untrained eye just what has been seen. At first glance, a coyote may look like a medium-sized dog or a small German shepherd, but with a more pointed muzzle and flatter forehead. They also tend to be thinner than domestic dogs, although in the winter they will look bigger because they are carrying a heavier fur coat.

Canis latrans is a remarkable species of canid. From its original habitat west, it has spread throughout North America and is found in every country of the continent.

The migration of the coyote began soon after European settlers took control of North America. Intent on creating a safe landscape to farm their fields and raise livestock, settlers hunted apex predators — wolves, cougars, bears — almost to extinction.

“It’s generally understood that there was a canid top predator,” explained Pete Benjamin, field supervisor for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Raleigh office. “On the East Coast, cougars and the red wolf were eliminated, and coyotes have filled that niche.”

The service’s red wolf recovery program in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in Dare and Hyde counties has brought the eastern red wolf and coyote into direct contact. In the western United States where the larger grey wolf lives with coyotes, the coyote becomes prey.

From its original habitat in the West, the coyote has spread throughout North America. Map: Cook County, Ill., Coyote Project and Ohio State University

The smaller red wolf, although larger than a coyote, seems more likely to avoid interaction for the most part. “Until mating season,” said Woody Webster, site manager for the state’s Buckridge Coastal Reserve in Columbia. The Buckridge Reserve borders the federal refuge.

Typical of the genus canis, coyotes can cross breed with dogs and wolves. “When opportunity may present itself, canids, including coyotes, are physically capable of cross-breeding, “ Turner said.

Fish and Wildlife biologists, worried about crossbreeding between coyotes and red wolves, came up with what they hope is an innovative approach. “The issue of hybridization is a concern, and we’re managing the interaction between the species,” Benjamin explained.

Like all canids, coyotes are territorial, and studies have shown that sterilized coyotes retain their territorial instinct. “We have place holders using sterilized coyotes. Sterilized coyotes will defend against other coyotes,” Benjamin said. “They’ll keep the territory from other coyotes until the wolves take over or we insert wolves (into the environment).”

No one is sure how many coyotes live along the coast. Scott Crocker has managed the state’s reserve sites along the northern coast for the past three years. “I have seen evidence pretty much since I’ve been here,” he said. “Each year there’s maybe a half dozen that I actually see. I’ve definitely seen the evidence. Scat with fur in there and we have game trail cameras at both sites.”

No one has seen a coyote at the Coastal Reserve sites along the southern coast, including at Masonboro Island, Zeke’s Island, Bald Head Woods and Bird Island, but there is evidence that they have been visiting if not living in some of the more accessible parts of the reserve, according to site employees.

Landowners often consider coyotes nuisances that can cause damage. “Unprotected poultry and livestock can . . . be harmed in some situations,” Turner wrote in his email. “Coyotes can also take small dogs that are left to range free or are left unattended.”

The eastern red wolf, shown here, is slightly larger than the coyote. Photo: Wolf Haven International

Because of the potential for damage to farm production and the designation as an invasive species, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission allows the hunting of coyotes at any time throughout the state. The exception is the five counties where red wolves live — Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, Tyrrell and Washington. In those counties a special permit is required.

It is doubtful, however, that open season on coyotes is an effective means of controlling the population. Wildlife biologists point to the reproduction characteristic of coyotes that makes controlling the population so difficult. Typically a coyote litter will be five to seven pups. If a coyote population in an area becomes too dense, the litter size drops. If the population is thinned either through disease or hunting, litter size increases — and may increase substantially — doubling in size over the average. Additionally, female coyotes will go into heat at a younger age.

This is a well-documented phenomena and one that the Wildlife Commission seems to address in its 2012 report on fox and coyote populations. “In all cases, the use of bounties has been an ineffective and inefficient tool for controlling coyote populations,” the study authors wrote.

Although there have been no systematic population studies of statewide or regional coyote population, that report offers indications of how widespread coyote populations are in North Carolina. A little more than 4,000 animals were killed by hunters in 2007-08, the report notes. Two years later, that number had more than doubled to more than 10,000.

Other animals have had to adapt to what is apparently a very healthy coyote population in eastern North Carolina, Turner wrote. For instance, the populations of those that compete with coyotes, like red foxes, have declined.

“Some small mammal species may now have another predator to deal with, resulting in increased mortality during the year,” Turner continued. “Increased mortality of some species, especially those small mammals that may destroy the nests of some ground-nesting birds can actually be beneficial for other native species.”

UNC-TV’s “NC Now” examines a trend where coyotes are becoming more city creatures instead of remaining in rural communities in search of food. The change in venue has Charlotte residents concerned about their safety but officials say people should be taking greater precautions with their pets.

Panthers Still Seize N.C Imagination

Brad Rich — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 05:00:31 +0000

Panthers, which once roamed throughout the Americas, now live in just 14 western states in the United States. Photo: Apple

With the Carolina Panthers pounding away in California in preparation for football’s 50^th Super Bowl on Sunday in Santa Clara, there are officially no panthers in Carolina.

But note that word “officially.” If you talk to people, and read enough on the Internet – yeah, we know how reliable that is – you begin to wonder if there are real panthers somewhere in North Carolina. And when you talk to folks at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, you wonder even more, even though you get the feeling they wish you’d quit wondering and just accept the official line, which is there hasn’t been a confirmed panther sighting in North Carolina for well over a century.

For example, Brad Howard, a certified wildlife biologist and the private lands coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Management at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, acknowledges that he and his agency get reports of cougars – panthers by another name, as are mountain lions – fairly often, from the mountains to the coast. Few large animals have generated more wildlife lore. Some even say they’ve seen black panthers, like the ones on the football players’ helmets, and some say they’ve seen the standard yellowish brown ones.

“I don’t tell people what they’ve seen,” Howard said recently. “I just tell them that we haven’t seen any proof – any pictures or tracks or other hard evidence – that there are panthers in North Carolina.”

That didn’t matter to Jerry Richardson, the former NFL player who brought the expansion team Carolina Panthers to Charlotte in the mid-1990s and is still the owner. According to several sources on NFL team names, his son, Mark, the team’s president, just chose the name because “it’s a name our family thought signifies what we thought a team should be—powerful, sleek and strong.”

Jeff Aydelette

Nor did it matter from 1969-1974, when the Carolina Cougars, owned by Jim Gardner, Hardee’s founder and future congressman, started bouncing red, white and blue basketballs as an American Basketball Association franchise.

But it does matter to some people. Take Jeff Aydelette, editor of Compasssnews360.com, an online publication that covers Pamlico County. In the last decade, his website has run three stories about sightings of black panthers – not Huey Newton, that would be too much like spotting Elvis – and says they are easily among the most read, most commented-upon stories in the publication’s history.

Aydelette says that even when he published those stories, he was a big doubter. It was fun, and he wanted to believe his readers, but he was, to say the least, skeptical. Until three years ago, that is, when he knows darn well he saw one while he was driving along a Pamlico County backroad. It flashed across the path of his vehicle at breakneck speed, like a streak of black lightning, he said last week.

“And now I’m a believer, Aydelette said. “It was not a bear. It was not a deer. It was not a black Lab. And I assume that if there is one, there are more than one.”

In one of his stories – one that he didn’t believe so much at the time – Aydelette wrote about a woman named Maureen Bivona, who said she had an encounter with what she believed to be a black panther. At the time, Bivona was riding her bike on Janeiro Road near its intersection with Kershaw Road in the southeast corner of Pamlico County.

“After my interview with Bivona,” Aydelette wrote at the time, “I conferred with both state and federal biologists who explained, quite convincingly, that the habitat, breeding range and general terrain of our area could never host such an animal. Yet, several experienced, local hunters quietly confirmed Bivona’s report. However, they refused to go public with their stories for fear that prime local hunting grounds might be closed to preserve an endangered species.

“Other readers called to describe nighttime, plaintive howls unlike those of more familiar local creatures. Unfortunately, Bivona died … I have long wished she had taken her camera along on that biking excursion.”

There’s no scientific evidence that “Black panthers” ever existed. Black leopards like this one are common in some parts of Malaya and on the slopes of some African mountains. The color is the result of a genetic mutation. Photo: Wikipedia

There is even, he said, a somewhat plausible, if legendary, explanation for why there might be panthers, black ones, in Pamlico. One reader related, in a response to a 2011 story in the Compassnews, that her grandmother told her grandkids that a circus boat ran aground in the county and male and female panthers escaped.

Then there are the McCallisters in Hubert, near Swansboro in Onslow County. Both are convinced they saw a panther, separately, at about the same time, at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in nearby Jacksonville.

“I was driving down Lyman Road, headed to the (base) hospital,” said Karen McCallister. “It ran right across the road, right in front of my headlights.”

Her husband, Mac, saw it in the same general time frame, while he was hunting deer in the same area.

“It was coming out of the swamp,” recalled the retired gunnery sargeant.

Of course, Karen added, both sightings were somewhere around 30 years ago. “So it’s probably dead now,” she said. Her husband added that he hasn’t heard of anyone seeing one since then.

Howard, of the wildlife agency, will not definitely say they’re wrong. That slight concession, said Aydelette, represents an evolution of sorts. “Back a few years, they would just say it (seeing one) was wrong. There weren’t any,” he said. “I’m glad to hear they’ve maybe changed that a little.”

What Howard says, now, is this: Eastern cougars are believed to be extinct, and they were not black; they didn’t have a melanistic phase. Jaguars, leopards, the jaguarundi and even bobcats do, rarely, have black coats, and it’s “possible” but very unlikely that one or more, held illegally as pets, could have escaped somewhere.

“Theoretically,” Howard said, “it’s possible. But to my knowledge, in North Carolina, wildlife law enforcement has not ever had such a report.”

Brad Howard

Nor does he know of any credible report of a large black cat – big enough to be a panther or any of those other animals – having been hit by a vehicle, something that would seem likely were they indeed here.

Another problem with the legends, Howard said last week, is that cats don’t live all that long, and the legends have been around a long, long time. These big cats, he said, “can’t exist without some form of genetic exchange,” which means new, unrelated cats have to enter the population from somewhere.

That, he said, is part of the problem with the Florida panther, which does exist, and has a Miami-based National Hockey League team named after it, and is endangered (Not the hockey team; it’s a good year for sporting Panthers, as they are in first-place in their division.)

That does not mean, however, no one in the state will ever see a cougar or panther again. There’s at least one documented case of a Florida panther making it almost as far north as Atlanta. And cougar, which now are found primarily in western states, are expanding their range, Howard said. They’ve been spotted in Kentucky and Tennessee, he said.

Michelle LaRue is a research ecologist at the University of Minnesota and executive director of the Cougar Network, which is the only research nonprofit that focuses on cougar range expansion in North America. In a recent blog, she agreed with Howard that there is no compelling evidence that black panthers ever existed in the United States.

“Black panthers have been part of modern lore in the United States for more than 100 years, despite the lack of any compelling evidence of their existence,” she wrote in August. “I am frequently sent photos of misidentified felines and also often hear stories about black panther sightings … I’m quite skeptical. If black panthers existed in the wild in the United States, we should at the very least be seeing them killed on roads.”

All these black panther sightings, turn out to be housecats, she wrote.

Ivia Nathaniel, one of those Pamlico County residents mentioned in the stories Aydelette wrote, would not likely be convinced. She knows what she’s seen, at least twice. In a self-penned article in his publication in January 2013, she put it this way:

“Coming home Wednesday night, Jan. 16, at approximately 7 p.m. on Neuse Road, about 1,500 feet from the corner of Scott Town Road, a sleek black long slinky cat sloped across the highway, barely missing the front grill of my car.

“The cat jumped like it was floating. It made one big leap and landed approximately 10 feet from my car, but on all four of its feet.

“Many Pamlico People don’t believe we have these things. But I know we have black panthers, bobcats, plenty of bears, coyotes, and mountain lions (cougars).”

And, she added, before that, “Approximately five years ago coming from fishing on Goose Creek Road – an area we call Orange Swamp – I came around the curve and there stood a big rusty-colored cougar with long whiskers on its face with such a mean, vicious look. I always tell people with small children to be watchful. These things are the prowlers of Pamlico County.”

This video was shot in Pitt County four years ago. “Black” panther or big house cat?

A Cat of Many Names

Panther, cougar and mountain lion are just a few of the names for puma or felis concolor, America’s lion.

They once ranged more extensively than any other mammal in the Western Hemisphere, from the Canadian Yukon to the Straits of Magellan — over 110 degrees in latitude — and from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean. The animal’s wide distribution helps account for all those names. Each native tribe and group of European explorers gave the cat a different name. Today, mountain lions are listed in dictionaries under more names than any other animal in the world. Writer Claude T. Barnes listed 18 native South American, 25 native North American, and 40 English names for the same animal. Depending on the region and native language, common names for the American lion include: mountain lion, cougar, panther, puma, painter, el leon and catamount.

Many people have heard the term “black panther,” but these are actually melanistic jaguars or leopards: a genetic trait that makes an individual cat’s fur appear much darker than the usual coloration. To date there has never been a confirmed case of a melanistic mountain lion.

Early records of North Carolina mammals indicate that the Eastern cougar’s populations declined in the state throughout the 18th century as a result of persecution, hunting, loss of habitat and the parallel decline of its major prey species, the white-tailed deer. It’s thought that by 1900, the Eastern cougar was extinct in North Carolina, as it was elsewhere east of the Rockies.

The Cougar’s population has since steadied and is even expanding in some Midwestern states, but the Mountain Lion Foundation thinks no more than 30,000 animals live primarily in 14 western states. A small endangered population in Florida is the only one on the East Coast.

Learn More

Our Celestial Coast: Parade of Planets

Gerry Lebing — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 05:00:43 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

The five planets that will be visible to the unaided eye will be in the skies simultaneously for most of February.

February evenings begin with Uranus high in the southwest sky. Neptune is closer to the west-southwest horizon. With a visual magnitude of +8, Neptune cannot be seen with the unaided eye. You might be able to spot Uranus — visual magnitude +5.9 — on a very clear night. But most people use a telescope or binoculars.

The five planets that will be visible to the unaided eye will be in the skies simultaneously for most of February. Jupiter starts the month rising in the East at about 8:30 p.m. Mars will follow at 1 a.m., Saturn at 3:06 a.m., Venus at 5:09 a.m. and Mercury at 5:30 a.m. Astronomical dawn is four minutes later, so all five planets are visible in the sky before daylight begins to make it difficult to view them.

Remember the five planets will not be clustered near the horizon. Venus and Mercury will be very close to the eastern horizon. Saturn will be farther up in the eastern sky. Mars will be just short of overhead. And Jupiter will be in the western part of the sky.

This phenomenon will continue until Feb. 20.

On Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12 and 13, the Hatteras Village Civic Association, with the support of the Outer Banks Visitor Bureau, is having a Starry Nights on Hatteras Island program in the village. The Morehead Planetarium at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will set up a mobile planetarium at the fire station.

The weekend begins at 5:30 p.m. with registration, along with refreshments, at the Hatteras Village Civic Center. The program begins at 7 p.m. The discussion of the night sky over Hatteras with viewing opportunities will be led by Nick Eakes, science education specialist at the Morehead Planetarium.

On Feb. 13, a mobile planetarium will be set up at the fire station. It looks like a big, domed tent and can fit about 12 to 20 folks inside, depending on how big they are. Once inside, the sky-watchers can get comfy on cushions for the program.

There will be a program for children on Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. While children take their turn in the planetarium, the others will take part in a program by Rhana Parks of the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island.

Eakes will lead a program for adults in the planetarium at 2 p.m.

At 7 p.m., he will lead another outdoor program on viewing the night skies over Hatteras Island. Depending on wind and weather, the organizers hope to have the program on the beach, at the Sandy Bay parking area north of Hatteras village or in the village park.

Starry Nights will go on rain or (star) shine, but the organizers have their fingers crossed for a couple of those crystal clear nights.

The weekend will end with a special Valentine’s Dance, “Romance Under the Stars,” beginning at 8 p.m. at the Civic Center.

The cost for the Starry Nights program is $20 a person, though the children’s program on Saturday morning is free for the kids. The cost of the dance is $20 a person and $35 per couple.

For information, go to the events page on Facebook. There is information on the page about accommodations and restaurants. You can also message the organizers through Facebook or call 252-986-2109.

Moon Phases

New Moon: Feb. 8
First Quarter: Feb. 15
Full Moon: Feb. 22
Last Quarter: March 1

Astronomy Talk

Astronomical dawn is the time when the geometric center of the sun is at 18 degrees below the horizon. The eastern horizon starts to lighten at the astronomical dawn.

Astronomical dusk is the instant when the geographical center of the sun is at 18 degrees below the horizon. That’s when the sky becomes completely dark.

Photo Contest: And the Winners Are …

Mark Hibbs — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 05:00:12 +0000

Brian Horsley of Nags Head won first place with this shot of a humpback whale eating menhaden off Cape Lookout.

Among the many benefits of living on the N.C. coast are the many opportunities for picturesque views of the natural environment. That’s why we at Coastal Review Online invited our readers to share their best images of North Carolina’s coastal character in our 2015 photo contest sponsored by Emerald Isle Realty and the N.C. Coastal Federation.

Art is highly subjective and beauty is often in the eye of the beholder, so judging the entries was a challenging task. Fortunately, our judges, Jason Voelpel, chief marketing officer at Emerald Isle Realty; Sam Bland, an avid nature photographer and coastal naturalist with the federation; Scott Taylor, photographic technology chair at Carteret Community College in Morehead City; and the staff at Coastal Review Online, were up to the task.

The judges didn’t agree on all their top choices but there was consensus on a few.

We received about 200 photos during the contest period. We selected weekly winners throughout the year and showcased the best images on our front page and our social media sites. The number of “likes” the finalists’ photos received on Facebook was also considered in the final judging, especially in regard to the honorable mentions. We were, unfortunately, unable to recognize all our favorite shots as winners.

Now it’s time to reveal the judges’ favorites.

First Place

Hungry by Brian Horsley. A top contender on all the judges’ lists and our overall favorite was Horsley’s dramatic, panoramic image of a humpback whale feeding on menhaden off the Cape Lookout National Seashore in November. The entry earned Horsley of Nags Head a $450 prize and a yearlong N.C. Coastal Federation membership.

“I have a 12-shot series of this humpback feeding,” Horsley said in his submission.

Technical information: The image was captured through a 200 mm lens with a Nikon D750 in shutter-priority, program mode at f8 at 1/4000 of a second and an ISO speed of 640.

The judges said the image was a once-in-a-lifetime shot.

“What a great capture of animal behavior,” Bland said. “A humpback whale lunge feeding, complete with mouth agape and fish flying through the air trying to escape. The sudden explosiveness of the whale and the splashing water is captured in excellent focus, which is not easy to do when you don’t know where the whale is coming up for that brief second or two. Add in a smiling dolphin and you have just captured the wonders of the ocean.”

Voelpel agreed. “It’s amazing that these events are not only taking place right off of our shores, but also being documented. It’s remarkable that Brian was able to capture the porpoise at the same moment the whale breached,” he said.

Taylor also praised the “decisive moment and great timing” of the snap, but quibbled slightly with the unusual cropping. “I do not feel the use of the extreme wide panoramic helped this composition though I can see why the photographer did it due to the bait fish,” he said.

The photo was made “without getting in the way of the whale,” Horsley was careful to note.

Whales are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Specific humpback whale-approach restrictions have been in place since 2001 and require keeping a minimum distance of 100 yards. Penalties of $10,000 for each violation and criminal prosecution with a $100,000 fine and imprisonment can result from getting close enough to harass a whale.

Second Place

Second Place: “Starry, Starry Night” by Pete Kreps.

“Starry, Starry Night” by Pete Kreps. Kreps, of Raleigh, captured this image of the Milky Way in May 2014 from a boardwalk at Kure Beach. Kreps wins a $250 prize and a federation membership.

“Taken from my friend’s house, standing on his walkway to the beach (or stars),” Kreps said of his image. (It was a) beautiful clear night and the Milky Way was rising over the east that night.”

Technical information: The image was captured with a Nikon D610 in manual mode with a 30-second exposure and an ISO speed of 2000. F-stop and lens focal length were not provided.

“I like the way the boardwalk leads you right out into the open expansiveness of not only the sky but the ocean as well, as if you can walk out to the horizon and can climb the stars right up into the heavens,” Bland said. “Even though the ocean isn’t visible, it is implied with the low lumpy dunes, sea oat stalks and sand fence. The lower part of the photo has good depth of field creating the illusion that the boardwalk goes on forever.”

Third Place

Third Place: “When the Sun Met the Sea” by Amy Lock.

“When the Sun Met the Sea” by Amy Lock. Lock, of Emerald Isle, captured this image in December 2014 from the Cedar Island Ferry to Ocracoke Island. Lock wins a $100 prize and a federation membership.

“Crossing over on the evening ferry, I watched as the sky and sea were the same pastel blue. Could barely tell them apart,” Lock said in her submission. “The sun set and the colors just kept coming! Still could barely tell them apart. The sky and sea were ablaze with orange yet it was so quiet and peaceful. Just the hum of the ferry motor.”

Technical information not available.

The seascape appears somewhat otherworldly with its warm, ruddy tones, elements that judges found appealing. Voelpel described the shot as a “a striking image with such deep colors.”

Bland said he liked the “sense of movement created by the small swells and ripples on the water.” He also focused on the deep hues. “The color of the sky and its reflection staining the water has a great contrast of lighter and darker reds on both the sky and water. The lighter yellowish color just above the horizon on the left of the photo creates an opening that pulls my eyes to look in that direction. Framing the lighter yellow color and the line of waves on the left of the photo rather than in the center, I feel, creates that sense of movement,” Bland said.

Honorable Mentions

We selected four honorable mentions with each photographer winning a $50 prize and a federation membership:

“Sunrise Flirt” by David Galyon. Galyon, of Morehead City, captured this image in November 2014 in Atlantic Beach.

“Sunrise Flirt” by David Galyon.

Keep Sending Photos

We aren’t currently planning a photo contest for 2016 but we still encourage readers to submit their images of the N.C. coast for consideration as our photo of the week. See the submission guidelines.

Technical information: This image was captured with a Nikon D7100 in manual mode with a zoom lens set at a 262 mm focal length at f6.3 and a 1/2000-second exposure at ISO 1400.

Taylor said the image captured “the decisive moment” with great light and fine detail. “For some reason it just didn’t beat out the others for me. Perhaps it was just a bit too contrasty and saturated for my taste. Judging is about taste to a certain extent,” he said.

“Breakfast” by Jody Merritt. Merritt, of Beaufort, captured this image in October 2015 in Atlantic Beach.

“Breakfast” by Jody Merritt.

“I was at the Oceanana Pier and caught this willet feeding,” Merritt said in his submission.

Technical information not available.

This photo was Taylor’s top pick. He praised the “decisive moment, clean composition and spot-on selective focus.”

“Sunrise Light” by Corey Cannon. Cannon, of Newport, captured this image in August just after sunrise at the DoubleTree Resort in Atlantic Beach. It was the only black-and-white image to make the final cut and one of few submitted during the contest period.

“Sunrise Light” by Corey Cannon.

Technical information: Cannon used a Canon EOS 6D in aperture-priority mode with a lens focal length of 105 mm at f5.6, an exposure of 1/500 second and ISO 640.

Taylor praised Cannon’s composition, textures and use of light, calling it “a pleasing image.”

“Sunrise at Sneads Ferry Marina” by Frank Ostman. Ostman, of Hampstead, captured this fishing boat heading out at sunrise in June 2015.

“Sunrise at Sneads Ferry Marina” by Frank Ostman.

Technical information not available.

“This is a great composition well executed,” Taylor said.

Our Celestial Coast: More Meteors in 2016

Gerry Lebing — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 05:00:15 +0000

This story is part of a monthly series about astronomical events along the N.C. coast. It is reprinted from the Island Free Press.

Highlights of December 2015.

In the November column, I included a picture that featured M81 and M82 together in the same image. Here are close-ups of the two galaxies I took on Dec. 15. Both are about 12 million light years away.

What to Look for in January 2016

Look for the Quadrantids meteor shower the first five nights of January. The peak was predicted for the night of Jan. 3 with as many as 40 meteors per hour. The meteors will appear to originate in the constellation Bootes. Bootes will rise in the northeast at about 12:30 a.m. each night for the first week of January. You can find it by looking at the handle of the Big Dipper. The first two stars, Alkaid and Mizar, in the handle point directly to Bootes. The center of the constellation is about three times the distance between those two stars.

In addition to the Quadrantids, Bootes also starts the month off with a comet that might be visible to the naked eye. If you follow the curve formed by the handle of the Big Dipper, about five times the distance between Mizar and Alkaid, it will lead you to a very bright star, Arcturus. If you watched it rise on New Year’s morning, you may have seen the comet Catalina. Some of my sources say Catalina will only reach a magnitude of +6, which means you would need binoculars or a telescope to view it. Other sources say it will reach a magnitude of +4.2. If that’s the case, you might be able to see Catalina with the naked eye.

Comet Catalina will be in the night skies all of January. It will reach its closest approach to Earth on Jan. 17. On that night, it will appear to be in the proximity of Mizar and Alkaid, in the handle of the Big Dipper. At a distance of 110 million kilometers and a visual magnitude of +5, it should be a great target for night viewing.

Mercury, Neptune and Uranus will be in the western skies in the evening. Look for Mercury near the western horizon between 5:30 and 6: 20 p.m. It begins the month setting at 6:30 and gets lower in the skies every evening. By Jan. 12, it will be setting at 5:30 p.m., making it difficult to spot. Neptune will begin the month fairly high in the western part of the night skies. It will set about 9:30 p.m. Uranus will begin the month almost directly overhead on the Ecliptic, or the path the Sun appears to take around the Earth. The planets all appear to stay close to this same path through the skies.

Jupiter will begin the month rising in the east at 10:40 p.m. It will be followed by Mars at 1:30 a.m., Venus at 4:20 a.m. and Saturn at 4:55 a.m.

Moon Phases

Last Quarter: Jan. 2

New Moon: Jan. 9

First Quarter: Jan. 16

Full Moon: Jan. 23

Last Quarter: Jan. 31

Our Celestial Coast: Nebulae and Meteors

Gerry Lebing — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 05:00:16 +0000

This story is part of a monthly series about astronomical events along the N.C. coast. It is reprinted from the Island Free Press.

First, kudos to the Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative on its recent announcement of a new initiative to reduce light pollution.

According to Susan Flythe, executive vice president and general manager, the cooperative board of directors voted on Nov. 19 to approve the replacement of the 100-watt and 250-watt high-pressure sodium security lights with LEDs beginning in 2016.

“The opportunity to be responsive to dark sky issues combined with maintenance cost savings and REPS compliance were compelling arguments for changing the lights,” Flythe told me in an e-mail.

The co-op provides outdoor security lights to its customers who are changed a monthly rate for them.

The most important feature of the new LED fixtures is that the shades direct the light down to the ground. This initiative should definitely help improve our night skies.

November Highlights

NGC7293, the Helix Nebula, is often called the “Eye of God.” Photo: Gerry Lebing

NGC7293, the Helix Nebula, is often called the “Eye of God” or “Eye of Sauron” Nebula — if you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings. Two years ago, I got a very poor shot of NGC 7293 that took about two hours to capture. It is only visible through a telescope for a short time each year. When visible, it is fairly close to the southern horizon and is obscured by the any lights from southern cities or towns.

This image is the result of “stacking” 40 images together to get enough information to reveal the nebula. Each individual image took 75 seconds to collect on the telescope. I took about 80 exposures and used the best ones for the final product. After stacking, I had to perform some very detailed image processing to get to the final result. So, this image took two years of waiting for a clear, calm night at the proper time of year, about three hours of intense telescope time and 10 hours of image processing.

December Skywatching

The Geminids meteor shower will peak on the nights of Dec. 13-14 and 14-15. You can expect to see as many as 100 meteors per hour. The best viewing will start about 9 p.m. and run through the night until dawn. The meteors will appear to originate from the constellation Gemini, the twins. Gemini is easy find — at 9 p.m., it will be the two bright stars close together in the east-northeast sky.

Neptune and Uranus will be in the night skies. On an exceptionally clear night, you might be able to see Uranus with the naked eye, but you need strong binoculars or a telescope to see Neptune.

Mercury will be visible near the southwest horizon right after sundown for the second half of December.

Jupiter, Mars, and Venus will all be visible near the eastern horizon in the early morning hours.

The constellation Orion will be one of the dominant sights of the night skies in December. In the beginning of the month, it will rise in the east around 7:30 p.m. By the end of the month, it will be rising at sundown. M42, the Orion Nebula, is visible to the naked eye. It is located around the second star in the sword of Orion. If you have trouble making it out, grab a pair of binoculars. I am sure you will enjoy the sight.

This is an 11-second image taken of M42 in November. Photo: Gerry Lebing

Moon Phases

Last Quarter: Dec. 3
New Moon: Dec. 11
First Quarter: Dec. 18
Full Moon: Dec. 25

Astronomy Talk

“Stacking” is a technique used in astrophotography to reduce the signal-to-noise ratio when processing images of deep-space objects. The basic theory is the signal from an object is constant, while noise is random. Stacking programs analyze a series of images to find and remove the random noise.

Our Celestial Coast: Meteor Showers

Gerry Lebing — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 05:00:55 +0000

Reprinted from the Island Free Press.

Last month’s meteor shower was a disappointment, but several this month hold promise.

The Draconid meteor shower on Oct. 8 proved to be less than spectacular. I spotted three faint shooting stars. On the other hand, in the early morning of Oct. 23, I saw a very bright meteorite shoot across the body of the Orion Constellation. On the same morning, the light show of Venus, Jupiter and Mars was spectacular. Venus was so bright that it almost looked like a flare.

I also managed a couple of good images during October.

This is the Andromeda Galaxy is about 2.5 million light years away. It contains about 300 billion stars. It also has 14 known satellite galaxies. Several of them are visible in the picture. M110 is visible in the upper right-hand. M32 is just below and to the left of M31.

The Andromeda Galaxy is supposed to be the most distant object visible to the unaided eye. During October, I was unable to spot it without the aid of binoculars or a telescope. Sky Map for Android and Star Walk for Apple are two good apps that will help you to find Andromeda with you smartphone. Point the phone skyward and locate the W-shape of the constellation Cassiopeia. Then I use the bottom two star’s larger “V” in Cassiopeia to point towards the bright star Alpheratz in the bottom corner of the great square of the Pegasus constellation. M31 is about halfway from Cassiopeia to Pegasus. On a very dark, clear night, it should appear as a faint, cloudy object. With binoculars, I can see quite a bit of detail. The visibility of M31 is used as a reference point for the Bortle Light Pollution Scale. The scale runs from 1 to 9, with 1 being the best and 9 the worst. Not being able to see the Andromeda Galaxy puts Waves somewhere around a 7.

Another fun fact about M31 is that it’s on a collision course with the Milky Way. You can expect to feel the effects in about five billion years, so there’s no need to sell the house and move to a safer galaxy just yet.

Another good shot I got in October is this shot of M81 — Bode’s Galaxy — on the right and M82 — Bode’s Nebula.

M81 and M82 were both discovered by Johann Bode in 1774. They are about 12 million light years away. On a clear night, you can view them using a good pair of binoculars. To find them, take that phone and first locate the bowl of the big dipper. Try to imagine a line going from the lower corner (below the handle) diagonally through the star that forms the upper corner (furthest away from the handle). Now double the length of that line. That’s where you will find M81 and M82. M81 is very faint with an apparent star magnitude of +6.9. M82’s magnitude is even dimmer at +8.4 so you won’t be able to see either one without some visual aid.

November Sky Watching

The Orionids meteor shower is still active the first week of November. Viewing is best from midnight until dawn. The meteors will appear to originate from the constellation Orion, but they might appear anywhere in the sky. At midnight, Orion will be visible just above the eastern horizon.

The Taurid meteor showers continue through November with two distinct peaks. The first was last night and is called the South Taurids. The second, on Nov. 12, is known as the North Taurids. Both peaks take place from midnight until dawn. For the most part, the Taurids offer about seven meteors an hour. But the Taurids also offer a very good chance of seeing a “fireball” streak across the sky. A fireball is a huge shooting star that’s rarely seen. Often, they are brighter than Venus.

The Leonids meteor shower will peak in the early morning hours of Nov. 17. The Leonids are expected to produce up to 15 meteor and fireballs an hour. They will appear to start in the constellation Leo. Leo will be high in the southeast skies on the morning of Nov. 17.

Neptune and Uranus will be in the night skies. On an exceptionally clear night, you might be able to see Uranus with the unaided eye but you need strong binoculars or a telescope to see Neptune.

Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury will all be visible near the eastern horizon in the early morning hours.

One of my favorite Messier objects — M45, the Pleiades — is prominent throughout November. It starts the month rising in the east-northeast shortly after sunset and remains visible all night. Throughout November, it will rise earlier each night. By the end of the month, it will be visible as soon as the sun sets.

The Pleiades is also called the “Seven Sisters.” For most people, six of the stars are visible with the unaided eye. On very clear nights, as many as 14 stars are reported in the cluster. If you add binoculars or a small telescope, you will be able to see some of the nebulosity surrounding many of the stars. With a large scope, you can zero in on the brighter stars and study each one like a diamond collector.

I took this picture of the Pleiades in October. It really doesn’t do justice to the beauty of this star cluster.

November Moon Phases

Third Quarter: Nov. 3
New Moon: Nov. 11
First Quarter: Nov. 19
Full Moon: Nov. 25

Learn More

Our Coast: Burns Take Planning

Allison Ballard — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 04:00:10 +0000

Prescribed or controlled forest fires require careful planning to ensure that the fires don’t get out of hand. Photo: Allison Ballard

Last of two parts

BLADENBORO – N.C. 53 follows the Cape Fear River as it winds through the country of Bladen County. The scenery is typical of this part of the coastal plain: vast swampy woods dotted by small plots of farmland and modest clapboard houses. Then, you approach the entrance to the Whitehall Plantation Game Land.

Here, it’s burned-out trees and shrubs along sections of the road. Inevitably, when people drive by or visit the property, they pepper Matt Turner with questions. “They want to know what’s going on,” said Turner, a land conservation technician at the game land. “They want to know if we’re hurting the wildlife. I tell them ‘No, we’re actually helping the wildlife.’ ”

Kenneth Shugart works a fire at a game lands in Bladen County to restore a longleaf pine forest. Photo: Allison Ballard

This stretch of loblolly and slash pine will eventually become longleaf pine forest and offer habitat for a variety of native plants and animals, said Kenneth Shughart, a forester with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Turner and Shughart were recently working on a five-person effort to burn a 280-acre piece of the property.

Turner, sitting atop a bulldozer, watched the fire and smoke approach the dirt road that crisscrosses the game land. His job was to make sure no stray sparks floated across. One by one, the other members of the crew emerged out of the smoke and walked to where the bulldozer and a small cluster of trucks were parked, to drink water and refill their torch canisters with fuel.

After only a few moments, they go back to the fire, this time steadily dripping the fuel to create new fires in evenly spaced lines. The shrubs and grasses ignite easily and burn quickly in a low hum. The larger vegetation, though, erupts with a large, showy whoosh. It’s hot and smoky at the burn sections, but other parts of the property only a short distance away, seem unaffected.

This section had already been thinned and prepared for the burn that started in late September. The area had also been sprayed with herbicide which will eventually help limit the competition that the young longleaf seedlings may face. Shughart was able to burn all but 90 acres before the recent rains came. Once he finishes the last of the burn, he’ll go back a few weeks later to reseed.

“We’ll be seeding longleaf pine as well as native grasses,” he said, like wire grass, big bluestem and Indian grass. In five or six years, if all goes well, this parcel will be full of 6- to 8-foot-tall pines. In another 50 or 60 years, visitors will see a mature longleaf stand. “What we’d eventually like to do for the whole property is a natural, unevenly aged longleaf forest,” Shughart said. “That will take 100 years or more.”

Whitehall’s 1,658 acres include wetlands and Cape Fear River floodplain and offer habitat for deer, turkey, waterfowl and small game that attracts hunters, hikers, anglers and birdwatchers – something that the Wildlife Commission hopes will continue with this plan. But it isn’t the only forest under the purview of Shughart, who is based out of Bladenboro and oversees forests in North Carolina’s southern coastal plain for the agency. He and others in the field, such as Angie Carl of The Nature Conservancy, work in the Green Swamp, in Boiling Spring Lakes, Holly Shelter Game Land and the Croatan National Forest, as well as other areas throughout the coast. Prescribed burns in each of these places can happen all year, depending on its individual requirements.

Photo: Allison Ballard

“The first step is always to assess the land, to determine what it needs,” Shugart said. For coastal pine forests, that usually means burning at least every five years. After the assessment comes the planning. Each burn involves compiling a detailed report. “They are 30 pages or more with maps and contingencies,” Carl said.

As beneficial as it can be, fire can also cause considerable damage – to both the wildlife habitats they’re intended to help and to surrounding human environments – if conditions aren’t right.

The benefits of a prescribed burn are many. “One thing I don’t think people think about is that controlled fires actually decrease the chances of a catastrophic wildfire,” Shughart said.

These burns can reduce the forest litter than can fuel accidental fires. Prescribed burns can also control insect populations, expand conditions for animals that graze and, in the long run, improve the appearance of forest stands. These benefits must be weighed against potential negatives. Air quality for neighboring communities is always a factor, as is downstream water quality.

“We have to think about what is happening all around the site,” Carl said.

At one of the burn sites Carl manages, she has to think about how smoke will impact a nearby hospital, and a facility with contained animals. “Although ecology is improved through these fires, our first priority is always safety,” she said.

Then there’s the weather. With the plan in place, fires can then only proceed under the appropriate conditions. “You’d like to have some rain, but not too much,” said Patty Matteson, a North Carolina-based public affairs officer for the U.S. Forest Service. Damp soil can protect unseen tree roots and microorganisms from too much fire damage.

Matt Turner waits atop a bulldozer and look for any stray sparks. Photo: Allison Ballard

“And the winds can’t be too high or too low,” she said. Winds should be high enough for the smoke to get up and about.

Understanding all of this means that fire specialists have to learn how fire behaves. It can either move with the wind, as in a “heading” fire or against the wind as a “backing” fire. “Flanking” fires move at right angles to the wind. Heading fires are usually the most intense with a faster spread rate and longer flames, according to the Forest Service. Backing fires are the least intense.

For these reasons, wind direction must always be taken into account when planning a burn. For the Whitehall burn, Shughart had been watching the weather for weeks. Although conditions were mostly sunny and a bit windy, he was also thinking about other atmospheric elements not usually found on local weather report, like waiting for the right mixing height and the transport winds that will determine how high the smoke goes and in what direction. “Of course, that’s just a part of it,” he said. “Even things like surface winds and relative humidity play a factor in a burn.”

When the weather is looking just about perfect, more immediate preparations are made. “Then, on the day of the burn, we notify the Forest Service, and the county 911 center,” he said, so fire trucks aren’t sent to the site by accident.

Another necessity is an experienced burn crew. Turner normally works at the game lands boat dock, but he took training courses offered through the Forest Service on both a national and state level, to be able to participate in the burns on the property. The courses cover firefighting and wildland fire behavior. “Anyone can take them, and they tell you how to act in a fire, and what to look for, what could be dangerous,” he said.

A weary burn crew takes a break. Photo” Allison Ballard

This Bladen County burn, as with many that take place in the autumn, is meant to prepare a site for replanting. But other types burns take place at other times of year. After Shughart reseeds this portion of the game land, he’ll come back again in the winter to a more established forest on the other side of the dirt road and burn the understory to clear out vegetation and shrubs and to make way for smaller plants to thrive and offer the right habitat for certain animals.

Other burns are conducted at different times of year, depending on what plant and animal species need to benefit. Those conducted in winter, from January to March, are considered dormant season burns. “It’s colder and easier to control the burn,” Carl said.

They are also less likely to disturb animals such as nesting birds.

Those prescribed fires that take place in the summer or spring can mimic natural cycles. “Sometimes, they are necessary for seed production,” Carl said. “We burn in the spring, because there are some plants, some of the native grasses, that only flower after a burn.”

For all of the burns that take place in a given year, it’s is no surprise that many more don’t happen – or are postponed – because one or more of the necessary variables weren’t right. And there are other contingencies that can happen as well. Many of the planned burns that the U.S. Forest Service hoped to conduct in the state this season were put off because most of their fire personnel were fighting wildfires, Matteson said. “It’s just something we’ll have to revisit later.”

For the Nature Conservancy, Carl had hoped to conduct burns this fall. “We have an active burn crew scheduled from January to August,” she said. Those are the times that it is a little easier to make things happen for prescribed fires.

When conditions don’t cooperate, she has to be more flexible in the planning. Even when a fire crew is on standby, it doesn’t mean it will happen.

“There’s still one more burn I’d like to do this year,” she said. “We’ll see how it goes.”

Our Coast: The Coastal Fire Forest

Allison Ballard — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 04:00:55 +0000

First of two parts

See a Burn at Fire in Pines Festival

Raising awareness about the importance of prescribed burns for coastal forests is the inspiration behind the annual Fire in the Pines Festival, held this year from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17 in Wilmington. Attendees have a chance to see a burn, if the weather permits.

For four years, the festival was held in Boiling Spring Lakes in Brunswick County, but organizers moved it to Wilmington two years ago to reach a bigger audience, said Angie Carol of The Nature Conservancy, which is a host for the event.

Along with the planned burn, there’s a scavenger hunt for kids – to help them learn more about the plants and animals that benefit from burns, from red-cockaded woodpeckers to Venus flytraps. Fire equipment , including a helicopter, will be on display. There will also be food trucks, live music and birds of prey from the Cape Fear Raptor Center.

When people ask her about the necessity of setting periodic forest fires, Angie Carl explains that coastal forests are really fire forests. “Just as a rain forest depends on rain, ours depends on fire,” she said.

As a fire specialist for The Nature Conservancy, Carl oversees what people in her business call “prescribed burns” – controlled fires that attempt to mimic the natural fires that once shaped the coastal landscape. So many of the rare plants we associate with our woodlands, from native grasses to orchids to Venus Flytraps, can’t exist without fire, she said. As so it goes with other members of the coastal ecosystem, from insects and birds to reptiles and mammals – each depending on the successive layers of forest growth and fire.

So close are the relationships between many species and fire, they likely developed over long periods of time. “These species evolved with fire,” said Kenneth Shughart, a Bladenboro-based forester with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

It’s no coincidence that our area has so many lightning strikes. “We have the second highest strike area, after Florida,” said Carl, a Wilmington resident who is the conservancy’s coastal fire and restoration manager. Historically, those strikes ignited fires that have burned through forests and grasslands, sometimes for months on end.

But as more and more people inhabited the coastal plain, fires were put out as quickly as possible to protect people and their homes and communities. “With prescribed burns, we are essentially just mimicking what nature would do,” Shughart said. “Before fire suppression was so intense.”

Proactive burn programs started in the 1950s and ’60s, according to the U.S. Forest Service. “This is especially true in the longleaf pine forests of the coastal plain,” said Patty Matteson, acting public affairs officer for the Forest Service. “More recently, we’re looking into what fire can do for the mountains and Appalachia.”

In the Southeast, talk of fire and longleaf pine often go hand-in-hand. At one point, it’s estimated that the tall pines covered 90 million acres from Virginia to Florida and west to Texas. Now, longleaf savannahs are only thought to cover about a quarter of that territory, according to The Longleaf Alliance, based in Alabama.

Although there are a number of factors for the decline, one often cited is the lack of fire in these forests. Without frequent burns, other pine species that are faster growing than the longleaf, such as loblolly and slash pine, shade out the young longleaf and soon dominate the forest plot. Once relegated to marginal areas, like the edges streams and ponds, these other forests are now more numerous.

Angie Carl sits amid a field of pitcher plants, a native species that depend on periodic fires. Photo: Tess Malijenovsky, Coastal Review Online.

In other fire-neglected areas, poor-quality hardwoods and shrubs have encroached, and there’s more competition for space, water and nutrients, which make it more difficult for native species to thrive. Fire, though, can limit this understory and give these endemic plants more room and resources.

Fortunately for the longleaf, a number of environmental organizations are working to re-establish this native ecosystem where possible through controlled burns. Each year, several thousand acres are burned in North Carolina, according to the Forest Service. Although other chemical and mechanical treatments have been tried, none is more effective than fire. Even one prescribed fire can improve habitat for wildlife, reduce the amount of debris that can cause accidental fires and increase access and travel for people and animals alike. Most forests and grasslands require multiple fires over a number of years to fully reach their potential, though, often on a schedule of every one to five years.

For many of the tiny, unique plants of the coastal plain, it’s sunlight that’s necessary for them to prosper and propagate. “A lack of fire means lack of sunlight,” Carl said. “And without sunlight, there are no orchids or pitcher plants.”

The red-cockaded woodpecker is another species dependent on fire. Photo: Sam Bland

Plants are only the beginning of fire-dependent species, she said. “Not here, but elsewhere, there’s an insect that can only mate with the heat of the fire. Here, it’s a bit similar for red-cockaded woodpeckers.”

This endangered bird has very specific habitat requirements: mature pine forests with little understory, or the kind that depend on frequent fires.

Other species that are found in fire-prone areas include the indigo snake, the eastern coral snake and the gopher tortoise, which digs long burrows that help it and other species escape underground when fire comes to their forests.

There are also animals that require the habitat that results from one of the successive stages brought about by fire. The northern bobwhite benefits from frequent disturbance through prescribed fire. Grassland habitat is important for field sparrows and eastern meadowlark. The years between fires allow litter to accumulate for ground-nesting birds and offer scrubland birds like indigo bunting, blue grosbeak and brown thrashers a place to feed.

Some people fear how fire affects wildlife in the moment. But Carl said that often isn’t an issue. Burns are often conducted during non-critical, non-nesting times. “Many of these areas we’re talking about on the coastal plain also have wetlands and standing water,” she said.

Most animals escape the flames by going to the water or underground. Or they simply leave. “But they come back again,” she said.

Often the conditions are ideal for animals after a burn, for those who feed on insects, or those that forage for seeds from those plants that germinate during fire.

Wednesday: On a burn

Woodpeckers Thrive at Rugged Preserve

Catherine Kozak — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 04:00:12 +0000

COLUMBIA — Just a few miles off U.S 64 in Tyrrell County, nature lovers can venture into the dense thickets of the Palmetto-Peartree Preserve, a haven for a community of protected woodpeckers with arduous housing needs and fascinating social habits.

A red-cockaded woodpecker delivers food to its family’s cavity in a tree. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

It won’t be easy, however. The former timberland-turned-endangered species mitigation site and nature preserve has changed hands recently, and in the process nature is taking its course.

Established in 1999 by the nonprofit The Conservation Fund, with funding provided by the state Department of Transportation, the 10,000-acre preserve was created as a mitigation bank for the red-cockaded woodpecker, an endangered species. Protection of the bird at the preserve is intended to offset its habitat loss at DOT construction sites throughout the state.

The preserve, situated along the banks of the Albemarle Sound and Alligator River, has turned out to be a surprisingly good habitat for the woodpeckers. Despite their historic preference for a fire-maintained open pine forest, the birds are thriving in the heavily vegetated mix of hardwood and pine forest.

It’s not unusual for the woodpeckers, listed as endangered in 1970, to spend about nine years excavating a cavity in a 100-year-old or older live loblolly pine tree, and as long as 13 years in an old longleaf pine.

Reluctant Owner

In July, The Conservation Fund transferred ownership of the preserve to DOT, which is looking for another agency or nonprofit group to take it over.

This map of the Palmetto-Peartree Preserve shows the network of logging roads throughout the preserve. Map: The Conservation Fund

“That was kind of the plan for a very long time,” said Justin Boner, The Conservation Fund’s director of real estate in North Carolina. “The Conservation Fund has always considered itself a temporary owner.”

The preserve is named after two land forms along the shoreline known as Palmetto Point and Peartree Point.

Boner said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages several refuges in the region, lacks the staff or resources to also manage P3, the preserve’s shortened name. But the agency, which oversees management of endangered species, maintains a partnership with the preserve.

“The initial deadline was five years,” he said. “I think it just became clear that we didn’t have an easy agency identified. So DOT stepped up and took charge.”

But the state transportation department is a reluctant owner.

“DOT is not interested in the business of managing these large areas of property,” said Phil Harris, manager of the department’s Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch. “We don’t intend to hold it for a long time.”

This map of the Palmetto-Peartree Preserve shows the recreation area, which is open to the public year-round. Map: The Conservation Fund

Despite its lovely alliterative and Southern-sweet name, the preserve is a rugged, remote and somewhat neglected example of unfettered wilderness. Prolific undergrowth in the habitat, a mix of bottomland swamp, hardwood and pine forest, has nearly concealed walking paths to public viewing areas and boardwalks.

Logging roads are rutted and vehicles often must straddle a thick mound of tall grasses growing between tire tracks. Even the signage is faded and outdated. And not to mention the unrelenting assault from various biting and buzzing bugs, energized at the scent of a rare human.

Harris said there had been some recent road maintenance in the preserve to improve access for their consultants, but “we kind of want it to stay in its natural state.”

For those who prepare properly for a trek into the Triple P – its alternate nickname – they will be treated to the unusual sight of the red-cockaded woodpecker. That is, if they are there at dawn or dusk, when the birds leave and return to their cavity.

“The one unique thing about that species,” Boner said, “is there’s a lot birders who want to see those birds. They are incredibly reliable. As long as you are there at those times, you are pretty much guaranteed to see them.”

In 2002, there were 25 active clusters in P3, and the long-term population goal was 33. Today there are about 32 clusters, the term used to describe the aggregation of cavity trees used by a family group.

As interim owners, the DOT will continue to maintain the habitat, which is designated as an Important Bird Area by Audubon North Carolina. A 2002 management plan is in the process of being updated.

More Than Woodpeckers

Although the preserve was created to protect the red-cockaded woodpecker, it also provides habitat to the bald eagle, peregrine falcon, and more than 100 migratory bird species, in addition to the red wolf, American alligator, bobcat and black bear.

Birdwatchers peer from the boardwalk at the preserve. Photo: The Conservation Fund

The now-overgrown boardwalk trails and numerous dirt logging roads provide public access to the preserve, and there is interpretive signage on the designated Shoreline Trail that goes to the Albemarle Sound. The ¾-mile Woodland Trail has two wildlife viewing stations, and there is a paddling trail for kayakers.

For campers looking for something a little different, there is a camping platform in the middle of Hidden Lake available to rent.

But by far, it is dedicated birders who make the most use of the preserve.

John Hammond, endangered species biologist in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Raleigh field office, said that for the last 15 years, he has taken between six and 15 birders at a time out to the site as part of the annual, fall Wings Over Water event.

“You get to see the birds right when they wake up,” he said. “Probably at 6:30, we’re out there. It’s really fun to see.”

One bird will open its eyes and chirp – their call sounds like “sklit.” Then another chirps, and soon they’re all chirping. Birders equipped with binoculars can readily find the cavities by looking about 6 feet up live pines for the painted white bands that mark cavity trees.

“I think most people are pretty excited,” Hammond said. “They’ll be some high-fives and oohhs and awws, and ‘isn’t that cute?’ ”

Social Birds

Red-cockaded woodpeckers – or RCWs, as U.S. Fish and Wildlife refers to them – are very social and live in family groups that typically consist of a mated pair and about three to six male “helpers” – usually mature offspring. Each group exists in clusters of cavity trees and a large defined home range. Once females mature, they will usually leave the group to seek a mate, but most males stay behind.

Getting to the Preserve

The Palmetto-Peartree Preserve is five miles east of Columbia on U.S. 64 or about five miles west of the Alligator River Bridge on U.S. 64. Turn north onto Old Highway 64 (SR-1229). After about two miles, turn north onto Newfoundland Road (SR-1221). Turn left onto Sound Side Road (SR-1209). Continue on Sound Side Road for less than a mile, then turn right onto Pot Licker or Loop Road (SR-1220). The entrance to the preserve is the first right. Follow signs to the boardwalks and canoe launches.

Driving Distances:

Edenton – 29 miles
Manteo – 38 miles
Nags Head – 47 miles
Norfolk, Va. – 98 miles
Raleigh – 154 miles
Rocky Mount – 99 miles
Washington, D.C. – 271 miles
Williamsburg, Va. – 141 miles

“The male is very tenacious,” said Hammond. “He’ll stay on that territory until the very end.”

The females, on the other hand, are “kicked out by their mothers,” he said, and bounce around through the 100- to 300-acre territory looking for a single male, or a free cavity.

The black and white birds are about eight inches long and adult males have small patches of red feathers, or cockades, on both sides of their heads.

The birds work intensely not only building cavities for roosting and nesting, but also maintaining them and defending their homes from interlopers, anything from squirrels to screech owls to bats to honey bees. The cavities get passed down from father to son. If woodpeckers don’t inherit a cavity, they’ll look for one that’s been abandoned or one that’s unguarded.

Habitat Challenges

Historically, RCWs ranged in old-growth pine forests from southern Maryland and southeastern Virginia, through the North Carolina Coastal Plain and the Piedmont to southern Florida, to eastern Texas and southeastern Missouri. Today, the populations have been reduced to small, isolated populations in Florida and the Carolinas.

It’s remarkable that the very particular red-cockaded woodpecker, a highland species, has done as well as it has at the preserve, said J.H. Carter, owner of Dr. J.H. Carter III & Associates Inc, an environmental consulting company based in Southern Pines that has managed the woodpeckers at P3 since 1995 at an annual cost of about $124,000.

“The fact that the birds can survive there, and even increase their species, is highly unusual,” he said. “A lot of that habitat is so wet you can’t log it well.”

Although the pine forests in the region have been heavily logged, there are apparently enough centuries-old pines remaining for the woodpeckers in which to build their all-important cavities – and not just in P3. Carter estimates that there are as many as 60 groups of the birds scattered across the peninsula.

Water resources at the preserve include Hidden Lake, Albemarle Sound, the Alligator River and Little Alligator Creek. Photo: The Conservation Fund

But a shortage of old pines to build cavities, losses to squatters and tree mortality from storms and pine beetles has been a serious problem at P3.

Carter’s company, which is updating the RCW management plan, has captured and marked the resident woodpeckers with leg bands. By looking through a spotting scope, the bird’s sex, age and movements can be determined by the colors on the band.

Over 15 years, Carter said, the consultants have surveyed the property and installed more than 100 artificial cavities to help the population grow or to replace those lost in storms. The cavities are created by using a chainsaw to make a hole for a bird box, or by using a special drill to make a cavity in the pine tree.

Carter said he and his staff of about eight go out in the summer months with machetes and chainsaws to clear paths to cavity trees. Sometimes, the spots are so wet, they have to wear chest waders. Each cavity is checked and surveyed and new birds are netted and banded. A population census of the groups is conducted. Sometimes the consultants work alongside the forestry service to do controlled burns.

“It’s a wild piece of land,” Carter said.

Although the Palmetto-Peartree Preserve’s population of RCWs, he said, is small compared with other sites in the state – Fort Bragg has 400 groups, for instance – P3 is important to the recovery of the species.

“In the northeastern North Carolina area,” Carter said, “they have the most of any property.”

Hammond, with Fish and Wildlife, said he has noticed in recent years that P3 has been looking increasingly unkempt, and he realizes public access there is not a priority right now for the DOT. But he has high hopes for the site.

“There’s potential for it to be a really keen eco-tourism destination,” he said. “It is a neat place to visit.”

Unusual Blue Buttons Dot N.C. Beaches

Michelle Wagner — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 04:00:26 +0000

Reprinted from the Outer Banks Voice

KILL DEVIL HILLS — High pressure sitting on top of the Outer Banks for much of the summer may be why a peculiar and eye-catching ocean dweller has made an appearance along the shores of area beaches.

Blue buttons are common in tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. When the weather’s right, they can hitch a ride on the Gulf Stream to N.C. beaches. Photo: Michael Beswick, Outer Banks Voice

Blue buttons, or porpita porpita, have been seen drifting in the surf zone and washing up, attracting the attention of beachgoers because of their bright color and unique shape.

Brian Dorn, director of operations and husbandry at the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island, said blue buttons are actually not jellyfish but a colony of hydroids that are most closely related to the Portuguese man o’ war.

Blue buttons are usually found offshore in tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean and while it’s not unheard of, they are not regular visitors to Outer Banks waters.

About an inch in diameter, blue buttons have two parts — the float in the center, which is a small round disk with a mouth underneath, and the blue and purple hydroids, which have small stinging cells along them.

The stinging cells are used to catch food, but don’t deliver a sting that can be felt by people who may come in contact with them, Dorn said. They may cause some skin irritation, however.

Blue buttons sting their prey but not humans. Photo: Chad Motz, Outer Banks Voice

The weather the Outer Banks has experienced this summer coupled with the infrequent northeasterly winds, Gulf Stream waters are nearly upon us and occasionally bring with them unusual dwellers like blue buttons, said David Elder, director of Kill Devil Hills’ Ocean Rescue.

“They’re normally offshore but occasionally the ocean will show us stuff like this and we have a chance to learn more,” he noted. “They’re not uncommon, but they are uncommon to our beach patrons. They’re neat to see.”

Dorn said blue buttons can survive in a lot of different areas and are usually found where two currents are converging. Like jellyfish, blue buttons are propelled by the wind and ocean currents.

Chad Motz, director of Nags Head’s Ocean Rescue, said there were a good number of blue buttons washing up on Nags Head beaches as well. He said the brightly-colored creatures are not a common sight on his beaches, either.

Blue buttons have also been spotted on Bogue Banks beaches in Carteret County.

Respect, Don’t Fear N.C. Snakes

Sam Bland — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 04:00:22 +0000

With all the attention that sharks are getting this summer, snakes have been able to slither under the radar as the most sensationalized animal threatening human existence. Usually this time of year, we hear all about the “copper-mouthed, water-headed rattlers” aggressively chasing after people.

During my years as a park ranger, I once received a phone call from an excited neighbor screaming in a high-pitched voice about “a cobra, or might even be a black mamba” that was in their yard. I laughed and told them not to worry, that it was a harmless hognose snake that will mimic a cobra and scare the heebee-jeebies out of you. Not happy with that answer, I had to go to their house and relocate the snake.

Medusa of Greek mythology was a Gorgon, a monster said to have the face of a hideous human female with snakes in place of hair. Looking directly at her would immediately turn you into stone. Photo: mythman.com

Those with ophidiophobia, the fear of snakes, are wary during the warm-weather months when these cold-blooded reptiles are much more active and moving about. Venomous or not, most people just don’t like snakes. Snakes have never been able to overcome their depiction in the Bible as Satan in the form of a snake that convinces Eve to take a bite out of that apple and thus, introduces sin into the world. The Greek story about Medusa, the woman with snakes growing out of her head who could turn people into stone with merely her gaze, didn’t help either.

In North Carolina, there are 37 species of these legless reptiles, of which six are venomous and can be found somewhere along our coastal plain.. Five of the six are pit vipers: copperhead, water moccasin (also called cottonmouth) and canebrake, pigmy and eastern diamondback rattlesnakes. Just reading the names will cause anxiety in some people.

Pit vipers are so named because of a small depression, or pit, between the eye and nostrils. This pit contains a sensory organ, or thermoreceptor, that can detect the body heat of warm-blooded prey mammals such as rats and mice.

The sixth venomous snake, the coral snake, is in the same family as cobras and mambas and is referred to by some as the American cobra.

Technically, all of these snakes are venomous, not poisonous. They inject, like a hypodermic needle, their venom through their fangs. Poisonous plants and animals, such as some types of frogs and the berries of the Virginia creeper vine, transmit their poison though touch or by being consumed.

I’m not exactly sure what makes people so afraid of snakes. I don’t think it is one specific characteristic, but rather the totality of many. Right off the bat, many folks think that snakes are slimy. Not true. The scaly outer layer on their body is dry, smooth and has a glossy sheen that may give the impression that it is wet and slimy.

Then there is that forked tongue flicking in and out of their mouths that gives some people the creeps. This is just a snake’s way of smelling tiny chemicals in the air or ground and delivering them into the mouth to be analyzed by what is called the vomeronasal system located near the nasal cavity. Here, messages are sent to the brain to help the snake follow prey, find a mate and avoid predators. The tongue is split with a left and a right side giving the snake a sense of direction based on the chemical concentration levels detected by each side.

The serpentine movement of snakes can also be unnerving to some as they wiggle about. Snakes use box-shaped ventral scales along their belly to grab the ground for traction much like a tire. They have a number of propulsion styles that allow them to adapt to changing ground conditions. Even without legs, they are good climbers.

Two copperheads

Cottonmouth

Eastern diamondback rattlesnake

Pigmy rattlesnake

Pigmy rattlesnake’s rattle

Timber rattlesnake

Copperhead

Photos by Sam Bland

Then there are the broad triangular heads of the pit vipers with their elliptical eyes that create a facial demeanor some associate with evil. These cat-like eyes are important for hunting at night and accurately tracking the movements and distances of prey.

Finally, there is the fear of those double-barrel, retractable fangs dripping with venom, sinking into your flesh and releasing its consequences. A Bible quote, “And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people …” has really left an impression. As a rule, snakes will only bite humans as a last resort to protect themselves. They usually slink away and try to avoid confrontations. When provoked, they will defend themselves in a manner that is perceived as aggression. Because of their excellent camouflage that seamlessly conceals them in their natural surroundings, many snake bites occur when people step on them or reach into areas where they cannot see. Most venomous snake bites, however, occur when people try to touch, handle or grab hold of danger waiting to happen. Darwin Award candidates displaying such bravado can be rewarded with a trip to the emergency room. Just ask this guy, who showed off by kissing a water moccasin.

The venom of pit vipers is similar to saliva and contains proteins and enzymes that are hemotoxic and do damage to tissue and blood. A bite can produce swelling, pain, weakness, nausea and inhibit the ability of blood to coagulate. Coral snake venom, on the other hand, is a neurotoxin and affects the nervous system, causing paralysis and breathing difficulty.

When hunting, the bite and venom of these snakes is used to immobilize and digest their prey. When they bite as a defensive measure, such as during interactions with humans, there is a good possibility that very little or no venom is released from the fangs. These “dry bites” are used on non-prey animals as a way to defend themselves while conserving their venom. This isn’t to suggest that a harassed and agitated snake won’t bite repeatedly and with a full complement of venom.

All of these distinctive traits of snakes that give people the willies are simply amazing adaptations that allow snakes to make their niche in this world.

In North Carolina, the copperhead and timber rattler can be found throughout the state in a variety of habitats. The water moccasin and pigmy rattler are mainly found in the eastern part of the state and the eastern diamondback rattler and coral snake are in the southeast coastal plain.

Copperheads are the species we are most likely to encounter and they account for the majority of reported snake bites. They are quite social and like to hang with other copperheads. Young copperheads are recognized by the yellow tip of their tails which they will jiggle as a lure to draw in prey such as frogs. Adults have a preference for rodents but will also climb shrubs and trees looking for cicadas.

The eastern coral snake is found only in North Carolina along the southeast coastal plain. It is often confused with the harmless scarlet kingsnake. Photo: nature.com

The water moccasin, as its name implies, spends a lot of time at night in aquatic habitats such as marshes, streams and ditches, where it waits to ambush frogs and fish. The water lowers their body temperature, which is why they can be found basking in warm, sunny spots for extended periods during the day. It is also known as the cottonmouth snake because of its defensive posture of opening its mouth widely, exposing the white fleshy interior. They can grow to more than four feet long.

Of the rattlesnakes, the Carolina pigmy is the smallest. It is a slim snake found in sandy longleaf pine forests and is only a little more than two feet when fully grown. The rattle of the pigmy is tiny and hard to see. When agitated, the sound of the rattle doesn’t travel far and sounds more like the buzzing of an insect. Because of loss of this unique habitat, the pigmy is a species of special concern in North Carolina.

The timber or canebrake rattlesnake is a brute of a snake growing up to six feet in length and is also a state species of concern. This shy snake is reluctant to engage its rattle until danger is imminent. Its scientific name, Crotalus horridus, identifies it as a dreadful rattle.

Diamondbacks are without a doubt the big beast of the rattlesnake world. Some individuals have been documented at almost eight feet in length and weighing in at 30 pounds. Anyone seeing this bruiser unexpectedly along a forest trail will surely pass out on the spot or be unable to run because of uncontrollable body spasms. Those who remain conscious will be mesmerized by the gorgeous dark diamond pattern against its sand-colored scales. While their main prey is rabbits, they will also target rats, squirrels and birds. North Carolina is the extreme northern range of these snakes, which are listed as a state endangered species, rare and difficult to find in the wild.

All pit vipers have a rugged look, but the eastern coral snake is svelte and elegant looking with a round head and eye pupils. Its striking Halloween colors of black, yellow and red bands alternately circle the length of its body. The non-venomous scarlet kingsnake closely resembles but should not be confused with the coral snake. One of the clever rhymes to help identify which one is venomous goes like this, “Red touch yellow, kills a fellow; red touch black, venom lack.”

Somewhat of a recluse, this snake spends most of its time burrowed under decaying forest litter and loose soils. It ventures out at twilight and dawn to seek out prey such as other snakes and lizards. Because of their short, fixed fangs, they need to hang on and chew a little bit for the venom to take effect.

The Rod of Aesculapius with its entwined serpent was originally the symbol of Asclepius, the mythical Greek physician and later the god of medicine and healing. The staff is used as a symbol of the medical profession.

I cringe when I hear people say “the only good snake is a dead snake,” or when they try to rationalize the existence of some snakes, and thus, the condemnation of other snake species by saying, “at least it’s one of the good snakes.” All snakes, venomous or not, are good snakes. While a lot of cultural history casts snakes in a negative light, there is plenty of history touting their virtue. They have long been symbols of wisdom, fertility and a sign of immortality because of their “rebirth” after each shedding. As a sign of healing, they are prominently featured in the Rod of Asclepius, a logo used by many health organizations throughout the world. Look at the Star of Life, a symbol of emergency medical services, and there you will see a snake. Today, their venom has a number of medical uses including treating cancer, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease.

A great place to learn more about these magnificent creatures is at the N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores in Carteret County. The herpetologist on staff, Fred Boyce, is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to snakes. Boyce grew up surrounded by his older brother’s snake collection. His childhood playmate and friend was a big black rat snake named Atlas. If anyone can talk you off the ledge of snake fear its Boyce.

When asked how people develop their fear of snakes, Boyce replied, “I have no doubt in my own mind that the common fear of snakes is an acquired, learned behavior that has very little or nothing to do with the actual snakes themselves. Once you actually see a venomous snake, you’re out of danger and can observe it safely.”

The sight of snakes actually brings me comfort – comfort in the knowledge there is natural habitat to support their existence. If there is habitat for the snake, there is habitat for a diversity of other wildlife as well. Wildlife deserves our respect and right to existence no matter what form it takes.

The Birds of Raccoon Island

Sam Bland — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 04:00:19 +0000

CEDAR ISLAND — The early morning sky was in a moment of indecision, split in half, unsure of its intentions. To the north, a blue sky was growing the promise of a sunny day, however, to the south, dark clouds still held the outlook of soaking rain showers.

I was trailering a boat down to this isolated community on the far eastern tip of Carteret County. From there, I would head out into Pamlico Sound in search of a tiny island best known as a location to fish for red drum. As I pulled into the empty boat ramp area, a woman was playing with two black Labrador retrievers on the nearby beach. One of the labs was much older, its muzzle the color of frost.

After launching the boat, I motored through the protected harbor with its high walls of riprap rocks. Gliding across the emerald waters and into the open sound, the light winds delivered a welcomed message of calm waters. Pointing the boat north, I headed off in search of Raccoon Island, the last hunk of land where the Neuse River spills into the vast sound. I knew that the island was about seven miles away from the boat ramp, but after four miles, an island was not coming into view. So, as any prudent mariner, I pulled out my cell phone and opened up the maps app. After a slight unintended detour into West Bay, I was soon following the pulsating blue dot towards Raccoon Island, but I was not heading there to fish.

Snowy egret chicks poke their heads above the grass on Raccoon Island. Photo: Sam Bland

Over the years, I have been asked many times, “Why don’t you ever see baby egrets, pelicans or gulls on the beach or in the salt marsh?” Well, it’s mainly two reasons. First, many different species of shorebirds prefer to nest in remote isolated locations such as small islands in marshes, sounds and rivers that are intentionally selected away from human activity. Secondly, new chicks are usually already the same size of an adult and have similar plumage when they fledge from the nest. Thus, after the chicks have left the nesting islands, the casual observer will not recognize them as cute “baby chicks” running about.

Coastal birds like to nest in large numbers, in groups called colonies, so they can all benefit from a collective effort. With more alert sentries to call out the danger alarm as well as plentiful fighters to drive out an intruder, the survival rate of eggs and chicks increases. Selection of a colony site is also influenced by the availability of food and thus the birds all end up at the same spot, similar to fishermen when they hear where the fish are biting. Birds in the colony also learn to follow other, more successful hunters to their favorite spot, again, just like fishermen. Colonies with terns, plovers and skimmers tend to sprout up on the sandy spits at the ends of barrier islands while pelicans, herons and egrets favor isolated island with grasses, shrubs and trees. In North Carolina, 25 different species of water birds nest colonially and rely on such sites.

An adult white ibis lands in a rookery on Raccoon Island. Photo: Sam Bland

As I approached the island, I was a bit concerned; it was low and flat without any significant shrub thickets or trees. No wonder I couldn’t find the island, it is not prominent enough to rise above the horizon. I was expecting an “island” but this was basically a big hunk of salt marsh made up of various tall grasses. My hopes of seeing any nesting ibis, herons or egrets sank just like this island appeared to be doing. Closer to the island, I began to see birds flying around the south shore. Laughing gulls, lots and lots of laughing gulls, were flying in and then dropping into the grasses. Their trademark riotous call could be heard from quite a distance. I soon began to see heads poking up through the grasses like periscopes. Looking deeper into the low grass, I saw clusters of glossy and white ibis, tricolored herons and snowy egrets. The plentiful laughing gulls had created a perimeter, nesting closer to the shore. My mood lifted as my doubts faded away like the distant curtain of rain draping from a cloud over the Pamlico.

A tricolor heron chick lifts its head for a better view of its surroundings. Photo: Sam Bland

With so many birds sitting on nests, I could now see why this island had been listed as an important nesting site for the glossy ibis, tricolored heron and laughing gull. It appeared that many of the birds were still sitting on eggs, but it was hard to tell since the nests were not visible through the grasses. Then, every now and then, I could get a glimpse of a fuzzy-headed chick. The snowy egret chicks appeared to be top heavy as their heads would wobble while the tricolored heron chicks stood erect and stable. One chick was shy as it poked out its stubby variegated bill, a glossy ibis chick.

Even with the crowded conditions, everything was pretty peaceful until a bird would land too close to another nest, creating an uproar of squawking and wing slapping. One laughing gull was popped so hard you could hear it out on the boat. White ibis and laughing gull chicks were nowhere to be seen. Either they hadn’t hatched out or they were tucked well into the vegetation.

The adults were resplendent in their magnificent breeding colors and plumage, coming and going, in search of and returning with food for the chicks. The fleshy face of the white ibis is fire engine red, glossy ibis feathers shine with a bronze glow, while elegant plumes drape off of the tricolor heron and snowy egret.

An adult snowy egret shows off its breeding plumes. Photo: Sam Bland

Throughout the last half of the 1800s, these elegant breeding feathers were at times more valuable than gold. To satisfy a new craze in fashion, millions of colonial nesting birds were slaughtered to “harvest” the chic breeding plumes used mainly to adorn women’s hats. Snowy egrets in particular were targeted and were brought to the verge of extinction. At the time, killing these birds simply for their feathers was unregulated and because of their tempting value, many hunters turned to plume hunting. All along the Atlantic coast, breeding sites were wiped out, the adults killed, eggs left to rot and chicks left to starve.

Disgust with the annihilation of these birds ignited the formation of the Audubon Society chapters in many states, which influenced the creation of bird-protection laws and the establishment of bird refuges. To enforce these laws, the Audubon Society hired the nation’s first game wardens. One such warden was a man named Guy Bradley.

Guy Bradley was Audubon’s bird warden hired in 1902 to protect a huge swath of the Florida’s west coast. Photo: National Park Service

In 1902, Bradley was hired as Audubon’s first game warden charged to protect a huge swath of the Florida’s west coast down to Key West. Even though it was now illegal in Florida, the carnage continued. A reformed plume hunter himself, Bradley went about his job with a vigilance that created many enemies and a foreboding prophesy of his death. Three years later, Guy Bradley was shot and killed as he attempted to arrest a familiar plume hunter and his sons on one of the rookeries.

Guy Bradley once described plume hunting as “a cruel and hard calling.” Watching the birds of Raccoon Island, I wondered if he was just doing the job he was paid to do or if he objected to the absurdity of killing birds to satisfy human vanities. A pioneer in wildlife protection, awards are now given in his name to distinguish those that have demonstrated a commitment to wildlife protection through enforcement or conservation. His story is depicted in a movie, “Wind Across the Everglades,” released in 1958.

In 1918, Congress passed the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to protect migratory birds such as the egrets and herons from eventual extinction. Some states were not pleased and challenged the constitutionality of the act, resulting in the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the law in 1920. The act has now been protecting birds for almost 100 years and is being reviewed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to bolster protection for birds from new hazards that were not around a century ago. Sadly, elsewhere in the world including Eurasia, market hunting continues to threaten birds to satisfy the culinary fad of eating fried songbirds. Yellow-breasted bunting populations have dropped 95 percent during the past three and a half decades due to illegal poaching and a strong black market appetite in China.

Hesitantly, I piloted the boat away from the island and was greeted by a pod of dolphins as I neared the boat ramp. Tucked in among the adults, a tiny newborn leaped completely out of the water, putting a smile on my face. Normally this would have taken my full attention, but today I was still captivated by the sights and sounds of the bird colony. I reflected on Guy Bradley and the courage he had, even in the face of danger, to protect these birds. Birds may not mean much to most people, but to me they are a strong fiber that weaves through the fabric of nature that is worth saving. They are the most obvious of nature’s ambassadors that have the best opportunity to keep us connected to the natural world.

Oh, by the way, I didn’t see any raccoons on Raccoon Island.

Exhibit Showcases Wildlife Corridor

Denice Patterson — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 04:00:13 +0000

KURE BEACH — It is no secret that the southeastern coast of North Carolina is home to a complex and biologically diverse ecosystem – a mix of dense forest, grassy lowlands and essential river systems that enter sensitive estuaries. It is also known that this area is one of the fastest growing in the country and is threatened by constant development.

It wasn’t until recently, however, that a team of researchers from three environmental groups uncovered a well-hidden secret: The immense variety of wildlife living in and traveling along a green highway – a stretch of several thousand acres surrounding the Northeast Cape Fear River between New Hanover and Pender counties.

This secret is on display this summer in the Spadefish Gallery at the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher. The Northeast Cape Fear River Wildlife Exhibit, a combination of print and digital displays, showcases an assortment of the 31 species captured by cameras over a two-year period.

A large whitetail buck poses for the camera in one of the images captured as part of the North East Cape Fear River Wildlife Exhibit at the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher.

More than 100 images were printed on two-foot square mounts and include wild turkey, deer, bear, raccoon, coyote, bobcat, fox, snakes and birds. Color prints were made from daytime shots and black-and-white prints from the night shots. There is a young bobcat prowling near a beaver dam, a unique hybrid wild turkey with brown and red feathers and a 500-pound bear scratching his back on a tree.

Ron Sutherland is a conservation scientist with the Wildlands Network in Durham and was involved with the photography project. “We wondered what would happen if we could document the wildlife in an extended area around Wilmington,” he said.

This extended area faces a triple threat: urban sprawl from Wilmington along Interstate 40, possible contaminants from a former chromium mine that is now an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site and the proposed construction of a Titan America cement plant in Castle Hayne.

“The corridor is one of the most threatened natural areas on the East Coast. It is a critical wildlife link that people should know about,” Sutherland said.

He teamed with Kemp Burdette, riverkeeper with the Cape Fear River Watch, a nonprofit organization founded in 1993 to protect and improve the water quality of the Lower Cape Fear River Basin and Mike Giles, a coastal advocate with the N.C. Coastal Federation.

“The project was a great success,” Sutherland said. “I never imagined we would get so many images that are so clear. It is really amazing.”

The project began in January 2013, when the team surveyed the area searching for game trails and signs of wildlife. Next, they installed 24 Reconyx PC900 wildlife cameras along a 10-mile stretch of the river. Locations included private and state lands and property owned by the Coastal Land Trust.

The cameras took pictures every fifth of a second. Twelve of the cameras were placed on land reachable by vehicle or by foot, the other 12 were placed in areas only reachable by boat. All were mounted between two and three feet from the ground, at animal level.

The cameras were checked every three to four months and for safety reasons were always visited by a team of two or three people.

“One morning, an intern reached down to pull the boat closer and was inches away from a cottonmouth,” Giles, said during an interview in the gallery, as he pointed to a colorful print of an extremely large snake coiled and ready to pounce.

The weather-proof cameras were equipped with eight-gigabyte memory cards and rechargeable batteries that were exchanged on the visits. The cameras captured well over 50,000 clear and usable images of just what goes on in the forest when no one is looking

Giles said he was right at home during the project. The Charlotte native and N.C. State University alumnus grew up hunting and fishing and spending a lot of time outdoors.“This was really exciting,” he said. “We were really fortunate to have captured images of some amazing native species.”

Giles was excited not only with the captured images of the species, but also the glimpses into their behavior. His favorite? The black bear.

“We couldn’t believe how many images we had of some really large bears doing things we normally don’t see bears doing. Night and day, we saw how they all moved around the habitat,” Giles said.

The cameras also captured visitors of the human variety – hunters, kayakers, hikers and people riding horseback – captured by the cameras, which operate nearly silently and use an infrared flash as to have minimal impact.

“Most unusual were the pictures of the animals looking at the camera,” Sutherland said. “It makes you wonder, is it possible they were alerted by the vibrations?”

Everyone involved agreed the results of the project document how the area serves as an important wildlife corridor connecting the more than 17,000-acre Green Swamp Preserve in Brunswick County to the 75,000-acre Holly Shelter Game Lands in Pender County.

On a larger scale, the area may also connect habitats ranging from the Francis Marion National Forest in South Carolina and the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge in Columbus County all the way north to the Croatan National Forest in Carteret and Craven counties and the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in the northeastern part of the state.

“This green and blue patch is vital not only for habitat, but for species interchange from Hyde County to South Carolina,” Giles said. “Now we have to take this show on the road and educate the public. We need to show this unique stretch of land that is under threat. At the very least, our legislators need to see these images. The proposed expansion of the Titan cement plant alone would impact over 3,000 acres of this area.”

N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher Director Peggy Sloan said she was pleased to partner with the N.C. Coastal Federation on the project.

”Each day, our guests make valuable connections to animals found along the waters of the Cape Fear River, from fresh water streams to the open ocean,” she said. “Hosting the exhibit offers an additional opportunity to learn about local wildlife and the importance of preserving natural areas right in our own backyard — our guests will see in these dynamic photographs so many different animals they may not expect.”

The exhibit is to be formally dedicated at the aquarium in July. After the three-month run, the team hopes the exhibit will travel to the other state aquariums at Pine Knoll Shores and Roanoke Island.

Meanwhile back in Durham, Sutherland is optimistic others will get to see the images.

“We’d love to have this exhibit come to the Triangle,” he said.

The exhibit will remain at the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher, 900 Loggerhead Rd., Kure Beach, until September. For hours and admission prices, visit www.ncaquariums.com.

Wait! What Lurks in the Surf?

Dr. Peter and Cathy Meyer — Tue, 19 May 2015 04:00:08 +0000

Memorial Day this weekend is the symbolic start of the tourist season along the N.C. coast when people start thinking anew of the simple pleasures of a summer vacation at the beach.

Rolling waves break in the surf, providing a soothing lullaby for sleep. Morning breezes bring landward the smell of fresh sea air. Raucous cries of seagulls pierce the air as the birds fight over tasty bits of flotsam washed in by the sea.

Cottage doors slam as people scurry to answer the call of the beckoning beach. Warm sand between the toes soothes feet too-often confined in shoes. Beach towels unfurl and float gently to the sand. Relaxation and human beach re-nourishment begin in earnest.

When bare skin glows with sweat, the blue-green water and playful laughter of frolickers-in-the-surf pull like a magnet, promising cool relief from the heat.

But wait — the carefree anticipation of a refreshing dip in the ocean is broken by a halting, lump-in-the-throat thought: Are creatures lurking beneath the waves, waiting for innocent tourists to squeeze or sting? Are giant sharks combing the shallows, seeking unsuspecting swimmers to engulf?

The haunting images of movies such as Jaws, with an enormous shark displaying huge, vise-like jaws full of ivory teeth, have made more than one person wary of entering the water.

In reality, the oceans are not filled with creatures waiting to prey on tourists. The sea along the N.C. coast is, in fact, host to relatively few animals dangerous to humans. Encounters with these critters are largely accidental. As with snakes and stinging insects on land, we need to know which marine creatures can cause harm, how to avoid them and how to treat an injury should one occur.

Stingrays

With bodies flattened like a pancake and pectoral fins spreading from their sides into “wings,” stingrays glide gracefully, yet eerily, through the water. Much of the time, though, rays lie half-buried and motionless on the bottom, waiting for prey. In this unmoving, stalking state, rays can present a hazard to humans, as well.

A swimmer or wader, unaware a stingray is buried close by, may step on the ray. Reacting defensively, the ray whips its tail upward. A barb near the base of the ray’s tail may penetrate the person’s foot or leg, and venom in the barb’s sheath is injected. Part of the barb may actually break off in the wound.

Intense pain results from the puncture wound or cut; the pain peaks in about 1½ hours and can last up to two days if not treated. In addition to wound pain, other symptoms can include sweating, nausea, vomiting and fainting.

Fortunately, treatment for a stingray envenomation is fairly simple: Immerse the wound area in hot water. The water should be as hot as a victim can tolerate without scalding. Immersion should continue for 30 to 60 minutes. If pain continues after an hour, hot water immersion can be continued. Over-the-counter pain medications can also be helpful.

If whole-body symptoms are present, or a piece of the barb is thought to be in the wound, or hot water fails to control the pain, prompt treatment at an emergency facility should be sought.

While a stingray may inflict a painful wound, the toxin is not potent enough to kill a person. Rare fatalities have resulted from freak accidents when a large ray’s barb penetrated the chest or abdomen of a victim, damaging the heart or internal organs.

Stingray envenomations are infrequent, even though several species of rays frequent state waters. Closely-related skates are similar in shape, but lack a barb on their tail and are harmless. Lionfish, oyster toadfish, spiny dogfish sharks and catfish are other marine species that possess venomous spines. Injury from these fish, though milder, is similar to that of a stingray and is treated in the same manner — immersion of the affected area in hot water.

Prevention of stingray and other fish-spine injuries is the best treatment of all. Waders should shuffle their feet as they walk in murky water: a ray will flutter off to safety instead of inflicting harm when stepped upon. In addition, care should be taken in removing stingrays or other spiny species from hook or net.

Sharks and Other Biters

At the top of the list of fish that bite are sharks, the most feared residents of the ocean. Sharks have been swimming in the earth’s oceans since dinosaurs roamed the Earth. From the time modern-day (1940 to 2015) records have been kept, however, about 71 shark attacks have been reported in North Carolina waters; only five attacks were fatal.

Our fear should not lie in man-eating sharks. On average, one person dies every two years in the United States from a shark attack — about 40,000 perish annually in car accidents. Statistics reveal that in comparison with shark attacks, a person is about 30 times more likely to die from a dog attack, 75 times more likely to die by a lightning strike and at least 300 times more likely to die in a boating accident.

To avoid shark attacks, don’t dress to resemble a seal — seals are the natural prey of sharks. Stay out of the water if you are bleeding. Swim in groups and during the day: Sharks tend to attack lone swimmers and move inshore to feed at dusk or night.

Other strong-jawed fish are present in N.C. waters. Barracuda are commonly encountered on scuba expeditions. These fierce-looking fish are actually “big babies,” not at all prone to attack. Reports of attacks in other parts of the world typically occur in murky water and involve barracuda mistakenly attacking a shiny object. Water sports participants should not wear shiny jewelry or buckles that barracuda might visualize as the glint of small prey fish.

Moray eels also have a fearsome appearance and a reputation worse than their behavior warrants. These fish tend to be reclusive, hiding in rocky lairs by day and feeding at night. Morays bite only if provoked, as when an unwary scuba diver sticks a hand into their hiding place. Morays tend to clamp and lock, rather than strike and release: these fish can be quite difficult to remove once they take hold.

Bluefish are well-known for their gluttony in the surf, attacking baitfish in feeding frenzies. When feeding, blues slash at anything in the water — including people in the surf. If the water is “boiling” with fish activity, indicating a school of fish feeding, stay out of the water.

Bluefish, mackerel, marlin, wahoo, sharks and other game fish can bite or slash when landed, as well. Care should be taken handling these fish fresh out of the water: They may be quite “live” and can still inflict serious injury.

In the event of a bite injury inflicted by a shark or other fish, the initial treatment is to stop the bleeding. Direct pressure alone controls bleeding from most wounds. Place a clean piece of gauze or cloth over the wound and apply firm pressure with a hand. For larger wounds (with brisk arterial bleeding), compression of an artery in the groin or elbow, or application of a tight tourniquet above the wound is required. Immediate care for any bite wound should be sought at an emergency facility.

When is an organism not an organism? Or, when is it a bunch of different organisms living together? SciShow introduces you to the weird world of siphonophores, or Portuguese man-of-wars.

Jellyfish and Kin

Many species of jellyfish inhabit our waters. Some, like cannonball jellies, are harmless. Others, like sea nettles, lion’s mane jellyfish and box jellyfish are potentially harmful, causing mildly painful stings.

More problematic are clashes with Portuguese man-of-wars. Sporting a buoyant, translucent blue, gas-filled chamber, with tentacles trailing perhaps 60 feet, man-of-wars are actually colonies of individuals, not true jellyfish.

Each tentacle of a man-of-war contains as many as 750,000 tiny stinging cells called nematocysts. Contact with the tentacles causes nematocysts to fire a miniature, barbed dart containing toxin. A tentacle brushing against an arm or leg results in multiple stings — painful, linear, welt-like lesions of the skin ensue.

Like stingray wounds, man-of-war stings produce intense pain. Whole body symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, sweating and dizziness sometimes occur. Fatalities are very rare, although, as with any sting, potential for anaphylaxis, or allergic shock, exists.

Treatment of jellyfish or man-of-war stings consists of removal of the nematocysts, along with measures to treat the pain.

To remove the nematocysts, first flush the affected body area with plenty of salt water. Then, pick any visible tentacles off the skin with tweezers or gloved fingers. Or, scrape the area with a blunt object like a credit card or the edge of a child’s sand shovel.

To treat the pain, over-the-counter pain medicine is helpful. Showering with hot water or hot water immersion of the affected area can also help relieve jellyfish-sting discomfort. Application of cold packs can provide pain relief if hot water is unavailable.

If the pain is incapacitating, or whole-body symptoms appear, seek medical care immediately.

Later, applying hydrocortisone cream to the rash and taking over-the-counter antihistamines or pain medications are certainly reasonable.

To prevent man-of-war stings, give wide berth to colonies in the water. Keep away from beached specimens, too: Nematocysts may remain active for months after a man-of-war washes up on the beach.

In the past, many agents have been used in an attempt to inactivate jellyfish nematocysts prior to removing them. Clearly, some agents such as urine, rubbing alcohol, tobacco juice, liquor, etc., are not helpful, and may be harmful. Others agents, such as vinegar, a baking soda slurry or lidocaine spray, are unproven but are possibly effective: Whether they work by placebo effect or by neutralizing the toxin is debatable.

Marine-Acquired Wounds

Wounds can ensue from contact with many different marine animals or objects. Stepping on an oyster shell or sea urchin, puncturing yourself while cleaning fish or shrimp or cutting your hand while opening shellfish are but a few possible injuries.

Contrary to widely held belief, salt water is not a sterile, germ-free medium. Bacteria are present, but the species are different from land types. Over 20 marine species are known to cause disease in humans.

Marine-acquired wounds are, in fact, somewhat prone to infection. Infection is more likely for at least three reasons: Wounds are often contaminated with grit and foreign debris — foreign material of any type increases chances of infection; sting wounds can cause loss of blood supply and tissue death at the injured site, especially if spines break off in wounds; and any type of bite wound, whether from land or marine animal, is heavily contaminated with mouth germs.

If an infection develops from marine contact, a doctor treating the infection should be informed that the wound is marine-acquired: Specific antibiotics are required to kill marine bacteria because standard antibiotics used in land-acquired injuries may not work.

As with any wound, a tetanus shot is recommended within 72 hours if the injured person has not had a booster shot in the past 10 years.

People with suppressed immune systems should be especially careful after cuts in the marine environment. Local wound infection with a germ called Vibrio vulnificus can spread rapidly through the whole body and cause death within one to two days.

In general, encounters with hazardous marine animals on the N.C. coast are few in number, not serious and treatable with simple remedies.

So, go, enjoy the sunny days along our sandy beaches. Embrace the fresh sea air, breaking waves and foot-soothing sand. Seek remedy from the heat with a refreshing dip in the aquamarine sea.

And, as you are enjoying the salty brine, know that you are far safer there than riding in your car to the beach.

A Quest for Birds’ Nests

Sam Bland — Mon, 04 May 2015 04:00:01 +0000

ORIENTAL–With one foot in the kayak and the other on the dock, I pushed off like a kid propelling a skate board. I settled into the seat, slowly gliding away from the dock. Dipping the paddle into the water, I looked back to make sure the marina owner’s friendly pooch wasn’t swimming after me. The equally friendly owner graciously allowed me to launch my kayak from his dock in the lowlands of Pamlico County. I was off to find two active bird nests of a great horned owl and a bald eagle.

Moving through the clear water, I lifted the paddle too high a few times causing the water to run down the length of the bar soaking my hands. I was surprised at the coolness of the water on this sunny March morning. The short channel from the dock emptied into Broad Creek, which flows into the lower Neuse River just before reaching the big water of the Pamlico Sound.

As naturalist Sam Bland launched his kayak in search of a great horned owl nest he came across this brown pelican. Perched on a solitary piling, the pelican showed off its golden breeding plumage on the crown of its head. Photo: Sam Bland

Out on Broad Creek, a blue crab fisherman checking his crab pots meandered from float to float as if playing a game of connect the dots on the water. A group of brown pelicans glided above and behind the fisherman’s boat as if they were kites tethered to the stern. As the crabber retrieved each pot, the pelicans hovered in the air for a few seconds before gently descending toward the water, optimistic for a taste of crab bait. Their calmness turned into an all-out wing-slapping scrum as they all lunged after the remains, their large sword-like bills snapping at the water.

One lone pelican stayed away from the fray, watching the commotion from the perch of a solitary piling. I paddled past the bird, and then allowed the current to drift the kayak back towards the piling. The bird faced me and stood erect as if showing off its elegant, golden breeding plumage that adorned the crown of its head. As I drifted past and around the piling, it kept its eyes directly on me without moving its head. It kept shuffling its feet to rotate its entire body, creating a Mona Lisa effect with its eyes following me.

I left the pelicans and paddled off to find the owl and eagle nests. Based on the word I received, a grand nest near the edge of the water, with large adult birds tending to the feeding of demanding chicks, will not be hard to find. Paddling against a moderate chop, I headed for a small tributary known as Green Creek. This is where I began my search for the nests in earnest and scoured the shoreline for any dead pine tree loaded with a bulky stick nest.

According to my reports, the great horned owls I was looking for had taken up residence in a year-old vacant osprey nest. Since they nest earlier in the year than ospreys, great horned owls don’t waste their energy building a nest. They simply take advantage of the opportunity. If the osprey returns to claim ownership, the fish hawk will usually yield to the trespasser.

I paddled in and out of the jagged shoreline unable to discover the nest at water level. So, I beached the kayak in a small sandy area and used a derelict duck blind as a viewing tower. Pointing my binoculars across to the distant shore I dialed in the focus rings as an osprey nest came into view. Staring directly at me was a white, fuzzy great horned owl chick, its penetrating yellow eyes piercing right through me. I couldn’t believe my luck. I viewed for a while from the opposite shore, observing only the lone chick cautiously raising its head to peek out over the rim of the nest. Its citrine eyes betrayed any chance of deception.

These great horned owl chicks took up residence in a year-old vacant osprey nest. Since they nest earlier in the year than ospreys, great horned owls don’t waste their energy building a nest. They simply take advantage of the opportunity. Photo: Sam Bland

Unlike the shoreline near the marina, this area was uninhabited without a house in sight–just pine forest. I crossed the creek and directed the kayak into a thick growth of grasses that lined the shore about 50 yards from the nest. From here, I began my surveillance, sure that an adult owl would soon join the chick.

Off in the distance I could hear the sharp call of an osprey, maybe a protest to the owls. Its call returned many times throughout the day like an echo bouncing back from the past. I reclined in the seat of the kayak and waited. The wind was dying down its only footprint a slight ripple on the water. My concealment and stagnant posture soon lured a lesser scaup to land in the water only 20 feet away. It eagerly swam away as I raised my body to get a look at the owl nest. Two white heads now bobbled above the nest as they stretched their wings and stood more erect. Any movement from me caused them to swivel their heads and gaze with a death stare of four stern eyes. Since owl eyes are fixed in their sockets, the owl must rotate the entire head to follow movement. Folklore still persists that an owl can spin its head entirely around when in fact they are only able to rotate 270 degrees. Impressive, but not quite a complete circle.

As not to stress the birds, I pulled the kayak ashore and started hiking away from the nest and across the peninsula of land that the nest was on. Somewhere along these shores, between Green and Smith Creek, there once stood an ancient live oak tree known as Teach’s Oak. This landmark alluded to the pirate Blackbeard’s voyages into the Pamlico Sound. Though the tree is long gone, the legend still inspires treasure hunters to search for a mythical reward. I wasn’t looking for gold doubloons, but I was trying to reach the shoreline that meets the Neuse River to locate the eagle nest. I was quickly discouraged by the thick undergrowth that ripped open exposed skin, crawling ticks, soft mucky soil and numerous mosquito controlled ditches. I graciously gave up on spotting the eagle nest without any regret.

The great horned owl adult perches atop a pine tree in view of its nesting chicks. Since owl eyes are fixed in their sockets, the owl must rotate the entire head to follow movement. Folklore still persists that an owl can spin its head entirely around when in fact they are only able to rotate 270 degrees. Photo: Sam Bland

Off in the distance, I could hear the irritating sound of shouting crows. I smiled knowing that they had located at least one of the adult great horned owls, making it an easy find for me. Up on the sturdy branch of a pine tree, a riot of crows was attempting to mug the oblivious owl. Great horned owls are tough, powerful predators that shutter at nothing. These ferocious raptors view just about anything as prey, earning them the nickname “tiger owl.”

Unconcerned with the annoying crows, the owl went back to napping and the crows soon left. Without the crow’s assistance, I probably would have never seen the owl. Its cryptic camouflage of mixed patterns of brown and gray plumage blended well into the surrounding woods. Even its trademark ear tufts or “horns,” which have nothing to do with their hearing, helped break up the silhouette of its head.

The owls perch was not far from the nest with an unobstructed flight path to silently swoop down and defend its young if necessary. As I climbed back into my kayak I now had six strict eyes urging me to move on, so I did. Owls have long been a symbol of death or thought of as a bad omen while also an indication of intelligence and wisdom. On this day, I thought of none of this. I just enjoyed being in their presence, happy that they exist so that we can continue to contemplate their symbolism in our lives.

With the sun setting, the kayak effortlessly skimmed atop the smooth water as I paused for a few last looks. The downy owlet heads recoiled into the depths of the nest. The parent released its strong grip from the tree and swooped down over the marsh grasses, gliding into the silence of the approaching night.

Outer Bankers Helping Sea Turtles

Stephanie Banfield — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 04:00:02 +0000

Last of two parts.

Volunteers with the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles, or NEST, in November removed eggs from this nest that was dug too late to hatch naturally. The eggs were placed in incubators. Photo: NEST

When it comes to destinations that are rich with recreational opportunities and teeming with wildlife, few places can compare to North Carolina’s barrier islands. However, vacationers in search of the perfect spot to kayak, kiteboard, surf or suntan aren’t the only ones who travel hundreds of miles to visit the islands. Every year, from May to September, adult female sea turtles crawl out of the Atlantic Ocean and onto the state’s beaches, where they carefully dig a hole deep in the sand and lay dozens of eggs.

Even though each nest is laid safely above the high-tide line and can contain more than 100 eggs, the vast majority of sea turtles born each year don’t survive longer than their first few days—and those that do often find themselves face-to-face with a variety of potential threats that reduce or eliminate their chances of ever reaching adulthood.

In an effort to combat the myriad of problems—both natural and manmade—these sea turtles face and to help increase their chances of survival, a team of like-minded people on the Outer Banks joined forces in 1995 to form the nonprofit Network for Endangered Sea Turtles, or NEST. Founded by Millie Overman, the organization relies solely on volunteers, who spend their time marking and monitoring sea turtle nests, responding to sightings of stranded sea turtles, raising awareness of the problems that plague sea turtle populations and rehabilitating sick or injured turtles that require medical assistance before they can be released back into the wild.

In this spin on the ALS challenge, a large crowd watches NEST volunteers release a rehabilitated loggerhead and green sea turtle back into the icy ocean.

For nearly 20 years, the all-volunteer network has worked tirelessly to ensure the five species of sea turtles that frequently nest on the beaches of the Outer Banks—the loggerhead, leatherback, green, Kemp’s ridley and hawksbill—can safely reach the shoreline to lay their eggs each summer. In the months that follow the mother sea turtle’s trek from sea to shore, many volunteers spend hours guarding the nest sites and protecting the eggs from predators before finally helping to usher the hatchlings to the ocean once the nest has “boiled.” Their extensive efforts not only increase the turtles’ chances of surviving and thriving for decades to come, they also provide area residents and visitors an up-close and personal look at these creatures who have captivated adults and children of all ages for centuries.

Students at Stokesdale Elementary School in Stokes County drew these pictures on grocery store bags, which will be distributed to shoppers in the area to raise awareness for sea turtles. The kids also donated their allowance, ice cream money and pocket change – more than $200 – to NEST. Photo: Elaine Lubosch, NEST

“There is something that is just charismatic about sea turtles that people connect with,” said Karen Clark, who serves as program coordinator at the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education in addition to her work as a NEST volunteer. “I think, in part, it’s almost like a prehistoric connection with them. These guys spend their entire lives in the ocean, and then suddenly people may be lucky enough to get a chance to see them emerging from the beach. It’s just an awe-inspiring experience.”

Despite the pleasure derived from witnessing this experience in person, those who are fortunate enough to see a boil are well aware of the dangers the hatchlings face once their arduous journey across the sand is complete and they slip beneath the surface of the water. From being struck by boats, ingesting plastic and encountering waterborne contaminants to falling victim to predators, contracting illnesses and becoming entangled in debris and fishing gear, the problems that prevent the majority of hatchlings from surviving to adulthood are wide and varied. Perhaps the most common problem for sea turtles along the Outer Banks is a condition known as cold stunning: a hypothermic reaction to cold water that can result in decreased heart rate and circulation as well as lethargy, shock and potentially death.

Drawn to the shallow, briny waters of the sounds in search of bottom-dwelling blue crabs and various types of vegetation, two species of sea turtles in particular—the green and Kemp’s ridley—are frequently affected by cold stunning and struggle to survive once the condition sets in.

Fin, a Kemp’s ridley turtle, awaits surgery at the STAR Center at the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island to fix a broken fin. Photo: Elaine Lubosch, NEST

Because the cold-stunned sea turtles quickly become disoriented and often wind up stranded on the shoreline, volunteers are needed to help spot these suffering animals and bring them immediate assistance. Thanks to NEST’s longtime partnership with the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island, the dozens of sick, injured or cold-stunned turtles spotted each year have access to exceptional care that can dramatically increase their odds of making a complete recovery.

After its inception, NEST secured a spot at the site of the aquarium to use as a rehabilitation center for sea turtles that required treatment before they could be released back into their native habitats. However, it quickly became evident that a larger facility was needed if the nonprofit was going to continue caring for the hundreds of sea turtles reported as stranded each year.

In June 2014, NEST partnered with the aquarium once again and swapped its former behind-the-scenes rehabilitation facility for a modern structure called the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation Center, or STAR Center. Housing eight permanent tanks of various sizes and room for additional temporary tanks, as well as a food storage and preparation area, treatment room, laundry facility and records office, the 3,000-square-foot STAR Center allows staff and volunteers from both organizations to better care for turtles with more severe injuries or conditions that result in a longer-term stay. The center also serves as an excellent spot for NEST volunteers to educate visitors about sea turtles and display the treatment and rehabilitation efforts that are currently underway.

“What makes the facility really special is that the public can now view our patients and learn about each unique story,” said Christian Legner, curator of the aquarium. “These turtles are able to be ambassadors for their species and the ocean ecosystem while they are recuperating.”

It’s a sure sign of spring when NEST volunteers get their ATVs ready for beach patrols. Photo: NEST

With the perfect platform for raising sea turtle awareness and educating the public now in place, NEST volunteers hope to inspire future generations to carry on the organization’s mission of ensuring survival of the species for centuries to come.

“The sea turtles—the little guys, the hatchlings that we see on our beaches now—we’ll never see them again; they’re gone,” said NEST volunteer Louise Vance. “So we have to educate the public because, in 35 years, when they come back, we need the kids of today to be interested, to want to help them, to really, really be involved. That’s one of the great things about NEST. We are trying to get as many young people as we can interested in what is going on in our oceans, because if they aren’t, the oceans will die, and we don’t want that.”

At the end of each season, once the nests have been laid, the hatchlings have been safely escorted to the sea and the turtles in need of care have been transported to the rehabilitation facility for treatment, NEST volunteers and aquarium staff focuses on instilling a desire to protect sea turtle populations and the one-of-a-kind stretch of shoreline the unique species call home in everyone who visits the STAR Center.

“I hope that we can engage and educate our visitors as they learn about sea turtles and the other animals that share their ecosystem,” said Legner. “Fostering a love for the ocean and the environment is the most effective way to help protect these species.”

In Celebration of Turtle Time

Denice Patterson — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 04:00:45 +0000

First of two parts

A mother loggerhead returns to the water after nesting. Photo by Ranger Alyssa Taylor, Fort Fisher State Recreation Area

WRIGTSVILLE BEACH — Ranger Patrick Amico will soon be firing up his four wheeler each morning to slowly scour the nine miles of sandy beaches at the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area for new sea turtle nests that may have been laid overnight.

“From May to September, the first staff member on site always does the turtle run,” he laughs. “I don’t mind at all.”

Turtle-nesting season begins May 1 along the beach of North Carolina, and park rangers and volunteers up and down the coast will begin watching the beaches for the tell-tale signs of activity.

At Fort Fisher, the first item of business is to look for tracks, and when a nest with eggs is discovered, the fun begins. GPS coordinates are recorded and a careful count of eggs is made. One egg is removed and sent out for a DNA study. A cage is installed around the nest to protect from predators, and the monitoring continues until the nest hatches – from 50-60 days later.

In its fourth year, the regional DNA study is returning some interesting data. “For example, one mother has nested at Fort Fisher four times in one season,” Amico says. “Another has laid nests in Florida, South Carolina and Fort Fisher all in one season and a single turtle laid five nests in one season.”

Following the data has been exhilarating for the staff, however there was only one problem: Too many eggs were being lost to predators.

“Predation levels were really devastating to the nests,” says Park Superintendent Jeff Owen.

Birds and ghost crabs have long been a threat to sea turtle nests. At Fort Fisher, red fox and coyote are now disturbing the nests, and eating a large percentage of eggs. Sometimes the animals dug up the nests before the rangers arrived to cage the nests in the morning. Other times, the fox completely undermined the cages to steal the eggs.

A green turtle hatchling was rescued from the bottom of a nest three days after a hatch. Photo, Ranger Patrick Amico, Fort Fisher State Recreation Area

The numbers were shocking. In 2009, fox disturbed nine out of 14 nests, or 64 percent. A year later, it dropped to 32 percent, but increased to 42 percent in 2011. “The loss of eggs ranged from a few, to a dozen, to an entire cultch of up to 90 eggs,” Amico says.

It only got worse in 2012. Nineteen of the 30 nests at the park were disturbed by foxes. In one nest 52 eggs were taken. Two nests were a total lost, Amico said.

Amazingly, fox were even coming up to the nests at night, closely approaching the volunteers who were sitting with the nests. “We knew then that we had an extensive problem,” Owen notes. “We knew we had to change tactics.”

Owen joined Fort Fisher in 2008, and had followed a predator management plan that was initiated by the previous park superintendent. “For those first few years, our plan was simply to work to eliminate red fox and coyote from the park only when we saw them,” he says. Admittedly, they had little success.

After extensive research, Owen conferred with Kip Futch, a ranger at neighboring Carolina Beach State Park. Futch had been removing predators for years and agreed to lend a hand down at Fort Fisher. “We saw evidence of a large canine population in the back dunes,” Futch says. “So we concentrated our efforts there.”

In December of 2012, the increased removal efforts began. Over a 10-day period, 15 fox and two coyote were permanently removed. Concentrated removals have continued twice a year, once in December and again in May before the peak nesting begins.

The fox population has been greatly reduced, Owen said. More importantly, predation levels of sea turtle nests have decreased significantly. “In 2013, only one nest was predated by fox, and in 2014, zero nests were predated,” Amico says.

An American oystercatcher and her chick are a lot safer at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area these days. Photo, Jaymie Reneker

Owen is amazed at the results. “To have such a sudden decrease in predation levels is incredible,” he said.

The Fort Fisher beach is home to between 15 and 50 nests a year. Each nest typically holds from between 80 to 110 eggs. Helping to ensure that these high numbers of eggs survive to hatch each year goes a long way to ensuring the future of sea turtles along the N.C. coast. “When we consider that only one in 1,000 hatchlings survive the first year, and only one in 10,000 survive the 25 years until the time they begin to nest on their own, we know that every egg counts,” Owen smiles.

Ever the biologist, Amico is excited as well. “When I worked at Bald Head Island, I saw interns try many different techniques for prevention from spraying bobcat and coyote urine to sprinkling hot pepper and other organic items, but nothing really proved successful – physical removal has given us a great outcome,” he said.

The staff has noticed an additional benefit from removing the fox population. For the first time in nearly a decade, colonial shorebirds have returned to nest at Fort Fisher. “We saw least tern chicks as well as two American oystercatcher chicks,” Amico smiles. “It has been years since these birds were able to successfully hatch chicks on the beach here.”

Tuesday: On the Outer Banks with N.E.S.T.

A Humdinger Winter for Hummers

Pat Garber — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 04:00:57 +0000

Ruby-throated hummingbirds, like this one, usually fly south to Mexico or Central America for the Winter, but more and more often they’re being spotted on the N.C. coast. Photo: Louise McLaughlin, National Park Service

OCRACOKE — Stepping out onto my front porch, I did a double-take. Looking again, I confirmed what I saw. A hummingbird was hovering nearby and perusing my late blooming lantana. It was unusual to see hummers here, even in the summer; and this was late December. Hummingbirds were not supposed to be here in winter. Ruby-throated hummingbirds, the hummers which live in the eastern part of North America, were supposed to be far south, wintering in Mexico. Or, so I thought.

A few weeks later another Ocracoke resident mentioned his surprise at seeing a hummingbird in his yard. Then, listening to the radio, I heard an intriguing snippet of news. In recent years not only ruby-throats but several western species of hummingbirds had been observed wintering in North Carolina. “Look in any bird guide,” the voice on the radio said, “and you’ll find no mention of hummers here in winter, but they’re showing up more and more.”

Susan Campbell, who bands hummingbirds for the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, is considered by many to be among the hummingbird experts in the state. A former member of Hummer/Bird Study Group, she has been studying hummingbirds in North Carolina for 15 years and has seen the number of winter residents reported increase dramatically.

Campbell believes that the ruby-throated hummers we see in summer still fly south and that the winter birds are arrivals from farther north. The first wintering population of ruby-throats was documented in Dare County, according to Campbell. These hummers seem to prefer coastal North Carolina where the Gulf Stream keeps temperatures warmer, so that more insects are present. Lake Mattamuskeet, which has lots of water and lush vegetation, has an inland wintering population, not large but unexpected since it is an inland location.

Many of the western species have changed their migration patterns from vertical — south to Mexico and Central America — to horizontal, flying east to North Carolina and other southern states. Up to 14 western species have been documented in North and South Carolina, Virginia and other southern states. Many return to the same wintering areas year after year. Rufous hummingbirds, a species of the Northwest, are the most numerous, followed by black-chinned. Other species documented include broad-billed and calliope along the coast, Anna’s, buff-bellied and broadbills in the New Bern area, green-violet ears in the mountains, broad-tails near Gibsonville, and green-breasted and mango near Charlotte. The state’s first Allen’s hummingbird was spotted in Manteo in 2003.

Hummingbirds, family Trochilidae, live only in the Western Hemisphere. Their common name comes from the humming sound their wings make as they vibrate, up to 70 beats per second or faster. Audubon naturalist John Terres calls the bird “a living helicopter,” describing its ability to fly sideways, backwards, straight up and down and hover in one place. Hummers are swift fliers, having been clocked at between 25 and 50 mph, and they fly long distances when they migrate.

The rufous hummingbird is a western species. Many of the western species have changed their migration patterns from vertical — south to Mexico and Central America — to horizontal, flying east to North Carolina and other southern states. Photo: Brian E. Small.

Among the smallest of birds, they are bright and colorful, especially the males, which may have iridescent throat feathers called “gorgets.” Hummingbirds have needlelike bills and extendable tongues, which allows them to sip the nectar in flowers. While they are primarily nectar feeders, they also eat all kinds of insects. They have an extremely high metabolism and, according to the Birder’s Handbook, have to consume their weight in nectar daily. They may become torpid at night or in cold weather, a mechanism that helps them conserve energy by lowering heart rate, breathing rate and metabolism.

According to the National Audubon Society, “to date 10 species of western hummingbird have been documented while visiting North Carolina during the non-breeding season. Identification of these birds is difficult since most are nondescript females or juveniles, and they tend to look very similar. Identifying them is often based on the color, shape or size of just a few feathers.”

While this is all new territory for ornithologists, there are several theories about what is going on. Curtis Smalling of Audubon North Carolina says that “there is definitely more movement than there used to be, and patterns have changed. Whether it is because of climate change, loss of habitat or other reasons is not certain. The number of rufous hummingbirds wintering in North Carolina has gone up exorbitantly.”

It may be that there were always hummingbirds here in winter and no one realized it. Cornell University’s “Project Feederwatch” makes the following observation: “It is possible that more people are now keeping an eye out for hummingbirds in winter and maintaining their hummingbird feeders year-round, so the likelihood of seeing and reporting a hummingbird in winter has increased.”

“Hummingbirds at Home” is an Audubon project dedicated to studying and trying to help these errant hummers. “There is a growing mismatch between flowering times and the arrival of hummingbirds in their breeding areas and we don’t know how this is going to impact hummingbirds,” according to the website. The purpose of the site is to collect data on how hummingbirds interact with nectar sources in order to better understand what is happening, and what effect providing nectar feeders has on hummingbirds. This is considered “the first step towards ensuring the survival of these miraculous birds in the face of climate change.”

Participants in the program are provided with guidelines for documenting their sightings, whether they’re in natural gardens or at feeders. Everyone is encouraged to participate by going to this website.

The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences sponsors an “Adopt a Hummingbird’ program, in which hummers banded by Campbell can be adopted for $20 to help fund additional research. Checks can be sent to Friends of the Museum Hummingbird Fund at Box 27611-6928. Campbell encourages anyone who sees a wintering hummingbird to call her at 910-585-0574 or email her at susan@ncaves.com.

The extreme cold North Carolina saw last winter had an effect on the wintering hummers, according to Campbell. People reported to her that, particularly along the coast, the hummers they fed did not show up after the cold snap. Whether they flew further south or died is not known. The population of the far more cold-hardy rufous hummers does not seem to have been affected by the cold.

Whatever the reasons we in North Carolina are seeing more hummingbirds in the winter, it is a treat for those of us who love watching the amazing little birds. What better way to get through the cold, gray days of winter than to put up a hummingbird feeder and enjoy their antics!

Salt: The Coast’s Great Equalizer

Jared Lloyd — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 04:00:29 +0000

BEAUFORT — The world was beginning to come alive as I pushed away from the dock. To the north of me, over Great Island, the sun was just slipping up and over the horizon as I idled out of Taylors Creek and brought my skiff onto plane. Dorsal fins of bottlenose dolphins crested the surface of the water in the orange reflection of the rising sun. Threading my way through the unmarked bars of Shark Shoal, I was heading out to check on the progress of a small egret rookery situated near the mouth of the North River. Though still early for the real excitement, birds were already beginning to show up in their full regalia of breeding plumage. A haze was rolling in off the ocean and across Back Sound, leaving a slight tang upon my lips.

This stretch of the North Carolina coast lies just below the lance shaped spit of sand known as Cape Lookout. Here, the orientation of beaches are more or less south facing. So when the southwesterly winds begin to blow, instead of pushing in that hot and oppressively humid air of the mainland such as is experienced on the Outer Banks, here beneath the cape, cool air rushes in off of the ocean. And with this pelagic air mass comes the sweet stench of salt – that intoxicating aroma of the open ocean that beckons mariners, like Homeric sirens, calling them back to the sea from which we all came.

I took a huge breathe, filling my lungs to full capacity with the ocean breeze. Maybe it was the extra oxygen, or maybe it was something more primal, a chemical connection to that smell of salt laden air awakening 3.4 billion years’ worth of cellular memory. But a sort of euphoria crept across my body as I exhaled my morning ration of coastal bliss.

All life came from the sea – that salty, wind tossed expanse of blue that so characterizes our planet. Our genes are linked to it. Our evolution was dictated by it. And according to Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson’s theory of Biophilia, even our psyches are inextricably connected to it. Need proof of all of this? Just take a look inside yourself.

Human blood is almost identical to seawater, 98 percent identical actually. The sodium content is the same. The mineral content is the same. Take seawater, remove one molecule of magnesium, add one molecule of iron, and you have an exact match. When life crawled itself out of the watery embrace of the oceans, it could not bring itself to fully sever its connection. Even chlorophyll, the life blood of plants if you will, shares this same 98 percent match to seawater.

I switched off the motor and trimmed the lower unit up and out of the water as my boat glided silently through the shallows, finally coming to rest on an exposed sandbar. The water was too shallow at the moment to bring my skiff into the spider web of creeks that ran through Middle Marsh. Hopping over the side of the boat, I carefully hoisted a spotting scope out of the skiff and onto the shoal for long distance viewing of the rookery, taking care that I did not get any saltwater on the optics and other parts that really mattered.

Salt is the great equalizer around these parts. No vehicle, outboard motor, exposed metal or electronics are completely immune to its corrosive properties. The pitting that now pock marks the stainless steel on my boats tower is a testament to this fact. As are the hints of rust forming around the edges of my old Land Cruiser.

But as corrosive as saltwater is to metals, it’s downright lethal to life on this planet. This is one of the great biological ironies I think. Despite the fact that both terrestrial plants and animals are made up of it, and need it to sustain life, a little too much salt and everything goes haywire. And when it is present in great quantities, it functions much like fire does in our longleaf forests, becoming the selective force of chaos and destruction that dictates what can and cannot survive. Adapt or die. Evolve or fade away into oblivion. Salt, along the coastline, is the grand orchestrator of life.

A few days before my morning venture out to the egret rookery, I found myself driving down N.C. 158 on the Outer Banks to hop the ferries back over to Carteret County. Instead of the verdant green of slash and loblolly pines that typifies the drive through Kitty Hawk and Nags Head, the needles of every last pine tree were brown – salt induced leaf necrosis. Only days before, a nor’easter blew up the coast. Winds barreled in off the ocean, driving massive quantities of salt spray across the islands, inundating habitats that are normally sheltered from the daily baptism in saline that characterizes life closer to the tide lines. Those species that were not adapted for handling such measures of salt, suffered as a result.

Mammals, such as dolphins, whales, seals and sea lions have developed specialized kidneys just for solving the problem of salt. Photo: Jared Lloyd

Whether it’s a matter of keeping the stuff out of your system to begin with, or adapting novels ways to expel the stuff once it begins to accumulate inside of you, survival in this kind of environment means having to evolve novel ways of protection from the destructive properties of excess salt.

Live oaks, a maritime species famously tolerant of salt spray, offers a good case in point as to how some plants manage to thrive where others burn, wither and die. The name of this tree kind of says it all. Called a “live” oak because the leaves remain green year round, this unofficial mascot of the south has adapted to salt by growing thick leathery leaves with a waxy coating over them called the cuticle. Just as you might wax your car to protect it from the elements, so too does the live oak with its leaves. Yet despite these adaptations, the seemingly indestructible live oak still must take shelter behind the dunes. And that gnarled, twisted, quintessentially wind bent look we see in the more exposed specimens, is the result of salt spray sculpting the growth of the tree always out and away from the direction of the salt.

Other species, such as the ubiquitous salt marsh cordgrass found that repelling salt in an environment regularly submerged by saltwater was futile. Instead of fortifying its exterior, this species has developed specialized glands to excrete salt from its leaves. Additionally, cordgrass, along with many other species of salt marsh plants that grow along our coast, have also developed cells with a higher concentration of amino acids to keep the fresh water that is there from leaching out through osmosis.

As I stood marooned on my shrinking sandbar watching egrets through the scope, the telltale sound of dolphins surfacing for breathes of air erupted just feet away in a channel behind me. When it comes to dealing with the problems of salt, most animals have a distinct advantage over plants in that they can simply move to higher and dryer ground when needs be. But what of marine wildlife, species such as sea turtles, pelagic birds and mammals like the coastal bottlenose dolphins hunting 25 yards away from me? What do they do? All of these creatures have returned to the ocean in order to exploit the specialized niches it provides. Like the plants that now occupy the coastal fringes of continents, these animals readapted to the salt life.

Marine wildlife all need the same things that their terrestrial cousins require for life – freshwater (amongst other things). But when at sea, there is water, water everywhere . . . but not a drop to drink. That is of course, unless you can drink saltwater.

Th great ocean sea turtles excrete salt from a supraorbital gland in the form of gelatinous saline infused tears. Photo: Jared Lloyd

Mammals, such as dolphins, whales, seals and sea lions have developed specialized kidneys just for solving this problem. Called a reniculate kidney, these things look more like a bag of grapes than what we typically think of as a kidney. Each one of those grapes if you will, are basically functioning like an individual kidney. And depending upon the species, there can be thousands of these that make up one reniculate kidney – all working separately yet together for the same goal. Much of the water that marine mammals ingest comes from the metabolism of their prey. But species such as dolphins still consume around six liters of saltwater a day – about 30 percent of their water intake. These reniculate kidneys work double duty to process out quantities of salt that would otherwise kill terrestrial species like you and me.

Pelagic birds on the other hand deal with salt in a very different way. Many species of birds have developed their very own desalinization plant in the form of salt glands located above their eyes. These glands are then connected to their nostrils via specialized ducts that secrete salt which runs down to the tip of the beak. Other species, known unimaginatively as tube nosed birds, collect the salt that runs from these specialized glands in a tube above their nostrils. When the salt begins to build up, every so often they will literally sneeze a briny liquid out of this tube – much to the chagrin of other seabirds nearby.

Reptiles and birds are pretty similar in how they deal with problems. This makes sense given that they are so closely related. So it should be no surprise that the great ocean going turtles of the world also developed a similar sort of desalinization plant in their heads. But Instead of salt laden aqueducts leading to nostrils, these creatures excrete the stuff from the supraorbital salt gland in the form of gelatinous saline infused tears. This unique trait has been observed by coastal peoples everywhere long before civilization. And cultures all over the world, simultaneously understood this to mean that the sea turtle was shedding tears for all of her unborn children that she would never meet after she left the beach.

As I continued my ruminations on salt and its role as a guiding hand of evolution along the coast, water began to lap at my calves. The tide was coming in and my boat was beginning to float over the sandbar I was on. Like the tide that was flooding in around me, with sea levels on the rise, one cannot help but to wonder what the effects will be on the surrounding environment. As roots become flooded out in both maritime and mainland forests, as salt water intrudes further up our river systems like we are seeing now on the Cape Fear, as we continue to lose ground to the ocean, what will the effects to our environment be? It has taken life countless millennia to readapt to a world infused with salt. Birds do not grow glands that work as desalinization plants overnight, and plants do not completely reconstruct their cellular structure in a matter of decades. Who will adapt and who will die? One thing is for certain, the little rookery on Middle Marsh now has a shelf life. And the landscape that we have taken for granted as being static and everlasting, now faces a brave new world.

But really though, this is life on a sandbar – to borrow from the philosophy of bumper stickers. Dynamic equilibrium is all that we can really hope for here. Though the hand of man is now engineering a sixth mass extinction on the planet, and swinging climate in ways that only super-volcanoes and meteorites large enough to bring the Cretaceous period to a close were capable of before, along the edge of the sea change is the only constant. And salt, that toxic yet necessary element for life, is at the forefront of driving this change.

The Scotch Bonnet’s 50th Anniversary

Catherine Kozak — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 04:00:36 +0000

The Scotch bonnet at all different angles.

MANTEO — This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the Scotch bonnet as North Carolina’s official state shell. For a state with one of the longest coastlines on the Eastern Seaboard, it makes sense that it was the first to have its own shell. Unfortunately, the lovely gastropod — snail, that is — is notoriously difficult to find on most of its beaches, except for the Outer Banks.

Perhaps then it’s no surprise that the bill to make the Scotch bonnet the state shell was introduced in 1965 by an Outer Banker, Rep. Moncie Daniels, who lived in Dare County.

When Daniels promised a souvenir Scotch bonnet to any legislator who supported his bill, he famously managed to find only two of the shells. After the bill passed in May, a fellow lawmaker saved the day by somehow locating a boxful of the shells to hand out.

As warm-water inhabitants of the Gulf Stream, the Scotch bonnet is usually found on nearby Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, where they’re pushed to the shore by storms.

“I think it’s fairly accurate to say that it is the most sought after shell on the North Carolina beaches,” says John Timmerman, the chairman of the N.C. Shell Club. “It’s a thrill to find one. If you don’t find one shell except a Scotch bonnet, your day is made.”

Timmerman, who works as an exhibit designer at the Cape Fear Museum in Wilmington, says that Scotch bonnets can be abundant from Cape Hatteras to Cape Lookout, but otherwise, the rest of the state coast is pretty much out of luck. Although, he adds, he did find one once at Fort Fisher after a hurricane and another time on a Georgia beach.

The appeal is not just because of the shells’ rarity. With orange and yellow-brown plaid markings – that unfortunately fade – the mollusk actually does look like it’s wearing a little bonnet. Reminiscent of the traditional Scottish cap and plaid tartan, the Scotch bonnet was named in honor of Scottish settlers in North Carolina.

“They’re tropical animals and their shells are different than any other shell,” Timmerman says. “There’s brilliant shading to them, with bright orange spots. It’s a nice size – two to three inches. You can marvel at it. You can drop it in your pocket.”

This live Scotch bonnet gastropod, or snail, was found on Sanibel Island, Fla.

The snails that inhabit the shells cannot survive cold weather, but they do just fine in the toasty Gulf Stream off the Outer Banks. As grown-ups with shells, they crawl on the ocean floor, eating sea urchins and sand dollars — after deftly burning a hole in their shells with sulfuric acid. Storms that churn up the offshore waters wash the snails onto the beaches, where lucky barrier island beachcombers have been known to find hundreds scattered amongst the storm detritus.

It was the N.C. Shell Club, established in 1957, that initiated Daniels’ state shell legislation. What’s not exactly clear is how the Scotch bonnet was selected, although there was reportedly some reluctance to designate a shell that hardly anyone in the state could find, hence Daniels’ sweet-talking bribery.

“He was such an ardent supporter of the Outer Banks,” says Daniels’ son, Moncie “Punk” Daniels, a resident of Manteo. “He had such a passion for Dare County and the Outer Banks beaches.”

By 1965, North Carolina already had a state flower (dogwood, 1941), a state bird (cardinal, 1943) and a state tree (longleaf pine, 1963). “And I think that’s what inspired him,” Daniels says. “’Why not get the Outer Banks involved and have a state shell?’”

As to finding one, here’s a bit of advice from author Nancy Rhyne from her book, Carolina Seashells: “Your best bet for finding a Scotch bonnet is to search the sea drift after storms or high winds. Finding a Scotch bonnet with its special beauty moves collectors in a way many other shells do not. Many Scotch bonnets are faded, but when the color is gone, the sculpture lingers on.”

Rhyne admired the shell’s grooves and ridges with its uniform square markings, as well as the glazed inner lip and “thick and finely-notched” outer lip.

The general distribution of the Scotch bonnet, a tropical snail that prefers warm waters.

Unless it happens to be one of the post-storm jackpots, even Outer Bankers north of Hatteras rarely find Scotch bonnets, and if they do, they‘re often in pieces. Although they range throughout the Caribbean, it’s the proximity to the Gulf Stream that allows the Scotch bonnet to land on North Carolina beaches at all. But it is still a coveted shell beyond the Old North State, including on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

“Actually, here on Sanibel Island, it is a very desirable shell,” says Jose H. Leal, the science director and curator at the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum in Florida, which is promoted as the only professional shell museum in the country.

The Scotch bonnet is much smaller than Florida’s state shell, the horse conch. Designated in 1969, that orange-colored conch shell can grow up to 24 inches.

Leal, a marine biologist, says that only the junonia, another dashing gastropod, is more sought-after on Sanibel than the bonnet. He agrees that much of the appeal of North Carolina’s state shell lies in its handsome markings and portable size.

“It has that beautiful combination of sculpture and color pattern,” he says. “It is kind of reticulated. It is like it’s finely-etched in both directions.”

And like any other consumer, shellers are not immune to the powerful lure of supply and demand when it comes to the Scotch bonnet.

“It really is not easy to find, Leal says.

Sand Waves: Juggernauts of the Outer Banks

Jared Lloyd — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 16:40:45 +0000

COROLLA — I am hunting down a ghost story. I am making my way north of the last outpost of civilization on this end of the Outer Banks, where the paved roads give way to open beaches. With tires slacked down to a mushy 15 psi, I navigated my Land Cruiser through the deep ruts and sugar-soft sand along the base of the dunes. This narrow strip of beach, roughly 15 feet wide, was all I had been left to work with as a strong northeast wind was driving an angry sea well up the shore.

Cutting the steering wheel to the left, I pull myself out of the ruts that I had been following. The engine groans as I begin to crawl my way up and over a ramp through the dunes. This ridge of sand stands guard between the rest of the island and Poseidon’s unbridled wrath; and behind it lies a network of sand trails that lace this part of the Banks and leads to the rental homes here.

Penny’s Hill near Corolla swallowed whole the small fishing village of Seagull more than 90 years ago. Gone were two churches, a one-room school, a post office and about 35 houses. Photo: Frogsview Blog

The sea oats and American beach grass that colonize the ocean side dunes give way to dense stands of wax myrtle tangled in wild grapes and mixed with the occasional stunted and gnarled persimmon. Looking out toward the sound side of the island, this shrub thicket melts into a forest of seemingly impenetrable live oaks, which melt into loblolly pines. A small band of wild horses that make this northern most section of the Outer Banks their home grazed peaceably some 200 feet away.

Out of this landscape rises a tremendous wall of sand. Several stories high, a monstrous dune peaks well above the surrounding forest just to the south of me and towards the sound. It is a sight that seems disconnected from these barrier islands. More Sahara than Outer Banks. This dune is so large that it is easily seen from the mainland some four miles to the west across Currituck Sound. A landmark if you will, that has guided countless ships along the ocean and skiffs along the sound for centuries. This is where history, legend and geology become one.

The Outer Banks once gave rise to numerous sand hills of such proportions. With names such as Penny’s Hill, Lewark’s Hill, Jones Hill, Poyner’s Hill, Kill Devil Hills and Jockey’s Ridge, these massive sand dunes once characterized the islands and set them apart from others elsewhere along the Eastern Seaboard. Though each of these giant hills officially had names — this particular pile of sand being Lewark’s Hill — colloquially these massive dunes were referred to as “sand waves” or “whaleheads” on the Outer Banks. From a geological perspective, however, they are all classified as medanos – a migratory dune.

Medanos are defined as very large “living dunes” that distinctly lack vegetation. Such absence of vegetation is the result of the constant flux that these sand dunes are in — hence the concept of “living.” Towering above the landscape as they do, medanos are affected by the winds that typify life on the Outer Banks in ways that other dunes in the area are not.

Jockey’s Ridge, the highest sand dune on the East Coast, eased itself over top of the first hotel on the Outer Banks, built around 1838. In later years, clerks offered discounts to visitors who didn’t mind digging their way into the two-story structure. Photo: Jockey’s Ridge State Park

Though summer may bring an almost constant southwesterly breeze to these barrier islands, it is the northeast gales that come howling in off the ocean the rest of the year that drive these dunes across the landscape. The wind picks up and carries billions of grains of sand up the northeast face of these giant sand hills, which can be several stories tall. Once the sand crests the top of the hill, it slips into the eddy behind the peak and tumbles down the steep embankment along the backside of the dune. Grain by grain, storm by storm, the dune is rolled over top of itself.

These so called sand waves, named such because they were like a tidal wave of sand barreling down upon the islands, have the destructive force of a glacier – unstoppable, consuming all. Anything and everything in the path of these dunes will succumb to its slow march across the landscape. Lewark’s Hill, like Run Hill further south in Kill Devil Hills, is currently in the process of engulfing vast stretches of maritime forest. Steep cliffs cascade down into the trees where the canopy of live oaks and loblolly stick out of their tomb of sand. Left in its wake, one can sometimes find the remnants of a ghost forest, those skeletal trunks that stood years beneath the sand before the dune moved on.

History and geography coincided perfectly for Orville and Wilbur Wright, who could not have made history in 1903 without the wild sand dunes of Kill Devil Hills. Photo: Library of Congress

Forests, however, are not the only thing that these legendary waves of sand have entombed over the years. Entire towns have vanished beneath these unstoppable juggernauts. The sleepy village of Seagull once stood along the banks of the New Currituck Inlet before it was swallowed whole by Penny’s Hill after this sand wave migrated across the inlet, filling it in and changing commerce in the area forever. Jockey’s Ridge, the largest “living dune” on the East Coast, allegedly sits atop of one of the original 19th century Nags Head resort hotels, according to a 1906 edition of National Geographicmagazine. Today, you can even see the remnants of the Jockey’s Ridge Putt Putt golf course that was buried by the advancing sands of this medano, peaking out of the east side of the dune near U.S. 158. Sand is constantly being removed from the southern flank of Jockey’s Ridge to save the houses that sit in its path. All up and down the Outer Banks similar stories punctuate the foggy history of these hills. Though most such stories have long been forgotten even by those who live here.

There are few places where the history and the environment are so tightly braided together as upon these barrier islands. The medanos of the Outer Banks stand testament to this fact. License plates in North Carolina would not read “First in Flight” if it were not for the giant dunes of Kill Devil Hills that the Wright Brothers so famously launched their flying machine from the top of (now planted with sod to keep it from moving). Communities such as Corolla and Diamond City may never have been built if it were not for the towering hills used for spotting migrating schools of fish and whales. The projected path of these dunes was a consideration for the establishment of most towns along the Banks actually. And before the days of lighthouses, these sand waves where the only means of navigating along this infamous stretch of coast, possibly sparing thousands of lives from joining the already gruesome statistics of the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

Climbing to the top of Lewark’s Hill I was afforded a commanding view of both sound and sea. Looking out over the blue horizon, I thought back to the first time I climbed this dune decades past. As a boy turned lose upon the wilds of the northern beaches so many years ago, I was warned not to climb this hill at night. Legend had it that a house set beneath its sands where an old lady was buried inside. Those foolish enough to climb atop her tomb of sand at night would find her icy cold hand reaching out of the dune, fingers clasped around their ankle, as she pulled you down below. History, legend or geology? As with so many things about this coastline, the lines are blurred.

Beaver Moon Doesn’t Disappoint

Tess Malijenovsky — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 14:29:01 +0000

A fiery full moon rises above Bogue Sound. According to Native American lore, November’s full moon is named the Beaver Moon. Photo: Dennis Szeba

Photographers await the right moment to take just the right picture…. Photo: Tess Malijenovsky

…And the moon rewarded them for their patience. Photo: Sam Bland

The setting sun casts its dying light on the clouds over Bogue Sound. Photo: Sam Bland

SWANSBORO — On the afternoon of the N.C. Coastal Federation’s first full moon photography cruise not a hint of clear sky was in sight. Just hours before the boat trip rendezvous at Hammocks Beach State Park near this waterfront town in Onslow County, grey cloud cover and 17-mile-an-hour winds dimmed the photographers’ hopes of capturing a fiery, oversized moon rising above the horizon on camera.

That didn’t keep over 30 people from showing up, though. The trip was on. The group of nature photographers, it seems, showed up understanding that when wilderness is the star of the show, there are always surprises.

At the very least, “It’s an excuse to get out on the water,” some said. Especially, one Emerald Isle married couple added, when the boat is filled with like-minded people and guided by the federation’s naturalist, Sam Bland.

Bland was a park ranger and the superintendent at Hammocks Beach State Park before retiring after 30 years at state parks. He is not only an accomplished photographer, but he knows the depth and breadth of just about every living thing on and surrounding the three islands and mainland that make up the park.

Bland says that Native Americans gave each month’s full moon a name. November’s is the “Beaver Moon.”

He invited another local naturalist and photography expert, Jody Merritt, to join the cruise and share photography tips and advice. Merritt was the superintendent at Fort Macon State Park in Atlantic Beach when Bland was starting out there as a ranger. The two often travel together to take pictures now. While Merritt excels with landscape photography, Bland’s forte is wildlife.

Around 3 p.m. when the cruise began, the sky cracked open and released its sunny yolk as the group moved onto the 40-foot-long boat, the Lady Swan. Clouds still clung to the horizon but no one seemed to complain as the golden light poured over the scenery of birds, barrier islands and maritime forests.

While the pros dished out advice on manipulating film speed settings and the back-buttons on their fancy cameras, others wowed and awed at the birds – the great blue herons, the cormorants, the pelicans and the egrets. Some folks had both binocular and camera dangling from the necks. Still others closed their eyes, simply soaking up the sunlight and feeling the breeze brush the face.

But before long the sun was sinking behind the clouds like a flashlight under water. Just a muffled pink sphere in an ocean of grey. Soon the moon would be rising, in view or not. Bland ushered the group off the boat onto Shark Tooth Island and up a dune twice the size of a house for a high vantage point of the moon.

Folks were so fixated on the traffic driving over the Emerald Isle Bridge to the east where the moon should be that they were blown away when they turned around and caught the sky on fire. A bed of embers burned through the cloud cover in deep crimson, sangria and ruby light. And then they were blown away again.

A giant, overripe nectarine was levitating above the bridge traffic and over the dune grasses.

“I’ve never seen a moon rise like that in my whole life,” said Jackie Foster. “I’m not a photographer, but I thought that (the cruise) would be fun.”

Perspective is key, Bland says. It’s what makes every full moon near the horizon seem abnormally close to us and unusually large. It’s also what makes the mundane a nice picture.

Stay tuned for the federation’s next photography adventure with Sam Bland, and visit our Facebook page to see more photos.

Kevin Geraghty took this dramatic photo of the sun’s fading light filtered through the clouds. Photo: Kevin Geraghty

A Ringside Seat to an Ancient Ritual

Pat Garber — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 16:12:24 +0000

OCRACOKE — “Raptor over pole four, just above the wires!”

Four sets of binoculars swerved to find the tiny dot, moving southward.

“It’s approaching pole three, closer to the water now. Looks like a kestrel.”

Perched on the top of a dune, four people — two men and two women — sat in canvas chairs with binoculars pressed to their eyes. Their rapt gazes were focused on the distant specks which they identified as raptors — birds of prey. When someone called out an approaching raptor, all binoculars turned to watch it.

Gil Randell, a silver-haired man, was usually the one to identify the birds. Based on its size and the erratic pattern of its flight, he knew the one approaching was an American kestrel, the smallest falcon in North America. The identification was confirmed when the bird flew nearer, satisfying Randell’s wife, Jann, who then recorded the sighting in a notebook.

The few people on the beach took little notice. With the busy summer season over, most of the crowds have left Ocracoke Island. There were still, however, a few groups of people walking along the ocean beach, searching the sand for sea shells, gazing across the ocean, perhaps watching the graceful squadrons of brown pelicans as they glided in formation above the waves. All seemed to be enjoying the beautiful early fall morning, but few, if any, were aware of the great autumnal event taking place behind them.

Barely visible to the naked eye, great rafts of birds were following an ancient route, flying above the waters of Pamlico Sound, to their wintering grounds to the south.

Few, however escaped notice by the hawk-eyed Randells. Residents of Mayville, N.Y, they are avid hawk watchers in their home state. Each spring they participate in the Ripley Hawk Watch on the south shore of Lake Erie, and Gil is on the board of the Hawk Migration Association of North America. They own a house on Ocracoke and come down during the fall migration season, spending several hours each day sitting on this dune with their binoculars and notebooks.

They began watching and recording their sightings on Sept. 12 this year, missing only a few days due to weather. Their biggest day was Oct. 4, when they recorded 122 peregrine falcon sightings. By late October, they had identified 11 species of raptors, some 700 birds.

Peter Vankevich, who retired from the Library of Congress and now lives on Ocracoke, was also peering from binoculars. He helped start in 1981 the Ocracoke Christmas Bird Count, which is part of an annual national effort to have citizen scientists help monitor bird populations. He has not missed a year since and in 1988 expanded it to include nearby Portsmouth Island.

I was the fourth member of the group. An avid bird lover, I had little experience in identifying raptors in flight. The day proved to be an incredible learning experience. The Randells pointed out nine species of migrating raptors that day, including three kinds of falcons (four peregrines, 14 kestrels and three merlins), two species of accipiters (two Cooper’s and three sharp-shinned hawks), three harriers, two ospreys, seven turkey vultures and a bald eagle.

They explained that unlike songbirds, raptors generally migrate during the day, when they can take advantage of air currents known as thermals. Buzzards in particular like to ride the thermals, but falcons are the least reliant on them. Some scientists say they have seen peregrines migrating at night, when there are no thermals. Turkey vultures, according to Gil, are the only ones that seem to move during ferocious winds, at which time they fly very low to the ground.

By definition, migration is the movement of animals from breeding grounds to non-breeding grounds, and from areas of low or decreasing resources to ones of high or increasing resources.

This usually means traveling south in the fall to areas of warmer temperatures where there is better feeding, and north in the spring when warming temperatures lead to burgeoning new food sources. Whales, sea turtles, fish, antelope and even certain butterflies undertake amazing journeys, as well as many species of birds.

While not all birds migrate, most songbirds, shorebirds and raptors in North America do. Some move short distances, from lake to lake or up or down a mountain, while others are partial migrants, crossing one or several states. Even within species that are long-distance migrants, a few individuals may stay all winter, and some move because of unusual weather or to find food resources.

Bird migration has puzzled naturalists for centuries. Early European naturalists speculated that when swallows vanished from their summer breeding grounds, they buried down into the mud like frogs. Some even thought that migrating birds flew to the moon. Modern science has provided many answers, but there are still many unsolved questions. How do the birds know when to leave? It is believed that they are triggered in part by changes in daylight and a decline in food. Escaping the cold may be a factor, but many birds, including hummingbirds, can survive freezing temperatures. There may well be a genetic predisposition to migrate, but there is enough variation from year to year and from flock to flock to indicate that the birds make some of the decisions themselves.

It is the long distance migrations that pose the biggest puzzle to scientists. Peregrine falcons have been known to migrate from the Arctic Circle to Argentina, and in 2008 one osprey flew from Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts to French Guinea in South America, a trip of 2,700 miles, in 13 days. First year birds migrate to winter homes they’ve never seen, often unattended by adults, and fly back in the spring. Raptors, which generally mate for life, often separate during migration but reunite at the spring breeding grounds. How do they find each other? How do they know where to go and how to get there? Theories include following the stars, using magnetic fields, an internal compass, a genetic code, even smell.

All migratory birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Act of 1917, which makes it illegal to capture them or kill them without a license. As changing climate and habitat threaten the survival of many species, scientists use a number of methods to study their movements, including banding, radio transmitters, satellite telemetry and radioisotope analysis of feathers.

Hawk watch organizations also help to understand migration patterns by monitoring population increases and decreases. There are currently no registered organizations in eastern North Carolina, the nearest being Kiptopeke Hawk Watch, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and the South Carolina Coastal Migration Survey just north of Charleston. A hawk watch began operating on Hatteras Island in the 1980s, but it was last active in 2007. So now, to quote Jann, what happens between Virginia and South Carolina is “uncharted territory.”

While our main goal was to watch raptors, we were also pleased to observe a number of palm warblers and a scattering of monarch butterflies embarking on their own, equally fantastic, journeys south. We were disturbed, however, when someone called Peter to report a grounded peregrine falcon near the north end of the island. The bird was taken to a wildlife rehabilitator, and it was later learned that its body weight was extremely low. The bird could not be saved.

The death toll during migration is high. Birds migrating over water may hit bad weather or winds that sweep them far out to sea, where they eventually drown. Some hit cell phone towers, high buildings or industrial wind turbines. Others weaken and starve along the way, as was probably the case with this peregrine falcon.

Indeed, the miracle is that any of these birds can and do survive these annual epic journeys, fraught with danger, providing for the continued survival of their species. Watching them, as we did, was a privilege to be treasured.