An endangered red-cockaded woodpecker flies in to his nesting cavity with a spider in in his beak for the awaiting chicks inside. Red-cockaded woodpeckers are an endemic species of the longleaf pine forest and were placed on the endangered species list due to the destruction of nesting habitat. Longleaf pine forests once covered an area the size of the Amazon across the southeastern United States. But today, less than 10% of this forest remains. Photo: Jared Lloyd
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Frequent flyers
A trio of great crested flycatchers gather momentarily Saturday in a tree at Sandy Run Park in Kitty Hawk. According to the Audubon Guide to North American Birds, flycatchers are more often heard — especially the males’ loud calls — than seen, as they prefer wooded areas. Photo: Kip Tabb
Water colors
Clouds settle over Town Marsh in Beaufort during a recent summer evening. Photo : Dylan Ray
Summer thyme
An assassin bug sets a trap for its prey near a blooming thyme plant in Beaufort. Photo: Dylan Ray
Mighty cypress
A cypress tree stands tall just off the shoreline of the Neuse River near James City. Photo: Dylan Ray
Fox boxing
Fox kits roughhouse in a clearing on the edge of the Croatan National Forest. Photo: Dylan Ray
Quiet calm
A lone paddleboarder moves over the slick waters of Onslow Bay near the Bogue Inlet Pier in Emerald Isle. Photo: Dylan Ray
Storm kicks up big surf
Waves top the end of Jennette’s Pier Monday just after high tide. With a low-pressure system parked off the coast, waves pushed by near gale-force winds from the north and northeast battered the northern Outer Banks from Oregon Inlet to Corolla.
Pea Island welcomes Canada goslings
Canada goslings are among the newest residents of Pea island National Wildlife Refuge Most of the Canada geese on the refuge during the winter months are migratory and have already migrated out. But over the years, a few pairs have stayed on refuge all year. Canada geese are known for flying in V-formation and for their loud honking. Most Canada goose pairs stay together for life. The goslings may stay with the parents for their entire first year.
Flock party
Judy L., of Morehead City, who says she’s also known as “the Bread Lady,” feeds the gulls at Fort Macon State Park on the east end of Bogue Banks.
Led to water, but not to drink
Wild mares enter the salty water between Town Marsh and Carrot Island in the Rachel Carson Reserve along Taylor’s Creek in Beaufort. Photo: Dylan Ray
Herons on the hunt
Herons, shown in the foreground, look for prey along the shore of the Newport River near Crab Point in Morehead City. Photo: Dylan Ray
Winter bloom
A yellowjacket climbs the winter bloom of a Fatsia japonica, or paper plant, in a Beaufort garden. Photo: Dylan Ray
Currituck catbird
A gray catbird surveys its snow-covered surroundings Saturday at the Currituck Banks National Estuarine Research Reserve north of Corolla. Photo: Kip Tabb
After the rain
A rainbow commands the sky over the Newport River and the Radio Island Fishing Pier Wednesday in Carteret County. Photo: Dylan Ray
December sunset
The sun sets over the Newport RIver in Carteret County on a calm December evening.
