A federal court decision Wednesday blocks the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from using a potentially harmful algaecide at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, a compound that environmental groups argued would endanger the waterfowl the refuge is supposed to protect.
birds
Plan would address threatened eastern black rails’ habitat loss
A public comment period is open on a proposed management plan that seeks to rebuild the once-abundant birds’ numbers by permanently protecting coastal marshes and helping private landowners create habitat.
Wrong tern?
Least terns are excellent fish-catchers, and when feeding their young can deliver about two fish per hour. Males also catch and display fish during courting, which is what we assumed is going on here. There’s only one problem with that theory: After showing it to the female for a few seconds, when she finally showed interest, he flew away. Photo: William Birkemeier
Shorebirds among species in steepest decline in latest count
Audubon’s 2025 State of the Birds Report shows East Coast species such as least terns, American oystercatchers and piping plovers are diminished in numbers with shorebirds most heavily represented among those at a perilous tipping point.
Tabb’s Trails: Jockey’s Ridge State Park celebrates 50 years
The 426-acre state park in Nags Head is a harsh environment but rewards with self-guided trails taking hikers through dunes, foliage and by flowering plants swarmed by pollinators.
Sandy Run Park: Town trail an overlooked Outer Banks gem
Tabb’s Trails: In our new photo-essay series, coastal reporter, photographer and hiking enthusiast Kip Tabb takes you along, starting with this easy half-mile loop around a pond and marsh in Kitty Hawk.
Wildlife shelter posts reward to end maiming of pelicans
A wild bird rescue organization in Brunswick County is offering a $10,000 reward to stop the common winter occurrence of dead and severely injured brown pelicans washing ashore.
Icy conditions
An egret hunts along the shore of an icy marsh Thursday near Pelletier Creek in Morehead City. Don’t look for a quick thaw as much of coastal North Carolina is under a winter weather advisory from 4 p.m. Friday until 10 a.m. Saturday. The forecast calls for the potential for light accumulations of ice and snow, although little to none is expected from Hatteras Island to Ocracoke Island. Photo: Dylan Ray
Morehead City naturalist John Fussell leaves birding legacy
The conservationist who was steeped in bird and botany knowledge, credited for his focus on often-overlooked environmental issues affecting the North Carolina coast, and author of the region’s definitive bird guide, died last week at 75.
Best way to bid farewell 2024? Count birds on Outer Banks
Hardy birders, volunteers, aspiring community scientists, photographers and others will soon have their chance to count birds on Ocracoke and Portsmouth islands to improve understanding of bird life trends that have implications for all.
Belted kingfisher surveys its kingdom
A belted kingfisher surveys its surroundings from a perch, Nov. 14 at North River Preserve in Carteret County. Photo: Nick Green
Fishing is for the birds, and they can show you how, where
It’s true that feathered creatures can be an indicator of what’s going on beneath the surface, it’s important to understand what each bird is, how it fishes, and what it means to us as anglers.
Blaze the plover returns from Illinois after rearing chicks
Blaze, a piping plover shown here on the beach in Waukegan, Illinois, has returned for the second consecutive year to winter at Masonboro Inlet in New Hanover County. The small, but determined piping plover was abandoned before she hatched and became among the first captive-reared chicks to be released from the University of Michigan Biological Station in 2023. Within about two months of her release into the wild, Blaze migrated south to spend the winter at Masonboro Inlet, according to Audubon North Carolina. Audubon officials spotted Blaze Aug. 15 at the inlet, returning from Waukegan, where she successfully raised three chicks. Photo courtesy of the Lake County (Illinois) Audubon Society.
Salt marsh snacks
A wedge of egrets fish in a salt marsh along North River near Beaufort. Photo: Dylan Ray
Bill for breakfast
A black-necked stilt dips its bill as it feeds in standing water at sunrise July 30 at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center in Nags Head. Reader Brian Horsley of Nags Head submitted this image, noting that he captured the photo July 30 while on his way to work. When “it rains a lot and we get big freshwater puddles Black Neck Stilts pay it a visit,” he said with the submission.
St. James folk bask among beauty, birds certification brings
The town of St. James in Brunswick County recently became the only coastal town to become a Certified Community Wildlife Habitat, a relatively easy-to-get distinction through a National Wildlife Foundation program.
