A brightly hued eastern bluebird peeks out from a knothole in a tree at the Dare County Arboretum and Teaching Garden in Kill Devil Hills. Male bluebirds tend to draw attention to themselves at their nest cavities in this way to lure potential mates, according to Cornell Lab. Dare County Extension Master Gardener volunteers maintain the arboretum garden at 300 Mustian St. Photo: Kip Tabb
birds
Friends group to organize nature trip to Finland, Arctic
The Friends of the North Carolina Maritime Museum Beaufort is set to offer a two-week travel opportunity next year to see the birds, wildlife and natural history of Finland.
State seeks public input on migratory bird hunting seasons
The public comment period for the 2026-27 migratory game bird hunting seasons for waterfowl, webless migratory species and extended falconry is now open through March 4.
Brilliant redhead on the hunt
A male pileated woodpecker, or Dryocopus pileatus, searches for a snack Sunday in the bark of a pine tree in Nags Head Woods Preserve, one of the largest remaining maritime forests on the East Coast, according to The Nature Conservancy. This woodpecker, which feeds on insects in trees and logs, is one of more than 150 bird species visitors may spot at the preserve, and at least a third nests here, according to the conservancy. Photo: Kip Tabb
Guided birding tour at Lake Mattamuskeet set for Monday
Budding birders and seasoned ornithologists can sign up now for a guided winter birding experience at Lake Mattamuskeet Monday morning with Coastal Studies Institute educators.
Division OKs Corps’ request to pause state consistency review
The N.C. Division of Coastal Management has granted a request by the Corps of Engineers to indefinitely pause the division’s review of whether the proposed project conforms with state coastal management program laws, regulations and policies.
Confounding, confusing: Patience key at Manteo Marshes
The milelong hike around Manteo Marshes can be a birdwatcher’s joy — or not — so be patient because when it’s good, it’s spectacular.
Ruffled feathers hunker together
A siege of herons takes refuge Monday from high winds near Russell Creek in Beaufort. Photo: Dylan Ray
Volunteer for Ocracoke, Portsmouth Christmas bird counts
The count dates this year will be Dec. 30 on Ocracoke Island and Dec. 31 on
Portsmouth Island.
Partnership to test living shorelines on two Cape Fear islands
An effort to protect threatened wading bird colonies and their imperiled habitat on Battery and Shellbed islands, Audubon, Sandbar Oyster Co. and the North Carolina Coastal Federation have teamed up to design and install two pilot projects and test their effectiveness.
Crossing the Neuse River the easy way
A gull keeps watch from atop the North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division’s vehicle ferry Kinnakeet as it plies the Neuse River between Minnesott Beach and Cherry Branch. Photo: Mark Hibbs
Shorebirds flock to restored pond at Pine Island sanctuary
Staff at the Donal C. O’Brien, Jr. Sanctuary and Audubon Center in Corolla are crediting a recently completed habitat-restoration project with luring birds and wildlife back to a previously problem-prone pond.
Tabb’s Trails: Along the North Pond Wildlife Trail
Saturday, Oct. 18, turned out to be a remarkable day on the half-mile trail behind Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge’s visitor center, with rarely seen species and migratory waterfowl.
Shift change
Danielle Carey of Holly Ridge recently submitted this image of various shorebirds congregating on a sand bank in the Sneads Ferry area as if time for a shift change. “This was my first time taking this lens out on the water, and I felt like it was the one day I wasn’t seeing any birds out” Carey told us in her submission. “On our way back, I spotted this little sandbar with a whole variety of birds. I was so excited, and although I aim to capture birds in flight, I loved that I was able to capture a moment where one was taking off, and another was landing at the same time.”
Judge blocks pilot Lake Mattamuskeet algaecide application
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.
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.
