Naturalist Sam Bland and his wife Bright, while in western Wyoming, recently trekked into the night to observe a researcher who specializes in capturing, banding and monitoring the movements of northern saw-whet owls, a threatened species here in North Carolina.
Wildlife
Harbor seal spotted in Beaufort: anomaly or harbinger?
The harbor seal spotted this spring swimming in Beaufort’s Taylors Creek has inspired a team of researchers to reconstruct the timeline of this species in North Carolina.
Holden Beach Turtle Patrol readies for summer programming
Holden Beach Turtle Watch Program, also referred to as “Turtle Patrol,” is planning to offer educational programs throughout the summer starting June 18.
Coastal commission OKs limited use of wheat straw bales
The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission has changed an oceanfront development rule to allow wheat straw bales be used under certain conditions as an alternative to sand fencing to try and fend off erosion, a move environmental and wildlife groups oppose.
Bald Head Island’s abundant deer spur management talks
The village council is in discussions on how to manage the growing number of deer that populate the Brunswick County island.
Sierra Club to celebrate Earth Day, hold plant walks, talks
N.C.’s Sierra Club’s Croatan Group is to host an Earth Day celebration on April 22, and have planned two walks to see carnivorous plants, and a talk with a master gardener about native plants to take place over the next month.
Mattamuskeet’s invasive carp boycott carp-removal effort
“What we found is we’re not finding the carp numbers in the lake that we thought were there,” Kendall Smith, refuge manager at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, told the Lake Mattamuskeet Watershed Restoration Plan Core Stakeholder Team at a recent meeting.
Wildlife commission seeks advisory committee nominees
Eligible North Carolina residents’ names may be submitted for the state Nongame Wildlife Advisory Committee membership through April 18.
Comment period on migratory bird hunting season to end
The public has until 5 p.m. March 2 to comment on the state’s 2025-26 migratory game bird hunting season.
Winter Waterfowl Excursion to resume after 4-year pause
The Coastal Culture and Waterfowl Watching Excursion, a two-day adventure through Pamlico, Hyde and Dare counties, is being offered twice next year.
Black bears’ resurgence reflects acceptance, economic spur
Conservation efforts and reforestation have allowed the species to rebound in rural northeastern North Carolina, providing a food source for families here and luring “high-net-worth” hunters and visitors.
Eastern NC’s black bears: How hunters helped save a species
Special report: The state’s black bear population was in trouble 50 years ago, but research and conservation measures put in place in the decades since — with hunters’ “direct cooperation” — have enabled the species to recover, although not everyone is happy.
Watch your step!
Fall colors, the reds, yellows, browns and copperheads. An eastern copperhead crosses a path recently at the New Bern Civil War Battlefield in Craven County. Watch your step! Photo: Doug Waters
Fort Fisher aquarium gets award for otter marketing campaign
North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher was recognized for its “Whole Lotta Otta” marketing campaign by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher to embark on ‘Spooky Seas’
The facility just south of Kure Beach will feature Halloween-themed enrichment Oct. 19-Nov. 1 for both critters and visitors.
Groups call for federal protection of diamondback terrapins
Nonprofits have petitioned the federal fisheries agency to list as endangered the diamondback terrapin, an estuarine creature frequently drowned in abandoned crab pots.
