Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative reported this morning that crews worked late into the night to connect the new overhead cables to the grid.
That work is expected to be complete this morning and CHEC will begin to energize the new line. The restoration time frame is one to two days.
Island businesses are as anxious to open as are visitors. This island shut-down is at the worst possible time for the island economy.
Jason Wells, co-owner of Jason’s Restaurant, said his peak money-making time is from the second week of June to the second week of August and this closure has meant a loss of one sixth of his peak-time income.
“I’m very emphatic that no one’s more disappointed that the visitors can’t come now than me,” he said, echoing the sentiments of all.
Other businesses will be seeking additional seasonal help when power is restored.
Graphic courtesy of Tideland EMC.
The new system, which involved putting up 11 new power poles along the east side of N.C. 12, bypasses an underground segment that was cut when the contractor for the new Bonner Bridge accidentally drove a steel casing into them last Thursday morning. The transmission system provides the only source of power for Hatteras and Ocracoke islands.
Next Steps: The new line will need to stay energize for several hours while the cooperative tests the cables. After testing, CHEC will begin to gradually introduce electrical load to the line. Resident on Hatteras Island in the villages of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon and Buxton will experience outages while the cooperative works to take these circuits off of generator power and energize them with the repaired transmission line. The cooperative will work to give these villages notice of impending outages.
Timeframe: The restoration timeframe from this point forward is one to two days.
Both CHEC and Tideland EMC are in daily meetings with their respective county officials to discuss the timing of evacuation order modifications. Until then both Hatteras and Ocracoke islands remain subject to mandatory evacuation orders for non-residents.
Maintenance: A 15-minute maintenance outage on the Northwest circuit powering Ocracoke Island is scheduled for 1 p.m. today. That circuit serves 419 meters including Howards Pub, Gaffers, OVFD firehouse, Variety Store, Anchorage, Jolly Roger, Water Plant, Fish House, NCCAT, Howard Street, South Ferry Terminal and British Cemetery areas.
Tideland is allowing island residents to utilize air conditioning and water heating but may request that those loads be restricted once again depending on daily outdoor temperatures, generator reliability and utility load.
“The success of operating the island on generator power depends entirely on everyone heeding our conservation calls when issued,” Tideland said.
A mandatory evacuation order for visitors is still in effect for Ocracoke Island and no one will be allowed on the island unless they can prove residency or property ownership.
Tideland encourages anyone interested to sign up for outage text or email messaging.
The following are directions from Tideland about receiving text messages:
Visitors to the island can simply text TEMC to short code 85700 and when prompted for an account number text the word Ocracoke and they will assign you to the Ocracoke substation group to receive island updates. (After you reply with Ocracoke you will receive another text asking for your account number. Just ignore it. We are manually overriding the account number requirement and coding your cell phone number to the proper messaging group. When you want to stop receiving our text messages simply text STOP to short code 85700 and you will be automatically unenrolled in the program.)
“Spread the word,” said Ivey Belch, pastor of the Ocracoke Assembly of God Church, on Wednesday as the church opened its Bread of Life Food Pantry for a special food distribution.
From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, the food pantry will distribute boxes of meats and other refrigerated items provided by theAlbemarle Commission, a nonprofit whose mission is to improve the lives of the those in the Albemarle Region.
Belch asked for assistance sharing this information to those in need.
The church opened the pantry Wednesday for a special distribution of donated food during the crisis that arose Thursday when Ocracoke and Hatteras lost power from the severed main electric transmission cables at the Bonner Bridge in Dare County.
Andrea Cody with her husband, Ed, members of the church who spend their time between Ocracoke and Asheville, were on hand to assisting people and answering questions.
The food boxes contain a week’s worth of meals for two people.
“Each box has a mix of proteins, carbs, veggies and fruits. We also have supplemental packs- snack packs with fruit bars and sealed fruit bowls,” Andrea said.
“We can give more boxes depending on how many are in the family,” Andrea said.
The Bread of Life Food Pantry also is accepting food donations, and financial donations can be sent to the church at P.O. Box 68, Ocracoke, NC 27960. Write “Food Pantry” in the memo line.
Overhead Progress: Crews continue to construct the new overhead transmission line today. Lee Electrical Construction is installing the second of three cables needed for the overhead solution. New River Electrical is working to prepare the cables for connections on both ends of the new line, ensuring that transmission restoration will happen as quickly and safely as possible.
Timeframe: The time frame remains at three to five days from now. This includes the time required for testing after all construction is complete and before transmission service can begin.
Next update: More information will be shared this evening.
Both CHEC and Tideland EMC are in daily meetings with their respective county officials to discuss the timing of evacuation order modifications. Until then both Hatteras and Ocracoke islands remain subject to mandatory evacuation orders for non-residents.
Generation & distribution update specific to Ocracoke operations is unchanged from earlier updates.
There will be a generator maintenance outage on the South Circuit at 7:00 pm tonight (Aug 2). The outage will last 15 minutes.
Tideland is now allowing island residents to utilize air conditioning and water heating but may request that those loads be restricted once again depending on daily outdoor temperatures, generator reliability and utility load.
The success of operating the island on generator power depends entirely on everyone heeding our conservation calls when issued.
There is a mandatory evacuation order for visitors to Ocracoke Island and no one will be allowed on the island unless they can prove residency or property ownership. If you have not done so we highly encourage you to sign up for outage text or email messaging.
If you are a visitor to the island simply text TEMC to short code 85700 and then when prompted for an account number text the word Ocracoke and we’ll assign you to the Ocracoke substation group so you will receive island updates. (After you reply with Ocracoke you will receive another text asking for your account number. Just ignore it. We are manually overriding the account number requirement and coding your cell phone number to the proper messaging group. When you want to stop receiving our text messages simply text STOP to short code 85700 and you will be automatically unenrolled in the program.)
An aerial view of the area at the foot of the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge where damage to the electrical cables occurred. Photo by: Jim Chrisman for Tideland EMC
Cape Hatteras Electric Member Cooperative (CHEC) continues to work around the clock to repair the electric transmission cables damaged Thursday (July 27) when the contractor rebuilding the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge sunk a steel casing into two of three underground electric cables causing a blackout on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands.
Thousands of residents and businesses in Hatteras and Ocracoke lost power and tourists were evacuated after the power was cut on July 27 during construction work at new Bonner Bridge. While repairs are being made to the damaged electric cables, both islands are being powered by portable generators that cannot handle full visitor capacity.
The Raleigh News&Observer reported Tuesday that the workers were not using the casing to drive new pilings at the time as previously reported, but were instead moving the casing to a place where it could be stored temporarily, according to Tim Hass, a spokesman for the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Hass said that workers were doing cleanup work at the south end of the bridge.
People from NCDOT were on hand to supervise work at the bridge, as they do on all large projects, Hass told the News&Observer, but they were at the north end of the bridge, where construction was taking place at the time of the accident. Workers used a crane to put the sleeve into the ground, the way someone might stick a shovel in the dirt when it’s not needed.
Hyde County Public Information Officer Donnie Shumate said in an interview on Tuesday that the electric companies are no longer pursuing a third option of finding additional portable generators. “It could be fixed faster than finding a bunch of generators,” he said. Moreover, the engineering involved in syncing several generators is not a simple thing to do.
“If one generator goes down, the whole circuit could blow,” he said. “The more generators you have on a circuit the more unstable they become. It’s not reliable energy.” The companies have everything they need to do the repairs both above and below ground, he added.
“This company doing the overhead project is absolutely amazing,” he said. Heidi Smith, Tideland EMC spokesperson, said Tuesday that Lee Electrical Construction doing the overhead project, is the same company that after Hurricane Arthur hit the island July 4, 2015, replaced 45 downed electric poles along N.C. 12 in 48 hours. New River Construction is working on repairing the submerged cables and she likened the technical skill required to make these repairs to heart surgery.
“The viewing public (on Facebook) is having a contest to see which company will finish its work first,” she said.
These damaged cables are under the oversight of CHEC, which released the following update Tuesday night:
Overhead Solution: After completing installation of the poles required for overhead transmission lines, crews worked quickly to anchor the poles, place guy wires and build the right structures to accommodate other system components. Crews will begin installing the three-phase line tonight. Concurrently, the specialist team will begin prep work for the highly technical and detailed process of connecting the new overhead cables in two places–to the existing underground lines just before the site of the damage and to the existing overhead lines that run the length of Hatteras Island.
Underground Solution: Conditions at the trench continue to present significant challenges. The PCL Construction excavation team has worked hard to dewater the trench via a hydro-vacuum truck, and a well and pump system. However, because of the depth below the water table and the location adjacent to the sound, water continues to seep in. Crews continue their work to make trench conditions safe for the splicing specialists.
Timeframe: Restoring reliable transmission service in the safest, fastest way possible is our priority. CHEC estimates a four-to-six day time frame from now for complete transmission restoration, an improvement from the six-to-ten days it previously reported. This includes the time required for testing after all construction is complete and before transmission service can begin.
CHEC is also working with Dare County officials to coordinate the safe return of visitors as soon as possible and Tideland, EMC is doing the same with Hyde County officials.
A class action lawsuit filed yesterday in Dare County Superior Court against PCL Civil Constructors, Inc. cites PCL’s accelerated schedule for completing replacement of the Bonner Bridge for the catastrophic power outage that occurred Thursday on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands.
Lawyers from Wallace and Graham, a Salisbury law firm that filed the lawsuit, will be at the Ocracoke Coffee Company on Back Road at 1 p.m. today to talk to anyone interested.
Today, Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative estimated the time frame for complete transmission restoration will be six to 10 days. This includes the time required for testing after all construction is complete and before transmission service can begin to the islands again.
Wallace and Graham is working locally with Rose Harrison & Gilreath in Kill Devil Hills. Dennis C. Rose of the KDH firm said today that anyone affected by the outage–including businesses and individuals who booked vacations that were or might be canceled–may call him to talk about their situation at 252-480-1414.
“This power outage could not have happened at a worse time,” Rose said. “We are getting calls from local residents and business owners who have been damaged in a variety of ways.”
The power outage occurred at 4:30 a.m. July 27 when PCL drove a steel casing through underground transmission cables that power Hatteras and Ocracoke islands resulting in a blackout to thousands of residences and businesses in Hatteras and Ocracoke. The ensuing state of emergency prompted a mandatory evacuation of visitors. While repairs are being made to the damaged electric cables, both islands are being powered by portable generators that cannot handle full visitor capacity.
According to the lawsuit, “PCL Civil Constructors, Inc. touts how by using ‘innovative construction methods’ and an ‘accelerated schedule,’ it ‘saved the client $60 million over the other contractor proposals.’ Unfortunately, along with this cost savings came inadequate work to ensure that the power lines which are the lifeblood to these coastal communities would be protected.”
The complaint alleges that in the process of proceeding with the work, the power lines were “negligently and recklessly cut.”
Several Hatteras businesses joined in the suit. Those suing include Briggs McEwan, whose local pizza and home rental business in Rodanthe claims to have lost thousands of dollars already. Another plaintiff, Tami Lynette Gray of Frisco, claims that her charter boating business has suffered significant losses, as well.
PCL Civil Constructors, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of PCL Construction Enterprises, Inc., was hired to replace the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge across Oregon Inlet from Bodie Island to Hatteras Island with an estimated cost of $250 million or more.
According to PCL’s website, “PCL’s offices in Tampa, Seattle and Raleigh tackle virtually any infrastructure work, from highway, airport and port construction, to a main focus on bridge construction.”
Along with the two law firms noted above, other affiliated law firms are The Gilreath Law Firm in Greenville, S.C., and Whetstone Perkins & Fulda in Columbia, S.C.
POWER OUTAGE INFORMATION FROM HYDE COUNTY July 31, 2017
Further testing of the damaged power cables at the Bonner Bridge indicates that only two of the three underground transmission cables sustained damage in the Thursday morning accident which cut the main power to all of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, Hyde County announced today.
The underground cables owned by Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative (CHEC) were damaged when PCL Construction, the contractors building the new Bonner Bridge, accidentally drove a steel piling through it. Earlier reports had said all three cables had been damaged.
In a press release issued this afternoon by Donnie Shumate, Hyde County public information officer, CHEC is pursuing two simultaneous solutions to restore main-line transmission service, but the timeline for a complete repair ranges from one to two weeks.
Crews erected seven of the 10 new transmission poles necessary to establish an alternative overhead transmission line. Photo courtesy of CHEC
According to information on the Tideland EMC website, excavation and dewatering continue at the damage site. Two of the three cables have been uncovered. The first was severed and has been spliced back together. Tests on the second cable indicate that it was not compromised.
Crews are close to reaching the third cable, but because of the complex dewatering process, conditions have been challenging. PCL Construction will continue to excavate the trench through tonight.
Early Monday morning, workers began efforts on the second solution, which requires building a new overhead transmission line that will run from the south end of the Bonner Bridge to meet CHEC’s existing overhead transmission line.
Restoring permanent transmission service as quickly and safely as possible is CHEC’s top priority and workers are aggressively pursuing both solutions to determine which will be completed first.
To read Tideland’s information and to view photos of the excavation and repair work, click here.
Today at the Community Center, Hyde County officials will be available to discuss and answer questions on the economic impact of the power outage.
The Health Dept. will distribute fresh produce and offer assistance and information on WIC, a nutrition program for women, infants, and children . The Salvation Army will distribute meals. The Dept. of Social Services will offer information and assistance on available social services benefits; the Economic and Planning office will offer information on unemployment benefits, collect information from businesses on economic loss and take information on any unmet needs. Emergency Services, and the county manager’s office also will be on hand. A Spanish interpreter will be available.
After the outreach session, the community is invited to a free dinner starting at 5 p.m. in the Pony Island Motel parking lot. Picnic tables will be set up across the street at the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Dept.
The menu includes BBQ, hamburgers, coleslaw, chips, fruit, water and tea all graciously donated by friends of Hyde County.
As for power on Ocracoke, the three emergency mobile generators that Tideland EMC installed on the island continue to provide power for the residents.
The permanent 3-megawatt generator on the island was damaged at the onset of the power outage and was unusable prompting the acquisition of three emergency mobile generators, which arrived Thursday and Friday.
Emergency mobile generators brought in by Tideland EMC. Photo: P. Vankevich
North Carolina EMC which owns the permanent generator, has begun repairs.
Tideland, which provides electricity to the island and installed the temporary generators, said an occasional maintenance outage is to be expected from time to time but their goal is to keep them brief. While residents may use air conditioning and water heating, depending on daily outdoor temperatures, generator reliability and utility load, these loads may be restricted
The success of operating the island on generator power depends entirely on everyone heeding their conservation calls when issued. Residents are asked to adhere to any instructions sent in Tideland’s text message alerts.
“We would like to thank Tideland EMC and their employees for their continued support during this crisis,” Shumate said.
The mandatory evacuation of visitors from Ocracoke Island will remain in effect until an adequate power supply can be provided to support them.
The U.S. Coast Guard is actively patrolling Silver Lake Harbor and the National Park Service is monitoring their docks to ensure no unauthorized reentry occurs. Only individuals who are Ocracoke residents, seasonal residents, non-resident property owners, vendors, and emergency personnel who display a valid re-entry pass, or who possess some form of documentation proving residency and/or employment, will be allowed access to the island. Any seasonally employed residents that are having issues producing documentation to gain access to the island should call 252-926-4374 for assistance.
All renters should be aware that, pursuant to Article 6 of Chapter 42A-36 of the North Carolina General Statues, travel insurance claims may be made when a claimant is complying with a mandatory evacuation. Renters are urged to contact their insurance companies about claims.
As for the ferries, the Ferry Division is operating on their winter schedule for all routes to and from Ocracoke. They will resume operating on the normal summer schedule once the evacuation order is lifted.
All tolls have been waived for routes between Ocracoke, Swan Quarter and Cedar Island.
Updated schedule can be found here. For questions about ferry reservations, cancellations, or refunds, contact the Ferry Division at 252-928-5311.
Hyde County also thanks the NC DOT Ferry Division and their employees for their assistance in the evacuation of the island and their continued support in getting much-needed supplies to the citizens of Ocracoke.
Calling all island musicians and Mr. Lou’s music students
You are invited to join us to make some music on Tuesday, Aug. 1, (tomorrow) in the form of an Open Mic. We are doing it at the Coyote Music Den in Community Square from 6 to 8 p.m. so we can use daylight instead of lights inside. We’ll also not use A/C and open all the doors and windows.
This is a free for everyone event!
Bring your instrument(s) and sign-up starting at 5 p.m. for one-song slots. Lou and I (and hopefully a bunch of other musicians) will be there to back you up on any instrument/vocal if you want. There will be a keyboard. We have 20 slots and we’ll stop at 8 p.m.
We will set up some sound reinforcement for vocals at least and broadcast it for free on Concert Window (http://www.concertwindow.com/coyote).
Coyote : Lou Castro and Marcy Brenner performing on Ocracoke. Photo by P. Vankevich
A beautiful day but empty streets on Ocracoke, N.C., tell the tale of the power outage impacting residents and vacationers in the lower part of the Outer Banks. Photo: C. Leinbach
Cape Hatteras EMC and Tideland EMC announced today that the worst-case scenario for Ocracoke and Hatteras has occurred—all three lines of the main power transmission cables were severed early Thursday morning.
This happened when PCL Construction, the contractors building the new Bonner Bridge, accidentally drove a steel piling through the underground cable at the southern end at the Oregon Inlet early Thursday morning. That cable powers all of Hatteras and Ocracoke.
As a result of the power outage, mandatory evacuation remains in effect for all visitors to Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands until an adequate power supply can be provided to support them.
Only individuals who are Ocracoke residents, seasonal residents, non-resident property owners, vendors and emergency personnel who display a valid re-entry pass, or who possess some form of documentation proving residency and/or employment, will be allowed access to the island.
Bill Rich, Hyde County manager, who is on the Ocracoke Advisory Control Group that has been meeting two times daily since the outage occurred, said after this morning’s meeting that the electric companies are looking at three options:
One is to repair the cable; the second one is to find replacement cable of about 300 yards.
Simultaneously, all are now trying to accomplish the third option, which is to bring in approximately 15 additional portable generators onto Hatteras to power both islands enough so that visitors can come back.
The severed power cable at the foot of the Bonner Bridge. It powers all of Hatteras and Ocracoke. Photo courtesy of Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative.
“They have to find them first,” Rich said about the generators following the meeting. “The state is helping.” He does not know how long this will take.
Powered by CHEC, Hatteras Island is working under their five generators though under normal conditions, both islands are served by the three-phase cable that was severed.
On Thursday, Tideland EMC brought in a 1-megawatt, diesel-fueled generator that began powering the lighthouse area of the island later that night. On Friday, two additional 2-megawatt generators arrived from Atlanta to power the other two island circuits.
By Saturday afternoon, the entire island had received power, but residents were restricted to using it only for refrigerators and fans to see how much of a load they drew. Those businesses being powered by generators were asked to stay on them for the time being.
This morning, Tideland EMC, which powers Ocracoke, announced that all residents could use electric for any purpose and businesses could go off their generators..
Rich said that of the 5 megawatts available from the three portable generators, the island now is drawing 40 percent. Tideland wants to see how much additional electricity they can accommodate.
In the high season when the island is full, as it was Thursday, Rich said the island draws about 8 megawatts.
The N.C. Ferry Division has announced that the Hatteras/Ocracoke, Cedar Island and Swan Quarter ferry schedules have been cut back until the mandatory evacutions order has been lifted. To see the current schedule, clickhere.
Meanwhile, local businesses have lost thousands of dollars a day, as have their employees in wages.
“August and September are my biggest times,” said Anna Rucker, owner of The Sunglass Shop. “People cancelling their vacations will affect me long-term.”
Darlene Styron, owner of the Sweet Tooth/Fig Tree Bakery, has two generators to keep her provisions cold, but on Saturday, she was giving away her prepared foods—salads and baked goods—to residents and for the Meals on Wheels program.
“I don’t want to throw it out,” she said.
Styron, who also is an insurance agent, noted that businesses’ insurance policies may not cover these losses since the outage was not due to a natural disaster.
Eduardo Perez, owner of Eduardo’s Taco Stand beside the Variety Store, lost all of his food since he didn’t have a generator to refrigerate it.
Pattie Johnson Plyler, manager of the Ocracoke Seafood Co., said they may be open tomorrow selling what they have including crab meat.
Farris O’Neal said this is peak time for his businesses comprising of parasailing, charter fishing and boat rentals. “I was nearly 100 percent booked for the next two weeks,” he said. His commercial Native Seafood business will try to be open tomorrow.
Judy Eifert, co-owner with her husband Doug of Dajio Restaurant, couldn’t say how much per day the restaurant has lost but estimated it in the thousands and more in the food they had to throw out because they don’t have a generator to power the coolers.
“The freezer was OK, but we had a tremendous amount of food loss,” she said. “It took us two days to clean it all out.”
The ATM at the First National Bank on Irvin Garrish Highway is down due to the power outage, but ATMs in the Variety Store and Ocracoke Station are working. Photo: C. Leinbach
Then there’s all the time the employees had to put in prepping the food, plus the farmers that grew it and then the wages the employees lost.
“They’re the ones I’m worried about,” she said. Down the road, she might get something back from insurance, but the employees might not. “It’s heartbreaking,” she said.
But as soon as full power is restored and visitors are allowed back, Dajio will reopen.
“You can’t think too far ahead in the restaurant business,” she said. “We’re taking it day-to-day. We still have the rest of the season.”
Ocracoke Oyster Co., which has an industrial generator, turned it off this morning after they got the message from Tideland and went on island power.
“We’re groovy,” said co-owner Janille Turner.
They’re open today until 8 or 9 p.m. and will be open during the week from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 to 8 p.m.
Off-island music bands have been canceled since they can’t get here.
Dave Tolson, manager of the island’s water plant, said the visitor evacuation helps reduce the energy used to pump the 250,000 to 300,000 gallons a day that’s used when the island is at full capacity.
The water plant had been operating on its own diesel generator since Thursday, but now can go back to using Tideland-supplied electricity.
Additional hardships for the community were the ATM machine at First National Bank being out-of-order and that the back-up generator for WOVV 90.1 FM, Ocracoke’s community radio, failed at start-up and is currently off the air. An assessment will be made tomorrow to see how it can be back on-air. Frequent power cut-offs, even for short periods, cause problems to broadcasting including online at wovv.org.
David Scott Esham, owner of the Pony Island Motel, said he didn’t even want to think about how much he’s losing per day during this crisis.
“You don’t get this back,” he said about the lost high-season revenue. “In two more weeks, it drops off.”
Some of the seasonal employees hired by local companies have decided to leave, said Styron, adding that will be a problem when the power comes back on and visitors return.
Paula and Michael Schramel, owners of the Flying Melon Café, are happy they purchased a generator this winter that kicked in when the power went out Thursday.
They are remaining open tonight and again Thursday through Sunday.
Paula also said her seasonal employees are worried about whether they will continue to have work in the next few weeks.
“I want to keep people employed,” she said.
With only a few more weeks left in the high season, delays in full electric service of a week or more will aggravate what is already an economic disaster, not to mention the hardship on both the visitors forced to leave and those visitors who will not be able to make it, at least for a week or very possibly more.
Whether there will be some financial compensation for lost revenue remains to be seen.
–Peter Vankevich contributed to this story.
On a beautiful Sunday morning, Ocracoke United Methodist Church held their service outside. Photo by Jeremy Piland
Ocracoke is a pretty good island to see a family of wading birds known as herons, egrets and bitterns. Twelve species are possible, though two are rare; the Reddish Egret that occasionally strays from its range in the South and the secretive Least Bittern.
The Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea), can be seen primarily from spring into early fall.
These herons nest in trees and thick bushes, sometimes in small colonies including other herons, or they may have solitary nests. Unlike the other birds in this family, they are more tolerant of human activity and may nest in neighborhoods if they find a location that can conceal their nest. For the past two summers at least, they have nested in the backyards of village houses.
By far, their preferred prey is crustaceans, crabs along the coast and crayfish inland, but they will also feed on insects, fish and lizards and amphibians. Highly sedentary foragers, they will wait patiently or move slowly then suddenly lunge with its bill to capture its prey, swallowing it whole, or if it is a large crab, thrash it into pieces. Like owls, any indigestible material, such as crab shells, is ejected in a pellet.
Their arrival on Ocracoke in the spring coincides when crabs come into season, especially when the fiddler crabs emerge from their burrows. Particularly from mid-summer into fall, they will hunt the abundant fiddler crabs along the sandy roads of the island.
Yellow-crowned Night Herons are found only in the Americas–from South America and the Caribbean as far north as Connecticut. Inland, their range extends from the Gulf Coast up to middle reaches of Mississippi River and eastward to the coast.
Throughout their range, they are most likely to be seen on barrier and bay islands, and inland in swamps, forested wetlands, lakes, rivers and creeks. After heavy rains, they may be seen foraging on lawns and in plowed fields.
In spite of their name, these birds they are active in both day and night. During breeding season, their peak feeding times are early morning and night.
Their call is a loud squawk.
Black-crowned Night Heron
Ocracoke also is home to the Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax). This shorter stockier bird with an all-black head is far more common and may be seen here throughout the year. Primarily nocturnal, these birds can be seen in flight from sunset into the night and sometimes roosting on the pilings in Silver Lake.
Distinguishing the two adult night-herons in the field is relatively easy.
The adult plumage of the Yellow-crowned Night Heron consists of a black head and pale crown and white cheek patch. The neck and body are bluish gray. Their overall appearance can vary depending on their posture. When the neck is crouched it appears to be short and stocky. When they extend their long neck, they take on a more slender and graceful appearance.
Adult Black-crowned Night-Herons have a pale body and face, gray wings, and a blueish-black crown and back. In breeding season both sexes have long plumes.
Immature Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Immature (or juvenile) yellow-crowns are brown with fine, buffy spots on the back and wings and pale streaky underparts. The bill is black.
Immature black-crowns are more chunky with a shorter neck and legs and the wings have large white spots on a brown back. The bill of a juvenile is dark on top and green to yellowish on the bottom, the lores are sometimes a greenish color.
Listen :
Listen:
(audio provided courtesy of OhioLINK Digital Resource Commons)
When to see: In early spring to fall.
Where: Springer’s Point, along South Point Road and the sandy roads on island where they feed on fiddler crabs, and shallow parts on the sound side. They nest in the village, but are concealed.
Clickherefor the Birds of the Outer Banks checklist.
Update, Sunday, 4:15 p.m. The N.C, Ferry Division just announced that the Pamilico Sound ferry schedules have also been revised, effective Monday, July 31. They are posted below.
HATTERAS –With the mandatory evacuation of Ocracoke visitors complete, the N.C. Department of Transportation Ferry Division will adopt an alternate schedule on the Hatteras-Ocracoke route beginning Sunday (July 30). The Swan Quarter-Ocracoke and Cedar Island-Ocracoke routes will remain on their regular schedules.
As of 2 p.m.Saturday, the North Carolina Ferry System had evacuated 3,782 people and 1,485 vehicles from the island since the evacuation order went into effect Thursday evening. Traffic at ferry terminals is now extremely light and Hyde County Emergency officials report that a vast majority of visitors have complied with the order.
Starting Sunday, the Hatteras-Ocracoke route will be as follows:
From Hatteras: 5 a.m., 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, noon, 1 p.m., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, and midnight.
From Ocracoke:4:30 a.m., 6:30, 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, and 11:30, 12:30 p.m., 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:30,6:30, 7:30, 9:30, 10:30 and 12:30 a.m.
Visitors are reminded that Hyde County’s mandatory evacuation order for visitors remains in effect.
Only residents, property owners, emergency workers, vendors and critical infrastructure personnel with Ocracoke re-entry documentation will be allowed onto Ocracoke-bound ferries. Law enforcement officers will be on hand at ferry terminals to enforce the re-entry restrictions.
The Hatteras-Ocracoke route will resume its regular summer schedule when the evacuation order is lifted.
Here is the scheule for the Ocracoke Cedar Island and Swan Quarter ferry in effect to the mandatory evacuation order is lifted.
RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED on Cedar Island and Swan Quarter ferries.
