Birds of Ocracoke: Cooper’s Hawk
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By Peter Vankevich
From fall into winter is the best time to see hawks...
Spotted on Ocracoke: The cannonball jellyfish
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By Peter Vankevich
In the last few weeks someone walking along Ocracoke’s beaches, especially at Springer’s...
Rescued Bald Eagle had lead poisoning
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By Rita Thiel
Bald Eagles are exciting to see but one of these visitors on...
Fiddlers in the sand
Text and photos by Peter Vankevich
From mid-to-late summer into early fall when walking Ocracoke Island’s sandy trails and along sound-side areas such as Molasses...
Ask the Observer: Which jellyfish or jelly?
From Greg Klein
This photo was taken at Springer’s Point. I think it is a jellyfish, but I am not sure. There were a few...
Sonya Allen: Communicating through art
By Peter Vankevich
For many people, creating art is therapeutic, a nice respite from the many demands and challenges of daily life.
What is depicted...
The five sea turtles of the Outer Banks
This is a supplement to an earlier feature on the nesting success of sea turtles.
By Peter Vankevich
Worldwide, there are only seven species of...
Ocracoke’s frogs love a summer evening rainstorm
By Peter Vankevich
Photos by Jeff Beane
After spring and summer rains on Ocracoke, the nighttime frog symphony begins.
This phenomenon was noted in the May...
Released balloons: the scourge of the beach and seas
This is the first of a series of stories regarding the ecological and economic harm of marine debris.
By Peter Vankevich and Caroline Branan
The magnitude...
Birds of Ocracoke: The Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
By Peter Vankevich
Ocracoke is a pretty good island to see a family of wading birds known as herons, egrets and bitterns. Twelve species are...