Death of a Royal Tern
By Peter VankevichComing across a dead wild animal is not fun. But death is part of nature. In the case of birds, a small...
A rare White-winged Tern’s surprise visit to the Outer Banks
Text by Peter Vankevich
Photos by Hal Broadfoot
The Outer Banks is famous for its bird life. Over the years, about 400 species have been sighted....
Birds of Ocracoke: the Red Knot
By Peter Vankevich
The number of shorebirds that winter along the beach on Ocracoke varies from year to year.
Some years, Red Knots can be seen...
Spotted: The ghosts of Ocracoke
An earlier version of this article appeared in the July 2008 Ocracoke Observer.
Text and photos by Peter Vankevich
No, this is probably not one of...
Replanting the island to save Ocracoke for the future
By Pat Garber
When Hurricane Dorian devastated Ocracoke, flooding houses and cars and destroying yards, the number of trees that uprooted and broke was mind-boggling.
The...
Birds of Ocracoke: The Savannah Sparrow
By Peter Vankevich
The Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) is one of the most common sparrows throughout much of North America, but on Ocracoke, it is only...
Cold-stunned sea turtles rescued on Ocracoke
By Peter Vankevich
Jan. 27, 2020
The recent cold weather affected many sea turtles that are still in the waters surrounding the Outer Banks.
The Island Free...
Springer’s Point Preserve re-opens after Hurricane Dorian
To read a photo essay on Springer's Point, click here
From the Coastal Land Trust
Although the Coastal Land Trust’s Springer’s Point Preserve reopened to the...
Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count post-Hurricane Dorian
To see the news stories produced by WCTI-TV, click here and here.
By Peter Vankevich
It takes about a half-hour by boat from Ocracoke’s Silver Lake harbor...
The many atmospheric moods of Springer’s Point
Text and photos by Peter Vankevich
Springer’s Point Preserve, located at the edge of Ocracoke village, has more than 120 acres of maritime forest, tidal...