A wreck of little auks
By Peter Vankevich
The cold open waters off Newfoundland may not seem like an ideal location to spend the winter. But it is for...
Snow Buntings highlight Ocracoke Christmas Bird Count
By Peter Vankevich
In the predawn of Dec. 30, several vehicles pulled into the Variety Store parking lot. With a few brief conversations and the...
Late green sea turtle nest suffers overwash; nesting status not yet...
By Peter Vankevich
Just as the Outer Banks stunned-turtle patrols are gearing up as the weather gets colder, there is one remaining outlier from...
Christmas Bird Counts set for Dec. 29 & 30
The Ocracoke and Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Counts, normally held on the last two days of the year, will be modified.
This is because the...
Ocracoke region bird nesting for 2023 another mixed success
Text and photos by Peter Vankevich
Seeing birds such as Brown Pelicans flying over the waves or diving for fish, Royal terns with their...
Another good year for nesting sea turtles including leatherback
By Peter VankevichNorth Carolina’s approximately 330 miles of ocean-facing sandy beaches provides prime nesting habitat for five species of sea turtle: loggerheads, green, Kemp’s...
Can Ocracoke support monarch butterfly-friendly gardens?
By Peter Vankevich
When an animal is part of a sustained news cycle, it frequently is not good news.
The monarch butterfly is one of them....
More than birds spotted during weekly bird walk
By Lynn Ingram
Why is a willet a willet?
How fast is a ghost crab?
Who eats sea turtles?
Answers to those questions, and a buffet of others,...
Nest platform may attract a different kind of islander: Ospreys
Text and photos by Peter Vankevich
Just off the NCCAT campus in the Pamlico Sound is a new structure.
Though it has a striking appearance, it...
The Birds of Ocracoke The Gull-billed Tern
Text and photos by Peter Vankevich
The terns of Ocracoke Island can reliably be seen flying along its coastal waters and loafing on the beach....