  The
wildlife on these Outer Banks is one of the great attractions
for visitors. There are wild
horses which have roamed here since the earliest explorers
and shipwrecks. Sea turtles come ashore to lay eggs, and dolphins
play in the sounds. Monarch butterflies swarm through the area
migrating to south Florida and beyond. Migratory birds come and
go, taking advantage of the myriad of wildlife refuges and protected
park areas all along North Carolina's coastline.
Dolphins are a popular interest for Outer
Banks visitors. Bottlenose dolphins can be found in
the ocean and sounds along
the Outer Banks. Some places offer dolphin cruises that give you
a good chance to see dolphins while enjoying a pleasant boat ride.
Normally these cruises are only available during the summer tourist
season.
The
three photos above were taken from the beach at Cape Point,
Hatteras, in late February. This group of Dolphin was spotted
moving south
just off the beach south of the lighthouse. They made their
way around the point and frolicked in the cove just west of
the point.
  If
you are lucky, you may spot dolphins while on one of the ferrys.
These two photos were taken about sunset, while crossing Pamlico
Sound on the Cedar Island ferry. Several dolphin were spotted surfacing south
of the ferry, then north of the ferry, then back south again.
Then they seemed to disappear for a few minutes until someone
spotted
them riding the ferry's bow wave. The ferry's forward deck
extends several feet out over the bow, so the bow itself is
not visible,
even when leaning as far as possible over the railing. But
by pre-focusing his camera, and holding it at arms length over
the side, the author
was able to capture a shot of one dolphin as it shot out
of the bow wave to take air.
 |
| An
Osprey photographed near the Whalehead Club, Corolla,
brings home a fish. |
 Without
question, the most visible wildlife on the Outer Banks is certainly
the bird population. Gulls, terns, geese, ducks, pelicans,
egrets, cranes, plovers and other shore birds are a constant
presence. The many songbirds flitting about in the pine forests,
shrubs and
marsh grasses of this coastal habitat are a bit less noticeable,
unless you are paying close attention, but they are plentiful
and varied. In fact, coastal North Carolina, with its plethora
of protected
wild habitats, is one of the hottest spots in the world for
bird watchers.
  Brown Pelicans are
quite plentiful, usually seen skimming the waves and diving
for fish. Sunrise can be a great time to watch their graceful
moves,
and sudden kamikaze dives. They will often hang around fish
cleaning stations at piers and marinas, scavenging the leftovers
from fishermen's
catches.
Gulls
and terns are
everywhere, of course. If you throw bread crumbs, or Cheerios,
or other such edibles into the air behind the ferries, or at a
marina, you can draw a flock of them like a magnet. But before
you do that, consider the visitors around you. Some folks aren't
as fond of gulls as others. They can be boisterous, noisy and obnoxious,
and so can the gulls.
  Great
Blue Herons, Tricolored Herons, Great Egrets,
Little Egrets and Snowy Egrets are plentiful as well. The herons
are more difficult to spot than the Great Egrets, and seem
less inclined to hang around where there is human activity.
It is a
common sight to see Great Egrets and Little Egrets feeding
in marshy ditches along roads, seemingly quite indifferent
to the traffic
which passes by them.
  Ducks,
geese, cormorants,
plovers, sandpipers, avocets, ibis and many other kinds of shore
birds abound here. Many ducks and geese winter in the protected
habitats afforded by national
and state refuges and parks all along the coast. Pea Island
National Refuge is a good place to view wintering species. |
