Paddling Alligator River

Monday morning we woke up a little earlier and got all packed up and took off at about 9. We headed to Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge for our kayaking tour with Kitty Hawk Kites and we had to be there by 10. Driving through the refuge on US-64, we turned onto Buffalo City Road. It was pretty easy to find as there is a sign before the turn. Driving down this road, I couldn’t help but think the name was peculiar – it was so desolate here, nothing could be further form a city. We got to the end of the road and parked on the side for vehicles without trailers.

In a few minutes, our tour guide arrived. His name was Tyler and he was a great guide. Sandy and I are in the market for kayaks and he took a lot of time throughout the tour to answer our questions and offer suggestions for buying a boat. He was very knowledgeable about the cultural and natural history of the area. It turns out that at one time, there was a logging town here, Buffalo City. It was once the largest town in Dare County. After World War II, it was mostly abandoned and the land was reclaimed by the swamp, so that there is almost no trace of the city left. From the boat ramp, we paddled to Milltail Creek and turned right, following the yellow-blazed trail. The creek is pretty wide open here and we could see a lot of birds. Tyler pointed out a noisy kingfisher and we saw a couple turtles sunning themselves on logs, despite the chilly weather. Then we headed back and followed the red-blazed trail that makes a loop.

This trail departs from Milltail Creek and follows a very narrow stream towards Sawyer Lake. The swampy forest here was beautiful and the water was so calm, it looked like a mirror, perfectly reflecting that trees and plants. When we got to Sawyer Lake, Tyler told us that as the logging industry in the area was dying off, a new one started up – moonshine. Bootleggers would often hide moonshine in the swamp and it’s rumored that there’s still a lot hidden under the murky waters.

We finished up the loop back at the boat ramp and got out of our boats. We helped Tyler load the boats back onto the trailer and talked for a while longer about kayaks and then said goodbye. We went back to Nags Head and had Mexican for lunch, then went to Jockey’s Ridge State Park. We spent a lot of the day sitting in the car and sitting in a kayak, so I wanted to get a hike in to stretch my legs.

We hiked the Tracks in the Sand Trail over the dunes to the sound and back. The name is appropriate as it isn't really a trail, but rather a path through the dunes.

Markers on posts in the ground direct hikers in the general direction of the trail. Down by the sound, the trail winds through a scrub forest and its a bit more of trail for this part. The skies were cloudy and the late afternoon sun made beautiful colors through the clouds.

From the sound, we hiked back out of the forest and followed the posts back to the visitor center to finish our short hike.

Then we started making our way home. It was getting late in the afternoon and we wanted to stop back in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and try to see a bear. We drove around on the Wildlife Drive and saw more swans in the flooded fields, but no bear. Maybe next time. We got back on US-64 just as the sun was going down and made our way back to Raleigh.

Aquarium on a Rainy Day

Sunday morning was rainy and very windy, so we had a relaxing morning around the house. We ate breakfast and chatted with D for a while and then took showers. As lunch time came around, we headed off to Manteo on Roanoke Island and went to the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. A very good activity for a rainy day at the beach. The wind was so strong, our car was actually getting blown crossing the bridge on the bridge.

We toured around the aquarium for a couple of hours checking out all the exhibits.

The focus of this aquarium is diversity of life that lives in the Outer Banks and surrounding waters, from the freshwater lakes and rivers, to estuarine sounds, to the open oceans.

It's a rather small aquarium and doesn't have exhibits of fish from every corner of the world.

But by focusing just on native creatures in nearby waters, it provides visitors with a deeper appreciation for life close to home.

And the diversity of life in this small section of the world is absolutely amazing.

We saw frogs, toads, lizards, venomous snakes, alligators, river otters, and an amazing number of beautiful fish, including wrasses and sea horses.

They even have a "touch tank" where visitors can pet a few sea creatures, such as stingrays and horseshoe crabs. Towards the end, we watched a fish feeding in the Open Oceans exhibit, with the largest collection of sharks in North Carolina.

The sharks are fed separately – this was a feeding for the other fish. But of course, you can’t really stop a hungry shark. After the feeding, we browsed the gift store and then headed back towards Nags Head. For dinner, we stopped at Outer Banks Brewing Station. This brewpub is wind powered. And on a windy day like today, it looked like the turbine was going to take off. I had a burger and a Yuletide IPA to drink and Sandy had crab legs. Any time we go to the beach, Sandy has to have her crab legs. She really liked them from the brewpub, so this was somewhere we’d have to come back to. After dinner, it stopped raining and the sky finally cleared up a bit. We headed back to the house and watched movies and drank beers with D and his dogs.

Pocosin Lakes

I had to use up some PTO from work, so for the last weekend of the year, Sandy and I headed out to the Outer Banks for some hiking and wildlife photography. We left before 6 Saturday morning and made our way east along US-64 towards our first destination – Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. The sun was coming up as we reached Plymouth and took NC-45 towards the entrance to the Pungo Lake unit of the refuge. From the turn off NC-45, we took Refuge Road to the maintenance compound and turned left on Van Staaldulnen Road. At the end we turned right on South Pungo Road and then left on Hyde Park Road. At this time of year when the migratory waterfowl are in the refuge, this is the only route to Pungo Lake. The other roads are gated. If you are visiting, I would highly recommend bringing a map from the Fish & Wildlife Service that shows which roads are open and which are closed. It would be easy to get lost in the refuge with all the gated roads and Google Maps or GPS are of no real help. At the end of Hyde Park Road, we stopped at the Pungo Lake Observation Platform and Charles Kuralt Trail Site and got our first view of Pungo Lake.

There were a tremendous amount of tundra swans on the lake and even though they were mostly on the other side of the lake, the sounds of their honking was quite loud. We got some pictures from here and then drove to down South Lake Road to the trailhead for Duck Pen Wildlife Trail. This half-mile trail follows a gravel road out to Pungo Lake Observation Point, a photo blind on the lake.

We were a little closer to the birds from here and got some pictures hidden from view. Although there were a lot of birds here, I don’t think it had quite peaked yet.

I did manage to get some nice pictures, including a few of the swans running along the surface of the water as they took flight.

We headed back along the trail and Sandy saw something move in the distance. Bears are very common in the refuge, but using the zoom lens, I could see this was a deer.

We walked ahead especially carefully, but as we got closer, she took off into the swamp. From here, we left the refuge and got back on the highway.

It was getting towards lunch time by now and we had woken up very early, so we headed to Pettigrew State Park and had lunch in the picnic area.

We walked down to the boat dock on Lake Phelps and could hear the swans, but they were quite far away.

So we hiked along the Moccasin Trail west to the overlook to try and get a better look. This trail runs along the north shore of the lake, but there is a dense swampy forest between the trail and the lake, which blocked views of the lake for most of the trail.

There were a couple of openings with views of the lake and some very large cypress trees. But these openings were few and far between. In a couple of places along the trail, the flora is so dense, it creates a completely covered tunnel to hike through.

In just under three miles, we reached the Moccasin Overlook.

A boardwalk leads from the trail out to the lake through a beautiful swamp of bald cypress trees draped in Spanish moss.

At the overlook, we were a bit closer to the swans, but still a good ways.

We rested for a bit at the overlook and got some pictures of the swans and the beautiful trees and Spanish moss and then headed back.

From here, we headed to the rest of the way to the Outer Banks. Just over the bridge, we stopped in Nags Head at Wings. Normally, they’re a bit overpriced, but in the off season, everything was 50% off or more so we picked up some bathing suits and beach hats that we won’t have to buy this season when they’re much more expensive. I called D, our Airbnb host, and told him we would be on the way. We checked in with him, unpacked our stuff, and chatted for a bit. Then we headed into town to Pigman’s Bar-B-Que for dinner. We both had pulled pork and it was very good. After dinner, we got to bed early after a very long day.

Rod's Umstead Ruins Hike 2013

Today, I joined Rod for his annual Umstead Ruins hike, highlighting the history of William B. Umstead State Park. The forecast was for a dreary day, but the rain wasn’t supposed to start until around lunch time. We all met up at the Reedy Creek entrance to the park and started hiking shortly after 8. Our hike began along the Company Mill Trail and our first stop was just shortly after passing the intersection with Inspiration Trail. Rod pointed out a couple of rock piles just a few meters off the trail. Old homesteads used to be here and children would help dig up rocks after school. Farming was difficult here because the land was so rocky and everyone had to help out. The rocky soil conditions and hilly terrain led to poor farming outcomes and was one of the main reasons the federal government bought up the land to make a park. We continued on the trail to the footbridge across Crabtree Creek, which was put in place by helicopter, and turned right and made our next stop at the old Company Mill. Here, Joe met up with the group. He had lived here as a boy until age 8 when the federal government bought up the land to make a park. As a former resident, Joe could provide an interesting first-person perspective on the park’s past. The Company Mill and dam were built in 1810 and used to mill wheat and corn. It was also a social site, where people in the community would gather. But the mill washed out in a flood and all that remains are the ruins and the mill stone.

Next, we headed off trail a bit up a hill away from Crabtree Creek, where Rod showed us an old magazine that was built to store explosives. The small brick structure was intended to absorb the force of an explosion if the material unexpectedly blew up. Next, we headed to the northwest and stopped at the old homestead of Joe’s childhood house, just up the hill from Crabtree Creek. Joe showed us an old spring that he had once gotten water from. Nearby was a small stream that his mother had washed clothes in, since this was before washing machines. Next, we started following an old roadbed, which was Mill Road at one time, and headed to Camp Craggy, an old boy scout camp.

A nearby pond had been built for swimming and at one time, there were diving boards on the shore. Local residents would use the area for recreation when scouts weren't using the camp. We went up the stone stairs to the circle where scouts had once met. Openings in the circle indicated the four cardinal directions. Surprisingly, we saw a black racer snake hiding among the stones. It seemed to have been too cold recently for snakes to still be out. We continued on the old roadbed, stopping at another old homestead.

There was what's left of a very old car here, probably a Model T or Model A. Joe and Rod also pointed out the location of an old tobacco barn. Nothing was left of the barn, but we could see the remains of a stone structure where fire was used to cure the tobacco. Joe told us the barn had burned down before before the land had been bought to make a park. From here, we headed to Reedy Creek Trail and hiked off trail from here to an interesting site, although not one of human history. There’s a huge boulder just a quarter-mile off the main trail.

We stopped here for a couple of minutes to climb around on the boulder and take pictures. Then, we continued a short ways further to Company Mill Trail and turned left, stopping almost immediately at another old homestead. This one is right off the popular Company Mill Trail and I wondered how many people walk past it without realizing it was there.

I had certainly hiked past it countless times unaware what was right next to the trail. Continuing on Company Mill Trial, we took the spur trail and stopped at the bridge over Sycamore Creek. Although there weren’t any signs of the homestead that was here, it belonged to an important woman named Genevieve, who was a school teacher and was instrumental in bringing special education to Wake County. This was Joe’s last stop; he was getting tired and took off. We continued on up Graylyn Trail and turned into the woods to see the remains of the log cabin theater.

Genevieve had worked to get the theater built and it was very nice for its time. Unfortunately, it was only in use for a short time before the federal government bought out the land. It was starting to rain at this point. We got back on Graylyn Trail and cut through the open field at the power line right of way and stopped to see a lot of artifacts. These looked a lot more modern that what we had seen earlier, like dishwashers. This land was not originally part of the park and a house was built here in the 1950s. Later, the park acquired the land and tore down the house but left the artifacts. We stopped by another similar newer homestead with just a chimney remaining of the house.

But the artifacts here included a wheel and a very old lawnmower.

We got back on Graylyn Trail and continued to the King Family Cemetery, stopping right before at a huge oak tree, which was used as a cider press. It was starting to really rain now, so our stops were getting shorter. We stopped briefly at King Cemetery, and then headed back on Graylyn Trail. We had a quick lunch at the Sycamore Creek Bridge and many people opted to head back. But a few of us were staying for the entire hike. We stopped briefly at the locations of a few more homesteads as we got back on Reedy Creek Trail. We took a quick detour through the woods and stopped at the location of the CCC headquarters when they were building the park.  All that’s left are foundations of some of the buildings and an old well that once had a water tower. Then, we got back on Reedy Creek Trail and took Reedy Creek Lake Trail back towards the parking lot. Along the way, we got off the trail and found an old homestead that was just off the trail. No one was sure who had lived here, but certainly some family had. We would need to come back another time when it wasn’t raining and try to figure out the story behind this one.

Snowy Owl at Cape Hatteras

From here, we took US-264 to US-64 and crossed over to the Outer Banks. Heading south on NC-12 we crossed Pea Island and on to Hatteras Island. Allie had told us that the snowy owl was last spotted in the Buxton Woods area in Cape Hatteras National Seashore near the Lighthouse so that’s where we headed. Finding the owl would be a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. A single bird among the thousands of sea gulls and other birds across miles of sandy beaches and dunes would be very tough to find. Almost immediately, we saw a deer in the Cape Point Campground here, but she was not our target.

We felt a bit hopeless. How would we ever manage to find it? But soon, we saw a group of people heading back from the beach with lots of camera gear. Talking to these folks, we learned that we were in the right area.

The owl was along the beach near the dunes in between the 44 and 45 beach access ramps. We headed to the beach and started looking. We weren’t having any luck and saw someone walking their dogs towards the shore and suspected the dogs spooked the owl. We met several other people on the beach who were also looking for the owl, but none of us were having luck. Walking up and down and all around the beach for well over an hour, finally we caught a glimpse of the owl.

She was resting on the beach with her eyes closed, but not totally asleep. We got some pictures before some sea gulls started harassing her and she flew to another spot on the beach.

I think a few of these gulls may have made a recent meal for her. She is a mighty hunter, but quite outnumbered by the gulls. With the Cape Hatteras lighthouse in the background, this made for the perfect photo opportunity.

We got many pictures of her at different angles and then headed back to the car. As we were heading back, I jokingly said that I don’t think I could be more surprised if a tiger jumped out from behind the dunes. This beautiful owl was much further south than they normally migrate and being able to see her was a wonderful surprise. I later learned that this season is looking to have a significant irruption of snowy owls traveling much further south than usual. Three have been spotted in North Carolina, as well as many other places in the United States where they are not normally seen. One was even spotted in Bermuda! We had spent quite a bit of time looking for her and taking pictures and were getting rather hungry. So as we made our way back to the mainland, we stopped at Subway in Avon for a sandwich and then crossed the bridge back to the mainland. But we had one more stop to make in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge before making the drive home. Despite my numerous trips to the Smokies and elsewhere in the mountains, I have never seen a black bear in the wild. Fortunately, a bear sighting during a visit to Alligator River is almost guaranteed. And sure enough, after only a couple of minutes in the refuge and we spotted a very large bear rummaging around for food, just off Long Curve Road.

He was at last a quarter-mile away so I couldn’t get a great picture from that distance, but I finally saw my first wild bear. The sun was starting to go down, so we left the refuge and made our way back to Raleigh. Stopping for gas in Columbia, we told the lady at the gas station about our exciting day. She wasn’t too impressed with the bear – she sees bears three times a week on her street – but was really excited about the owl. Definitely not a common sight. We made the drive back to Raleigh, getting home at about 830. Having been up for almost 20 hours, I was exhausted and went to bed almost immediately.

Sunrise at Lake Mattamuskeet

Saturday, I headed out to eastern North Carolina for some wildlife photography. Chris was going out there and invited me to join him and Mel. It’s a three-hour drive from Raleigh and we wanted to make it there by sunrise, so that meant a very early morning. We left Raleigh at about 330 and headed east on US-64 and US-264 towards the coastal region, driving the entire way under darkness. Our first stop was Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge. After passing through Swan Quarter on US-264, we turned onto NC-94 and headed towards the overlook in the middle of the lake. It was just starting to get light out and the sun would be up soon. But it was extremely cold, especially with the wind blowing off the lake.

We bundled up as we set up our cameras and got a few pictures of geese on the water and a beautiful sunrise over the lake.

From here, we turned around and parked along NC-94 across from Headquarters Road facing the west side of the lake. In the water were many tundra swans, Canada geese, and ducks.

Many of the tundra swans appeared to be sleeping with their heads resting under their wings. As early morning light began moving westward and started illuminating the lake, the birds began to wake. However, it was still too early for the sunlight to provide much warmth. After this stop, we headed down Headquarters Road. Almost immediately, we made a quick stop (without even getting out of the warm car) to get a couple shots of an egret and a great blue heron wading in the canal.

Then we drove a little further, parking about halfway down at another overlook facing south towards the wetland impoundment.

The lake was to the north, but hidden from view by dense trees and brush on the other side of the canal, but to the south, the impoundment was filled a tremendous number of birds.

It’s still early in the season and most of the migratory waterfowl that overwinter in the lake have not yet arrived. But still, the number of birds in the lake was amazing.

There were countless ducks, geese, and swans in the lake as well as a few other birds. I even saw a beautiful bald eagle soaring across the sky, but he was a little too quick for me to get a good picture.

Far across the wetland, we could see some juvenile bald eagles perched in a tree.

We spent quite some time here getting photos of the birds, despite the bitter cold.

When we were done, we continued on Headquarters Road to the refuge office. Even here, there were great birding opportunities.

We same some black-crowned night herons hiding in the trees above our heads and there was a tree right at the parking lot covered with turkey vultures, extending their wings to dry them off in the sun.

After getting some pictures, we headed into the refuge office. We talked to Allie, one of the refuge staff, for quite some time about the wildlife and photography opportunities. She had taken a fabulous picture of a baby bobcat during one of her patrols around the refuge. Allie also told us about a once-in-a-lifetime birding opportunity – there was a snowy owl in Cape Hatteras. That was something we just couldn’t pass up. But before we headed for the beach, we had one more stop here. Back on US-264, we pulled off at Lake Landing and parked for a few more pictures.

There were quite a few ibises in the area and I got a good shot of two of them on a railing. Then, it was time to head to the beach and try to see the snowy owl.