November at the shore!

We are deep into December so what better time to catch up on my travels in early November. I attended a Road Scholar program, "Birding on the Outer Banks", November 5-10. I enjoyed the exposure to the birding activity but my greatest joy was being at the ocean shore and taking in all that offers. My plan for this post is to share my favorites from among the photographs taken on this trip.

The program took place in an area of North Carolina known as The Crystal Coast, an 85 mile stretch of coastline located just south of the Cape Lookout National Seashore. This coastline includes 56 miles of protected ocean beaches. 

I arrived on a Sunday afternoon that felt more like 'summer at the shore' than a day in early November. The temperatures were in the upper 70's but the summer crowds were long gone. The ideal time for a visit. 

Our program destination was the Trinity Conference Center located on the barrier island of Bogue Banks. This 25 mile long (and very narrow) barrier island, separated from the mainland by Bogue Sound, has an east to west orientation with ocean beaches that face due south. Cape Lookout is typically thought of as the southern terminus of the Outer Banks so the Crystal Coast area is often called the "Southern Outer Banks".

Barrier islands (like Bogue Banks) are unique ecosystems where change is constant. From the ocean shore side of the island to the sound side there are a variety of habitats that are constantly protecting and regenerating the island itself. A walk around the Trinity Center provides examples of all of these habitats. 

A Very Brief Lesson on Barrier Island Ecology: As if we were walking across the narrow island starting at the ocean shore and ending on the sound side facing the mainland: Beach, Dune, Barrier Flat and Salt Marsh Habitats. 

 #1 The Beach Habitat which is sand deposited by wave action, over and over.

#2 The Dune Habitat. The dune vegetation is critical to habitat survival as the roots hold the sand in place and the vegetation slows the winds and their potential damaging effects.

(Below) #3 The Barrier Flat and Maritime Shrub Thicket with a Great Egret presiding over the area.  

 

#4 The Salt March Habitat on the sound side of the island. 

Salt Marsh cord grass  dominates the inter-tidal marsh and is well adapted to the environment. It provides necessary stabilization on the sound side of the island. 

Our group of travelers plus our bird expert, John Fussell, went on daily field trips to bird and explore the area.

One of the first field trips was to Calico Creek boardwalk.

We traveled to an area of the Rachel Carson Preserve called Bird Shoals. During the 1940's Rachel Carson did research at what is now the site named in her honor.

The Rachel Carson Preserve is a complex of small islands just south of Beaufort, NC. It is only reached by private boat or "passenger ferry". 


 

Black Skimmers in a their special choreography on our way to Bird Shoals.

Diverse arrays of important coastal habitats are found at the site.  

Many bird species use the Reserve for nesting and migratory habitat, and the Reserve is also home to a herd of approximately 30 wild horses. 

One birding highlight was the sighting of a Peregrine Falcon upon our arrival at Bird Shoals (no photo, sorry).

A group of White Ibis feeding at Bird Shoals.

Another stop was Fort Macon State Park located at the tip of Bogue Banks.

The fort was built in 1826 to guard the entrance to Beaufort Harbor.

Fort Macon was in active use during the Civil War and the Spanish-American War.

In 1903 the Army abandoned use of the fort and in 1924, by an act of Congress, it was given to the state of North Carolina. It became the second State Park in a developing state park system. 

During 1934-35 the Civilian Conservation Corps restored the fort and surrounding area and it officially opened as a State Park in 1936.

However, it's use by the Army was not at an end. 

At the outbreak of WWII the Army leased the park and manned the fort to protect important nearby military facilities. The fort was garrisoned  from 1941 - 1944. In 1946 Fort Macon was returned to North Carolina. 

Today Fort Macon is one of the most popular park destinations in North Carolina. 

In addition to the Fort, the park is home to undeveloped protected beaches and public lands. 

On the final day of my trip before heading back to Indiana I was able to spend a sunny and windy afternoon on several different beaches. Fort Macon was one of them. Good sand, good shells and good cloud formations. 

The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores was another of our field trip destinations.

When visitors enter the Aquarium they encounter a 32 foot waterfall, complete with me!

And outside, visitors enjoy boardwalks and natural habitat, complete with an Egret!

At the Aquarium we got a behind the scenes tour of their bird rehabilitation program. 

Injured birds are cared for until a determination is made about whether they can be returned to their natural habitat or need indefinite care.

The take away was that we need to NOT throw even biodegradable litter out car windows. Those apple cores and banana peels attract rodents and the rodents attract the birds who can be hit by cars and injured, possibly for life. 

Continuing the subject of bird rehabilitation, on the final day of our program we were treated to a Live Animal/Birds of Prey Program. 

The Trinity Center also has a program to care for injured birds who have been deemed unable to be returned to their natural habitat. Their injuries make them too vulnerable.

Red Tailed Hawk                                                                        Eastern Screech Owl

 Barred Owl                                                                                    American Kestrel

A couple of additional stops:

Although the passenger ferry to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse was not running due to late season high winds and rough water, there was a birding stop at the Visitors Center area. 

And a demonstration on the art of decoy carving with an expert at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum.

Now, there is no trip to the shore without some sunset photos! 

In closing, a  spectacular sunset was my going away present on the final evening walking the Trinity Center beach.

And, to top it off, reluctantly leaving Bogue Banks the next morning as the sun was rising, I snapped my final photos. 

Thank you for joining me on this trip to the world of the barrier island: soaring birds, salt air, wind, the rhythm of the waves, sand, shells, hearty vegetation, more birds and so much more.