I’ve made it clear in the past that I am no wildlife photographer. The hours are terrible. The equipment required weighs even more than mine. Perhaps even more daunting, there has been so much good wildlife photography out there for so long that I’m not sure I’d ever have anything to add. I have had some luck creating fine art imagery that involves birds, but have not devoted sufficient time to pursuing that area. I do enjoy seeing wildlife though. It says something about the state of nature and the land, subjects in which I am quite interested. In general, the presence of wildlife suggests I think that we’re doing something right and that at least something from nature hasn’t bee obliterated by our footprints. The later point though is always subject to change but I’ll save that rant for another day.
The Outer Banks and the area of eastern North Carolina that lies to on the western side of Croatan Sound is inhabited by a surprisingly wide array of wildlife species and I thought that some of you might enjoy seeing some of the associated imagery. This is shared purely in the interest of fun, with a bit of education thrown in. Art this is not, as you will quickly see, though some of the images, as usual of birds, are I think worthwhile. When to begin? Large to small I think.
Just over the bridges from Manteo to the mainland and eastern North Carolina you’ll find the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, a fascinating place. We asked one of the volunteers at the Refuge Visiting Center in Manteo the best location for seeing some bears. He pointed us in that direction, and we were not disappointed. We arrived there at about 5:30 in the evening, just before sunset. As you probably know, most bears are off duty during the middle of the day. This one was just punching in. Here’s looking at you kid.

One can’t help but be impressed with their size. There was an article in the Boston Globe this past Sunday, page one, discussing the fast growing population of black bears throughout New England and particularly in Massachusetts. After reading the article I could only conclude that it is just a matter of time before we confront a bear at the Quabbin Reservoir. Did I mention how big they are? They are big. Of note, there are supposedly no bears actually on the Outer Banks or in Manteo. It would be a very long swim, even for highly aquatic bears.
Sea otters populate the coast line, adding their usual upbeat perspective.

There is a second, smaller mammal of interest, the Nutria. These little guys can be found under the docks. I saw several, but only had my camera this time. This is not a great shot, my apologies.

We have to then get to my favorite, the birds. The White Egret. These are hardly unique to this area but they are still so interesting to watch, we spent a fair amount of time doing just that.


We had so many encounters with Egrets that I actually had a chance to create a video about one fishing. This is a very short video, just over a minute, but you may find it interesting. Make sure you view it in HD.
Ospry are quite welcome throughout eastern North Carolina. Indeed, power poles and taller moorings often have a platform on which they can build their nests. They can often be seen this time of your hunting and fishing to feed their offspring. They fish at top speed just feet off the ground.

Ospry mate for life and live for quite a few years. They return to their nests year after year. This nest is in the water just off of Nags Head, behind Basnight’s Restaurant, a famous location. You can eat dinner and watch them feed. The Outer Banks are of course subject to horrific storms. Several years back, this family’s nest was destroyed. With a bit of human assistance however, the nest was rebuilt and the family returned.

In terms of size ranking, or sizish ranking I really should say since I’ve not strictly adhered to that protocol, we should probably raise the issue that would even make Indiana Jones anxious, “snakes, why did it have to be snakes?” They seemed to be everywhere on this trip, far more that we’d ever seen. I do not know the reason.

Want to know what snakes eat, at least some of the time?

As it turns out, other snakes. I would guess that the winner in this contest didn’t start out that much bigger than the loser. Some of these snakes are quite poisonous as it turns out, though I was never able to find out for sure if this one was.
The bird population stands out as I said. From Cape Hatteras to inland, the variety of size, shape, color, attitude and behavior seems endless. My best bet is that this is King Snake though the markings are quite right.



Yes, even the gulls have an appeal, though perhaps less so to the farmers.

Last but certainly not least to those who love them, we need to thank the custodians of the beach, the folks who keep it clean.

So just a brief amateur’s overview. It is hard not to be grateful though for what the presence of so much wildlife means for the environment. Yes, much has been lost, but not all.