Outer Banks NC, May 2021

We took our first post-Covid vacation trip this week after we both had our vaccinations. We found a VRBO house in Kill Devil Hills with a nice shady porch and just relaxed and treked out daily to see the sights and look for birds and other wildlife in the local National Wildlife Refuges. The weather was beautiful, high 60s - low 70s all day, and no rain. It was wonderfully relaxing.

Sat May 15

We drove in from Raleigh and arrived on the banks about an hour before the house was ready for check-in. We decided to head down to the Bodie Lighthouse and just sat watching people with their dogs and found a few birds. We went back out after dinner to the Avalon beach access which is near the house where we were staying. It was a beautiful sunset and we arrived in time to enjoy the show.

Sun May 16

We headed up to the Weeping Radish for lunch that day but on our way out stopped on the sound side of Kill Devil Hills to look at the Osprey nests that we saw the night before. I was able to watch on pair of them working on their nest. One bird flew a few circles and dropped into the water to catch ... a stick for the nest. Still great to see and get to photograph. We took a drive that evening through the Alligator River NWR to try to see bears. We succeeded! The photos didn't quite work out but we saw this one bear in the grass, and on our return trip, standing up to look around.

Mon May 17

I took the car out in the morning while Kellie managed some work calls from the house. After getting gas I visited the sound side entrance to Jockey's Ridge state park. There I saw three Dowitchers in the sand and found a blooming cactus plant on the dunes. On the way back I went back to visit the same pair of Osprey and got to watch a Least Tern fishing for its partner. The bird would fly around the shallows, then see something and hover over the spot for a few seconds before diving in. If it was successful, it immediately flew the prize back to the dock to share. At lunch time we headed up to Duck and Carolla NC to see the lighthouse and generally wander around.

Tue May 18

I spent the morning making a drive to the northern part of Hatteras National Seashore around Bodie Island Lighthouse. There weren't nearly as many birds as I saw here in Feb, but I found a few nice photos in the marshes by the Lighthouse and on the surf side in South Nag's Head. For the afternoon we had lunch at a Caribbean/Seafood place and drove down past Bodie again to Pea Island NWR. There I took a walk along one of the marshes and took more photos. Kellie worked on her sketches. Lots of Red-Winged Blackbirds today, both seen and heard. We continued down the coast to the town of Salvo where we found an Ice Cream shop. After eating too much yummy ice cream, we headed back to the house to take a nap and process photos.

Wed May 19

I stayed near the house in the morning but found a new Osprey to watch for a bit. She was on a platform on the side of a pole, and this crow kept landing on top of the pole to annoy her. After lunch we visited the Elizabethan Gardens outside of Manteo for a bit. Then we decided to take what turned out to be a long drive down around to Lake Mattamuskeet NWR, which is on the mainland south of the Alligator river area. We saw a few more new birds, a beaver/muskrat that dove into the canal, some deer, and a really big alligator. On the drive back on highway 64 there was a big old black bear just grazing on the side of the road, but there was no chance to slow down or stop for a picture. Just glad we saw it.

Thu May 20

I wasn't feeling great so I stayed by the house and read on the porch. I had a Blue Jay and a Cardinal come visit, along with the local squirrels. For the afternoon we did some light gift shopping and came back for a nap. In the evening we headed back out to the Alligator NWR to look for bears again. Saw a hawk and a watched a vulture searching for a meal for a bit. We turned down Blueberry Lane, a road off the normal track. Kellie looked up and started going "buh -buh -buh" and yes, a male black bear was 100 yards or so up the road just ambling towards us. I stopped and stepped out of the car (behind the door!) so I could get some clear pictures. After that we closed up the windows and started driving to pass him. We came up slowly, stopped, and he walked right in front of the car into the woods on the side. It was amazing!

Fri May 21

We slept in a little bit and started our planned trek down to Ocracoke Island. The ferry took a while - 2 hour wait since we arrived just after noon, and then 1 hour to cross. We relaxed in the car with our books and just waited it out. Once on the island we saw the formerly wild ponies in their pen and visited the lighthouse so we could check it off our list. Had a much shorter wait for the return ferry. I walked back to a wetland to take pictures of the white birds we saw on the way in. There I saw a strange brown bird - that turned out to be a raccoon foraging in the water. Saw more new birds on the way back then stopped for dinner at a great restaurant in Buxton. (Diamond Shoals, if you're in the area.) As we drove up the banks the sun set, but wasn't all that colorful. We saw that the Bodie Lighthouse was working so I tried to get a photo of that with some sky color, but there wasn't much left.