Hi!  In my personal quest to learn about hiking, wildlife photography and other outdoors opportunities in and around North Carolina’s Crystal Coast I sometimes encountered information that was misleading, or simply wrong.  I thought it might be helpful to others to develop an online resource with descriptions of area trails and recreational areas as well as to share my adventures, discoveries, thoughts and reports of my wildlife and bird sightings.  As a professional photographer I’ll also use this site to share some of my nature, wildlife and landscape images.  I’ll probably even write a bit about what went into making some of the images. Over time I may add a gallery of nature themed photos and possibily even add the opportunity to purchase prints.

I hope you find the site useful and interesting,

Bob D.

The semipalmated Plover is a small bird somewhat resembling a Killdeer. Eating insects, worms and crustaceans, these birds seach for food along beaches and on tidal flats. These photos were made near Beaufort Inlet in late June, 2010.

There are certanin large wading birds I always love to see. However, those birds also are some of most skiddish birds found around the Crystal Coast. A couple that are always especially hard to get a shot of are Reddish Egrets and Little Blue Herons… though admittedly the more common Great Blue Heron and Great Egret can be pretty tough to get close to as well. I also find getting within camera range of Snowy Egrets to be particularly challenging. Even though the kayak helps, allowing you to get a bit closer than you could using a land approach, it doesn’t take much to spook these guys. Here are a few shots from my last couple of kayak outings where I happened to get lucky.

The Least Tern is the smallest of the terns found along North Carolina’s coast. A migratory bird, the Least Tern spends its winters in Central America and the Carribean. In the spring they return to coastal areas of North America to reproduce. With a population of about 21,500 pairs this little bird isn’t listed as “threatened” or endangered,” though in some of the states where it breeds it is consedered a “threatened” species. They are vunerable to predators and high tides along the U.S. East Coast. Of course human disturbance of nesting areas can also be a problem. Be mindful of restricted areas on local beaches that are marked to protect shorebird nesting areas. A fast and shy little bird, I found these guys quite challenging to photograph. Patience and a slow, low approach seems to work best.

As I mentioned in my last post I had a bit of trouble locating horses on the Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve last week. I had a bit more success yesterday morning. I found a small group consisting of one stallion and three mares out on the shoals. They even entertained me by crossing from one shoal to another while I was wathcing and photographing! I found a larger group on Carrot Island not far from the boardwalk/observation deck, across from the Lenoxville boat ramp. This group was staying up in the shade of the cedar trees and digging holes down to a fresh water source. I suspect that with the recent heat and humidity a lot of the horses are staying in shade and close to drinkable water. You wouldn’t think something as large as a horse would be difficult to find, but honestly if one hadn’t whinnied while I was in ear-shot I think I might have walked right past them! It makes me wonder if I’d missed some the other morning.

I exchanged a couple of emails about their behavior with Jared Lloydd, a professional wildlife photographer and biologist that’s spent a lot of time photographing and observing Banker Horses. (See the links area for a link to his excellent website and for information on his horse photography workshops). Jared mentioned that the Shackleford Horses also dig for water when conditions dry up fresh water pools on the island. He noted, however, that the Banker Horses up by Corova have no need to do so as it’s a much wider island and tends to hold large pools of fresh water. Also, even if the pools were to dry up he mentioned the Currituck Sound has a low salinity level and the horses could drink from that if needed.

It was good to spot the horses and to get a chance to photograph them some more. When photographing the shoals group I was in my kayak, hand-holding a 500mm lens. That can be a bit of a challenge due to the rocking nature of being in a boat. A faster shutter speed is required to keep from blurring the images. In order to keep the shutter speed up, a higher “film speed” or iso is required (light sensitivity setting) which can result in a bit of “digital noise” in the image. When on the island I’m using a tripod with a gimbal mount to insure everything stays nice and steady. This allows the use of slower shutter speeds and also a “slower” iso setting. Simply put when using the tripod you have more workable options available, giving you greater artistic control over the resulting photos. Shooting form the boat you often have to make some compromises and settle for fewer optsion to insure a usuable image. However you gain the advantage of often being able to approach closere without alarming your subjects using the boat. Below are a few photos from the morning’s session.

I rolled out of bed early this morning with a solid plan for some nature photography on Carrot Island. I’d launch the boat at Fisherman’s Park, Front and Gordon Streets in Beaufort, and make the forty-five second paddle across the creek to beach my kayak. I’d then go on foot to photograph some of the island’s feral horses. Whether your shooting an event, portraits or making like a nature photojournalist, it’s always best to have a working plan for your shoot. However, you also need to be willing to shift gears and abandon the plan if circumstances dictate. It’s extremely easy to get locked into a plan and miss other opportunities. As fate would have it, this morning was one of those days where the game plan fell through. Carrot Island is usually the perfect location to be to photograph some horse but this time they were nowhere to be found. Apparently they were all on one of the other sections of the reserve.

Very early into my hike I spotted a pretty little red fox out playing on the dunes. It’s not unusual for me to see foxes on this island, but usually as they slink off into cover trying to avoid me. This little guy was totally unawre I was there! Now foxes are one of my favorite wild animals. I’ve always been fascinated by them. Any time I see one I consider it a good day in nature. If I get to photograph it… well, that’s just about a perfect day! As the moring progressed it became painfully clear that I just wasn’t going to get any horse photos. But I didn’t let that spoil my day. I already had some fox shots “in the can,” and there’s always plenty of photographic possibilities to be found on the island. I shot wildflowers, birds and even landscape while exploring the island in search of wild horses.

Mention the term “wild horses” and most people will think of Mustangs, cowboys and the Old West. But there is an even older herd living on North Carolina’s barrier islands. To be honest, calling them “wild horses” isn’t exactly accurate. Both the Banker Horses and their western cousins are actually feral animals… descendents of once domestic livestock. While the horses of Corolla, Oakracoke and Shackleford Banks have been in place for a few hundred years, the herd living in the Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve have only been on those islands since the 1940s. Some “locals” suggest that the animals swam over from Shackleford, thier origin can most likely be attributed to a doctor that kept a few horses on Carrot Island in 40’s. Upon his death the horses were left to fend for themselves.

While I usually use my kayak to explore along the shoreline of the islands locate within the reserve, this morning I beached the boat and went for a hike in search of the horses. I put in at Fisherman’s Park, Front St. and Gordon St. and paddled east to the cut-through that splits the island in two. After beaching my kayak I walked in until I found one of the obvious horse paths, then followed that west until I found several of the animals. I found about a dozen of the horses in one area and greatly enjoyed watching and photographing them.

I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Western North Carolina in the Smokey Mountains. Anytime I’m in that area waterfalls are at the top of my “to do list.” I set-up camp in the Deep Creek area of the Great Smokely Mountains National Park and used that as my base of operations. Located outside of Bryson City there are three waterfalls that are a short hike from the Deep Creek parking area: Tom Branch Falls, Indian Creek Falls, and Juney Whank Falls. All three are well worth a visit and are easy enough to access for the entire family to enjoy. A short drive from Bryson City there are several waterfalls to be found around Cherokee, North Carolina. Two of my favorites are Mingo Falls and Soco Falls. Both are short hikes either up or down a set of steps. Soco Falls, however, doesn’t have easy access to the base of the falls. In fact one needs to either be a mountain goat or have some climbing skills to safely reach it and return to the marked trail.

There are many fine photographers that specialize in waterfalls photography. Living on the coast, I’m not one of them. The problem is to build competence one needs to be able to shoot, analyze the results, consult with other photographers and re-shoot frequently. This is an approach that allows one to grow and improve at a specific discipline. With the mountains and waterfalls being several hours away it’s just not a practical approach for me. For me I have to depend on the occassional opportunity and studying the writings and work of others to try to learn.

One of the problems with photographing waterfalls is one common with most popular landscapes and monuments; they’ve been photographed countless times before. Finding a combination of angle, lens, lighting and post processing that will be unique is nearly impossible. On this trip I wanted to emphasize wider angles than I’m used to seeing used. While this results in the falls being a smaller part of the image in many cases, it also allows incorporation of more of the surrounding environment, inclussion of foreground and background objects and use of environmental objects as leading lines and visual anchors in the composition. Where exposure is concerned there are three distinct schools of thought. 1) A fast shutter speed to freeze the action of the water. 2) A moderately slow shutter speed to allow some blurring of the falling water… a technique that argueably results in an image closely represntative of how the eye preceives falls. 3) Use of a very slow shutter speed to create a soft, eretheal look to the falling water. This seems to be the most popular approach these days.

So enough ramblings on my part. On to the photos. I hope you enjoy them.

The Ruddy Turnstone, once included in the Plover family, is a migratory member of the sandpiper family. Like many of our migratory shorebird visitors the Ruddy Turnstone breeds in tundra areas during the summer. Over winter and during migration they can be found along coastal areas, preferring mudflats they can alos be found along rocky shorelines and sandy beaches. They will eat about anything they can find under rocks… hence their name based on feeding behavior, “turn stone.”

If you haven’t noticed my kayak has become one of my favorite tools for taking photographs of birds. There’s really only one reason for this recently discovered love affair; the kayak gets you to where the birds are. Not only does it get you to the birds, the birds are more tolerant of a water approach than they are of a land approach. Shooing shore birds from a kayak also has another advantage, you’re pretty much guaranteed a shot taken on the birds eye-level. You can look through my recent image postings and see lots of examples of this wonderful, low perspective.

The kayak can also be used to get you where the action is. That action might be birds in flight, birds diving into the water to snag a meal, or birds perched and/or nesting above the water. It’s not just for photographing wading shore birds. This morning I made a trip over to Rachel Carson Estuarine Reseve. I started out with plans to visit my favorite spots but planned a bit of a twist. My goal was to get a few images of birds in flight if possible. I also wanted to spend a little time concentrating on the Ospreys I’d observed around the reserve.

I luanched from the Lenoxville boat ramp just before 8:30 AM. This put me on the water near the end of high-slack tide. The water was absolutely glass smooth with no noticeable breeze to be found. I headed east to start out by visiting the Osprey nesting platform. The pair has been busy and the nest is starting to take shape. I then worked on along the sound-side edge of the reserve, stopping here and there to snap a few shots of shore birds. I then noticed some terns fishing the shallows and moved into position with the hope of getting some shots of them in flight. After working the terns for a while I continued on, photographing some more shore birds, then headed back towards the ramp. On my way back I noticed one of the Osprey perched in a dead tree, so stopped to take a few more shots of this majestic raptor.

While I captured plenty of nice, low shots of shore birds on this trip, I also managed some nice flight and high perched images. I thought I’d share some of these for a change of pace. Here’s an Osprey in flight, coming in for a landing… an Osprey perched… and a Forster’s Tern in flight. Hope you enjoy them.

The American Oyster Catcher is one of my favorite shore birds. Their distinctive bright orange bills and eye circle make them one of the more colorful birds found along North Carolina’s beaches. They range in height between 17 and 21 inches and sport a 35 inch wingspan. Their bright orange bills range from 3 to 4 inches in length. In addition to the bill and eye rings other distinguishing characteristics include pink legs, black heads and necks, and the white stripes on their wings.

While not on the endagered species list, the American Oyster Catcher is noted as a concern. Once hunted for food, as well as their plumage, the species became protected by law in 1918. The bird is found along North America’s East coast, from New England to Florida as well as along the Gulf coast and South America. Natural predators of the bird include raccons, skunks and large raptors. They nest on beaches above the tide line and typically lay between 2 and 4 eggs per season. Their diet includes oysters, obviously, as well as other marine invertabrae.

Oyster Catchers have an interesting eye that, if you’re not aware of it, can give the impression of something being off with the pupil in photographs. I’ve heard it referred to as a “double pupil” though I believe more correctly it’s called an eye “fleck”… a dark spot in eye that looks a bit like a second pupil. My understanding is that in their Pacific coast cousin, the Black Oyster Catcher, it’s believed that the fleck only occurs in females. I don’t know of any studies being done of the East Coast’s American Oyster Catcher, but there’s a chance when you notice the “funky pupil” you’re seeing a photo of one of the gals. I know when I photograph these birds I seem to notice the fleck in about 50% (give or take) of the birds. Not particularly scientific but it seems to fit nicely with the sexual trait theory.

The Crystal Coast is blessed with a nice population of this colorful shore bird. They can be found in the Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve as well as all along the Cape Lookout National Seashore. Look for them on Shackleford Banks, Carrot Island, Horse Island, the Middle Marshes as well as Bird Shoals. During high-tide the birds can be found bunched on small mud islands and oyster banks. As the tidal waters recede, exposing oyster beds and other food sources, the birds spread out to feed. The next time you’re exploring our natural occuring barrier islands, as well as dredge spoil islands, key an eye-open for these lovely creatures.