The Neuse River Recreation Area, locally known as Flanner’s Beach, is off of Highway 70 between Havelock and New Bern, North Carolina. Sitting along the Neuse River and part of the Croatan National Forest, this area features a beach, picnic area, campground and hiking/bicycling trail. I was going to be in New Bern yesterday afternoon and decided to visit this trail on my way home. It was a nice Spring day and we’d been having some plesantly warm weather, so I was hopeful I might come across some wildflowers. Apparently it’s still a little bit early.

The trail system at this recreation area consists of a loop around the campground with a couple of small loops off of that plus one fairly large loop out into the woods. The section circling the campground is paved, as are the two smaller loops. the longer loop is covered with fine pea gravel. The trails are open to bicyclists and hikers alike. Walking parallel to the river from the picnic parking area will put you on the trail. Taking the longer loop around until it meets with the campground route, then back to the parking area will net about a 2 mile hike. While not a huge stroll it is a pretty area with the woods being a mix of pine and hardwoods. The trail crosses a small swampy area via a boardwalk, adding to the variety of terrain. One big plus for this trail is that when everything else is wet, muddy and nasty it provides a dry and comfy trail for stretching your legs. While the Neuse River Recreation Area trail isn’t the longest or most demanding in the area, it makes a great place to take the family, introduce a “tenderfoot” to nature, or to incorporate a picnic with a little excercise. It’s definately well worth a vist.

A large North American shorebird, the Greater Yellow Legs is similar in appearence to the slightly smaller Lesser Yellowlegs. Adults have long, yellow legs (hence their name) and sport long dark bills that are slightly upcurved. The bill tends to be about 1 1/2 the length of the head with a lighter color near the base. In contrast the Lesser’s bill tends to be equal in length to the head and lacks the up turn and lighter colored base.

The Greater Yellowlegs is a migratory bird that travels south to both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the United States and South America. The bogs and marshes of Alaska and Canada’s boreal forest region are its breeding habitats. The female builds a ground nest where she lays three to four off-white eggs with brown markings. Both the male and female tends the eggs which take twenty-three to twenty-four days to incubate. The couple also shares feeding duties for the young.

The photos below were taken along the Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve on an early spring afternoon. The birds were feeding in the shallow waters along the shore.

I visited the Patsy Pond Nature Trail last tuesday, March 23, 2010. I was hoping that the trend of nice weather might have triggered the wild flowers to start popping up. Unfortunately I didn’t see any wild flowers. However, I thought it might be worth mentioning that the back section of the Yellow trail is still underwater. There is an unmarked detour. Where the Yellow route turns left and runs behind the big pond, follow the unmarked path forward instead. There was a small tree with an orange and a blue ribbon tied around it at that junction. Keep bearing left… i.e. anytime the unmarked trails give you a fork or tee, go left. You’ll eventually meet back up with the marked trail past the other end of the big pond.

Sunday’s weather forecast was calling for an absolutely perfect day. Even though I early afternoon commitments that I couldn’t get out of there was no way I wasn’t going to get the kayak into the water. I arrived at the Lennoxville Road boat ramp around 9:30 AM. I wasn’t the only kayaker with the idea of enjoying some of this beautiful day on the water. There were two more folks getting ready to launch their boats with a third kayaker already in the water waiting on them. We exchanged pleasantries, they headed west on Taylor’s Creek. I headed east.

My float plan was to travel west along the inside edge of the reserve, navigate around the east end of the island then explore the sound side shore while paddling west. The weather was absolutely wonderful… blue skies and golden sunshine. The water was mirror-like calm with the only ripples being those caused by the forward motion of my kayak. Within a couple minutes I spied a couple of herons on the shore and carefully paddled towards them for a closer look. One was beautiful Little Blue Heron. The other a Tri-color Heron. Quite a treat indeed. I paddled slightly past them before moving in closer to shore, then allowed the current to move me nearer them for some photographs.

As I rounded the end of the island, paddling through the North River Channel, I looked up to see an Osprey pearched high atop a tree and eying my progress. The high sun angle bathed this large raptor in very harsh light, light that was not at all desireable for photography. Additionally, the angle from my boat. so close to the surface of the water, to his high perch was extreme and wouldn’t make for a very interesting shot. As such I just continued along my way with the hope of crossing paths with him again under more favorable conditions.

Paddling along the Southeast end of Carrot Island and moving towards Horse Island the shore line, if you can call it that, was largely marshland. As I paddled ahead I began to get a bit discouraged despite of the warm sun and fresh sea air. I just wasn’t encountering any kind of wildlife. As pleasant as paddling is, especially on such a fine spring day, it’s seeing wildlife that pleases me most. After a while a lagoon opened up and I could see Banker Horses feeding along the water’s edge. I navigated my kayak in closer for a look and to make some photographs. Now if you walk up towards a horse, even a very domesticated horse, the animal will tend to look up at you to see what you’re up to. These are feral horses, wild and free. You’d expect them to be even more suspecious. Yet my approach from the water caused them no alarm. Not a single horse raised it’s head to look at me! While its very cool how approachable animals are when paddling a kayak, a photo of one of the horses without it’s head down would’ve been pretty nice too.

Leaving the lagoon I continued paddling west along the the reserve. I really was hoping to find some American Oyster Catchers. But I was starting to wonder if I was going to find any. As thoughts of doubt ran through my mind I noticed a fairly large dark bird flying straight towards me. As it passed on my port side I immediately recognized it as an Oyster Catcher. My thoughts of doubt changed to excitement and anticipation. “I must be getting close!”

Ahead I noticed a small island with a large number of birds on it. On the shore beyond the little island of oyster shells I could see several Great Egrets and, beyond them a few Banker Horses. Moving closer I was astounded by the variety of birds sharing that one little patch of dry gound. Brown birds, black birds, white birds… feathered creatures large and small, there was certainly quite a gathering there. Among them several American Oyster Catchers. I paddled a bit up current and allowed my kayak to drift up against the island. The birds were surprisingly calm about my close proximity.

After getting my fill of photos of the birds on the little island I paddled over to get a few shots for the Great Egrets. Then I noticed a flock of Red-breasted Mergansers swimming nearby and paddled in their direction. Ducks tend to be quite nervous of people and rightly so. After all, they’re known for tasting good! These guys were certainly a bit nervous about my presence but as long as I allowed the wind and current to move me towards them, rather than paddling, I was able to get reasonbly close. In my mind this is a fairly exotic looking duck and I was pleased to be able to add a few images of the species to my collection.

Since it was nearly high tide and time was quickly sliding by I decided to see if I could cut through the shallow channel across the island rather than retracing my steps back the way I’d come. As it worked out it was no problem paddling through the channel to Taylor’s creek. However, I don’t think there’s anyway it could be done at low-tide. The short-cut reduced my return to the boat ramp by almost and hour from what I’d originally planned, leaving me a bit of extra time to get ready for my afternoon commitment.

I’m awe struck by the variety of birds I saw in this short, two-hour paddle. While I didn’t photograph every species of bird I saw I observed the following: Little Blue Heron, Tri-color Heron, Grackle, Osprey, American Oyster Catcher, Marbled Godwit, Dunlin, Willet, Lesser Tern, Black-bellied Plover, Great Egret, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, and White Ibis. Truth be told I probably forgot a few! The abundance of birds to be seen along the Crystal Coast in the spring is simply astounding. Well worth the effort of exploring the area by kayak.

I’d planned on going paddling Thursday morning but the weather forecast changed during the day Wednesday and it seemed I’d need to go that afternoon if I was going to get a kayak outing in at all. I put in at the boat ramp off Lennoxville Road, Beaufort, North Carolina with the goal of paddling along the Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve in search of birds and Banks Ponies. I paddled across Taylor’s Creek and headed east along the edge of the island reserve. In my mind I was going to round the tip of the island and explore along the sound side a ways. However, as I started around the end I encountered a healthy bit of wind creating a side-to swell. Being fairly novice to kayaking and not feeling overly comfortable in that situation, I decided to turn back and just stick to exploring the Taylor’s Creek side.

Heading west I noticed something white in some trees on the Beaufort side of the creek. Straining my eyes to see a little clearer I realized it was an egret. While I couldn’t tell if it was a Snowy or a Great Egret I knew I wanted to paddle over to see if I could get a shot or two. As I approached I noticed a second bird in the same tree… a Black Crowned Night Heron! These are a bit unusual to encounter so I was a bit excited about the find. I positioned my boat up-current and allowed it to drift towards the birds as I snapped a few pictures. This seemed like the quietest way to approach them. After I drifted past I paddled back across the creek to explore along the island.

I came across a flock of White Ibis feeding along the shoreline. They really paid me no attention as I grounded my boat on the sand to provide a bit more stable shooting platform. The biggest issue I had was that there was a slight rise between me and most of the birds. I guess that’s one of those rare cases of being too low to get the shot I wanted.

Further down the island I decided to beach the boat to do a bit of exploring along a boardwalk that had been put in on the island. It lead back to on observation platform overlooking a mudflats area. It was around low tide, late in the afternoon. There was a plethora of birds on the flats… Willets, Ibis, Egrets, a pair of Common Mergansers, Terns… quite a sight to see. As I turned to head back to my boat I noticed a huge raccoon walking out of the brush along one of the horse paths on the island. I moved against the LH hand rail, where the overhaning branches of a Wax Myrtle would provide me with some cover, and started working forward to try and get a shot of the ‘coon. After a shot or two I noticed his attention diverted to my left… a blind spot from where I was. Next thing I knew a fox came barreling out of that area, straight at the raccoon. I’m not sure if the fox only rammed the ‘coon, or bit it, but there was definately a confrontation. About then they both recognized my presence and headed into the brush. I didn’t get a shot of the attack, but did get a shot of the fox heading for cover and the raccoon looking at me, seeming in shock, before running for cover. It’s always interesting to see these bits of drama in nature.

The Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve consists of a series of small islands and marshes located between historic Beaufort and Shackleford Banks. The area is separated from Beaufort by Taylor’s Creek, with Back Sound lying between the reserve and Shackleford Banks. The main site includes Town Marsh, Bird Shoals, Carrot Island and Horse Island. Combined the main site is approximately three miles in length and less than a mile in width. Off the east end of Carrot Island, across North River Channel, the reserve includes the Middle Marshes. The marshes are about two miles wide and, like the main site, less than a mile wide. The reserve is home to more than 200 species of birds, wild horses, as well as fox, raccoon, rabbit and river otter. Access is via boat. Local water taxis can provide transportation if needed. It is certainly an amazing resource for viewing wildlife.

When you think of ducks or egrets you tend to thing of somewhat wild, natural places. As someone that loves to observe and photograph wildlife I can promise you I spend most of my time looking for them on trails, along lakes and rivers, in the woods. But sometimes they show up in unexpected places. Below are three shots taken over the last few months. They all have one thing in common. The subjects were photographed in an urban setting.

The Great Egret was photographed in the Morehead City limits, along Highway 70 East. It wasn’t a lone bird that happened to find its self in town, it was one of a few dozen settling down in trees to roost for the evening. During the winter this particular spot always attracts a large number of the egrets that spend each night there. But they only roost there a couple of months each year.

The Hooded Merganser was photographed in Jacksonville, NC. This duck, actually a flock of several, were found along a busy 4 lane street in a storm water holding pond in front of a busy retail area. The funny thing about the day I found the Hoodies was that I’d spent the morning in a blind along a pond in a wooded area hoping for the chance to photograph a duck or two. Since I wasn’t far from Jacksonville I’d came into town to do a little shopping at a sporting goods store after my outing.

Finally the Mallard Duck was photographed inside the New Bern city limits. This is perhaps the least surprising of the series as it was found on the edge of a city park bounded by the Neuse River. Still, it wasn’t the most rustic of environments. The New Bern ducks are pretty well conditioned to human enteraction. Locals come to the area a toss bread and shell corn to the ducks. In addition to the ducks pigeons and gulls gather for handouts. In this case I’d had a meeting with a prospective client in New Bern and, knowing about the ducks, headed to the park afterwards to photograph them. It started raining heavily before I got there so I ended up sitting in the back of my mini-van with the hatch up to provide cover for my tripod and camera.

In all these photographs I’d been careful to hide anything that would clue a viewer that they’d been taken in urban settings. Thinking back… hindsight being twenty-twenty… including some of the urban-scape in the photos might have made them more interesting. Whether you live in the country, in suburbia or downtown if you keep your eyes open you might be surprised at how much nature is around you. Sometimes the best wildlife and nature experience is right there in your own backyard.

With the wonderful weather we’ve been blessed with I decided it was time to break out the kayak and give it a paddle. My float plan was fairly simple, I’d put in at the wildlife access along Chatham Street/Old Hwy. 70 near Newport (Google Earth: Newport River Park, NC) about mid-way through the rising tide. My thinking was, being the Newport river is a tidal stream, the incoming tide might somewhat off-set the river’s flow and make upstream paddling a bit easier. I’d paddle upstream until the river got too small/shallow, it got too late or I got too tired, then turn around and ride the flow back to the launch point.

The river is fairly wide and slow up to and slightly beyond the Highway 70 bridge. A bit beyond the bridge, after passing a few houses built along the banks, it narrows appreciatively and the flow increases. That trend continues… the further upstream you go, narrower river, swifter current. I’d say I got a pretty decent workout from the trip. It’s hard to say exactly how far I paddled upstream. I tried to track and measure the trip using Google Earth but the river becomes so narrow and the trees so thick that tracking the river on the satalite imagery becomes impossible! My best guesstimate is I paddled somewhere between 3 and 3.5 miles from the launch before turning back

The Newport River is quite serpintine in nature. It winds and twists through thick forest. I discovered that when traveling up river, against a healthy current, that turning sharp corners was a little bit of a challenge. As I was making a turn the water flow would be hitting the boat somewhat broad-side, fighting against the turn. Not an impossible feat obviously. Probably magnified by a lack of experience and physical conditioning on my part.

On the trip upstream I did see a bit of wildlife. On several occassions large turtles abandoned their sun bathing to scurry into the water as I neared. I observed several Piliated Woodpeckers along the way, as well as smaller woodpeckers and Northern Flicker. I came across several pairs of Wood Duck and had one hen allow me to pass by quite closely without it flying. I also saw a number of hawks, an owl and a couple of Great Blue Herons. The problem being moving upstream and constantly fighting my way around turns and past/through log jams, it wasn’t practical to pull my camera out of its dry-bag to try to attempt a photo on the trip up.

The down-stream trip was, of course, much easier. Turning the kayak around bends in the river was nearly effortless and for a large part of the trip back there was little need to even paddle. Now I clould get away with having the camera out and possibly getting a shot of something interesting. Unfortunately I must have scared everything away on the way up as I saw very little on the quiter trip down. I was stuck with snapping a few scenery shots just to get a little practice taking pictures from a kayak.

Overall it was an enjoyable few hours and I’m sure I’ll repeat the trip sometime. Looking at a topographic map I’m wondering if the water is deep and wide enough where the Newport River crosses Nine-foot Road to get away with putting in there and floating way down to the launching ramp at Newport. I’d need to get a second paddler with a second vehicle involved in that adventure, but it could be quite fun. It’d defineately be more condusive to photography. Maybe I’ll give it a go some time. I’m also looking forward to exploring downstream from the launch. In that direction the river gradually widens until it empties into Bogue Sound between Beaufort and Morehead City.

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