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.

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.

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.

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.