From wonder to wonder, existence unfolds.

~Lao Tzu

Last month, I dropped Melissa off at the airport at a ridiculous hour (4 a.m.) for her Yellowstone workshop. The upside was that I could make it to my favorite place, Pungo, by sunrise. So, off I went on what was to be a hot sunny day, arriving at Pungo about 6:15 a.m. I headed over to “Bear Road” and discovered 2 vehicles already there. Bummer…it is getting next to impossible to have it like it was in the “good ol’ days” when I could go anywhere on the refuge and have some alone time with the wildlife (who told all these people about this place anyway?:). I decided to drive around in hopes of seeing some critters. My first stop was along a canal to watch an Eastern Kingbird, supreme ruler of its domain. With a scientific name like Tyrannus tyrannus, you know this is one tough bird. I have seen them attack raptors of all sizes that dared to cross the airspace of their territory (even landing on the back of and pecking away at a Bald Eagle once!).

-An Eastern Kingbird scoping its territory and perhaps thinking “I could take you down, you know!” (click photos to enlarge)

But, as always, I was hoping to have some quiet time watching one of my favorite animals, the Black Bears. My first one of the day came out of the edge of a corn field and headed down a grassy road as I drove up. I stopped and watched as it ambled away. The large boar finally stood up to survey the scene, and then slowly sauntered off into the woods.

-A large bear stands up to look around before heading into the woods

I decided to look around for a place to walk (sadly, this is getting more difficult on my favorite refuge as more and more roads are being closed off even during the non-waterfowl season). I slowly headed down a grassy road with no closed signage just to get out and hear the soundscape that Pungo offers. It is a rarity these days to be able to just hear nature without human background noises and it is just one of the many reasons I love this place. After going only a couple of hundred feet, a large bear stepped out of the underbrush and looked my way.

-This large boar bear steps out down the road and checks me out.

-I stood still as it made its way across the road, occasionally grazing on some vegetation. One last look to make sure I hadn’t moved, and it was off into the trees

I drove bck over to Bear Road and saw even more cars so I decided to head to other wild places for the middle part of the day. I drove through Mattamuskeet and got out to walk a short trail, but really didn’t see anything photo-worthy. Unfortunately, the Phragmites grass has blocked much of the viewing areas on the north side of Wildlife Drive and along the causeway. On to Alligator River NWR. Arriving after lunch in the heat of summer lessens your chances of seeing anything and that was the case that day. The one really noticeable critter was an overabundance of horse flies. I don’t think I have ever seen as many, so my time outside of the car was limited. Driving slowly along they were constantly banging against the car windows apparently daring me to get out. I felt sorry for any wildlife or humans that might be out on this day.

At one point, I saw someone standing next to a vehicle holding a camera. I stopped and waited, not wanting to disturb anything he was photographing. I didn’t see anything and he started to get back in his car. As I pulled up, he kindly pointed out a small American Alligator lurking under some vegetation at the edge of the canal.

-A small American Alligator in one of the roadside canals at Alligator River NWR. This is the first time I have see one in the refuge canals ((I usually see them in Milltail Creek or in the canals along Hwy 64)

The horse flies helped make my decision to head back over to Pungo earlier than planned. When I arrived, I saw a young bear out in the road. It kept going around and returning to one spot sniffing. Perhaps someone had dropped some food? When it went back into the brush, I drove on and pulled onto Bear Road. Only two cars (the same ones that had been there that morning I believe). I could see two people on E-bikes headed toward me. I thought they might be leaving which encouraged me to get out and head down the road.

-A young bear out in the road sniffing around. This little guy might be on its own for the first time this summer.

Walking down the road, I spotted a male Blue Grosbeak through the vegetation.

-A Blue Grosbeak partially hidden behind some tall grasses along the edge of Bear Road

It turns out the E-bike riders were just cruising instead of leaving. They continued to go back and forth along Bear Road for the entire time I was there, pausing in one location for many minutes and then moving again. I have to admit, I have really mixed feelings about E-Bikes on this refuge. While they do allow people easy access to dirt roads where vehicles aren’t allowed (especially people that might have difficulty walking considerable distances), I imagine the wildlife (and people like me) feel a bit disturbed by their presence. This is particularly true if they are just cruising back and forth. When someone walking goes down a dirt road, wildlife will often wait in hiding until that person passes and then sneak across the road. It seems all that movement along this well-used bear habitat has the potential to create more disturbance. Anyway, I have a feeling public land managers may need to look at the E-bike use and develop some guidelines in the near future. I am seeing more and more of them at Pungo, especially for people looking to photograph bears. And the fact that so many other dirt roads have restricted access is tending to concentrate more and more visitors in this one area.

-A typical view of a Black Bear feeding in a crop field (this is a soybean field). At this distance, the bears do not seem disturbed by people along the road observing them

After being passed a couple of times by the folks on the E-bikes, I decided to head elsewhere for some alone time. I went back to the grassy road I had walked earlier. I quickly spotted a Wild Turkey and then saw some sort of canid far down the road heading the other way. I think it was a Red Wolf, but I can’t be sure (could have been a Coyote) due to the distance and the tall grasses. Soon, another bear comes out of the woods.

-This is what you see when a bear eases out of the trees into tall grass

I saw it well before it noticed me. I knelt down and watched as the bear sampled some vegetation and moved slowly back and forth along the opening. Suddenly, it stopped and stood up. It was turning its head slightly from side to side so I am guessing it had caught my scent (which might have been significant in that heat and humidity!).

-The bear stood up, sniffing the breeze.

He finally looked my way and probably saw my blob of a form down the road. He dropped down and slowly eased into the woods in the direction he had been going.

After my walk, I decided to end the day by just cruising the roads to see what I might encounter. I got out along D-canal Road to scan the fields for bears and suddenly a Killdeer came zipping by. I think there might have been a nest nearby as every time I drove by this area I would see a pair of Killdeer running around and then flying. I got back in the car and headed out to give them a little peace.

-A Killdeer flies by

My final bear of the day came as I drove along the now one-way section of road south of Pungo Lake. I pulled in to the trailhead parking at Duck Pen Observation Area and soon spotted a large male bear slowly walking toward me almost 1/4 mile away. I got out and sat near the car and waited and watched as the big bear slowly plodded down the road, swinging its huge head from side to side and occasionally sniffing something along the road edge.

-My final bear of the day lumbering down the road toward me

-The bear finally spotted me and the car and paused.. he walked a few more steps and then sidled over into the grass along the road edge before disappearing into the woods

These photos were all taken with a 700mm equivalent lens and cropped, so I am not as close to these bears as it looks. But, being there and being able to watch their behaviors without a crowd of folks was a real treat. When this big guy waked into the woods, I got back in my car and drove off. As I drove past where he had entered the trees I looked but couldn’t see anything in the dense vegetation. Just before I reached the curve at the far end I looked back in my rear view mirror and saw the bear come back out onto the road and continue plodding along.

I ended the day with 15 bear sightings, all at Pungo. Black Bear mating season will be winding down soon and the big males will probably become less visible. I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t see any cubs, but with all the big boys wandering around, the mother bears were probably keeping their young ones out of the open areas. The bears of Eastern North Carolina are very special to me. I hope we can continue to coexist with them and preserve these public lands as places we can spend time observing them. To ensure that is the case, we must all take precautions to try to minimize our influence on their daily lives when we are in their habitat. Use binoculars, spotting scopes, and telephoto lenses when watching or photographing bears. Don’t pursue them for a photo, let them go where they want to go. Bears are creatures of habit and often use the same path to cross into the crop fields to feed. Give them space to do that and don’t sit for long periods at those crossover points. And certainly don’t feed any wildlife. If you eat food out on the refuge, don’t leave any scraps behind. I realize that by just being there, we are probably altering their movements and behaviors. But, we can all try to limit our impacts while still having the privilege of witnessing these amazing creatures. Observing bears in the wild is a thrill that I hope future generations of visitors will continue to enjoy…it is truly something that can inspire awe and wonder in anyone lucky enough to experience it.