Tag: pocosin lakes national wildlife refuge
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Now You See Me…
…it seems to vanish mysteriously, skulking in some sheltered nook, with only its bill above water, well deserving its common name of “water witch”. ~Arthur Cleveland Bent Dabchick, Hell-diver, Water Witch, Podilymbus podiceps – all names for a diminutive water bird now known as the Pied-billed Grebe, or simply PBG. These are the the most Read more…
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A Sense of Place
Being aware of the splendor of the seasons, of the natural world, makes us understand man’s critical need for wild places. Living with familiar things and moving in the seasons can fulfill that profound need common to us all: a sense of place. ~Jo Northrop It was time. Time for another trip to that place Read more…
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Trip Report – Pungo
Last week I had another group going to the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. They had been scheduled for the prior week, but the rare coastal snow storm had made it impossible for them to get to Pungo. I headed down the day before to scout the roads that had been so Read more…
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Trip Report – a Frozen Mattamuskeet and Pungo
To me, the beautiful and ever-changing patterns formed in lake ice – and in snowflakes, the ice of the sky – are winter’s “bloom,” corresponding to the flowering plants of summer. ~Stephen Hatch I had another trip to North Carolina’s winter wonderland this past weekend. And a wonderland it was…Lake Mattamuskeet was largely frozen, a Read more…
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Trip Report Part 2: Mattamuskeet and Pocosin Lakes
I just returned from the second recent guided trip to these incredible wildlife refuges. My client was particularly interested in bird photography, so that was high on the agenda. But he made a point of saying he was open to anything, since he was fully aware of the vagaries of wildlife photography – sometimes wildlife Read more…
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Trip Report, Part 1: Pocosin Lakes-Mattamuskeet
I am in the middle of leading two trips to my favorite places in NC – Pocosin Lakes and Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuges. This is a brief visual report on the first. Last week, I had four great folks from the Raleigh area join me for a wildlife viewing trip. We started at Pocosin Lakes Read more…
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The Black and White of Pungo
To see in color is a delight for the eye but to see in black and white is a delight for the soul. ~Andri Cauldwell Last Wednesday, I headed to the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge to scout the area for an outing later that week. I’ll report on the outing in Read more…
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A Good Way to End a Day
I like to remember that it is wild country that gives rise to wild animals; and that the marvelous specificity of wild animals reminds us to wake up, to let our senses be inflamed by every scent and sound and sight and taste and touch of the world. I like to remember that we are Read more…
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Pungo Pictorial
Yesterday I posted some of the details of my recent trip to Pettigrew State Park and the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Here are a few more images from that experience: And a short video of Tundra Swans resting on Pungo Lake… Read more…
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When the North Wind Blows
I went camping last weekend with some friends at Pettigrew State Park and the weather decided to change dramatically during our stay. Saturday was relatively warm and overcast and we just missed the last of the rain when we arrived at the park around noon. Everything was slightly wet as we set up camp, and Read more…
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Roads End Naturalist 