Field and Swamp: Animals and Their Habitats

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Ocracoke Island, Hyde County, NC

Ocracoke Island is mostly park land (the Cape Hatteras National Seashore), but the town of Ocracoke has a lot of interesting wildlife, especially in its new Springer's Point Nature Preserve.  See live map.

 

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 4/19/24

Anomalous white Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Grass        

Brookweed (Samolus parviflorus) Brookweed (Samolus parviflorus), overhead Brookweed (Samolus parviflorus) Brookweed (Samolus parviflorus) and Hairy Sedge Normal blue Blue-eyed Grass flowers

 
Captains Landing Snail shells Katydid nymph on fleabane Twoflower Melicgrass  

 
Thurston House garden View across a Silver Lake inlet Male House Sparrow Birdfoot Trefoil  

Ocracoke Island, out of town, Hyde County, NC 4/18/24

   
Rufous-backed Cellophane Bee (Colletes thoracicus) Poison Ivy flowers Beaked Cornsalad    

 
Thistle Grackle Thistles Teneral Blue Corporal  

   
Teneral Blue Corporal Ghost Crab Same Ghost Crab    

   
Sanderlings Sanderling USAF plane going over the beach    

 
Pony eating hay Male Red-winged Blackbird Same male Red-winged Blackbird White Ibis  

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 4/18/24

   
Sunset, 7:38 pm Great Egret Same Great Egret    

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 4/17/24

Small-flower Catchfly (Silene gallica) Small-flower Catchflies (Silene gallica) Small-flower Catchflies (Silene gallica) Small-flower Catchflies (Silene gallica) Small-flower Catchflies (Silene gallica)

 
Male Poison Ivy flowers Male Poison Ivy plant branch with flowers Roses spreading into tree Little Quaking Grass (Briza minor)  

Hornet Little Quaking Grass (Briza minor) Little Quaking Grass (Briza minor) Little Quaking Grass (Briza minor) Queendevil (Hieracium gronovii) Male House Sparrow

       
Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria)        

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 4/16/24

Territorial battle between Northern Mockingbirds Victor and vanquished Hairy Sedge (Carex pilosa) Rooster, wandering around two properties on Howard Street Same rooster

       
Evening Primrose        

Springer's Point Nature Preserve, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 4/16/24

Blue Toadflax Eurasian Collared Dove pair Common Starling Fowler's Toad Ghost Crab

Ghost Crab Male Eastern Towhee Same male Eastern Towhee singing Same male Eastern Towhee Same male Eastern Towhee singing

Ocracoke Beach, Hyde County, NC 4/15/24

Karl Willet Willet landing Willet landed Willet landing

Willet flying Willets engaging in a territorial battle The battle continues More of the battle Willet remaining

     
Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Grass      

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 4/15/24

House Sparrow Common Yellow Wood-sorrel Rough Clover (Trifolium scabrum) Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria) Royal Tern

         
Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Grass          

Pamlico Sound, Hyde County, NC 4/14/24

   
Double-crested Cormorants and Brown Pelicans on Big Foot Island Double-crested Cormorant fleeing from ferry Sand bar    

     
Part of Ocracoke coastline, including the lighthouse Another part of Ocracoke coastline, including the water tower      

       
Common Loon        

 

Morehead City, Carteret County, NC 4/13/24

False Garlic, in brush behind a hotel Low Hop Clover False Garlic, in the hotel parking lot European Honeybee on Blackberry flower False Garlic

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/7/23

 
Dajios, a restaurant Frogfruits (Phyla nodiflora) Largeleaf Pennyworts (Hydrocotyle bonariensis) Lantana  

Boat Piers at sunset Jolly Roger restaurant sign Gate to pier (and fence in background) Piers in Silver Lake

   
Juvie House Sparrow Belted Kingfisher    

Springer's Point Nature Preserve, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/7/23

Dune Bluecurls (Trichostema nesophilum) Mystery flower Eastern Baccharis aka Sea Myrtle (Baccharis halimifolia), but difference in appearance from the form seen on the mainland Juvie Common Starling Dragonfly

   
One of several similar fish, apparently rejected by whomever caught them. Looks somewhat like a sunfish. Great Blue Heron (very distant) Singing Northern Mockingbird, at the top of a tree    

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/6/23

Silver Lake at sunset. Photo by Karl D. Gottschalk. Square-backed Marsh Crab (Armases cinereum) Possibly a mature Square-backed Marsh Crab (Armases cinereum), feeding on tiny vegetation underwater Possibly a mature Square-backed Marsh Crab (Armases cinereum), feeding on tiny vegetation underwater Same, possibly a mature Square-backed Marsh Crab (Armases cinereum), feeding on tiny vegetation underwater

Same, possibly a mature Square-backed Marsh Crab (Armases cinereum), feeding on tiny vegetation underwater Same, possibly a mature Square-backed Marsh Crab (Armases cinereum), feeding on tiny vegetation underwater Same, possibly a mature Square-backed Marsh Crab (Armases cinereum), feeding on tiny vegetation underwater Fishing boat in Silver Lake Sailboat in Silver Lake

       
Square-backed Marsh Crab (Armases cinereum), feeding on tiny vegetation underwater        

Nature Trail, Ocracoke Island, Hyde County, NC 10/6/23

Golden Silk Spider Dune Bluecurls (Trichostema nesophilum) Carolina Anole Yellow and Black Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora)

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/5/23

 
Swan Quarter ferry arriving Great Egret Brown Pelican Brown Pelicans  

 
Salt Marsh Mallow (Kosteletzkya pentacarpos) Salt Marsh Mallow (Kosteletzkya pentacarpos) Lighthouse Canada Geese  

Beach Goldenrod Spotted Bee-balm (Monarda punctata) Squareback Marsh Crab Squareback Marsh Crab Squareback Marsh Crab

Squareback Marsh Crabs Perhaps distant storm, seen from Silver Lake Gull Royal Tern with fish prey Coastal Waterhyssop (Bacopa monnieri)

   
Salt Marsh Pink (Sabatia stellaris) Jolly Roger sign Brown Pelicans    

Springer's Point Nature Preserve, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/4/23

Wildflower Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) acorns Coastal Waterhyssop (Bacopa monnieri) Dune Bluecurls (Trichostema nesophilum) flowers Another Dune Bluecurls (Trichostema nesophilum) flower

Purple Morning Glory (Ipomoea purpurea) Mourning Dove Largeleaf Pennyworts (Hydrocotyle bonariensis) Double-crested Cormorant Hawk

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/4/23

 
Spotted Bee-balm (Monarda punctata) Salt Marsh Pink (Sabatia stellaris) Mystery aster Mystery aster Wharf Roach  

   
Same Wharf Roach Green Heron Same Green heron    

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/3/23

Trailing Wild Bean (Strophostyles helvola) Killdeer Royal Tern Another Royal Tern Yet another Royal Tern

Royal Tern Northeast part of Ocracoke Another part of Ocracoke's northeastern part Spotted Bee-balm (Monarda punctata)

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/2/23

 
Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) seedheads Rain Lilies (Zephyranthes candida) Pink Wood-sorrel (Oxalis debilis) Juvie and adult White Ibises  

White Ibises, with one not quite adult Nonbreeding Common Starling Dune Camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris), with spider Trailing Wild Bean (Strophostyles helvola) Trailing Wild Bean (Strophostyles helvola)

 
Fish mural Nonbreeding Common Starling Common Starlings bathing Fish swimming with tail partially out of the water  

Brown Pelican Same Brown Pelican Willet Royal Tern Another Royal Tern

Royal Terns        

Royal Tern Trailing Wild Bean (Strophostyles helvola) Spotted Bee-balm (Monarda punctata) Pennywort Unusual Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)

Firewheels (Gaillardia pulchella) Nonbreeding Laughing Gulls One of the many artworks in Ocracoke serving as store signs Swan Quarter ferry arriving Same ferry

   
Wind sculpture    

Ocracoke Beach, Hyde County, NC 10/2/23

Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea pes-caprae) Juvie Sanderling Juvie Laughing Gull with a hard, round object An adult Willet seemed curious, briefly Just before the gull gave up on the object

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/1/23

   
Lantana Carolina Anole Condos and lighthouse, seen from ferry    

Big Foot Island, Hyde County, NC 10/1/23

   
Double-crested Cormorants Double-crested Cormorants and Brown Pelicans Double-crested Cormorants and Brown Pelicans    

 
Double-crested Cormorants crowd this part of the island. Double-crested Cormorants and Brown Pelicans      

Swan Quarter, Hyde County, NC 10/1/23

Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) Fragrant False Garlic (Nothoscordum  borbonicum) Mystery building, seen from the ferry landing area Mystery ferry Flowers on the border of the ferry landing area

Mushroom Flower fly and Dune Camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris) Common Buckeye Delaware Skipper Pink Wood-sorrel (Oxalis debilis)

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/25/23

Birdfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) View of a pond Low Hop Clover (Tifolium campestre) Red-winged Blackbird with prey White Ibis

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/24/23

Red-winged Blackbird attacking a crow Frogfruit (Phyla lanceolata) Frogfruit (Phyla lanceolata) Ibis Manyflower Marsh-Pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata)

Rattlebox (Sesbania punicea) Red-winged Blackbird Another Red-winged Blackbird Yet another Red-winged Blackbird Semi-palmated Sandpiper

 
Semi-palmated Sandpiper Semi-palmated Sandpipers U.S. Navy Beach Jumpers memorial The other side of the U.S. Navy Beach Jumpers memorial  

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/23/23

Loop Shack Hill archaeological site Brookweed (Samolus valerandi) Chairmaker's Rush (Scirpus pungens) Coastal Waterhyssop (Bacopa monnieri) Deertongue (Dichanthelium clandestinum)

   
Virginia Dwarf-dandelion (Krigia virginica) Virginia Dwarf-dandelion (Krigia virginica) Eastern Prickly Pear (Opuntia humifusa)    

 
Eastern Prickly Pear (Opuntia humifusa) Eastern Prickly Pear (Opuntia humifusa) Eastern Prickly Pear (Opuntia humifusa) Male Eastern Towhee  

Same male Eastern Towhee Faded Cutleaf Evening Primrose (Oenothera laciniata) Cutleaf Evening Primrose (Oenothera laciniata) Frogfruit (Phyla lanceolata) Gray Everlasting (Gamochaeta coarctata)

Lined Orbweaver (Mangora gibberosa), running away, but came back Lined Orbweaver (Mangora gibberosa) Mourning Dove Purple False Foxglove (Agalinis purpurea) Another Purple False Foxglove (Agalinis purpurea)

Rattlebox (Sesbania punicea) Sensitive Archaeological Area designation Sensitive Archaeological Area designation, with site in the background Persian Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin) Snail shell

       
Stiff Marsh Bedstraw (Galium tinctorium)        

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/22/23

 
Airplane Same airplane Double-crested Cormorant Firewheels (Gaillardia pulchella)  

House Sparrow House Sparrow Kite Pinwheel display outside a store Least Tern, flying against the wind

Same Least Tern Same Least Tern Same Least Tern Same Least Tern Same Least Tern

Same Least Tern Lighthouse, from across Silver Lake Parasailing rider and boat Parasailor Juvie Sanderling

Ocracoke Beach, Ocracoke Island, Hyde County, NC 5/21/23

Annual Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) Asian Multi-colored Ladybug Beetle Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea imperati) Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea imperati) Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea imperati)

Camphorweed (Heterotheca axillaris) Brown-headed Cowbirds Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella) Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella) Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)

Yellow Firewheels (Gaillardia pulchella) Fleabane Tern Female House Sparrow Another female House Sparrow

Large jellyfish Killdeer Largeleaf Pennywort (Hydrocotyle bonariensis) Another Largeleaf Pennywort (Hydrocotyle bonariensis) Little Quaking Grass (Briza minor)

Pink Wood-sorrel (Oxalis debilis) Royal Tern Royal Tern soaring Breeding Sanderling Another Breeding Sanderling

Another Breeding Sanderling Another Breeding Sanderling Another Breeding Sanderling Another Breeding Sanderling Another Breeding Sanderling

     
Starrush Whitetop Sedge (Rhynchospora colorata) Starrush Whitetop Sedge (Rhynchospora colorata)      

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/21/23

Annual Beard-grass (Polypogon monspeliensis) Annual Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) Annual Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) Birdfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) Cutleaf Evening Primrose (Oenothera laciniata)

Asiatic Dayflower (Commelina communis) Fleabane (Erigeron genus, either Strigosus or annuus species) Morning Glory (Ipomoea purpurea) Starrush Whitetop Sedge (Rhynchospora colorata) Vasey's Grass (Paspalum urvillei) Vasey's Grass (Paspalum urvillei), up close

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 5/20/23

Annual Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) Birdfoot Trefoil Feral cat Citrine Forktail Eastern Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium atlanticum)

Fowler's Toad Another Fowler's Toad Leatherwing Beetle with fly prey Northern Mockingbird Moth caught in puddle

Rattlebox (Sesbania punicea) Rattlebox (Sesbania punicea) Spotless Ladybug Beetle (Cycloneda sanguinea) Same Spotless Ladybug Beetle (Cycloneda sanguinea) Same Spotless Ladybug Beetle (Cycloneda sanguinea)

Common Starling Starrush Whitetop Sedge (Rhynchospora colorata) Stink bug Sunset Sweet Yellow Clover (Melilotus officinalis)

     
Thistle View from room      

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/19/23

Birdfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) Snowy Egret Snowy Egret Rainbow Rattlebox (Sesbania punicea)

       
Starrush Whitetop Sedge (Rhynchospora colorata)        

Ocracoke (seen from ferry in Pamlico Sound), Hyde County, NC  4/30/22

Gull Horizon Condos Horizon Condos with lighthouse

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/29/22

     
Small plane Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella) Boat with crab traps in Pamlico Sound returning to Ocracoke Moth      

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/28/22

Meadow Garlic (Allium canadense) Meadow Garlic (Allium canadense) Meadow Garlic (Allium canadense) Meadow Garlic (Allium canadense) Meadow Garlic (Allium canadense)

Meadow Garlic (Allium canadense) Mottled Duck Red Admiral Red-winged Blackbird Another Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird in flight       Wild radish

 
Largeleaf Pennywort  (Hydrocotyle bonariensis) flowers Canada Geese Same Canada Geese Carolina Cranesbill (Geranium caroliniana) Cutleaf Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)  

 
Two ferries Same two ferries Georgia Sunrose poster Goldenrod  

Springer's Point Nature Preserve, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/28/22

Blue-eyed grass Greenbriar flowers       Moth

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/27/22

Annual Baby's Breath (Gypsophila elegans) Male House Sparrow gathering nesting material     Meadow Garlic (Allium canadense)

   
Sunset        

Springer's Point Nature Preserve, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/27/22

Georgia Sunrose, either Helianthum georgianum or Crocanthemum georgianum.  H. georgianum seems to be gaining more acceptance. American Sea Rocket? Greenbriar and a mystery grass with purple flowers Greenbriar flowers up close Rush (Juncus genus)

 
Mulberry leaves and fruits Largeleaf Pennywort (Hydrocotyle bonariensis) flowers Poison Ivy fruits Maybe Sandhill Bean?  

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/26/22

Blue-eyed Grass Blue-eyed Grass Fish mural House Sparrow feeding baby Japanese Mock Orange (Pittosporum tobira)

 

Lantana Lighthouse Northern Mockingbird Sow Thistle Wisteria

Ocracoke Island, North Beach, Hyde Park, NC  4/26/22

   
Sanderling Waves Waves    

   
Juvie Willet        

Pony Pasture, Ocracoke Island, Hyde County, NC  4/26/22

     
Ponies        

Hammock Hills Nature Trail, Ocracoke Island, Hyde County, NC  4/25/22

Common (European) Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) Ferns Fowler's Toad Little Quaking Grass (Briza minor) Palamedes Swallowtail

     
Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) Bristly Thistle (Cirsium horridulum)      

Beach and Grass across from the Hammock Hills Nature Trail, Ocracoke Island, Hyde County, NC 4/25/22

Birdfoot Trefoil Eastern Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium atlanticum) Eastern Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium atlanticum) Leucistic blue-eyed grass Crab tracks Sanderling

Ocracoke Beach, Hyde County, NC  4/24/22

 
Sanderling     Group of Sanderlings far down the beach  

     
Same group of Sanderlings        

     
Same group of Sanderlings They were originally sitting      

 
Willet Another Willet Willet Willet  

Springer's Point Nature Preserve, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/24/22

   
American Sea Rocket (Cakile edentula) American Sea Rocket (Cakile edentula) Two-flower Melicgrass (Melica mutica)    

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/24/22

 
View across Silver Lake Small plane Catchfly English Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)  

Eurasian Collared Dove Everlasting Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella) Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella) Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)

Fowler's Toad Grackle Another grackle Gull Horizon Condos

Female House Sparrow Male House Sparrow Courting Laughing Gulls    

 
Low Hop Clover (Trifolium campestre) Purple Morning Glory (Ipoema purpurea) Mourning Dove Swan Quarter Ferry leaving Ocracoke  

Ocracoke Water Tower Horizon Condos seen from Springer's Point Nature Preserve Pink Wood-sorrel American Robin Southern Broken-dash

Same Southern Broken-dash Common Starling Another Common Starling Sunrise View of Springer's Point from Horizon Condos

Ocracoke Beach, Hyde County, NC  9/11/21

 
Mystery succulent aster Foam Breeding Sanderling Waves  

     
Waves Waves      

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  9/11/21

 
Dogday cicada exuvia Flower fly Palamedes Swallowtail pair Squirrel Treefrog  

Ocracoke Beach, Hyde County, NC  9/10/21

Looking south Breeding Sanderling Another Breeding Sanderling Willet Same Willet

       
Willet        

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  9/10/21

Eastern Kingbird Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella) Another Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella) Another Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella) Great Egret

Great Egret Same Great Egret A sign on a shop Anamalous blue morning glory Pea, maybe Panicled Tick Trefoil (Desmodium paniculatum)

   
Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriaticus) Common Starling Succulent aster    

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  9/9/21

Fuzzybean (Strophostyles genus) Little Blue Herons Marsh grass Palamedes Swallowtail Purple False Foxglove

 
Rattlebox (Sesbania punicea) Saltmarsh Mallow (Kosteletzkya virginica) Saltmarsh Mallow (Kosteletzkya virginica) Sanderling  

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  9/8/21

Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) Canal Coastal Waterhyssop (Bacopa monnieri) Crablike Spined Orb Weaver Creeping Cucumber (Melothria pendula)

Cypress Vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) and fuzzybean (Strophostyles genus) Dogday cicada Lanceleaf Fogfruit (Phyla lanceolata) Mourning Dove Pinewoods Rose Gentian

 
Slender Glass Lizard Squirrel Treefrog Same Squirrel Treefrog, staring to turn green (eventually became all green) Whitetop Sedge (Rhynchospora colorata)  

Springer's Point Nature Preserve, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  9/7/21

 
American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) Largeleaf Pennywort (Hydrocotyle bonariensis) Another Largeleaf Pennywort (Hydrocotyle bonariensis) Big fish  

Ghost Crab Same Ghost Crab trying to scale a log Same Ghost Crab entering a hole (after having gone under the log) Pea, maybe Panicled Tick Trefoil (Desmodium paniculatum) Another such pea

     
Sea Oxeye Daisy (Borrichia frutescens) Spotted Bee Balm (Monarda punctata), with only one flower left      

Ocracoke Beach, Hyde County, NC  9/6/21

Black-backed Gull Not quite breeding Black-bellied Plover Not quite breeding Black-bellied Plover Female Cloudless Sulphur on a Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea imperati) Another female Cloudless Sulphur on a Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea imperati)

Female Cloudless Sulphur on a Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea imperati) Male Cloudless Sulphur on a Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea imperati) Another female Cloudless Sulphur on a Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea imperati) Bonaparte's Gull Breeding Sanderling

 
First-year Sanderling Female Seaside Dragonlet Tern Same tern  

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  9/6/21

 
Assassin bug (Zelus luridus) Birdfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) Carolina Anole Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus)  

Lanceleaf Fogfruit (Phyla lanceolata) Paper wasp Pin-striped Slug Moth Porcelain Berries Rattlebox (Sesbania punicea) flowers

Rattlebox (Sesbania punicea) seed pods Carolina Saddlebags Same Carolina Saddlebags Male Seaside Dragonlet Male Seaside Dragonlet

 
Clouded Skipper Old or diseased Squirrel Treefrog Same old or diseased Squirrel Treefrog Another Squirrel Treefrog  

       
Sunset        

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  9/5/21

Coastal Waterhyssop (Bacopa monnieri) Squirrel Treefrog Another Squirrel Treefrog Another Squirrel Treefrog Another Squirrel Treefrog

Pamlico Sound, Hyde County, NC  9/5/21

Boat leaving Ocracoke as we were coming in Departing ferry Ferry wake Midge on ferry Paraglider near Ocracoke

   
Brown Pelicans on Big Foot Island Closer view of Brown Pelicans on Big Foot Island Shrimp boat    

Swan Quarter, Hyde County, NC  9/5/21

Dogday Cicada Great Blue Heron Osprey Passionflower Pokeberry on piling

 

Royal Tern Another Royal Tern Royal Terns Saltmarsh Morning Glory Male Seaside Dragonlet, still marginally teneral

 

   
Male Seaside Dragonlet Another male Seaside Dragonlet Female Seaside Dragonlet    

5/1/21

Possibly a White Campion, but the calyxes are too hairy and the petals too simple Part of an Ocracoke house near Route 12, viewed from the ball field Frog sculpture at Heron's Landing Spiny Sowthistle (Sonchus asper) Heron's Landing, viewed from the ball field

 

 
Morning Glories (anomalous Ipomoea purpurea) Mourning Dove Ballfield scoreboard Sow Thistle seedheads  

Hammock Hills Nature Preserve, Ocracoke Island, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Hyde County, NC  4/30/21

Juniper Hairstreak Karl Pearl Crescent Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) flowers and leaves Amber

     
Eastern Blue-eyed Grass Fowler's Toad      

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/30/21

Carolina Anole Aphid White Campion (Silene latifolia) Another White Campion (Silene latifolia) Seen in a patch of White Clover, it was perhaps a mutant.

Coral Honeysuckle More Coral Honeysuckle Large mystery mosquito Dwarf Blue-eyed Grass Eastern Blue-eyed Grass

Eastern Blue-eyed Grass Departing ferry and channel marker Yellow Firewheel Firewheels (Gaillardia pulchella) Fowler's Toad

Morning Glory Thicket Bean or Sandhills Bean (Phaseolus polystachios var. sinuatus) Another Thicket Bean or Sandhills Bean (Phaseolus polystachios var. sinuatus) Another Thicket Bean or Sandhills Bean (Phaseolus polystachios var. sinuatus) Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria)

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/29/21

Aphid exuvia Asian Multi-colored Ladybug Beetle Manyflower Marsh-Pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata) Black Willow flowers Black Willow flowers and buds

Black Willow flower Black Willow flowers, from a different angle Brookweed (Samolus parviflorus) Another Brookweed (Samolus parviflorus) Common Vetch (Vicia sativa)

   
Milkweed Assassin Bug Pearl Crescent Whitetop Sedge    

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/28/21

Mustard plants Narrow-leaf Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria) flowers Coral Honeysuckle Grounselbush Beetle (Trirhabda bacharidis)

Fleabane Gray Catbird Hooked Buttercup Low Hop Clover March fly

Northern Mockingbird Multiflora Rose, with Virginia Creeper Multiflora Rose Mustard Common Starling

     
Mystery vine Yellow Thistle      

Ramp 59, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Ocracoke Island, Hyde County, NC  4/27/21

 
American Sea Rocket Boat Cedars Crab tracks  

 

Eastern Towhee Large washed-up fish Ring-billed Gull, victim of Hurricane Dorian Hurricane damage More hurricane damage

 

 
As far as we could go Osprey Same Osprey Same Osprey  

 

   
Prickly Pear fruit Male Red-winged Blackbird singing Sanderlings    

 

   
Sanderlings Same Sanderlings Some Sanderlings    

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/27/21

Aphids Mystery bush Groundselbush (Trirhabda bacharidis) Groundselbush (Trirhabda bacharidis) Larva and an exuvia

 
Milkweed Assassin Bug Milkweed Assassin Bug Male Spotless Ladybug Beetle Male Spotless Ladybug Beetle  

Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Ocracoke Island, Hyde County, NC  4/26/21

 
Firewheels Sanderling Flying Sanderlings Sanderlings  

 
Sanderlings Willet Same Willet Another Willet  

       
Willets and Sanderlings        

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/26/21

Ocracoke sunrise Aphids Milkweed Assassin Bug nymph with fly prey Milkweed Assassin Bug nymph with fly prey Milkweed Assassin Bug nymph with fly prey

Big Milkweed Bug Blowfly Curly Dock Eastern Blue-eyed Grass Fish reaching for food on pond surface

Same fish Flea beetle larva (Trirhabda bacharidis) Tiny fly View of Pamlico Sound from the other side of Route 12 Northern Mockingbird

Northern Mockingbird Pearl Crescent Pink Wood-sorrel Soldier fly (Stratiomyini tribe) Sow Thistle

Male Spotless Ladybug Beetle (Cycloneda sanguinea)

Female Spotless Ladybug Beetle (Cycloneda sanguinea) Squirrel Treefrog Another Squirrel Treefrog Yet another Squirrel Treefrog

   
Another Squirrel Treefrog Another Squirrel Treefrog Same Squirrel Treefrog    

Ocracoke and Swan Quarter, Hyde County, NC  4/25/21

 
Brown Pelican Double-crested Cormorants and a few gulls on Big Foot Island Double-crested Cormorants and many gulls on Big Foot Island Beach Evening Primrose  

Double-crested Cormorants on Big Foot Island with Ocracoke houses in the background View from our deck in Ocracoke Dwarf Dandelion Eastern Blue-eyed Grass, still unfolding in the morning Brookweed or Water Pimpernel (Samolus parviflorus)

 
Eurasian Collared Dove in Ocracoke Gulls on Big Foot Island House on the big marsh in Ocracoke Killdeer in Swan Quarter  

 
Full moon Ocracats is an organized effort to support feral cats in an Ocracoke neighborhood. Pink Wood-sorrel (Oxalis debilis) in Swan Quarter Little Quaking Grass (Briza minor) in Ocracoke Birdfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) in Ocracoke  

     
Flying Killdeer Two other Killdeers, one flying      

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/21/19

Spotless Ladybug Beetle (Cycloneda sanguinea) Same Spotless Ladybug Beetle (Cycloneda sanguinea) Vedalia Beetle (Rodolia cardinalis) Vedalia Beetle pupa Cottony cushion scale (Icerya purchasi), natural prey of Vedalia Beetles.

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/20/19

Polished Ladybug Beetle (Cycloneda munda) Mating Vedalia Beetles (Rodolia cardinalis) Aphids More aphids Cottony cushion scale (Icerya purchasi), natural prey of Vedalia Beetles.  ID thanks to Ken Wolgemuth.

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/19/19

American Oystercatcher, at the north end of the island Same American Oystercatcher Anchor Bug (Stiretrus anchorago), in town Moth fly (in town) Atlantic Ocean

 
Heron's Landing, seen from the beach Sanderlings, far up the beach Squirrel treefrog Another squirrel treefrog  

     
Willet and Sanderlings, far up the beach Willet struggling to keep its balance in the strong winds      

Ocracoke Island (Hammock Hills Nature Trail), Hyde County, NC  4/18/19

 
Carolina Anole Eastern Blue-eyed Grass Flesh fly Fowler's Toad  

 
Blooming Poison Ivy Sawtooth Blackberry Tiny wasp Fowler's Toad  

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/18/19

   
Kite Public beach Palamedes Swallowtail Sanderling    

     
Sandwich Tern Willet      

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/17/19

Birdfoot Trefoil House Eurasian Collared Dove courtship ritual: the dove on the right bowed repeatedly. Another scene from the Eurasian Collared Dove courtship ritual Little Quaking Grass (Briza minor)

       
Male House Sparrow        

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/16/19

 
Brown-headed Cowbird Fledgling Brown-headed Cowbird struggling to catch its balance Feral cat.  There is a substantial population of cats given food by residents, otherwise on their own. Coral Honeysuckle  

Daisy Fleabane Eurasian Collared Dove Evening Primrose Happy Easter yard display Female House Sparrow

Marsh during the golden hour Mint plants Mourning Dove Osprey aircraft in helicopter mode Same Osprey aircraft

Red Admiral Common Starling Yellow Thistle (Cirsium horridulum) Violet Wood-sorrel Wisteria

       
Wisteria branch        

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  4/15/19

Brown Pelican Daisy Fleabane Eastern Blue-eyed Grass Firewheel Mystery grass

Female House Sparrow Fledgling House Sparrow Same fledgling House Sparrow Same fledgling House Sparrow Ring-billed Gulls and a Laughing Gull

 
Sea Oxeye Daisies Violet Wood-Sorrel Asters Wisteria  

Carolina Wren Eastern Blue-eyed Grass False Garlic (Crow Poison) Grackle Little Quaking Grass (Briza minor)

 
Gull Mystery iris, thriving in a large marsh Shield-backed bug Black Willow male catkins  

Ocracoke Island (nearest beach to town), Hyde County, NC  5/26/18

Black Skimmer Ghost Crab Laughing Gull Red Knots Red Knots in flight

 

 
More flying Red Knots Red Knots seeking mollusks Large group of Red Knots Another view of that group  

 

Red Knots, two in breeding plumage More Red Knots Yet more Red Knots Breeding Sanderling Juvie Sanderling

 

     
Semipalmated Plover Same Semipalmated Plover      

Ocracoke Island (Southpoint), Hyde County, NC  5/25/18

Eastern Mud Turtle Deer Fly Grackle Great Egret Female Needham's Skimmer

 

Male Needham's Skimmer? Female Needham's Skimmer Teneral Eastern Pondhawk Red-winged Blackbird Same Red-winged Blackbird

 

   
Red-winged Blackbird    

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/25/18

   
Probably Lanceleaf Fogfruit Another Lanceleaf Fogfruit Moon Shield-backed bug Cat with bird prey?    

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/24/18

Floats Mourning Dove Sandwich Tern over North Pond Same Sandwich Tern Wharf Crab in a residential neighborhood

Ocracoke Island (nearest public beach), Hyde County, NC  5/23/18

Breeding Black-bellied Plover Another Black-bellied Plover Same Black-bellied Plover Red Knot Same Red Knot

 

Breeding Ruddy Turnstone Same Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling facing away from the wind Sanderling, with maybe transitional plumage Nonbreeding Sanderling

 

       
Breeding Sanderling        

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/23/18

       
Male Red-winged Blackbird on a cedar        

Springer's Point, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/22/18

 
Mating Redbelly Water Snakes Same mating Redbelly Water Snakes Sandwich Tern Sandwich Tern  

 

Thicket Bean (Phaseolus polystachios var. sinuatus) Prickly Pear Another Prickly Pear Another Prickly Pear Male Northern Cardinal

 

     
Fowler's Toad Northern Mockingbird      

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/22/18

Male Carolina Anole displaying Feral tabby cat Eurasian Collared Dove Female Needham's Skimmer White-topped Sedge

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/21/18

Sweat bee (Agapostemon genus) on Firewheel flower Same sweat bee Common Starling Squirrel Treefrog (Yellow) Firewheel

 

Pink Wood-Sorrel Male House Sparrow Great Egret Gray Catbird Firewheels

 

 
Eurasian Collared Dove Same Eurasian Collared Dove Flying Double-crested Cormorant Same Double-crested Cormorant  

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/27/17

Variegated Fritillary on White Clover Squirrel Treefrog (Hyla squirella) Slender Ladies' Tresses orchid (Spiranthes lacera) Closer look at the same Slender Ladies' Tresses orchid Ladies tresses flower from side

 

Spring Ladies' Tresses orchid Close-up of a Ladies Tresses group of flowers, showing orange and yellow interiors A group of Ladies Tresses flowers from another plant, showing just a green-yellow interior Plant bug, seen on building exterior Same plant bug

Ocracoke Island (near beach), Hyde County, NC  5/27/17

Ruddy Turnstone, nearly in full breeding plumage Same Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling in breeding plumage Another Sanderling in breeding plumage Same Sanderling

 

   
Non-breeding Sanderling Breeding Willet Firewheels    

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/26/17

Eurasian Collared Dove Artwork on a house Fort Ocracoke memorial plaque Seen at a business Killdeer

 

View across the North Pond Sanderlings flying across the North Pond Snowy Egret at the North Pond, near the downtown area Sunset Sunset reflected in a window

Ocracoke Island (north shore), Hyde County, NC  5/26/17

American Oystercatcher Same American Oystercatcher Washed-up blowfish Ship dredging channels Eastern Beach Tiger Beetle

 

Same Eastern Beach Tiger Beetle Same Eastern Beach Tiger Beetle Ferry arriving at Silver Lake Young Ghost Crab Largeleaf Pennywort (Hydrocotyle bonariensis)

 

Sanderling Another Sanderling Sandspurs Seaweed A view of the shore

 

       
Spider wasp (in dunes)        

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/25/17

Sandhill Bean (Phaseolus sinuatus) View of the marsh Ladies tresses orchid (Spiranthes genus) Fowler's Toad Figurine in front yard

 

       
Aphid        

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/24/17

Male Northern Cardinal Feral cat (seen at old lighthouse) Fowler's Toad Male House Sparrow Female Mallard

 

   
Mandevilla Salt Marsh Mallow Male Common Starling in breeding plumage    

Ocracoke Island (north shore), Hyde County, NC  5/24/17

Sanderling in breeding plumage Another Sanderling in non-breeding plumage Common Tern Same Common Tern Same Common Tern

 

 
Male Brackish-water Fiddler Crab Tiny beetle in the dunes Male Rambur's Forktail Ghost Crab  

 

     
Jellyfish Royal Tern      

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/22/17

A lone Laughing Gull at Silver Lake The gull issues several cries. Another view A second gull arrives. The courtship ritual begins.

 

The gull that came looks down. They brush beaks. Now the caller looks up. Purple Morning Glory vine Mourning Dove taking off.

 

Male Red-winged Blackbird Same male Red-winged Blackbird Sanderling in breeding plumage Another Sanderling, also in breeding plumage Juvie Gray Catbird

 

Barn Swallow Bike sculpture Feral cat Male Eastern Towhee (very early) Grass flowers

 

   
Gray Catbird Laughing Gulls and Herring Gulls compete for scraps tossed from a nearby restaurant Male House Sparrow    

 

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/21/17

   
Eurasian Collared Doves The USDA calls this a "rattlebox" (Sesbania punicea). It's a kind of locust tree, a member of the pea family (Fabaceae) and is native to South America.  It's considered to be invasive and a noxious weed in Florida and California, but North Carolina's chilly winters keep it in check. White-topped Sedge flower    

Pamlico Sound and Big Foot Island, Hyde County, NC  5/21/17

   
Brown Pelicans on Big Foot Island Another view of Brown Pelicans on Big Foot Island More Brown Pelicans on Big Foot Island    

 

       
Diving tern over Pamlico Sound. Probably a nonbreeding Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)        

Swan Quarter, Hyde County, NC  5/21/17

Barn Swallow in flight Barn Swallow, also in flight Delaware Skipper Killdeer Same Killdeer

 

Killdeer Female Needham's Skimmer Palatka Skipper Female Seaside Dragonlet Perhaps teneral female Seaside Dragonlet

 

Male Seaside Skimmer, nearly adult Teneral male Seaside Skimmer Another teneral male Seaside Skimmer Male Seaside Skimmer, nearly adult Adult male Seaside Skimmer

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/29/16 (seen from the departing ferry)

Cormorants flying south Big Foot Island just before dawn A better view of Big Foot Island, showing pelicans and other birds A similar view, closer to sunrise Cormorants flying south

 

Cormorants flying from Big Foot Island toward Ocracoke (south) The Village of Ocracoke Big Foot Island Distant cormorants Harbor House

 

     
Egrets Another view of these egrets      

Nature Trail, Ocracoke Island, Hyde County, NC 10/28/16

       
Male Brackish-water Fiddler Crab standing his ground        

Ocracoke Island (north end), Hyde County, NC 10/27/16

 
Nonbreeding Black-bellied Plover Another nonbreeding Black-bellied Plover Probably first-year Piping Plover, which alternated between walking toward me and facing away Same Piping Plover, which eventually flew around me.  

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/27/16

Common Starlings Common Starlings Double-crested Cormorant Brown Pelican flying toward setting sun After sunset

 

   
Before sunset Closer up Same sunset scene with glare screened out    

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/26/16

Double-crested Cormorant Eurasian Collared Dove Grackle Mallard ducklings Mystery bird

 

     
Interesting street corner Fishing mistake      

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/25/16

Monarch Yellow-rumped Warbler Same Yellow-rumped Warbler Same Yellow-rumped Warbler Another Yellow-rumped Warbler

Springer's Point Nature Preserve, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/25/16

Eastern Phoebe Northern Mockingbird Hens Cooper's Hawk Raccoon sculpture

Ocracoke Island (north shore), Hyde County, NC 10/24/16

Nonbreeding Black-bellied Plover Same Black-bellied Plover Cormorants Ghost Crab Grasshopper

 

Great Black-backed Gull Flock of Great Black-backed Gulls Four Black-backed Gulls The north end, where the effects of the Hurricane Matthew are seen Yellow-rumped Warbler, one of several nearby

Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Hyde County, NC 10/24/16

Yellow-rumped Warbler Juvie Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler in a marsh Another juvie Yellow-rumped Warbler Female Red-winged Blackbird

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/23/16

Double-crested Cormorant Mallard-American Black Duck hybrid pair Common flower in the neighborhood Sunset over Silver Lake Yellow-rumped Warbler eating berries in a Wax Myrtle bush

Springer's Point Nature Preserve, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 10/23/16

 
Northern Mockingbird, actually slightly outside the Preserve Yellow-rumped Warbler Another Yellow-rumped Warbler Remains of a horseshoe crab  

Big Foot Island, Hyde County, NC 10/22/16

     
Double-crested Cormorants and gulls A longer view of the Double-crested Cormorants and gulls      

Pamlico Sound, Hyde County, NC 10/22/16

 
Royal Tern Laughing Gull Laughing Gulls, with fish prey Juvenile Brown Pelican landing  

Swan Quarter, Hyde County, NC 10/22/16

Blowfly Midge Royal Tern about to land What is the one Royal Tern saying? Flying by are a gull, an adult Royal Tern, and a juvenile. Interspecies conversation (including Laughing Gull)

 

Royal Terns and Laughing Gulls, both A quiet scene, during a rare moment when both Royal Terns were looking in the same direction Sometimes one Royal Tern bumps another one off its perch. In this case, an adult is the one displaying bad manners, while these two juveniles are still unsuspecting. Another interesting conversation, perhaps, "You can't land here!" One perched Royal Tern watches two other terns pass through.

 

More Royal Tern activity: "Don't even think of landing here!" You can see who's boss, at least on this piling. It's interesting to see how Royal Terns wriggle their wings when moved in on. "Sorry, buddy, but we don't think there's a place for you." An adult Royal Tern flies by, watched by two juveniles.

 

     
One Royal Tern scolds another. "Don't even think of doing that!"      

Ocracoke (beach), Hyde County, NC 4/23/16

   
Non-breeding, molting Black-bellied Plover Sanderling Willet    

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 4/23/16

 
Male Northern Cardinal Carpet Beetle House Sparrow gathering nesting material from cattails Male Red-winged Blackbird in cedar tree  

Springer's Point Nature Preserve, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 4/22/16

   
Beach Male Red-winged Blackbird Yellow-rumped Warbler    

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 4/22/16

Banner Birdfoot Trefoil Birdfoot Trefoil with some faded (fertilized?) flowers Evening Primrose Houses across the marsh

 

     
Mite, 1-2 mm long Blue-eyed Grass      

Ocracoke (beach), Hyde County, NC 4/21/16

Double-crested Cormorant Another Double-crested Cormorant Mostly gulls on a sand bar Tricolored Heron Same Tricolored Heron

 

       
Tricolored Heron and crow        

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 4/21/16

Barn Swallow Barn Swallows Blue Jay Brown Pelican Meadow Garlic (Allium canadense)

 

Big house on the marsh Pink Wood-Sorrel Common Starling Blue Toadflax Yellow-rumped Warbler

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 4/20/16

Birdfoot Trefoil in the middle of the day Birdfoot Trefoil in the early morning Male Northern Cardinal Eurasian Collared Dove Another Eurasian Collared Dove

 

Great Egret, with green patch indicating breeding status Mallard duckling without a family A drainage ditch in the big marsh on the south end Sunrise Tricolored Heron flying past the pier

 

     
Yellowlegs Same yellowlegs      

Ocracoke (beach scenes were at north end of the island), Hyde County, NC 4/19/16

Crow Egg cases Eurasian Collared Dove Small Ghost Crab Left at tombstone in the town cemetery

 

House Sparrow Another House Sparoow Osprey aircraft flying low over the marsh Another view of the Osprey aircraft Palamedes butterfly

 

       
Interesting street sign        

Ocracoke (halfway up the island), Hyde County, NC 4/18/16

 
Small Ghost Crab Blue-eyed Grass Grackle (nature trail) Palamedes Swallowtail (nature trail)  

Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC 4/18/16

Barn Swallow Beach Female Northern Cardinal at Springer's Point Nature Preserve Eurasian Collared Dove Another Eurasian Collared Dove

 

Grackle Gulls in a cedar tree Hen Male House Finch Same male House Finch

 

Male House Finch Male Mallard, possibly hybrid w/ American Black Duck Mourning Dove Palamedes Swallowtail Rooster

 

   
Common Starling Sunrise Yellow-rumped Warbler in breeding plumage    

Pamlico Sound, Hyde County, NC 4/17/16

Swan Quarter Swan Quarter Herring Gull Gull Common Loon taking off

 

Herring Gull An island Laughing Gull Herring Gull Herring Gull

 

Juvenile Herring Full Herring Gulls Herring Gulls Several Herring Gulls that apparently dove for the same object Many Herring Gulls following the ferry's wake

 

   
Juvenile Herring Gull Cormorants and gulls on Big Foot Island, which was created by dredging ferry channels Double-crest Cormorant    

4/19/15 (shortly before dawn)

   
Squirrel Treefrog? This one was much bigger than the one on the right.  But this is a very variable species. Squirrel Treefrog    

4/18/15

 
Willet Sanderlings and a gull Sanderlings Ghost Crab Feral cat.  Not seen at the beach, but put here for convenience.  

Springer's Point Nature Preserve,  4/17/15

     
Great Crested Flycatcher Snake      

4/17/15

   
Palamedes Swallowtail American Oystercatchers Horned Grebes    

   
Grackle reacting to cat Feral cat eating grass Crane flies mating    

4/15/15

     
Sixteen Mallard ducklings Karl at Herons Landing Female Rambur's Forktail, seen at Nature Trail outside of town Two Green Anoles apparently battling for territory; one was biting the other. Green Anole      

         
Tiny caterpillar, seen at Nature Trail Male Red-winged Blackbird          

4/14/15

Male House Sparrow American Mink (Neovison vison) Same mink Same mink Same mink

White Ibis Shield-backed bug Mallards Green Heron Eurasian Collared Dove

4/13/15

 
Blue-eyed Grass Common Shore Tiger Beetle Cormorants and Royal Terns Willet  

 5/24/12

 
Red Knot flying Two Red Knots Black-bellied Plover Sanderling  

Eurasian Collared Dove Black-bellied Plover Firewheels Bee fly at bee nest White-topped Sedge

North shore of Ocracoke Island, 5/23/12

Eastern Beach Tiger Beetle (Cicindela dorsalis).  The genus name may have recently been changed. Marbled Godwit Marbled Godwit and Sanderling Same Marbled Godwit and Sanderling Firewheels, in a small patch on a dune

In town, 5/23/12

A feral dog barking at me The same dog barking at my husband Bird's-foot Trefoil Mallard bathing in a large puddle left by a big storm Bear Grass

 
The south end Violet Wood Sorrel (perhaps a member of the same species  as Pink Wood Sorrel: maybe lighting accounts for the slight difference in color) White-topped Sedge Brown-headed Cowbirds  

5/13/09

     
Male Fiddler Crab, trying to intimidate me Same crab, looking intimidated by my much taller husband. Eastern Blue-eyed Grass      

Springer's Point Nature Preserve, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC  5/12/09

   
Ladybug Beetle (Cycloneda mundi) Blue-tipped Dancer Little Wood Satyr (ventral) Little Wood Satyr (dorsal)    

North end of the island, NC 5/12/09

   
Salt Marsh Skipper Salt Marsh Skipper, ventral view Robber fly    

5/11/09

       
Milkweed Assassin Bug (Zelus longipes)        

May 13-16, 2007

Cattle Egret, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/16/07 Male Brown-headed Cowbird, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/16/07 Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus), Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/15/07 Male Red-winged Blackbird, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/15/07.  These birds can control how much of the red portion of their wings shows. Fish Crow, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/15/07

 

White Ibises, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/15/07.  Note the grayish juvenile. White Ibises, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/15/07 White Ibises, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/15/07 Juvenile Brown Pelican,  Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/14/07 Probably hybrid goose (Greylag/Canada Goose), Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/14/07

 

Snowy Egret, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/14/07 Royal Tern, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/14/07 European Starling, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/14/07 Barn Swallow, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/14/07

May 9-11, 2006

Sachem, 5/9/06 Juniper Hairstreak, 5/10/06 Salt Marsh Skipper, 5/10/06.  See more grass skippers. Little Wood Satyr, 5/11/06 Stilt-legged Fly, 5/11/06

 

Ghost Crab, 5/11/06.  See more crustaceans. Male Brackish-water Fiddler Crab, 5/11/06

Land Birds

Great Crested Flycatcher (Myarchus crinitus), Town of Ocracoke, 5/15/05. Male European Starling, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/9/06 Fish Crow, Ocracoke, 5/9/06 Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/19/05 Male Red-winged Blackbird, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/9/06

Geese

Canada Goose and Greylag Goose interspecies mating is suggested by some of these scenes.   I first saw this interspecies couple in 2003 and last saw what may have been them in 2005, when they mostly sat around. 

In May 2006, I saw no Greylag Geese and all of the Canada Geese were youthful and energetic.  They and the apparent hybrids pictured below, perhaps the offspring of the original couple, stayed together in a group, but no coupling was apparent.  There were four apparent hybrids in all, and about the same number of Canada Geese.

Goose family, town of Ocracoke, NC, 5/12/03.  Definitely not a typical Canada Goose (Branta Canadensis) family here!  The other adult is a Greylag Goose.  I counted 8 goslings, one of which seems to be facing toward me.  (Canada Goose goslings are tawny.) A little over two years later (town of Ocracoke, 5/18/05), I spotted what appears to be this odd couple again.  They stayed on land this time, mostly sitting or eating grass, and I saw them on several different days in the same general area.  I didn't see them in May 2006.

 

Apparent Canada Goose/Greylag Goose hybrid, maybe the offspring of the couple on the left, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/18/05.  This goose and its Canada Goose companion hung around with the goose couple in the picture on the left in the evenings. The goose on the right (also pictured at left) hung around with this Canada Goose, doing some swimming and some flying.  The last time I saw them, they had spotted something interesting in Silver Lake and were flying toward it, honking wildly.  Note the contrast between the Canada Goose on the left and the apparent hybrid on the right.  Even though goslings had appeared in Ocracoke in mid-May of 2003, none of any species showed up this time anywhere on Ocracoke Island. Apparently a Canada Goose/Greylag Goose hybrid.  Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/10/06 Canada Goose, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/10/06

Others

Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), town of Ocracoke, 5/19/05.   As its name suggests, this heron is mainly nocturnal. Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor), Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/10/06 Tricolored Heron, Ocracoke, 5/10/06 Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis), Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/10/06

 

Royal Tern (Sterna maxima), in breeding plumage, Ocracoke Island, Hyde County, NC, in flight, 5/9/06 Royal Terns (in breeding plumage), Ocracoke Island, Hyde County, NC, perhaps greeting the Hatteras Ferry, 5/9/06. Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), Ocracoke Island, 5/16/05 (breeding plumage).

 

Juvenile Sanderling (Calidris alba), Ocracoke, 5/9/04.  A kind of sandpiper. Dunlin (Calidris alpina), Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/10/06.  Breeding plumage. Ruddy Turnstones (Atenaria interpres), in breeding plumage, Ocracoke Island, 5/16/05.  These migratory birds summer in northern Canada. Ruddy Turnstone, also in breeding plumage Ocracoke Island, 5/16/05.

 

Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus), Ocracoke, 5/10/06 Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia), Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/10/06 Greater Yellowlegs, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/10/06

 

American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus), Ocracoke Island (north shore), 5/9/04.  American Oystercatcher, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/10/06

 

American Coot (Fulica americana), Ocracoke Island, Hyde County, NC, 5/19/05. 

 

Female Common Green Darner (Anax junius), Ocracoke Island, 5/17/05

 

Another adult Laughing Gull, Ocracoke, 5/14/04.

Prickly Pears and a Scallop shell, 5/18/05

 

 

 

 

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