TimBeckToo

06/16/2024

Amiee Dean and her family were fishing at the Point on Cape Hatteras on Wednesday when they – and everyone else on the beach – had what’s likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

09/14/2023

Weather at the pier today.

Rough water, too.

09/09/2023

Helpful info

Swimming Advisory Press Releases Follow us on Twitter! Swimming Advisory Map If this map is not displaying properly, view it in a standalone browser

07/25/2023

07/06/2023

06/26/2023

06/02/2023

05/18/2023

Great news

USFWS just announced at their public meeting the amazing news that the ARNWR red wolf pack we all love has new additions - 3 female pups and 2 males born this April, with 1 male cross fostered (taken from a zoo and placed in the wild). This is incredible news! They now consist of the 2 breeding parents, 5 yearlings and these 6 pups- now that’s a wolf pack!

Other releases will put the wild population, by the end of May, at 35-37 wild red wolves including 19 radio collared adults/ yearlings and 14 pups. Two other wild litters of four each were born to a wild female wolf paired with a captive male red wolf; these families are still in acclimation pens. One other wild born female- captive male pair was recently released as well.

Keep an eye out for USFWS Red Wolf Recovery Team FB updates for more exciting news about the population.

Also please drive carefully in the red wolf recovery area now more than ever as we have have these new releases in the environment.

If you see a red wolf by a busy road, or need to report an emergency regarding a wolf, the 24/7 hotline is (855) 496-5837

05/18/2023

Another litter this year.🎉🎉 and more releases to happen

In addition to the birth of five red wolf pups, two breeding pairs of red wolves were introduced at Alligator River wildlife refuge as part of the ongoing recovery program for the endangered species.

05/07/2023

Spotted on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge today by a wildlife refuge volunteer! 😱 What a beautiful bobcat! Rare sighting! Thanks for sharing this photo Angel! That’s the MAGIC of the refuge, you just never know what you’ll get to see! Book your Magic Bus Wildlife and Bear Tour with us! Call or message us! Fun for groups and all ages!

Visit The Outer Banks, Visit North Carolina, N.C. Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs NC Wildlife Resources Commission Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce

04/19/2023

First nest success!

Park Biologists found the first shorebird nest of the season on Ocracoke Island last week. This full clutch belongs to a returning pair of American Oystercatchers and is expected to hatch around May 8th.

Throughout the summer, we’ll share with you images captured on trail cameras monitoring our shorebird nests. This technology helps reduce human disturbance, informs us on predation, and gives us more insight into the daily lives of our nesting shorebirds.

A camera will be set up near this particular nest, so follow along this season for a special

📸 NPS/ A. Thompson

Alt Text: Three eggs inside a bird’s nest resting atop a sandy dune with the ocean in the distance.

04/09/2023

04/04/2023

Looking for something fun and unique to do on spring break next week?

Make sure to join Keeper James at the Hatteras Weather Bureau Station as he reveals the little-known shocking connection between the world-famous RMS Titanic tragedy and Hatteras Island – with hard evidence.

Join us April 14th, 1pm at the Historic Hatteras Weather Bureau Station in Hatteras Village. Hope to see you there!

04/01/2023

NEWS RELEASE
The Bodie Island Lighthouse will be open for climbing this year beginning Wednesday, April 26. Standing nearly 165 feet tall, the Bodie Island Lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the third lighthouse to serve this area.

Climbing tickets go on sale at 7 a.m. and may only be purchased on the same day of your intended climb. Tickets are only available for purchase at www.recreation.gov/ticket/252034/ticket/10087143.

Pro tip: Tickets sell out quickly, so create your www.recreation.gov account prior to the date you intend to purchase tickets.

Learn more about climbing lighthouses at https://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/lighthouseclimbs.htm.

A climbing season at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is unlikely, due to restoration efforts.

📷Photo of the Bodie Island Lighthouse. NPS/Kurt Moses

12/22/2022

12/21/2022

The Old Oregon Inlet Life-Saving Station is one of the most beautiful historic buildings on the Outer Banks, situated at a dramatic coastal location that would befit a movie setting. But it’s got to go. Where and when and to whom is what the North Carolina Aquariums — the building’s current ow...

12/16/2022

10/27/2022

10/26/2022

Historian and author Kevin Duffus is set to present a newly produced lecture, “The Battle at Ocracoke — What Really Happened,” at this year’s Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree Oct. 28-29 on Ocracoke Island. For more details visit the Facebook event. It began within minutes after the notorious p...

10/23/2022

You don’t catch these very often!

10/20/2022

American white pelicans have returned to the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge per multiple visitors, making the fall months an ideal time for birdwatchers and nature photographers to catch a glimpse of these rare visitors, as well other migrating species that flock to the refuge in the off-season...

10/16/2022

09/03/2022

08/17/2022

Pirates came to the Outer Banks for many reasons. The islands were a good place to hide. In the late 1500s English explorers attacked vessels off the Outer Banks. They were sent by the queen of England to rob Spanish ships. England wanted to be more powerful than Spain.
In the late 1600s there weren’t many people living here. There also was little form of government. Pirates walked freely among the people.
Because pirates felt safe, they chose the area to make repairs on their boats. They scraped the bottom where barnacles formed. Barnacles slowed down ships. Fast ships helped pirates escape quickly.
The Gulf Stream is off the Outer Banks. It moves fast. Sailors came from far away to catch a ride on the stream. It made their trip faster. This busy shipping lane attracted pirates. There were lots of ships to rob.
The coastal area had shallow water. The water was filled with sandbars. Pirates used boats that could sail through the shallow water. They sailed out to deeper water to rob ships. Then they sailed back to their island hideout. The larger ships they robbed couldn’t follow them because of the shoals.
The people didn’t always mind the pirates being on the Outer Banks. Trade was not as busy there as it was in other places. The islanders liked having the things the pirates brought to sell. They also liked the money they spent.
In 1718, a lot of pirates came to the North Carolina coast. They were kicked out of the Bahamas and other areas. This was done under orders of the king of England. That same year, a pirate crew captured the ship Expedition near Hatteras.
Stede Bonnet is a pirate who sailed Outer Banks waters during this time period.
The pirate Blackbeard hid on Ocracoke Island. In late 1718 he was killed when the governor of South Carolina sent war ships to arrest him and his crew. Blackbeard was killed in battle at Ocracoke.

08/16/2022

On August 15, 1973, Carolista Fletcher Baum placed herself in the path of a bulldozer removing sand from Jockey’s Ridge and refused to move. The driver cut off the engine and talked with Baum, who, after some time, left the dune unscathed. When the operator left, Baum took the distributor cap so the machine would not start.

Baum received word of the bulldozer from her three children who long had climbed the dune for the spectacular views it offered.

Though local groups had talked about protecting the large dune from encroaching development for years, Baum was the driving force that made the idea a reality. She helped form the People to Preserve Jockey’s Ridge after her dramatic protest, raising money and organizing petition drives to capture the attention of state and local lawmakers.

She even drove to Raleigh every day for three weeks to keep the dune in the minds of legislators.

In 1973, the Division of Parks and Recreation issued a report in favor of preserving Jockey’s Ridge as a state park, and a year later the dune was declared a National Natural Landmark. When the General Assembly appropriated funds to create the park in 1975, the preservation of the dune was secured for generations to come.
**We have received a historical marker application for Baum and it will be considered by the advisory committee in December--so stay tuned!**

08/02/2022

On July 23rd, the first sea turtle nest hatched on the seashore (cue all of the cute sea turtle hatchling photos)! Since then, several more nests have hatched and park biologists have started nest excavations.

During a recent excavation on July 27th, a live, leucistic loggerhead sea turtle was found at the bottom of the nest chamber. It was released that evening when it crawled its way into the Atlantic Ocean. This genetic deviation is rare since we typically only see a few per year. What does leucistic mean? Great question!

At first glance it may look albino since it lacks the typical pigment and coloration of a loggerhead sea turtle. Albinism occurs when there's an absence of melanin, which makes the animal appear white with eyes pink in color. Leucism is similar, but the sea turtle still has some pigmentation and its eyes are often normal in coloration (as shown in the image below).

NPS photo by M. Davis
Alt Text: A sea turtle hatchling (white in color with brown eyes) crawls on the sandy beach towards the ocean.