If you’ve got good rain gear, you’re in for a great weekend. One of this week’s picks even comes with coffee! Coast Tis the season to check out the bird life at the coast, where waterfowl from various points north  are congregating to spend the winter. With the skies so full of feathers, wouldn’t it be nice to know who’s who? Learn to identify the year-round residents and snowbirds at…

Wings Over Water is underway at the coast, there’s a family bike ride through the autumnal Piedmont and there’s a chance to view the high country’s peak color from a peak. Coast If you’re into nature, and especially the nature of the coast, then drop what you’re doing and head to the Outer Banks region, where the annual Wings Over Water celebration is underway (it started yesterday and runs through…

Weirdly, a lot of us felt powerless as our elected federal officials shut down the U.S. government for 16 days. We elected them, but I’m pretty sure most of us didn’t elect them to do this. You can stress this point when your local representatives come up for reelection. Unfortunately, that’s a ways off. If you prefer instant gratification, here’s a suggestion: This weekend, now that the government is again…

If you’re looking to escape the weather this weekend, consider this: the forecasts for our three events in the mountains (Swannanoa), the Piedmont (Orange County) and at the coast (Wrightsville Beach) are this: High of 88, 20 to 30 percent chance of precipitation. Likely, it will be hot and a bit muggy wherever you go. Fortunately, we’ve found three events cool in both concept and execution. Coast A sound strategy…

A boat demo, a bird hike, an adventure race, a waterfall hike — and they’re all on the same day. Coast In Wilmington’s Smith Creek Park on Saturday they’ll be celebrating the warm weekend by land and by sea (by “lake” technically) at the Bird Hike & Kayak Demonstration, a joint effort of New Hanover County Parks & Gardens, Cape Fear Audubon Society, Wild Bird & Garden and Hook, Line…

The Great Backyard Bird Count is coming. Are you prepared? Coast This year’s edition of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count is Feb. 15-18. On those days, amateur birdwatchers — or Citizen Scientists, as joint sponsors The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon refer to them — take as little as 15 minutes a day to record the bird activity around them. Count the number of different species you see…