Category Archives: Birding

This weekend: Find a swan, a bald, your way

Tens of thousands of tundra swans make their way south from Canada to the North Carolina coast every year, never once stopping to ask directions. Yet we got lost between the parking lot and the trailhead. Check out those navigationally gifted tundra swans at the coast this weekend, or learn how to successfully find the trailhead in the Piedmont. Or, go to the mountains and climb a high bald you’ve likely never heard. read more

This weekend: Learn a thing

1545_Piping_Plover_04-28-2008_0

Learn your shorebirds at the coast, learn your wildflowers in the mountains. Meanwhile, in the Piedmont you can learn a new stretch of trail.

Coast

Friday morning, our friends at the North Carolina Coastal Federation, along with Wrightsville Beach Scenic Tours, are conducting a Coastal Birding Cruise. The one-hour boat ride, aboard The Shamrock, will explore the marsh and backwaters around Wrightsville Beach searching for shorebirds, from the pelican and black skimmer to (hopefully) the endangered piping plover (pictured). Guides will explain the area’s ecology as well. A great way to learn more about an area you may visit frequently, but likely don’t know well. read more

A Wild Idea from the Triangle Land Conservancy

WI.Paddle.Haw

The timing of the Triangle Land Conservancy’s “Wild Ideas for Getting Outside” symposium on Tuesday couldn’t be much better. If ever there were an audience receptive to the notion of discovering new ways and places to to get outside and explore, the frozen Triangle would be it. After two straight weeks of cold, snow, ice and no school, who isn’t ready to bust down the door and go a little wild?
TLC hatched its Wild Ideas concept last fall, with its inaugural “Feeding the Triangle: Increasing Access to Fresh Farms and Food.” The goal of Wild Ideas, according to TLC, is to provide “a dynamic, interactive venue for the community to share their innovative ideas for safeguarding clean water, protecting natural habitats, supporting local farms and food, and connecting people with nature.”
It’s the “connecting people with nature” goal that’s the impetus for Tuesday’s gathering. It’s a goal that dovetails with the mission of GetGoingNC, which is why they asked us to play a role. The event begins with GGNC’s Joe Miller offering an overview of the myriad ways you can connect with nature in the Triangle. Then, representatives from disciplines including hiking, mountain biking and paddling will discuss their areas of play in greater detail. But not too much, which is one of several great things about this program: the introductory speaker has 10 minutes to talk, the other speakers five. The emphasis is on sharing ideas, which will occur in a follow-up Q&A, and afterward, where at least 20 local groups will participate in an Outdoor Expo where you can learn more about connecting with nature in the Triangle.
And while you’re learning about connecting, enjoy free food by Parizade and beer donated by Lonerider Brewing Company. (We should note, too, that the event is supported by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina and Great Outdoor Provision Co., both of which are major supporters of GetGoingNC.com.)
Then, once you get all excited about getting outside, TLC isn’t going to just let you loose to your own devices. On Saturday, March 7, there’s a follow-up: Wild Ideas Goes Outside, a series of outings intended to actually connect you with nature. There are bird walks, trail runs, a bike ride, paddle trips and hikes (we’re especially keen on the GetHiking! Triangle hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail). Find a complete rundown of Wild Ideas Goes Outside events here.
Again, the timing for Wild Ideas for Getting Outside couldn’t be better. While the forecast calls for cold with light rain Tuesday, the thaw, and our return to connecting with nature, begins in earnest the following day. Forecast high high for Wednesday? read more

This weekend: Three cures for your cabin fever

We know, you’re about to go crazy from being held hostage by the cold and ice. As of today, your main hope for reclaiming at least some of your sanity is Saturday, when temperatures are expected to warm into the 40s and 50s, and the prospects for precipitation are low (as opposed to Sunday, when it looks like we’ll either be drenched with rain or graced with more snow, depending upon your elevation). read more