Tundra swans at Hammocks Beach State Park (photo courtesy N.C. State parks)
To everything there is a season — and in this season of winter, the thing is making sense of the natural world. Learn your birds at the coast, your amphibians in the Piedmont, your naked trees in the mountains.
Coast
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird —
Yes, but what kind?
It’s a question that perplexes many of us when we spy an avian friend flying overhead. And it’s a question you can find answers to Saturday at 9 a.m. at Hammocks Beach State Park. There, a ranger will lead the group in identifying and counting birds as part of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count. It’s a massive exercise in citizen science, as people around the country report who’s flying in and out of their backyards. Binos and bird guides available, bring your own if you’ve got ‘em.read more
Face it, after this weekend you’ll be hard-pressed to find time to get out and release your stress; once the holidays hit, your time will be spoken for. That said, here are three opportunities for pre-holiday adventure that you shouldn’t pass up.
Monday — never an easy time for the outdoors enthusiast. After a weekend of adventure, returning to the humdrum work-a-day world can make one melancholy. To help ease the transition, every Monday we feature a 90 Second Escape — essentially, a 90-second video or slide show of a place you’d probably rather be: a trail, a park, a greenway, a lake … anywhere as long as it’s not under a fluorescent bulb.read more
Monday — never an easy time for the outdoors enthusiast. After a weekend of adventure, returning to the humdrum work-a-day world can make one melancholy. To help ease the transition, every Monday we feature a 90 Second Escape — essentially, a 90-second video or slide show of a place you’d probably rather be: a trail, a park, a greenway, a lake … anywhere as long as it’s not under a fluorescent bulb.read more
Mostly sunny with highs in the upper 70s — that’s the statewide forecast for this weekend.
Our forecast? You’ll be out making the most of it.
Coast
You’ve got some paddling experience under your belt, on lakes, maybe a local river or two with a minimal current. You like the idea of paddling bigger water — the sounds and inlets — and while you’re confident in your skills, you’d still feel more comfortable in a group, with folks who’ve been there before and know what they’re doing.read more
