Winter Weekend Getaway

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."

Brian and I got a cabin at North Landing Beach this weekend. It was one of the NICEST campgrounds I've ever been to. We enjoyed our stay in an Equipped Cabin on the water.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="385" caption="Cabin At North Landing Beach Campground"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Us in the very cozy cabin!"][/caption]

In the morning I woke up early. . .excited to try out my new camera. . .and waited for Brian to get up. I put bird seed out in the front yard of the cabin thinking I might attract some birds to get some pictures. Instead I noticed a great blue heron freezing his feathers off in the water out front.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="464" caption="A Very Chilly Blue Heron (breeding plumage)"][/caption]

We made plans to walk a trail or two and go check out Mackay Wildlife Refuge. First we wanted to look at the rest of the campground. They had very nice sites and a beautiful beach. hey had a pool,  a neat water park looking thing called "Big Squirt", also I saw a really nice picnic shelter with a fireplace and bathrooms. Really nice! oh and Campsites right on the beach!!  Unfortunately it was frozen. Kind cool though!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="360" caption="North Landing Campground Beach"][/caption]

We decided to have a little fun and stand on the Ice since the water was frozen solid! It was so neat. I've never seen anything like it! Here's Brian...

Brian Standing on the Albemarle Sound

And Yours Truly. . .

Crystal Standing on The Albemarle Sound

We Hopped in the Jeep and headed up the way towards Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge"][/caption]

Alot of the Refuge had closed due to the winter. We spotted a few birds and ducks - like This Belted Kingfisher. . .

Male Belted Kingfisher

He was all over the place! I was very pleased to get his picture. My new camera has been giving me some trouble. Soon I'll have it figured out!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Male and Female Northern Shovelers"][/caption]

We drove down a Really Neat Road SR615 'Marsh Causeway' and Saw lots of water birds. Not only Shovelers, but Hooded Mergansers, Mallards, Teals, and Tundra Swans everywhere!  They were all Skiddish and would fly away when we pulled the Jeep over, but I managed to get at least one shot of a Few Mallards and a Male & Female Hooded Merganser.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="405" caption="Mallards and Hooded Mergansers"][/caption]

We headed to Pearl's, a neat little bar on the Currituck sound were you might meet someone you know,  meet a really cool fisherman and or hunter, grab a beer, and have some awesome conversations. Good people, Great View.  When we got back to the cabin campsite we decided to build a fire. We had such an awesome view.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="491" caption="Cabin Campsite View "][/caption]

The sun started to set and I told Brian we needed to drive back to the beach and watch the sun go down. We sat there on the beach freezing our fingers off, but warmed by the thought of the fire back at the cabin ;)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="491" caption="Nature's Goodnight Kiss"][/caption]

And right before the sun went down I saw a Yellow-rumped Warbler In a tree near the cabin. . .

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Yellow-rumped Warbler"][/caption]

We sat out by the fire and had some of the wine we got from Moonrise Bay Vineyard where we stopped and had a wine tasting on our way back to the cabin.  We brought back a bottle of "Magnolia Muscadine Wine" It says "Assertive yet elegant; tangy fruit character with accents of apple and citrus followed by a burst of wild grape" I immediately fell in love with the wild grape taste! I eat wild grapes at work and it tastes JUST LIKE IT! YumO!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Sitting by the Campfire"][/caption]

The next morning we decided to head down to Carova, North Carolina for the day and do a little bit of four-wheeling.  We figured we would take the Ferry in Knotts Island to Currituck and then head south from there. The first day I got to the cabin I put bird seed out for the birds... I saw a few through out the first day but this morning when I looked outside, there were tons of tiny birds! I had no Idea what they were, but they were so cute! I later looked into a few pictures of sparrows and I believe it is a 'Chipping Sparrow' correct me if I'm wrong. Brian and I like how you can see the corn or seed 'chipping' away! ha!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="498" caption="Chipping Sparrow"][/caption]

We made a yummy breakfast sandwich and headed to Knotts Island to get on the Ferry! On the way out I spotted a Killdeer.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Killdeer"][/caption]

we scooted across the water on the ferry, Getting out to watch the seagulls fly sideways and catch fish that got confused in the turned up mud of the ferry. We saw TONS of ice, riding through it on the ferry felt really weird! I also saw some Ruddy Ducks

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Ruddy Duck"][/caption]

When we got to the other side, we cruised through a small neighborhood on the sound, looking for a park we had never seen before, but noticed on the GPS. When we found it, we immediately spotted an Eagle! It flew off but it was so amazing to see. When we got to Corolla, North Carolina I saw a TON of Tundra Swans on the Ice of the Currituck sound. Lots of poop too. eww. Look at the one in the right corner and the move it's doing! lol

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Tundra Swans and Canadian Geese"][/caption]

New Camera

Nikon coolpix P90 for Christmas

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="307" caption="24x opitcal zoom & 12.1 mp"][/caption]

The weekend after I got the camera Brian and I took a trip to Carova Beach to get some shots with the new camera!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Herring Gull with Starfish - 2nd Winter"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="1st winter Herring Gull with starfish snack and Adult Herring Gull"][/caption]

It was a VERY windy day!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="491" caption="Boat-tailed Grackles fight over Blue Crab claw"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Red-throated Loon"][/caption]

There was a hole maritime forest washed out by the nor'ida

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Carova Beach, North Carolina"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="491" caption="'splish splash'  Sanderling having a quick bath"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="491" caption="Sanderling Reflection"] [/caption]

It was a fun day trying out my new camera! Wasn't liking the cold wind though. I love Carova Beach though. It's an amazing place.

Viceroy Butterfly

My favorite butterfly! Did you know The Monarch, Queen, and Viceroy butterflies all have similar color patterns to keep predators from eating any of the three species? This is an excellent example of "Mullerian mimicry" because these species have toxic chemicals making them undesirable to predators because of the bad taste and horrible stomach pains that follows eating one. The Viceroy is found throughout most of North America, from Southern Canada into Northern Mexico and from the east to west coasts. You usually can find them in floodplains, canals, riversides, marshes, meadows, wood edges, lakeshores, deltas, and roadside ditches.. Just about anywhere!!  Unfortunately it is listed as endangered within the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys of British Columbia, Canada.

Retro Birding

Another Film adventure with the Nikon N70 35mm

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Ring-necked Pheasant"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Ring-necked Pheasant"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Canadian Geese"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Great Blue heron"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Female Belted Kingfisher"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Black Volture"][/caption]

New Girl at the feeder!

At this time of year I often try to convince myself that there’s really no need to get up so early. It’s cold out there, and so warm under the blankets.  It was a little warm last night so we decided to open the window a bit. I woke up this morning to the usual chirps of the Yellow-rumped warblers that have taken over out back...all of a sudden I heard this very odd sounding gull. I got out of bed and walked to our bedroom window and checked, like I do every morning.  "OH!!! BRIAN! THERE'S A SAPSUCKER ON OUR TREE!!" I run, literally, downstairs and grab his camera and run back to take its picture. Still half asleep! oh it was so funny! I could barely hold the camera straight. I told Brian  "I hope it comes back to the feeder!"  We get up and sit to watch the weather channel with our cup of coffee...but of course I'm not watching, I'm too busy looking at the feeder, all the trees, and our little Yellow-rumped warblers foraging for food. Then, in the blink of an eye, It was back! This time Brian saw it heading straight for the feeder! Hopefully that little Yellow-bellied Sapsucker comes back ;). Oh and By the way this is a Lifer for me I've never seen one before!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Yellow-bellied Sapsucker"][/caption]

To hear the Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers call, click here and scroll down a bit

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="371" caption="Yellow-rumped Warbler"][/caption]

Drive-By!

I have a really bad habit of Searching for birds while riding down the road...Especially when we pass ponds, rivers, or any type of body of water! I usually just shout out "Hey look! (even though I know Brian can't actually look while driving) It's a...." and he say's "Oh! cool! Want me to go back?" Most of the time I say no and I just keep a mental note and look it up when I get home. Well, today when we were riding home from a CB Shop on Military Highway I noticed Hooded Mergansers swimming in the pond on the side of the Highway. I couldn't believe I had looked for only a second and knew what it was. Well, he asked and I answered with YES! You know.... just to make sure I seen what I actually thought I'd saw.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Two Male & Two Female Mergansers"][/caption]

Butterfly Friends

In winter months I sure do miss seeing all the beautiful butterflies fluttering about on all the fresh wild flowers. I miss chasing them just to get their picture almost as if I were the nature paparazzi. It was always fun to get a butterfly used to you, and then sneak your finger in for them to catch a ride. My favorite time was down in Waterlily, NC. We keep a permanent camper on the sound. and there's a little area down by the dock where you can ALWAYS find butterflies. This day, there was an interesting little Red Admiral. He was a little worn, but had so much personality! He followed me everywhere, watching what I was doing. Finally he landed...and said hello ;)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Good Afternoon Lady! "][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption=""Oh this is a nice shirt Crystal! By the way, you smell pretty!""][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption=""Has anyone ever told you, you have the most beautiful eyes?""][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Ta Ta!"][/caption]

"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you."  - Nathaniel Hawthorne

Ever since last year when I decided to start doing photography, I've managed to capture 12 different butterflies on my finger...and get a picture of it too! I love butterflies. They make me so happy! :) hopefully this post brings a little bit of happiness your way!