I’ve covered some pretty comprehensive topics in the last several installments. So let’s get a little more lighthearted with the content and shift gears. Everybody loves animals, right? I sure do, and we saw a bunch of them on Bogue Banks. Whether captive or in the wild there was something here for everyone.
North Carolina Aquarium
Most of the time we had splendid weather not quite typical of winter. Nearly every day featured clear blue skies with highs around 70° Fahrenheit (21° C). Crazy, I know! So that’s why it wasn’t an issue to photograph the sunrises and sunsets on the beach. We did have that one day though, a cold, raw rainy day that chilled us to the bone. It was the kind of day where many people would rather stay at home in bed, covered by a warm a blanket.
Even so, I can’t do that. I have to keep moving. Fortunately I’d tucked away a plan for just such an occasion. North Carolina operates a series of aquariums along its shoreline including one right there at Pine Knoll Shores (map). Previously, I visited their aquarium on Roanoke Island in 2012 so I knew the family would love it.
So we drove out to the aquarium just a couple of miles away for some indoor activities. COVID concerned me a bit but the risk calculation seemed particularly favorable. The aquarium required advance reservations, timed admittance, and mandatory masking. Plus, it was a couple of days before Christmas. The parking lot was practically empty and we had the whole place nearly to ourselves.
Exhibits focused primarily on what one could see naturally throughout North Carolina. This included a full range of marine habitats including ocean, estuaries, and rivers, from salt water to fresh, from the continental shelf to the Appalachian mountains. The most impressive exhibit was a 300,000 gallon tank with a replica of a German submarine, the U-352. The U.S. Coast Guard sank the original U-Boat off the coast nearby with depth charges in 1942. Now it’s an aquatic haven favored by divers, and the exhibit replicated that underwater experience from the safety of dry land.
Roosevelt Nature Trail
We returned to the aquarium parking lot a few days later. It seemed the week between Christmas and New Years was a much more popular time to visit. It was considerably more crowded than our earlier visit. However, we headed towards the back of the lot for the trailhead leading into the Theodore Roosevelt State Natural Area. Nobody else was heading in that direction though, so once again we avoided the crowd.
This is the only remaining original maritime forest left on Bogue Banks. The out-and-back trail covered about 1.5 miles and passed through a variety of terrain, following a dune ridge sandwiched between inland marshes and Bogue Sound. Its farthest extreme brought us to a clearing alongside a scenic tidal lake (map). It’s not a particularly strenuous hike but it’s quite nice.
Naturally, we saw quite an abundance of wildlife even during our winter stroll. Birds of many varieties called the wetlands home. Butterflies came into view occasionally. Crabs, fish and oysters filled the marsh.
Lots of natural areas in the United States recognize Theodore Roosevelt for his conservation efforts. However, this one actually had a (tenuous) connection to Roosevelt himself. A wealthy heiress once owned this entire slice of Bogue Banks. She didn’t have any children of her own so she left the property to her niece who happened to be married to Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
Later the couple left the estate to their four children. In turn, the children donated 300 acres of it to the state of North Carolina in the 1970’s for perpetual preservation. The natural area and the aquarium now occupy that site.
Along the Beach
We spent many hours along the beach, too. Of course, we saw all of the usual suspects one would hope to see during the wintertime. The birds were probably most noticeable, from seagulls and pelicans to whatever these happy little wading birds happened to be. Sometimes porpoises jumped through the surf. Schools of fish attracted large flocks of diving birds. Seashells adorned the sand. All was good.
Articles in the Bogue Banks Series
See Also: The Complete Photo Album on Flickr.
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