Beaufort Harbor

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Unique Afternoon Light and Greening Up

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Horses from Town Marsh to Bird Shoal

6PM - At least 18 horses on their way...
CLICK THIS FIRST IMAGE TO OPEN
LIGHT BOX & VIEW ALL IN LARGER RESOLUTION

Raining harder..."Ooops!...No umbrellas"
They all galloped back to Town Marsh

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Kites - Earth Day at Fort Macon

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Beaufort Harbor's Wild Horses

This wild-horses collage was created by award-winning photographer Bob Decker. View more of his work on Carolina Footprints.

The information below was provided by North Carolina Coastal Reserve.

RACHEL CARSON RESERVE and SHACKELFORD BANKS

- Cape Lookout National Seashore -

PROTECTING OUR LOCAL WILD HORSES

Excerpts below are from these two very informative PDFs ►

Cape Lookout National Seashore and the Rachel Carson Reserve are both home to wild horses.

The horses do not swim back and forth between Shackelford Banks and RCR, but they do swim between marsh islands on their respective reserves.

If you get too close to a wild horse, you could be charged, kicked or bitten. Watch from at least 50 feet. If horses come toward you, move away or, if you can't, stay very still while they pass. Horses have the right-of-way. If a horse stops what it's doing to stare at you, stop or back up.

The wild horses are protected by law. Feeding, touching, teasing or intentionally disturbing wildlife, including horses, is dangerous and illegal. The best way to enjoy observing the wild horses is to use binoculars and watch them from afar.

Be sure to click links to the two PDFs above!

MORE about the feral horses of RCR

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Nice Sunrise and Reflection

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

A few people on Rachel Carson Reserve - Harkers Island in the distance.
Though it's the first day of Spring, still chilly with not much color yet.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

2012 ALBUM OF FAVORITES

CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW 73-PHOTO ALBUM

Monday, February 18, 2013

RV Cape Hatteras

Friday, February 8, 2013

Sunlight on the Courthouse

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Cape Lookout Lighthouse

Late afternoon light hitting just right.
It almost looked like the light was stuck on "ON."

January Trip to Town Marsh

Such a pretty sunny day in the harbor. This is the first harem of feral horses I've seen this winter who have ventured over from Town Marsh to Bird Shoal, most likely for the night. Cape Lookout Lighthouse is readily visible on the other side of Shackelford Banks. Be sure to click to enlarge.

Friday, January 11, 2013

East End of Bogue Banks - Fort Macon

70 degrees...noon sun silhouetting Fort Macon Visitors Center...the contrast providing a better view of the ocean beyond...west end of Bird Shoal and tip of Radio Island in the foreground.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Christmas Sunrise 2012

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Another Lovely December Day

Monday, December 3, 2012

Misty Sunrise

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Brigantine Fritha Wintering in Beaufort

Launched in 1986 in New Zealand and named for the heroine in Paul Gallico’s book, The Snow Goose, the brigantine Fritha was built by traditional methods to unparalleled standards of excellence in materials and craftsmanship.

The 74 ft wooden brigantine is owned and operated by Northeast Maritime Academy out of Fairhaven, MA. She operates in various cities along the east coast of the United States offering a variety of educational programs.

Northeast Maritime Academy wrote, "As a traditional Brigantine, the S/V Fritha serves as a multi-platform asset that facilitates our students and clients needs. Fritha provides the opportunity for hands on training in navigation, marlin-spike seamanship, marine ecology, and the lost art of square rig sailing."

Stay tuned for updates on tours. Phone 508-287-0998 WEBSITE

EARLY HISTORY

Native Americans fished here--waters protected from the sea by barrier islands--long before the white man began to explore and eventually settle. The Coree or Coranine tribe left their mark on the area with names like Core Sound and Core Banks.

In 1722, one year before the town of Beaufort was incorporated, then Governor Pollock confirmed an order from the Lords Proprietors appointing Beaufort as an official port.

The inlet was known as Old Topsail Inlet. In his 1734 will, John Shackelford referred to his land as "eastward of Old Topsail Inlet." Jacob Henry referred to it by that name in an 1810 letter. Old Topsail Inlet is noted on the above 1854 map inset. At some point the name evolved to "Beaufort Inlet," most likely due to maps noting "Beaufort Harbor."

--Historical Overview of Beaufort and Cape Lookout
--Beaufort - The Tow n and Why It's Unique

Rachel Carson Estuary Reserve, part of Carolina Estuarine Reserve Foundation, is located near the mouth of the Newport River in southern Carteret County, directly across Taylor's Creek from the historic town of Beaufort. This site is a complex of islands: Carrot Island, Town Marsh, Bird Shoal, and Horse Island. These islands are more than three miles long and less than a mile wide, covering 2,025 acres.

The islands and estuarine waters at the Rachel Carson site are strongly influenced by river and inlet dynamics and the twice-daily tides. Habitats found within the site include tidal flats, flooded salt marshes, ocean beach, subtidal soft bottoms, hard surfaces, dredge spoil areas, sand dunes, shrub thicket, and maritime forest. More than 200 species of birds have been observed at the site, which is located within the Atlantic Flyway. Twenty-three species are considered rare or decreasing in number. The site is an important feeding area for Wilson’s plovers in the summer and piping plovers in the winter. The shrub thicket of Middle Marsh supports an egret and heron rookery. In addition to feral horses, the river otter, gray fox, raccoon, and marsh rabbit inhabit the islands. The atlantic bottlenose dolphin swims in the deeper waters around the islands, along with 52 species of fish. Forty-seven invertebrate species common to the site include mollusks and worms. See Rachel Carson - An Overview.

Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora)
--Alternate common name: Saltwater Cordgrass, Marsh Grass.
--Appearance: Tall, smooth grass. May be submerged at high tide. Grows 3 to 7 feet high. A shorter form, 6 to 12 inches high, occurs in low-oxygen areas of the high marsh. Green in spring and summer, turns light brown in late fall and winter.
--Habitat: Intertidal zone of salt marshes, banks of bays and creeks.
--Saltmarsh cordgrass is a tall, smooth grass ranging in height from 6 inches to 7 feet. Smooth cordgrass grows in three different sizes depending on its location in the salt marsh. It grows tallest near the water, is an intermediate size behind large cordgrass, and is shortest near the high marsh meadow grass. The shorter smooth cordgrass can often be found in areas of low elevation in the marsh. The flowering stalks resemble wheat and are arranged along one side of the stalk, similar to salt hay grass. Its leaves are thick and wide, and the root structure is strong and complex.
--Located in low marsh areas, it is flooded twice daily by the tidal action of the estuary. The complex root system of the smooth cordgrass helps bind it to the banks, preventing the tide from eroding the shoreline. Although it relies primarily on groundwater absorbed through the roots, smooth cordgrass is able to extract fresh water from salt water when the need arises. It is the main food supply for feral horses on the Rachel Carson Reserve.
--Salt marshes serve as pollution filters and as buffers against flooding and shoreline erosion

SHACKELFORD BANKS HISTORY

John (1688–1734) and Francis Shackelford patented a "plantation" on the west side of North River in 1708. In 1713 John Shackelford and Enoch Ward purchased 7000 acres referred to as the “Sea Banks.” Shackelford’s western part later became known as Shackleford Banks. John Shackelford served in the local militia from 1712 to 1743.

Part of John Shackelford's 1734 will stated: "After the death of my beloved wife Ann I give to my son John all the remainder of good and Chattle both resale and personal provided my son John does not die without issue, in such case I bequest my estate to my son James and his heirs forever also Island called Carrot." He named his land lying on the banks "Eastward of Old Topsail Inlet."