Day 1 of a short trip to the North Carolina Outer Banks while Leta watches the house. The day was rainy and foggy (anticipated), but the drive was easy, expedited by the new toll Chesapeake Expressway. And Alberta's speedometer decided to cooperate, so most of the drive was under cruise control. On the I-664 bridge over Hampton Roads, on each street lamp was poised a Great Black-Backed Gull, each one so perfectly positioned it was as if the birds were part of the architecture. The barrier island portion of Currituck County (from above Sanderling to Corolla) is much more built up than I remember it from more than 12 years ago. And construction equipment was in service in multiple locations. At the Currituck Banks National Estuarine Research Reserve, the birding was sparse (Brown Creeper and Yellow-Rumped Warbler) but the walking was fine (pine needles and packed sand—what could be more therapeutic?), and I found a pack of feral pigs of various colors and sizes.

posted: 8:04:32 PM