Outer Banks and Lake Mattamuskeet 2012

For the second year in a row, my friend Ernie and I explored the Outer Banks and the area around Lake Mattamuskeet. We took highway 64 from Raleigh this time, the more northern route, up through Edenton and then to Kitty Hawk. We spent explored the Duck - Carolla area for one day, visiting the Currituck Lighthouse and spending the afternoon on a jeep tour to look at the "wild" horses that inhabit the area north of Carolla. The horses are called Bankers and are descended from Spanish horses that came with Spanish explorers in the 16th century. Thus, because they are descended from domesticated horses, the are actually feral, not wild. They live in the area north of Carolla and up to the Virginia state line. Fences and the ocean and sound keep the approximately 150 horses confined to the area. Otherwise, they have free roaming rights throughout the area. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banker_horse.

There is no paved road north of Carolla because the Navy used parts of the area as a bombing range in WW II. There is still unexploded ordinance. Thus, residents and renters who use the approximately 200 homes in the Swan Beach and Carova areas north of Corolla have to use 4-wheel drive vehicles and drive on the beach.

Ernie and I then took Highway 158 across Albemarle Sound and explored the western side of Currituck County. We drove down rural roads just to see what we could find. The photos from Poplar Branch Landing and Church Island are examples of the area's beauty. As usual, we met many nice folks along the way.

Then we returned to Lake Mattmuskeet to see the Tundra swans and other migrating birds there. We spent a foggy morning shooting there.

Hope you enjoy the photos.