Frigatebird

Al stopped by yesterday evening to chat. Warner & I had just started fixing dinner (Warner was visiting from D.C. where he works with "Save the Children"). Cousin Ed had brought a satchel of clams by earlier in the afternoon, and we were preparing "clams casino."

After a gin & tonic Al asked if I'd seen the frigatebird. A big bird (38" - 40") with the largest wingspread in proportion to its weight, it was hovering over the harbor several days ago in the early evening. Extremely rare at Ocracoke, this bird has very long, pointed wings, a deeply forked tail, and a long hooked bill. Fowler O'Neal was down by the docks and he said O'cockers always called them Storm Gulls because they were typically spotted after they'd been blown to the island during hurricanes and such.

Unfortunately, I missed the show. But at least I'll know what I'm seeing if it shows up again. Keep your eyes open around here. You never know what you might see.

You can read our latest newsletter here. It's the story of the Invasion of Ocracoke & Portsmouth in the War of 1812.
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