Take a look at the Albemarle Peninsula, wherewildlife from bears to bobcats to tundra swansand rattlesnakes all find a home.

written and photographed by Todd Pusser

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North Carolina’s

Wildest Landscape

and Nature Conservancy properties. Thepeninsula harbors many natural freshwaterlakes—rarities in the state. The largest,Lake Mattamuskeet, is approximately 18miles long, 6 miles wide and covers nearly40,000 acres.

Three of North Carolina’s largest rivers—the Alligator, Roanoke and Tar rivers—reachtheir termini here, emptying into the vastPamlico and Albemarle Sounds and creat -ing one of the most important and produc -tive estuaries in the eastern United States.Smaller, blackwater creeks and rivers, suchas the Scuppernong, meander throughoutthe peninsula. Given all these unique anddiverse natural communities, it is no sur -prise that this immense region provideswildlife viewing opportunities unlike anyother place in the state.

Wildlife in All SeasonsNo matter the time of year, the AlbemarlePeninsula offers much for the outdoor enthu -siast, whether you are a kayaker, fisherman,hunter, photographer, hiker or birder. Forwild life watchers there are no shortage ofsubjects to enjoy.

The thick, impenetrable pocosin forestsscattered throughout the peninsula harborthe highest density of black bears anywherein the eastern United States. It is not uncom -mon to see more than a dozen bears in asingle day in the vast soybean and corn fieldsof Alligator River National Wildlife Refugeor Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.The bears are active year-round and can beobserved on blustery, snowy winter days orthe hot, humid days of summer, when the airseems so thick you can cut it with a knife.

The Albemarle Peninsula is the only regionin the world that supports a pop ulation ofwild, free-roaming red wolves. This endan -gered canid was once extinct in the wild.Only through dedicated captive breedingprograms was the species able to survive. In1987, the Fish and Wildlife Service success -fully re-introduced red wolves into AlligatorRiver National Wildlife Refuge, eight yearsbefore the better-known introduction of graywolves into Yellowstone National Park.Today, an estimated 90–110 individualsrange throughout the peninsula’s 3,200square miles. Though sightings are rare,

I have seen red wolves more than a dozentimes over the years, often from the majorhighways that transect the region. Recently,my girlfriend and I watched a pair, includ -ing one animal with a radio-collar, walkingslowly across a vast soybean field along N.C. 94 south of Columbia.

During the winter months, huge flocks of tundra swans and snow geese, some timesnum bering into the tens of thousands, gatherin corn and soybean fields around PungoLake and Lake Mattamuskeet, providingwhat many call the greatest wildlife spectaclein the state. Red-winged blackbirds and grack -les also winter in those same fields, some -times in flocks so large they block out the sky.

Birds of prey are abundant throughoutthis region. Merlins, sharp-shinned hawksand Northern harriers stalk the agriculturefields, hunting the vast blackbird flocks. Baldeagles are seen nearly everywhere there iswater, especially around Lake Mattamuskeet.During winter, when leaves are off the trees,the silhouettes of great horned owls are fre -quently observed in the fading twilight ofdusk, perched along road rights-of-waysand the edges of fields.

Spring is my favorite season to visit theAlbemarle Peninsula. The region explodeswith activity as the dreary, cold days of wintercome to an end. The songs of brilliantly col -ored migratory songbirds, such as prothono -tary and prairie warblers, reverberatethrough the forests. Families of river ottersplay in irrigation canals that border largefields. Numerous painted turtles and yellow -bellied sliders crowd submerged logs in shal -low waterways, soaking up the warmth ofthe sun. Snakes, including rare species suchas the timber rattlesnake and glossy crayfishsnake, emerge from their winter hibernaculaand are commonly seen crossing roadsthrough out the peninsula. Once in April, Iwatched a barred owl repeatedly swoop downfrom its perch in a dead tree to the waters ofa shallow canal to catch crayfish, which itreadily consumed just yards away from myvantage point.

Thistles, prickly and drab looking mostof the year, are common along the edges ofdirt roads in the region’s wildlife refuges.They burst with color as they bloom in May,providing a tempting nectar resource forswallowtail butterflies. It is not uncommon

The Albemarle Peninsula offers the bestwildlife viewing of any area of the state,no matter the time of year. Dependingon the season, bobcats, corn snakes andtundra swans can all be seen in this vastrural area.

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Suddenly, motion in the tall grass just offthe road beyond the quail caught our atten -tion. Adjusting the focus of my binoculars,the distinctive pointed ears and cheek ruffsof a bobcat appeared in my field of view. Thefeline, oblivious to our truck 50 yards away,intently stalked the birds walking down thedirt road. The quail, perhaps sensing danger,abruptly flushed from the ground in anexplo sion of wings and motion leaving thebob cat literally in the dust. The cat, lookingsomewhat perturbed, nonchalantly walkedacross the road in front of our truck andjumped onto a fallen tree that was lyingacross the irrigation canal. It slowly walkedthe length of the log, across the tannin-stainedwater, sat down on the edge of the canal, andquietly began grooming itself under the shadeof a low-hanging tree. Astonished, we sattransfixed, watching it lick its luxurious coatfrom just yards away. The bobcat occa sion -ally glanced our way as it continued to groom,barely acknowledging our presence and pro -viding the longest looks either Jeff or I haveever had of this secretive predator in the wild.

Such are the joys when one explores thevast area known as the Albemarle Peninsulain the Coastal Plain. On any given day in thisrural region, there is no telling what you mayencounter—perhaps an American alligator,basking on the edge of a sunny creek bankat the northern limit of its natural range, or

H eat from the summer sun shimmered off the dusty gravel of Milltail Road in the heart

of Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. Pulsating songs of cicadas echoed through

the thick pocosin as I slowly drove my truck down a long, straight dirt road bordered

on each side by large soybean fields and a shallow irrigation canal. My good friend in the passenger

seat, biologist Jeff Beane, raised his hand and quietly motioned for me to stop the vehicle as a small

covey of quail walked out onto the road. Realizing our good fortune at sighting this declining species,

we settled back into our seats with binoculars in hand watching the milling birds.

maybe a beautifully patterned corn snake,scales awash in brilliant shades of orange,slowly crawling across a dirt road at sunset,or the incredible sight of thousands of snowgeese flying over a bright winter ’s moon.

Sandwiched between the AlbemarleSound to the north and the Pamlico Soundto the south, the Albemarle Peninsula ismade up of five counties (Beaufort, Dare,Hyde, Tyrrell and Washington) and encom -passes a vast area of nearly 3,200 squaremiles. The rural towns that dot the peninsulaare rich with history. One, the small town of Bath, nestled in the southwest corner ofthe peninsula in Beaufort County, is NorthCarolina’s oldest town. Incorporated in 1705,Bath also served as our state’s first capitaluntil 1722. However, it is the region’s wealthof natural history that makes it unique.

When viewed from a car window racing60 mph down U.S. 64 toward the beaches ofthe Outer Banks, as most North Caroliniansexperience the peninsula, the flat, low-lyinglandscape might appear as nothing morethan a monotonous patchwork of marsh -land and expansive agriculture fields. Indeed,while most of the peninsula forests havebeen logged extensively over the last cen -tury and converted to farm fields, tens ofthousands of acres remain protected by fournational wildlife refuges, two state parks,numerous Wildlife Commission game lands

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shifting into an extended warming period.These events are nothing new and haveoccurred periodically throughout ourplanet’s history as indicated by the fossilrecord. In fact, the entire peninsula wasonce covered by a shallow sea. However,some scientific models place much of theregion back under water in as little as 100years. While these climate change modelsmay represent worse-case scenarios and areimpossible to predict accurately, they causeconcern. Any change in global sea levelscould poten tially cause devastating environ -mental and economic consequences to theregion with farmers and native wildlife feel -ing the greatest impacts.

While many coastal U.S. communities areengaged in heated debate about the validityof climate change, a progressive and pio neer -ing effort is under way on the AlbemarlePeninsula. Collaborators from The NatureConservancy, the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService, local universities, and Duke Energyare working diligently to protect this regionagainst any future change in sea level. TheAlbemarle Climate Change AdaptationProject, as the initiative is called, is a long-term man agement plan that seeks to main -tain the continued health of the peninsula’secosystem by stabilizing the surroundingland using innovative methods.

With the aid of aerial photography, sci -entists pinpoint areas along the AlbemarlePeninsula most vulnerable to erosion fromrising seas and target those specific regionsto ensure long-term ecosystem stability.Large oyster beds are being created justoffshore from those areas in an effort tosuppress erosion from large waves. The

oyster beds also act as a natural filtrationsystem, cleaning the water from sedimen -tation buildup and creating habitat for otheraquatic species.

Over 100 years ago, miles upon miles ofirrigation canals were dug throughout theAlbemarle Peninsula for agricultural pur -poses. During major storms such as hurri -canes, salt water from the sur roundingsounds gets pushed far inland up thesecanals, killing trees that are unable to copewith the increase in salinity in the water tableand causing degradation to peat deposits soprevalent on the peninsula. Water controlstructures are now being placed in canals atstrategic locations around the peninsula inan effort to restore a more natural hydrologyand increase wetland habitat. Thousands ofsalt-tolerant trees, such as bald cypress andblack gum, have been planted along shore -line most vulnerable to erosion in an effortto make the land more stable. Invasiveplants are being removed and in their placemore resilient native marsh grasses arebeing planted.

What the Albemarle Peninsula will looklike 200 years from now is anybody’s guess.It is certain that the present shoreline willnot be the same. Portions of it could be underwater. Change has been an eternal constantfor these low-lying areas. Hopefully, with con -tinued dedicated efforts to prepare for poten -tial sea level rise, this unique region of NorthCarolina, with all its incredible diversity ofwildlife, will continue to enthrall Tar Heelsfor many gen erations to come.

Todd Pusser is a marine biologist and long -time contributor to Wildlife in North Carolina.

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Digital File 13 A

to see a dozen or more of these colorfulinsects clustered on a single plant, black andyellow wings spread wide. Numerous otherspectacular flowers, such as water lilies,blue-flag iris, and pickerel weed, also reachtheir peak bloom during this time of year.

Even during the long, humid days of sum -mer, there is much to see, providing you canwithstand the onslaught of biting flies andmosquitoes that swarm you the instant youstep out of your vehicle. It is during thesemonths that black bears, especially femaleswith cubs, are most easily seen. MilltailRoad in Alligator River National WildlifeRefuge and North Lake Drive in PocosinLakes National Wildlife Refuge provide excel -lent opportunities to observe bears foragingin soybean fields from the safety and com -fort of your automobile.

The long, straight dirt roads that stretchfor miles and miles through areas of denseforest and vast agriculture fields in the wild -life refuges act as super-highways for all man -ner of creatures. Gray foxes, deer, turkeys,and red wolves use the roads to hunt forprey, mark territories, and search for mates.The bobcat, the state’s most elusive largepredator, can be observed walking refugedirt roads during all hours of the day.

The cooler days of the fall bring a welcomerelief from the biting insects. As the daysgrow shorter, foliage on the cypress treesthat line swamps and waterways, begins tochange color to a brilliant red. White-taileddeer become more active and are regularlyseen in freshly plowed fields and crossingdirt roads as the rutting season approaches.Many of the regions breeding birds migratesouth while other species from more northernclimes move into the area to replace them.

An Uncertain FutureDespite its abundance of natural wealth, the Albemarle Peninsula faces an uncertainfuture. The region’s mosaic of forests, vastagriculture fields, cypress swamps, fresh andsaltwater marshes are all very low-lying,just a foot or so above sea level, and areconsidered by many to be among the mostvulnerable areas in the United States to anincrease in sea levels associated with cli matechange. Increasing temperatures across theglobe indicate that the Earth’s climate is

nature’s ways Why Do Bobcats Have Tufts On Their Ears? See Nature’s Ways, page 43.

A full moon rises over a patch of forest killed by prolonged exposure to salt water along Hwy 264near Stumpy Point. A playful gray fox rolls around on a dirt road while a black swallowtail gathersnectar from flowers of a thistle (opposite page). Barred owls hunt crayfish and families of riverotters gather in productive waters throughout the peninsula.

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