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At Corolla



All,

I just returned from a four day surf fishing trip to Corolla, NC and 
points north to the Virginia line (marked by a fence you can't cross). 
Apart from truly wonderful fishing (we caught over 130 puppy drum, many 
black drum, and a really nice speckled trout), the wildlife watching was 
great as well. Large numbers of northern gannets were present each day, 
sometimes diving within a hundred yards or so of the beach. We also saw 
tons of surf scoters, tundra swans (over the ocean!), several flocks of 
green-winged teal (flying the beach at the surf line- why, I don't 
know), the usual gulls and terns, many pods of dolphins, a dead, beached 
loggerhead turtle, and a breaching hump-backed whale on Sunday morning. 
The best bird of the trip was an adult lesser black-backed gull on 
Tuesday, drawn to the fish bits we returned to the sea after filleting a 
handful of drum.

I spent a great deal of time in Currituck County about 20 years ago 
while working on my Ph.D.; I lived during the summers on Knott's Island 
with a college buddy who's dad oversaw a duck club.  I can recall 
standing on the club wharf at night and looking east towards the Corolla 
light; then, there were very few lights on the banks beyond a tiny 
handful in the vicinity of the light. Now, much of the banks (apart from 
the bit contained within the Currituck NWR) are lined with very, very 
large, very expensive, beach "cottages." While the level of development 
on the northern Currituck Banks (and the rest of Currituck County, for 
that matter) is a bit alarming, this is still a relatively secluded 
place and a very fine spot to spend some time. The fishing and wildlife 
viewing will take me back! If you are going to visit the Banks area, you 
will need a 4X4; the paved road ends at Corolla and  you must drive the 
beach the remaining 12 miles or so to the Virginia line.

On a different note: Five years ago, I put a screech owl box up on the 
side of large pine in my backyard. Since then, the box has been 
occupied, at various times, by successful great crested flycatchers, 
gray squirrels, amorous black rat snakes (three at one time- two males 
and a female), and unsuccessful starlings (I captured them and fed them 
to my corn snake, Willie Maize). After all this time, it appears that my 
screech owl box is finally occupied by a screech owl! My wife and kids 
have seen a gray phase bird loafing in the opening the last several 
days. Hopefully, it will take up permanent residence- or, at least, 
stick around long enough for me to see it!

Take care,

Clyde Sorenson
Clayton and Raleigh, NC