Day 17- Tues. April 19, 2016, Moved from Cape Cateret to Matamuskeet N.C.

The trip to Matamuskeet was through heavily forested ands and hence the many logging trucks with both long pine poles and logs.

One of the many logging trucks seen today.

This "Halo" cloud was very unusual. We don't believe it is a type  of cloud.

There were at least 3 fire towers in that 130 mile stretch to the RV Park.

The road looked much like ths along the way today. (This was the road!)

Day 17- April 19, 2016, Moved from Cape Cateret to Matamuskeet N.C.

Our target was the Osprey Nest Campground, probably the only campground that is not only aptly named, but does have an Osprey nest at eye level in front of the Campground on a short Cypress tree in the lake . It is not more than 150 yards from the campground. Awesome! But, the photos will be posted tomorrow for that Osprey pair and their young in the nest.

The exciting  moment cam after  we had set up our birds feeders and were eating dinner, when not one, but a pair of Ruby Throated Hummingbirds stopped at our feeder. They were funny. One first then the other chasing each other away, Then they finally settled on the feeder together,(See photo). Then as I started to compose this blog a “third” one came and then was lots of chasing.

Our first Ruby Throated this summer in NC (female)

The second one was a male. The eventually shared.

They shared unil the second male came and then it was bedlam.


The move from Goose Creek RV to Matamuskeet Lake (Osprey Nest RV) was on mainly two lane roads and the last 20 miles through the old drained land that was used as farmland many years ago. We  saw  many canals, and forests. It was very .picturesque, and quiet. It certainly is away from the hub and noise of the Coastal tourist venues. We are 5 miles from the Ocean and will head the tomorrow to look for ashore birds at Swan Quarter, a fishing village on the Ocean (Pamlico Sound)

This campground is an old one here on Lake Matamuskeet.  It is small with only about 30 campsites and 6 for short term campers. Reservations are mandatory. There are, in the fall, hundreds of hunters that use the lake for waterfowl (duck) hunting. It is well known and well used.  I intimated last night to the Decoy Association, and many of them come here. Lake Matamuskeet is an old cultivated area that was turned into a lake after the practical use of the farms became less profitable in the 1800’s. Since then the effort has been to turn the area back into managed wildlife habitat.  There are some small arms here raising sweet potatoes and a little winter wheat. Slowly it is getting there. Compared to our Houghton Lake in Michigan it si much larger. Matamuskeet s 18 miles long by 7 miles wide, whereas Houghton Lake is 7.5 miles long by 4.5 mies wide. The former is shallower that Houghton Lake averaging 2-3 feet deep. Houghton Lake is shallow also at average of 7 1/2 feet with a deep hole 22 feet.

This area has many NWR and  we will try to explore  some of them. The work ‘Pocosin’ comes into play here and a ‘pocisin’ is a swamp in the upland coastal regions of the southeastern United States, characterized by waterlogged soil and dense evergreen vegetation. More on that at another time. We are surrounded by ‘pocosin’.

Did a few minor repairs and was he windows too, so we can see out the trailer and the truck more clearly. Never now when a photo op will occur.

So enjoy the brief postings , but they were fun.