Outer Banks Beyond

05/29/2026

That week or so of rain and high winds finally calmed down and the Corolla Wild Horses enjoyed the bright sun today just as much as all the visitors to the 4x4 area of Corolla.
Great day for horse photography, with many horses on both the beach and on top of the dunes. If you were on the beach today during the outgoing tide, it was an especially fun time for anyone with a camera or phone.
As the thin layer of shoreline water receded, it was easy to capture reflection shots of the horses as they warmed themselves in the bright sunlight. And, of course, dune shots with wild horses peering high over their domain are always impressive.
To augment your enjoyment and appreciation of these famous wild horses, we always suggest you follow the Corolla Wild Horse Fund page and their website. A great non-profit organization of equine professionals and volunteers who work hard to preserve this mesmerizing part of North Carolina's history.

05/20/2026

That 10-14 week "fledging" stage is currently in full gear for the famous American Bald Eagle family in Corolla. Some people say its three young'uns and others say it's two this year, but either way it's thrilling to literally observe this natural process of growth in motion.
I stopped by there three times today to be able to photograph as much of this process as I could, with the best possible lighting. For those who don't know, the huge nest is 77 feet off the ground in a grove of pine trees just off Austin Street. (Worst kept secret in Corolla)
Reading up on Bald Eagles the past few weeks, it's an interesting process as to how they evolve so quickly from eaglet to flying out on their own.
In fact, so many of their local Corolla fans (me, included) have been amazed at how quickly they have grown just in the past two weeks. Similar to the way foals of the Corolla Wild Horse herd quickly grow.
For the first time today, I got some visible shots of two of the eaglets, instead of only their heads and beaks just barely rising above the top rim of the nest.
Even saw one spread its wings and hop from one side of the nest to the other! Didn't see that one on the last trip I made by there today, so maybe it has already achieved it's first flight.
Special thanks to my bicycling buddy John Roberts and Currituck Beach Lighthouse Site Manager Meghan Agresto for tipping me off to this morning's amazing spectacle.

05/18/2026

I've always been one to imagine what animals are thinking. I'm also one to believe that most animals are wayyyy smarter than what most people think.
Every evening when I'm taking sunset shots in Corolla over the Currituck Sound, I see this same bird sitting at the same angle on this same parasailing boat belonging to North Beach Watersports.
I'm starting to wonder if this bird is thinking, "So, this is the magical thing that allows these humans to fly like us birds."
Yes, that same line of sunset reflections goes to those other "birds" in the second photo. Two US Navy MH-60 Seahawk helos heading northwards toward Little Creek probably bringing back elements of a SEAL Team after some training exercises maybe on Portsmouth Island south of Ocracoke.
To be fair, these helos could have been US Army MH-60 Black Hawks carrying Army Special Ops troops from a similar training mission. That far away and with the helos being silhouettes, it would be difficult for me to tell for sure.
Just a guess, but like my opinion of what the bird on the parasail boat was thinking, I'm gonna stick with it.
Ahhh...Outer Banks sunsets. You can't help but get metaphysical and enjoy the amazing beauty of the combined concepts of the Outer Banks, wildlife, and human ingenuity.

05/15/2026

This evening's sunset over the Currituck Sound is yet another reason for the local adage of "Never give up on an Outer Banks sunset." Some rain, bright sunshine, overcast and stormy clouds switching around all day but at the last minute, another example of Mother Nature's artistic brilliance.

05/13/2026

One of the many things I greatly appreciate about Corolla is that (except for five months a year) it really has a small town atmosphere, but at the same time having an wide variety of excellence restaurants and bars.
To say my culinary experiences in life greatly changed when I first moved here would be an understatement. Well, except for the first couple of years when I was dead broke and was delighted when I could afford a bag of potatoes and maybe a pound of hamburger to cook.
Oh, yeah, Carolyn the former manager of the Inn at Corolla Light and my first boss here would thankfully let me eat off the continental breakfast each morning.
I had a routine down pat. One morning I'd get an English muffin with peanut butter from those little plastic containers. The next day would be grape jelly on the muffin, then the next would be strawberry jam.
That was in my broke stage of working up to four different jobs a day in the summer months and bringing t-shirts from each place I worked in the back seat of my old car. I'd change shirts in the parking lot when I would go from job to job.
Now, times are much better so I can be a little more explorative in my culinary choices. Thankfully Corolla's restaurant scene encompasses just about every dream food I could have faintly imagined back in those old days.
Case in point, a new choice that I first experienced a year or so ago when local restauranteur Judy at the Mexikind Taqueria in the Timbuck II shopping center introduced me to Lumpias!
Yes, there's dozens of examples of new foods I've been introduced to here in Corolla. Having been born and raised in a rural Southern community, I enjoyed the splendid and varied "country" type meals, but not the varied international selection we have here.
Which reminds me, ironically I've never had mashed potatoes as delicious as the ones you often find in Corolla. North Banks in Timbuck II started that trend decades ago and now any restaurant that serves them in town has worked hard to match their supreme quality.
Back to the Lumpias. Technically, they are called Spring Rolls, but to me they're way more than a typical appetizer or even a form of dessert.
I could (and have) eaten Lumpias as an entire meal. In fact, if you hear of me being involved in a head on collision here, chances are I was on my third Lumpia from the to go box while driving!
Googling Lumpias, you will see they originated in Fujian, China but quickly spread throughout Southeast Asia. I'm pretty sure there were many undocumented cases of two Ricksaws having head on collisions due to a driver not able to keep his or her hands off the to go box.
So, Judy, co-owner of Mexikind, whipped up her Filipino family Lumpia recipes and thankfully brought them to Corolla. She had them at Mexikind for a relatively short while but luckily brought them back this year. I love the beef or pork versions, but they also have vegetable Lumpias as well.
Anyway, if you visit here this season, don't worry about not finding any culinary treasures in Corolla. It may be a small beach town, but it's connection to the culinary wonders of the rest of the world is astounding. And delicious!

05/10/2026

Spice up your vacation this season with a wide variety of watersports activities at North Beach Watersports. A wide variety of watersports activities from SUP boards and kayaks to parasailing and pontoon. Fun cruises.

05/07/2026

Great cause for sure! I have a Jeep and I know first hand the wear and tear vehicles in the 4X4 area go through. If the CWHF didn't have multiple vehicles, their volunteers wouldn't be able to keep such a close and necessary eye on the wild horses. And this is just one positive aspect how donations to the CWHF greatly help the horses.

For our membership drive this year we are highlighting some of the many ways your donations support the work that we do. We talk regularly about boots-on-the-ground herd management, both in the wild and at the farm, but there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make all of it possible. There are lots of moving parts!

We always say that the more we know about the horses, the better equipped we are to properly manage and protect them. This is true for the public too! We can’t expect people to be invested in the horses’ future without an understanding as to why our work is so important, and why the horses are worth saving.

Education takes many forms - farm open houses, outreach with rescued horses, talks and lectures, workshops for tour drivers, social media and PSAs, school programming, signs, fridge magnets, and so much more. We believe that education should be free and widely available, which is where your ongoing support comes in. Your donations, memberships, and sponsorships allow us to continuously expand our education and advocacy efforts in new and exciting ways.

From signs and billboards to feeding our ambassador horses at the farm, your contributions make a huge impact! Become a member today and you’ll also have the opportunity to make an additional donation to receive the first ever CWHF member t-shirt: https://www.corollawildhorses.com/memberships/

One of the most visible aspects of our public education efforts are the many signs around Corolla and the 4x4 alerting people to the rules and regulations regarding the horses. Many of these signs were made possible due to partnerships with other folks in our community (like the awesome signs on top of the gas pumps you see in this photo!) but CWHF also provides signs and other educational materials to property owners free of charge.

After we lost a yearling c**t to choking on an apple in 2020 we designed and ordered hundreds of yard signs that were distributed and placed around the 4x4. We spend about $1000 every year on these signs, replacing those that are damaged or missing, and providing them to any new residents and property owners who may want them. These signs have made a huge difference; we receive far fewer reports of people petting or feeding horses than we did prior to 2020, and the sheriff’s department has noticed a difference as well. “I didn’t know!” is not an excuse anymore, and these signs help deputies enforce their “no tolerance” policy.

Imagine the impact your support will have if you join us at the $1000 membership level! Every single one of those signs would be tangible proof of your love for the wild Bankers of Corolla.

https://www.corollawildhorses.com/memberships/

05/07/2026

It's one of the most iconic gazebos at one of the most iconic inns along the Outer Banks and thankfully it's ready for the 2026 summer season. It's also one of the most photographed gazebos with its location not only on the Currituck Sound, but in between two outcrops of land that often generates the perfect scenario for sunset reflection photography.
This past winter with so many days and nights of harsh, cold and angry winds, there finally came a time when this over three decade old gazebo needed a new roof. Luckily, the basic elements of the structure are still fine, hardy and safe. But owners of the Inn at Corolla Light and North Beach Watersports decided, since it's such an icon of the Corolla Light Resort area, a new roof was needed.
Sunset photography is one of photography's most awe-inspiring, beloved, and traditional ways to capture the immense beauty of Mother Nature. Being a hundred mile stretch of barrier islands, all along the Outer Banks is truly a mecca for serious and amateur photographers alike.
This gazebo has even been featured on the heading of the Outer Banks Beyond page since our first day of publication. And, of course, images of the gazebo surrounded by stunning and exotic sunset colors are in the social media pages, scrapbooks and file folders of countless tourists and locals alike.
So, cheers to the new gazebo roof for many decades into the future to continue its service as such a classic foreground piece to enhance so many future great sunset scenes.

05/03/2026

While I know plenty of locals in Corolla, I'm usually the last one to hear any gossip among my human friends. However, whenever I spend a few hours to photograph the Corolla Wild Horses, I have noticed there's a lot one could gossip about them. Case in point, a trip to the 4x4 area yesterday.
Wild horses somehow divide themselves into what's officially called harems; small groups that are basically families. When a young stallion gets to a certain age, he essentially gets kicked out of the harem so he can start to build his own harem. (Even though it does seem like the mares are really in charge of when and where the harems go. Again, like with humans.)
It takes a lot of battles over an extended period of time for a young stallion to succeed at establishing his own family, much like it is with us humans.
Now, I may be totally wrong about this series of shots, but I believe it was a few minutes that could generate a lot of gossip among the wild horses themselves.
I welcome anyone to correct me if I'm wrong. And for all I know, the light colored horse could be a male. Would love to see your opinions and comments about what's going in this sequence of photos.
So, here goes with some Corolla Wild Horse gossip! 😁