There is something of surpassing beauty on the open waters of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on a clear crisp cold winter’s day in December. To be there at this time of the year is truly one of the defining experiences of the Outer Banks.
Trumpeter swans fill the air with their honks. Piercing and loud it seems to echo from one impoundment to the other. They are graceful as they move along the surface of the water, and even in flight there is a beauty to their movements.
Paddling beside them, seemingly unfazed by the size of the swans, are ducks of every kind. Most of them seem to be bufflehead duck; with their white and black heads and small bodies, they are an unmistakable species.
Suddenly something startles the bufflehead, and they launch from the water with astonishing speed, fly perhaps, 25 or 30 yards and alight on the water once again.
There is an observation tower at the west end of the the trail and the view from the top offers a breathtaking panorama of Pea Island and Pamlico Sound.
At the base of the tower, a sign invites hikers to continue on along the north trail. There is another challenging about it, just flat packed earth. There’s a dike on the west side and the impoundment on the right and along the edge of the impoundment are grasses and reeds.
Even in the winter the foliage is dense and suddenly a white ibis takes to wing at the most ten yards from the trail—so close the yellow orange beak and its eyes can be seen in detail.
It is a fascinating place to explore. Easily done—there’s no elevation gains or any possibility of getting lost, but well worth the trip.
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is the north end of Hatteras Island.
Whether staying in one of our Brindley Beach Vacations home on Hatteras Island or the northern Outer Banks, Pea Island is an easy half day trip.