Plug-in NC Team Takes Flight For 2024 Earth Day Celebration

Waterfowl and wetlands and electric vehicle (EV) charging, oh my! For Earth Day this year, our team fluttered over to Sylvan Heights Bird Park in Scotland Neck, North Carolina, for an eggsighting day of bird watching and EV charging. As we tell you about our owlting, be on the lookout for plenty of impeckable bird puns. Some might be in clear sight, while others may fly over your head. If your eyes are rolling at all this fowl language and these jokes are too hard to swallow, give me a beak…I’m just winging it!

As our team gathered to make the trip from Raleigh to Scotland Neck, we had a hawkward realization when we discovered that our company fleet EV was at 30% state of charge (SOC). However, we didn’t let that rustle our feathers and pressed on. We stopped at a Sheetz in Nashville, North Carolina, to use a DC fast charging station, which had raven reviews on PlugShare. The station was easily accessible off the highway and nicely located with plenty of amenities for us to utilize. By the time we went to the restroom, ate a snack to quail our hunger and took some pictures, we were charged up to 80% SOC and ready to take flight once again.

As we entered Sylvan Heights and looked for parking, we were pheasantly surprised to find Level 2 charging. This was a perfect location since we were going to be leaving our vehicle for a few hours while we enjoyed the park. The charging station was made possible through the North Carolina Volkswagen Settlement program, with additional support provided by Halifax Electric Membership Corporation (EMC), Edgecombe-Martin County EMC, Roanoke Electric Cooperative, Tideland EMC and North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives.

At the park, we waddled our way around the many walk-through aviaries featuring over 2,000 waterfowl, parrots, toucans, flamingos and other exotic birds from South America, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, as well as admired the wetlands full of native wildlife surrounding the park. Sylvan Heights’ mission is “to advance conservation of waterfowl and wetlands, to act as a local educational resource for avian biology and wetlands ecology, and to serve as an international center for avicultural training and research.” We learned about the park’s conservation efforts, supporting breeding populations of rare and endangered species from around the world; the wealth of educational programs they have on-site; and the many resources they offer individuals, classrooms and those you nest with at home.

Here are some of our favorite birds that we met!

East African Crowned Crane

Laughing Kookaburra

Toco Toucan

Scarlet Ibis

Before migrating home, we took a tern and stopped by the Landing Zone to interact with, feed and be a perch for a chatter of parakeets.

As our flock headed back to the Triangle, we pondered our day and the lessons we learned.

• We didn’t really need to worry about planning or altering our route to charge, even after starting with a low SOC — stations were exactly where we needed them. Charging shouldn’t have to be a birdin!
• Corridor charging at a convenience store/fueling center like Sheetz was practical, allowing us to charge, use the restroom and eat all in one location.
• Having charging at your destination is ideal, so you never have to duck out of an adventure.
• Birds are awesome!