Glad to hear that. Most of them will probably survive, then.
In the areas where they remain unpinned, it’s possible to predict the weather by their behavior. Wind blowing off the marshes leads to a large increase in mosquitoes, and the Banker Ponies head for the beach to escape them in the salt air and sea breeze. This is an indication of a storm front coming from inland. So, if you’re in the northern OBX 4x4 beaches and want to see them, they’re right on the beach when a storm’s coming from inland. The reverse happens with a storm coming in off the ocean, they head toward the sound and marshes. There’s typically a big tree-covered ridge just before the sound, a dune really. That’s where they go, run sometimes depending on the severity of the weather. Other animals do it too, foxes, rabbits, stray dogs, deer, boar, even bear in the more remote sections up near False Cape State Park across the state line in Virginia. It’s a very cool place, unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere in this country. Love it there, but the weather is a very real, pressing thing. You’ve got to be aware of it. Last time I was up there, a waterspout came ashore. No real damage, other than maybe the school of fish it sucked up and dropped on land. The ocean is pretty interesting there too, pods of dolphin are often right up in the surf. There’s video of several shark feeding frenzies up there too, with fairly large ones shimmying up into the shallows in pursuit of prey fish. Whale watching too, not a common thing in the southeast.