An odd phenomenon returns to NC’s Outer Banks: Fish parts falling from the sky

One of the stranger occurrences on North Carolina’s Outer Banks is fish parts falling from the sky, and it typically starts when temperatures start to rise, experts say.

The explanation is kind of funny, but also very much a seasonal sign of renewal on the barrier islands.

The Ospreys – a mischievous bird of prey – have returned.

“Some might wonder how a fishtail ended up lying on the sidewalk in our town hall parking lot,” the Town of Nags Head wrote in a March 25 Facebook post that included a photo.

“Spring is here! The osprey(s) have returned to our cell tower. You never know what you’ll find in our parking lot when they are in residence.”

Ospreys are migratory birds of prey that spend the winter off South America and the summer along the U.S. East Coast, experts say.

Their “large, conspicuous nests” are very much a part of life on the Outer Banks, appearing on channel markers, in trees and even in cell towers, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission reports.

The birds have a wing span of about six feet and “the soles of the feet have sharp spiny projections, an adaptation that allows a firm grip on slippery fish.”

However, sometimes those fish slip and fall, resulting in fish or fish parts landing in strange places.

People have become accustomed to it on the islands.

“It’s cool to see ospreys carrying fish. They hold them pointing into the wind ... unless they drop it,” Pete Hummers wrote on the town’s Facebook page.

“I needed bait one day and one flew over with a fish that was too big. Landed right next to the truck,” Percy Houchens posted.

“I was coming across the jug handle bridge yesterday and a very evil bird dropped what looked to be a brick (or big rock) right in front of me. It looked intentional,” Warren Mason said.

Nags Head is about a 195-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh.

This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 9:28 AM with the headline "An odd phenomenon returns to NC’s Outer Banks: Fish parts falling from the sky."