It was a beautiful spring day for the weekly shorebird survey at Chincoteague
NWR. We counted 1,293 individual shorebirds. Dunlin led the way with 571
individuals, Sanderling 430 and Greater Yellowlegs 92. We had 12 species of
shorebirds. These numbers are more similar to a winter count than a spring
migration count, except for the Piping Plovers and Am. Oystercatchers setting
up territories on the beach north of the Parking Lot (remember that the Beach
north of the Coast Guard Stn. is closed to vehicle and foot traffic to protect
these nesting birds). Perhaps numbers will increase next week. Water levels are
excellent in some of the impoundments but most shorebirds were seen in tidal
areas/beaches.
Large numbers of Northern Gannets and Red-throated/Common Loons were flying
north just off shore of the beaches along with large flocks of scoters and
mergansers. The variety of ducks is still high though the numbers of
individuals is down from that seen in the winter. Land migrants are arriving
such as Barn and Tree Swallows, Yellow-throated Warblers and most of the summer
season herons and egrets. The 2 Least Terns we saw flying over the beach where
they usually nest on the Hook are early according to e-bird. We searched but
did not find the White-faced Ibis we saw last week.
Our next survey will be Sunday, April 19th.
Clyde Morris and Joelle Buffa
| Canada Goose | -- |
| Gadwall | -- |
| American Wigeon | -- |
| American Black Duck | -- |
| Mallard | -- |
| Northern Shoveler | -- |
| Northern Pintail | -- |
| Green-winged Teal | -- |
| Surf Scoter | -- |
| Black Scoter | -- |
| Bufflehead | -- |
| Hooded Merganser | -- |
| Red-breasted Merganser | -- |
| Red-throated Loon | 14 |
| Common Loon | 40 |
| loon sp. | 70 |
| Horned Grebe | 37 |
| Northern Gannet | 56 |
| Double-crested Cormorant | 69 |
| Brown Pelican | 1 |
| Great Blue Heron | -- |
| Great Egret | -- |
| Snowy Egret | -- |
| Little Blue Heron | -- |
| Tricolored Heron | -- |
| Black Vulture | -- |
| Turkey Vulture | -- |
| Osprey | -- |
| Bald Eagle | -- |
| Red-tailed Hawk | -- |
| American Coot | -- |
| American Oystercatcher | 26 |
| Black-bellied Plover | 67 |
| Piping Plover | 47 |
| Killdeer | 1 |
| Greater Yellowlegs | 92 |
| Willet | 31 |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | 4 |
| Greater/Lesser Yellowlegs | 34 |
| Ruddy Turnstone | 3 |
| Sanderling | 430 |
| Dunlin | 571 |
| Least Sandpiper | 1 |
| Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher | 12 |
| Laughing Gull | 8 |
| Ring-billed Gull | 22 |
| Herring Gull | 232 |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 98 |
| Great Black-backed Gull | 73 |
| Least Tern 3
Common Tern | 3 |
| Forster's Tern | 35 |
| Mourning Dove | -- |
| Belted Kingfisher | -- |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | -- |
| Downy Woodpecker | -- |
| Northern Flicker | -- |
| Merlin | -- |
| American Crow | -- |
| Fish Crow | -- |
| Horned Lark | -- |
| Tree Swallow | -- |
| Barn Swallow | -- |
| Brown-headed Nuthatch | -- |
| Marsh Wren | -- |
| Carolina Wren | -- |
| American Robin | -- |
| Brown Thrasher | -- |
| Northern Mockingbird | -- |
| Pine Warbler | -- |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | -- |
| Yellow-throated Warbler | -- |
| Eastern Towhee | -- |
| Chipping Sparrow | -- |
| White-throated Sparrow | -- |
| Dark-eyed Junco | -- |
| Northern Cardinal | -- |
| Red-winged Blackbird | -- |
| Eastern Meadowlark | -- |
| Common Grackle | -- |
| Boat-tailed Grackle | -- |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | -- |
