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Below are the results of our weekly shorebird/gull survey conducted at
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Friday,August 3 2012. All water areas
(impoundments and beach areas) were covered in an 8 hour survey. All
individuals are counted for the target species; other birds seen or heard on
the survey are followed by a dash. A good variety (21 species) of shorebirds
were observed, but numbers for most species were low as fall shorebird
migration is just beginning. The good news is that some of the impoundments
have started to pond water from recent rains. However, the impoundment with the
highest diversity of shorebirds (South Wash Flats) is accessible only by a 3-4
mile walk or by the Refuge Tour Bus.
For the 2nd week in a row we had high numbers of sanderlings on the beaches.
Note that the "Overwash" portion of the Hook, up to the Coast Guard Station, is
now open.
For more background on the Chincoteague Shorebird Survey, see the following VA
eBird link - http://ebird.org/content/va/news/chincoteague-shorebird-surveys ;
\s/ Joelle Buffa and Clyde Morris
Canada Goose --
American Black Duck --
Northern Bobwhite --
Double-crested Cormorant 12
Brown Pelican 5
Great Blue Heron --
Great Egret --
Snowy Egret --
Little Blue Heron --
Tricolored Heron --
Green Heron --
Glossy Ibis --
Turkey Vulture --
Osprey --
Bald Eagle --
Red-tailed Hawk --
Black-bellied Plover 98
Semipalmated Plover 606
Piping Plover 4
Killdeer 22
American Oystercatcher 9
Spotted Sandpiper 13
Greater Yellowlegs 42
Willet 481
Lesser Yellowlegs 183
Greater/Lesser Yellowlegs 10
Whimbrel 28
Marbled Godwit 13
Ruddy Turnstone 153
Red Knot 107
Sanderling 8,955
Semipalmated Sandpiper 795
Western Sandpiper 7
Least Sandpiper 238
Pectoral Sandpiper 8
Dunlin 1
Stilt Sandpiper 42
peep sp. 892
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher 24
Laughing Gull 1,219
Ring-billed Gull 60
Herring Gull 323
Lesser Black-backed Gull 188
Great Black-backed Gull 22
Least Tern 62
Gull-billed Tern 1
Caspian Tern 6
Black Tern 3
Common Tern 69
Forster's Tern 88
Royal Tern 66
Sandwich Tern 6
Black Skimmer 25
Mourning Dove --
Belted Kingfisher --
Northern Flicker --
Great Crested Flycatcher --
Eastern Kingbird --
crow sp. --
Purple Martin --
Tree Swallow --
Barn Swallow --
American Robin --
Northern Mockingbird --
European Starling --
Savannah Sparrow --
Northern Cardinal --
Red-winged Blackbird --
Eastern Meadowlark --
Common Grackle --
Brown-headed Cowbird --
American Goldfinch --
