All:
I finished up a week at Chincoteague, spent getting our seasonal rental "the
Black Skimmer" ready for Spring -- lots of painting and gardening. I was able
to squeeze in a few (ok many) hours of birdwatching.
The rarest bird of the week was the Eurasian Wigeon, which was present in
Swan's Cove most days -- but not this morning.
The most interesting birds of the week were the American Oystercatchers. They
are pairing up. I managed to find four banded ones -- P2, P4, 66, and RR.
Also of interest were the numbers of piping plovers. The flats between Swan's
Cove and the beach are attracting many pairs -- I counted 12 plovers in this
short section. The area is closed -- but the Rangers are having a time keeping
people out. This is likely to get much worse when the vacation season really
kicks in.
Good variety -- but low numbers of ducks: Long tailed, Bufflehead and Scoters
in Tom's Cove. Red Breasted Mergansers in several places, Gadwall - a large
flock of several hundred (an exception to the low numbers rule) on the wildlife
loop, American Wigeon, Black Duck, Green Winged Teal on the Causeway, and
Mallards.
Herons etc... Great and Snowy Egrets, Glossy Ibis flying overhead, Great
Blue, Little Blue and Tri-colored herons.
I did not hear any Clapper Rails the entire week -- which is somewhat odd.
Only a few sparrows -- song, swamp, chipping, and white throated.
Yellow rumps were everywhere, Pine were common and I found one Yellow Throated
warbler.
Gulls: Laughing and Herring Gulls are setting up colonies along the 175
Causeway. Lesser Black backed and the other common gulls are present along the
beach -- but no Bonaparte's to be found.
The flats in many areas look great for the shorebirds which will be coming soon
-- Swan's Cove and the marsh along black duck trail in particular. The
Chincoteague mudflats -- off of the main causeway -- have expanded and could be
really interesting. The wildlife loop is so full of water -- not many flats
are exposed.
Shorebirds already present include Marbled Godwit, Western Willets, Black
bellied plovers, killdeer, gobs of dunlin, both yellowlegs, the aforementioned
piping plovers and Oystercatchers, and SB Dowitchers (a few singles and one
flock of 11).
Other odds and ends: Horned Larks in the dunes along the South Parking Lot,
one bobwhite singing along black duck trail, common and Red Throated loons in
several places, brown headed nuthatches -- everywhere, and large flocks of
robins and brown headed cowbirds along the roads.
Things should pick up in the next couple of weeks. It will be interesting to
see what Joelle and Clyde turn up in their surveys.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/73831614@N00/sets/72157651671037645/
Bill
