Below are the results of our weekly shorebird/gull survey conducted at
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Friday Aug. 28, 2015. All water areas
(impoundments and beach areas) were covered in a 9 hour survey. All individuals
are counted for the target species; other birds seen or heard on the survey are
followed by a dash. Without recent rains, most of the impoundments were dry
so the shorebirds were crowded into the small pools of remaining water on such
ponds as Old Fields near the Maryland border, where nearly 500 yellowlegs
(mostly lesser) were madly feeding, South Wash Flats (which had the largest
diversity of birds), and F-Pool near the beach. Because F-Pool (AKA Swan's Cove
pool) has muted tidal action, this pond has water even when the other ponds dry
up. Over half of the individual shorebirds were on the beaches. We saw 7,908
individuals of 21 species. The most common was the Sanderling with 4,316
individuals followed by Semiplamated Plover (842), Peep (514: small shorebirds
too far across the impoundments to ID to species), Willet (475) and
Semipalmated Sandpiper (474). A few different flocks of Red Knots were seen on
the Beaches, for a total of 42 birds; One was flagged but it moved too quickly
to see the markings. The most interesting shorebird of the survey was the lone
Black necked Stilt on Old Fields. This is an uncommon species on the Refuge
though they breed close by along the causeway between the mainland and
Chincoteague Island. When they do make an appearance on the Refuge it is during
their post breeding dispersal period such as this month. Also of interest were
the Black Terns at multiple locations on the Refuge and several hawks and a
Peregrine Falcon, a sure sign that fall raptor migration has begun.Our next
survey will be September 4th.Clyde Morris and Joelle Buffa
| Canada Goose | -- |
| American Black Duck | -- |
| Mallard | -- |
| Northern Shoveler | -- |
| Green-winged Teal | -- |
| Double-crested Cormorant | 116 |
| Brown Pelican | 45 |
| Great Egret | -- |
| Snowy Egret | -- |
| Little Blue Heron | -- |
| Tricolored Heron | -- |
| Cattle Egret | -- |
| Green Heron | -- |
| White Ibis | -- |
| Glossy Ibis | -- |
| Turkey Vulture | -- |
| Osprey | -- |
| Northern Harrier | -- |
| Bald Eagle | -- |
| Red-tailed Hawk | -- |
| Black-necked Stilt | 1 |
| American Oystercatcher | 12 |
| Black-bellied Plover | 199 |
| Semipalmated Plover | 842 |
| Piping Plover | 59 |
| Killdeer | 8 |
| Spotted Sandpiper | 12 |
| Greater Yellowlegs | 84 |
| Willet | 475 |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | 423 |
| Greater/Lesser Yellowlegs | 56 |
| Whimbrel | 13 |
| Marbled Godwit | 3 |
| Ruddy Turnstone | 52 |
| Red Knot | 42 |
| Sanderling | 4,316 |
| Least Sandpiper | 229 |
| White-rumped Sandpiper | 7 |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | 11 |
| Semipalmated Sandpiper | 475 |
| Western Sandpiper | 4 |
| peep sp. | 514 |
| Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher | 84 |
| Laughing Gull | 451 |
| Ring-billed Gull | 74 |
| Herring Gull | 341 |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 182 |
| Great Black-backed Gull | 103 |
| Least Tern | 18 |
| Caspian Tern | 20 |
| Black Tern | 5 |
| Common Tern | 14 |
| Forster's Tern | 78 |
| Royal Tern | 109 |
| Sandwich Tern | 1 |
| Black Skimmer | 98 |
| Mourning Dove | -- |
| Downy Woodpecker | -- |
| Northern Flicker | -- |
| Peregrine Falcon | -- |
| Eastern Wood-Pewee | -- |
| Great Crested Flycatcher | -- |
| American Crow | -- |
| Fish Crow | -- |
| Tree Swallow | -- |
| Barn Swallow | -- |
| Carolina Chickadee | -- |
| Carolina Wren | -- |
| American Robin | -- |
| Northern Mockingbird | -- |
| European Starling | -- |
| Chipping Sparrow | -- |
| Song Sparrow | -- |
| Northern Cardinal | -- |
| Blue Grosbeak | -- |
| Red-winged Blackbird | -- |
| Eastern Meadowlark | -- |
| Common Grackle | -- |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | -- |
| American Goldfinch | -- |
