Below are the results of our weekly shorebird/gull survey conducted at
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Friday May 30, 2014. All water areas
(impoundments and beach areas) were covered in a 9.5 hour survey. All
individuals are counted for the target species; other birds seen or heard on
the survey are followed by a dash.
Water conditions continue to be excellent for shorebirds on the Refuge's
impoundments. Is that why we had such large numbers of shorebirds using the
Refuge this late in the spring migration or is the migration just late this
year? We had 18,792 individual shorebirds of 18 species which is more than we
expected to find. Of those, 14,649 were semi-palmated sandpipers mostly using
the impoundments. Dunlin were the second most common (1,119) followed by
sanderling (618) on the beach and dowitcher (608) most or all being
short-billed. Two of the 63 Red Knots had flags, however, the famous 21-year
old Red Knot B-95 (aka "Moonbird") continues to shun the Eastern Shore,
preferring New Jersey. We do know that the orange flags observed on the 2 birds
indicates they were banded in Argentina.
Our next shorebird survey is June 11.
Joelle Buffa and Clyde Morris
Snow Goose 2
Canada Goose --
Mute Swan 2
Gadwall --
American Black Duck --
Mallard --
Black Scoter --
Red-breasted Merganser --
Wild Turkey --
Common Loon 4
Double-crested Cormorant 45
Brown Pelican 1
American Bittern --
Great Egret --
Snowy Egret --
Little Blue Heron --
Tricolored Heron --
Cattle Egret --
Glossy Ibis --
Black Vulture --
Turkey Vulture --
Osprey --
Bald Eagle --
Clapper Rail --
American Oystercatcher 25
Black-bellied Plover 12
Semipalmated Plover 115
Piping Plover 15
Killdeer 6
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Greater Yellowlegs 162
Willet 55
Lesser Yellowlegs 5
Whimbrel 8
Ruddy Turnstone 110
Red Knot 63
Sanderling 258
Dunlin 1,119
Least Sandpiper 5
White-rumped Sandpiper 4
Semipalmated Sandpiper 14,649
peep sp. 1,222
Short-/Long-billed Dowitcher 608
Laughing Gull 131
Ring-billed Gull 11
Herring Gull 191
Lesser Black-backed Gull 8
Great Black-backed Gull 73
Least Tern 77
Gull-billed Tern 1
Common Tern 4
Forster's Tern 68
Royal Tern 3
Black Skimmer 19
Mourning Dove --
Eastern Screech-Owl 1
Chimney Swift --
Ruby-throated Hummingbird --
Downy Woodpecker --
Northern Flicker --
Eastern Wood-Pewee --
Great Crested Flycatcher --
Eastern Kingbird --
Red-eyed Vireo --
Fish Crow --
Purple Martin --
Tree Swallow --
Barn Swallow --
Carolina Chickadee --
Brown-headed Nuthatch --
House Wren --
Carolina Wren --
American Robin --
Gray Catbird --
Brown Thrasher --
Northern Mockingbird --
European Starling --
Cedar Waxwing --
Ovenbird --
Common Yellowthroat --
Pine Warbler --
Prairie Warbler --
Eastern Towhee --
Chipping Sparrow --
Song Sparrow --
Summer Tanager --
Northern Cardinal --
Blue Grosbeak --
Indigo Bunting --
Red-winged Blackbird --
Eastern Meadowlark --
Common Grackle --
Boat-tailed Grackle --
Brown-headed Cowbird --
Orchard Oriole --
American Goldfinch --
