Below are the results of our weekly shorebird/gull survey conducted at
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Friday Aug 24, 2012. 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.
Diversity of shorebirds species on Refuge continues to be high (20). Number of
shorebird (6831)dropped off from the highs of the last few weeks with many
fewer sanderlings this week (3,174) and no red knots. More lesser black-backed
gulls were counted on Wild Beach (262) than ever before in our 3-year history
of conducting these surveys. Impoundments continue to be mostly dry (except
Swan's Cove and A Pools)with few birds using them, but many using the beaches.
The Hook area south of the parking lots is scheduled to open next weekend (Sept
1)
Joelle Buffa and Clyde Morris
Canada Goose --
American Black Duck --
Mallard --
Blue-winged Teal --
Black Scoter --
Wild Turkey --
Double-crested Cormorant 42
Brown Pelican 103
Great Blue Heron --
Great Egret --
Snowy Egret --
Little Blue Heron --
Tricolored Heron --
Cattle Egret --
Turkey Vulture --
Osprey --
Cooper's Hawk --
Bald Eagle --
Black-bellied Plover 160
Semipalmated Plover 789
Piping Plover 26
Killdeer 6
American Oystercatcher 6
Spotted Sandpiper 7
Greater Yellowlegs 20
Willet 459
Lesser Yellowlegs 189
Greater/Lesser Yellowlegs 2
Whimbrel 6
Marbled Godwit 15
Ruddy Turnstone 58
Sanderling 3,174
Semipalmated Sandpiper 1,217
Western Sandpiper 6
Least Sandpiper 109
White-rumped Sandpiper 1
peep sp. 567
Pectoral Sandpiper 7
Stilt Sandpiper 3
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher 3
Laughing Gull 291
Ring-billed Gull 92
Herring Gull 285
Lesser Black-backed Gull 276
Great Black-backed Gull 79
Least Tern 4
Caspian Tern 5
Common Tern 106
Forster's Tern 43
Royal Tern 111
Black Skimmer 46
Mourning Dove --
Belted Kingfisher --
Red-headed Woodpecker --
Downy Woodpecker --
Peregrine Falcon --
Eastern Kingbird --
American Crow --
crow sp. --
Horned Lark --
Tree Swallow --
Barn Swallow --
Carolina Chickadee --
Brown-headed Nuthatch --
Carolina Wren --
American Robin --
Northern Mockingbird --
European Starling --
Common Yellowthroat --
Northern Cardinal --
Blue Grosbeak --
Red-winged Blackbird --
Eastern Meadowlark --
Brown-headed Cowbird --
