Below are the results of our weekly shorebird/gull survey conducted at
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on January 11, 2017.
All water areas (impoundments and beach areas) were covered in a 6
hour survey. All individuals are counted for the target species;
other birds seen or heard on the survey are followed by a dash.
Well, the frozen impoundments, Assateague Channel and Tom's Cove certainly
decreased the species count. Missing in action were Cormorants, snowy
egrets, little blue herons, and any terns. Only 1 great egret was seen.
However, the numbers of sea ducks including surf and black scoters,
long-tailed ducks, and buffleheads greatly increased. Just an estimate of
scoters would be about 2,000 and long-tails about 1,000. And this is
probably an underestimate. Birds were in almost continuous flocks all
along the 15 miles of beach.
Gulls were taking advantage of the upside down washed up horseshoe crabs
which formed a wrack line along Wild Beach and The Hook. A juvenile
Glaucous Gull was on the Hook.
Date Range Jan 11, 2018 - Jan 17, 2018
Locations Chincoteague NWR
11-Jan
Number of Species 38
Number of Individuals 1,517
Number of Checklists 1
11-Jan
Species Name Species Count
Snow Goose --
Canada Goose --
Tundra Swan --
Northern Shoveler --
Gadwall 2
Mallard --
American Black Duck --
Northern Pintail --
Green-winged Teal 4
Greater/Lesser Scaup --
Surf Scoter --
Black Scoter --
Long-tailed Duck --
Bufflehead --
Hooded Merganser --
Red-breasted Merganser --
Great Blue Heron --
Great Egret 1
Black Vulture --
Turkey Vulture --
Bald Eagle --
Sanderling 259
Dunlin 6
Greater Yellowlegs 4
Willet 53
Ring-billed Gull 83
Herring Gull 776
Lesser Black-backed Gull 3
Glaucous Gull 1
Great Black-backed Gull 323
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker --
American Crow --
Brown-headed Nuthatch --
European Starling --
Yellow-rumped Warbler --
Red-winged Blackbird --
