Howdy all-
I was sent for business to Hampton last week, and made a few observations on my
walks from the hotel to work. Friday & Saturday, my wife, son and I took the
slow road back to Baltimore up the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to Chincoteague
NWR and Assateague Island NS. Here are a few of the highlights:
Each morning ( Tuesday-Friday), on my walk from lodging on the NW branch of the
Back River, I watched an immature BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON pretend it was
invisible. Friday, it was accompanied by a TRICOLORED HERON. Also seen on the
rip rap picking breakfast off the rocks were three Semipalmated Plovers and a
Willet. I really wished I had more time to explore that area of Hampton!
Sixteen AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS and a few more WILLET grazed the oyster beds
just west of Chincoteague off 175. At sunset on Friday, there were large
numbers of immature and adult LITTLE BLUE HERON, BLACK SKIMMERS, Green-winged
Teal and Canada Geese just west of the beach parking lot. Saturday, we returned
to give the mosquitoes another snack, and saw 27 SNOW GEESE (one BLUE), a
MERLIN, DARK-EYED JUNCOES, and a glut of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS among others
along the marsh trail.
Some photos posted here: www.flickr.com/photos/mattyfioner
Good birding!
Matt Tillett
Linthicum, MD
www.flickr.com/photos/mattyfioner
