Aaron,
I am no expert on Chincoteague but I just spent a week there on a family
vacation. It's a great place for birding and to spend a family vacation. Small
town with lots of natural beauty. The beaches are nice and swimming is
excellent. Biking is excellent too and is the best way to do the Wildlife loop
as the this is closed to cars until 3:00 pm. I managed to get some birding in
most mornings and some afternoons as well. I sort of got stuck on the Sea shore
and ignored the causeway, wildlife loop and the woodland trails. A huge over
sight but I was trying to increase my understanding of gulls and terns. I did
bike the Wildlife loop twice though and stopped along the causeway once. I also
hit Saxis marsh very early (daybreak) once.
I only get to the coast once or twice a year so my knowledge is limited but I
will relate what I found and didn't find during my week there.
Gannets - Didn't see any Gannets. They are probably in Maine and points further
North.
Bobwhite - heard near the Batemen visitor center and parking lot to Wildlife
loop.
Blue Grosbeak. - seen and heard along Wildlife loop and seen by others just
outside the Batemen's visitor center.
Seaside Sparrows- Saxis Marsh ( take U.S. Route 13 at Temperanceville take
Route 695 west) go about 7.8 miles and look for route 788. Stay on 695 and
shortly thereafter one is surrounded by open marsh on both sides of the road.
Listen for Seaside Sparrows. I found plenty this trip and even got some half
way decent photos. Did not find Saltmash Sharp-tailed Sparrows but have seen
them here in the past. I also had Northern Harrier, Marsh Wrens, Clapper Rails
(heard) may have heard VA Rails.... I tried for Sedge Wrens along 788 but
without success. The place to look for Sedge Wrens is .5 miles from 695 along
788.
Brown-headed Nuthatches - are fairly common near the Woodland trail and also
along Saltmarsh Lane -(north of town).... probably lots of other areas as
well... with suitable Pines etc... listen for their calls.
Shorebirds: I didn't get a lot of shorebirds on this trip. It may have been the
areas I birded or the time of year or both....
but I did manage a few..
Marbled Godwits -.5 mile South from traffic circle just past the Tom's Cove
visitor center but on the Tom's cove side (not the ocean side.) Also seen here
were Short-billed Dowitchers and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Skimmers, and
Oystercatchers. Here is where a Glaucous Gull was seen and photographed by self
and others over the last few weeks. Unfortunately this bird was absent the last
two days I was there but maybe will have returned by the time you arrive.
Piping PLovers: Seen at Wild Beach. Many were seen juveniles and adults .
Again go to the traffic circle at the beach just past Tom's cove but head north
instead of south this time. Best to arrive early in the morning as the beach
traffic can be problematic and parking is limited at Wild beach. Also the
birding is better. A short hike from the parking lot will bring you upon fenced
off areas with large wire cages of sorts set for the protection of the Piping
PLovers. Least Terns were also nesting here.
Gulls: In addition to the Glaucous Gull mentioned above I was fortunate to get
a tip from one of the naturalists (Kristin) about a group of Lesser Backed
Gulls along Wild Beach but much further North then the Piping Plovers. I think
it took me about 45 minutes of walking north of the parking lot to reach the
LBBG. Well worth the walk for me as this was only the second time I have seen
this species.
Herring, Laughing, and Great Black Backed Gulls are numerous. Ring-billed Gulls
were seen but were not numerous.
Terns: Royal Terns - numerous at Tom's Cove and Swan's Cove. Forster Terns at
small bridge leading into the refuge and Toms' cove. Skimmers Tom's Cove and
Swan's Cove (look for them in flight but also at any exposed sandbars
especially just out from the bathrooms near Wild Beach.
Ibis: Glossy Ibis are numerous. I saw White Ibis only once and they were seen
past the Batemen visitor center where the biking trail parallels the entrance
road along an open area in the marsh. This is same area that the Chincoteague
Ponies/horses are typically seen.
Ps. if you approach Chincoteague by the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel Bridge you may
want to spend some time on island number one. This can be good for Gulls and
Terns. Islands 2,3, and 4 are restricted. You can get access to them but not
sure of all that is involved. I believe among other things it costs about 50
dollars per hour. Not sure if it is worth it at this time of year. Hopefully
others on the list can advise you on this point.
PPS... if you can manage to get a copy of Claudia Wilds book "Finding Birds in
the National Capital Area" you will find it extremely helpful. It will cover
both MD Assateague and Chincoteague as well as all the other coastal areas
nearby including both Bombay Hook and Cape May.
Enjoy your trip!
best,
William Leigh
William Leigh leightern@xxxxxxx
Bridgewater, Virginia
Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2011 10:56:47 -0400
From: amilenski31@xxxxxxxxx
To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Va-bird] Advice for Chincoteague?
Hi everyone,
I posted to the Maryland list asking about Assateague, but I
thought it would help me to post to the Virginia list as well.
I'm from out of state and will be taking a three-day vacation
at Assateague/Chincoteague, and was hoping to get a bit
of advice about the birding there, which I expect to be wonderful.
Here are a few questions I have:
Where's the best place to look for songbirds? Some target
birds for me would be summer tanager, blue grosbeak,
northern bobwhite, (none of which I or my family have ever
seen), and brown-headed nuthatch. Seaside and Saltmarsh
sparrows would also be something new for us. Also...which
warblers would be likely to be there during the month of July?
Are there specific best spots for shorebirds, or are they
everywhere up and down the beach?
Can gannets be seen from the shore anywhere, or would
it be necessary to go offshore on a boat to see them?
Are there reliable places to see owls? How about rails and/or
bitterns?
Are there any particular unusual birds I should be on the
lookout for?
Thanks for any help anyone can give me. I'm very excited
about this trip.
Aaron Milenski
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