It depends on what you want to see. It is tough to beat the last two weeks of
April through the first two weeks of May. (Pretty much all of May is good ....
the other 11 months are bad either).
By the end of April you'll get herons and egrets, lots of shorebirds, and the
late dabbling ducks. The snow geese by then are probably gone.. replaced by
early skimmers and terns. Passerines can be a bit tricking with less variety
in the spring (compared to around DC). I guess they don't head over the bay
going north. For some though, Chincoteague is great... indigo buntings, pine
warblers, Black and white, Black throated blue and green, and palms.
If you are interested in shorebirds, by far the best summary of migration
patterns at Chincoteague is in the book: Shorebirds at Chincoteague: Patterns
of Migration on the Virginia Coast, by Claudia Phelps Wilds. It is an amazing
book. My copy is at our house down there or I'd post some of the trends (it
gives week-by-week counts by location). It is also great for guiding you where
to go.
I believe Ned Brinkley helped pull it together and he posts here often and
could be helpful.
Bill
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2011 09:49:01 -0800
From: eidothea1@xxxxxxxxx
To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Va-bird] Chincoteague Birding Advice Requested
I'd like to spend a long wkend birding Chincoteague this spring. Can anyone
tell me when peak migration is estimated for the area? Thanks!
Candi Harris
Forest
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