We visited Chincoteague for Thanksgiving week, getting there in the afternoon
on Nov. 20 and departing around 1 on November 26, 2011.
All in all, it was a pretty quiet week. We did drive the service road on
Thanksgiving Day. It is open to the public Thanksgiving Day thru the following
Sunday, 12-3. That was the only time we saw a large number of Snow Geese--about
a thousand. Staff at the visitors center told us the Snow Geese have been
overflying the refuge and heading farther south. We did see large flocks flying
over on Thanksgiving Day and Saturday morning. The weather was overcast Monday
and Tuesday with a major rain storm Tuesday night into Wed. morning. Swan Cove
had numerous shorebirds when we first arrived, but by Wednesday, all the open
areas were covered with water and nearly all the shorebirds were gone. We did
not see near the numbers of birds, and fewer species, as in past visits this
time of the year. From Thanksgiving Day onward, the weather was quite
delightful, and by Friday and Saturday the number of human visitors had
noticeably increased. By far the largest number of waterfowl was Green-winged
Teal. We were surprised that we did not find any Brant.
Several people commented that the numbers of White Ibis have been increasing
each year for at least the past three years. As noted in other postings, there
were quite a few on the refuge. They were actively moving around in various
size groups and offering great photo opportunities while feeding or perched in
trees along Beach Road.
From our rental house, we watched an immature Eagle intently staring at the
water in Little Oyster Bay. Then it "pounced", and we watched it fly off a ways
with a Flounder.
No one reported seeing the Eurasian Wigeon that was sighted earlier in the
month.
Our list covers the time we were there.
Snow Goose--4 (5 total) at one time in Snow Goose Pool; close to 1,000 at about
the six mile mark on the Service Road on Nov. 24.
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan--it was strange see far more of these then Snow Geese.
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
White-winged Scoter--nearly certain of this. They were headed south and
observed from the beach.
Black Scoter
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Red-throated Loon--fly bys seen from the beach
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Northern Gannett
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret--numerous and offering photo opportunities to the equally numerous
photographers
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron (imm.)
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis--1
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot--2 (another specie for which the numbers were so low)
Black-bellied Plover
American Oystercatcher
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Sanderling
Western Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Back-backed Gull
Forster's Tern
Royal Tern--1
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher--numerous sightings during our visit
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch--seen at various locations, on and off the refuge.
Carolina Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird (H)
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler--almost everywhere you looked.
Eastern Towhee (H)
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Boat-tailed Crackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Small pod of Porpoises--saw them on two different days from the beach.
Good birding to all,
Jay and Carol Hadlock
Herndon, VA
