Today I went to Chincoteague NWR to look for the American Avocets which
have been reported there for over a week. I arrived a bit early for the
opening of the wildlife drive, so I drove the beach road where there
were many herons and very few lingering shorebirds. At 3pm I drove onto
the wildlife drive and I did find the avocets, six of them, in the
interior of the wildlife drive. They were best viewed from the south
near where the Black Duck leaves. They carried the peachy hue of
breeding birds, although these birds should be somewhere else if that's
their objective. I continued on around the wildlife drive and as I
emerged from the trees on the north part of the loop, I could see a
group of about fifteen dark ibis ahead on the right hand side. I pulled
up, got out of the car, and checked out the ibis. The last one I looked
at was a breeding plumaged White-faced Ibis. The soft parts around the
base of the bill were a bright pink and the white band was continuous
around the eye. The legs were also pinkish in color and for what it's
worth, the bird seemed a little larger than the Glossy Ibis with which
it could be compared. I did get some photos which I have yet to
examine, but Barbara Houston and a car of photographers also snapped
some photos which I'm certain will be far better than mine. This
sighting is during the period when White-faced Ibis have shown up
previously with several of those sightings at Chincoteague NWR.
