All,
I had the good fortune to spend last week at Chincoteague mainly as a family
vacation but birding was definitely on the agenda. As most of you know the last
week of June is probably one of the slower weeks for Shorebirds at
Chincoteague. However Chincoteague -in my humble opinion- like Highland county
is great birding regardless of the number of birds or bird diversity present as
the scenery makes every minute a treat to treasure. I was hoping to spot a
Roseate Tern (ROTE) and indeed one was reported near Ocean City earlier in the
week. I should have given chase, but I was stubbornly holding on to my dream of
nabbing one across from the Tom's Cove Visitor center. However, the "Tern Spit"
across from Tom's Cove" was largely underwater this year and the Terns on hand
were decidedly fewer than typical. I did manage to see all the expected Tern
species during the course of the week except Black Tern. The toughest to find
was Gull-billed Tern which I usually see along the Wildlife Loop or at Queen's
Landing along the Causeway, but this year my one and only Gull-billed was from
the beach road parking lot number one. The most productive birding was from
beach road at the end of parking area number four. The beach south of here is
currently blocked to all traffic foot or otherwise for the protection of
nesting Shorebirds. However with a scope I was able to see Lesser Black-backed
Gulls, Red Knots, Gray Plover, Piping Plover, American Oystercatchers, and tons
of Willets both Eastern and Western. Looking East I did not see any pelagic
species despite some effort... I was hoping to at least grab a few Gannets but
no luck there.
Of interest to birders or at least birders who bike is that the first mile or
so of the Service Road leading North from the Wildlife loop is now open to
bikers. The bugs are intense so beware!
I managed to get some photos for anyone interested in viewing. If anyone can
identify the fish the Osprey is carrying let me know!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/34227153@N06/with/27463808113/
Best,
William LeighBridgewater, Va
