My family and I were on Chincoteague Island from August 11th through the
17th. I was able to make morning and evening visits to Swan Cove on
each of these days. The other reports for this area have well
summarized the average bird populations found there. I will supplement
these with some additional observations.
The predominant species there was clearly the Semipalmated Plovers -
there may have been several thousand early in the week with numbers
diminishing as the week progressed. Next I would say in abundance were
Semipalmated Sandpipers, perhaps up to a thousand at one point. I spent
hours examining the varieties of semi plumages -adult/juvenile
basic/alternate, constantly hoping for some sign of another species.
Eventually I identified a Least Sandpiper on the 16th and a Western
Sandpiper on the 17th. After the 15th I started seeing a few Piping
Plovers with the Semi Plovers on the flats nearest the beach. On the
17th I had a single juvenile Wilson's Plover with them.
Next in abundance were the Dowitchers, maybe up to 200. I spent a lot
of time studying dowitcher plumages and I have to say that every one I
could see well looked like a Short-billed. I cannot say there were no
Long-billed there, but I was not able to find one.
There was a flock of Willets (I counted up to 105 on one occasion) that
hung together most of the time and there were one or two that clearly
had Western Willet field marks. There were two or three Marbled Godwits
always present somewhere around the edges of the shorebird flock
throughout the week. Most of the Yellowlegs were Lessers (perhaps 25),
but there were also a few Greaters mixed in.
Black-bellied Plovers increased in numbers during the week with more
than 10 present on the 17th. Sanderlings also increased in numbers
during the week with maybe 15 present on the 17th. I had one Dunlin
with a black belly on the 12th and again on the 14th. There were 5
Ruddy Turnstones on the 14th.
I found a flock of 10 Whimbrels at the edge of the salt marsh where the
"wild life excursion" pontoon boat stopped to view some of the ponies
(with accompanying Cattle Egrets).
Oystercatchers could be seen every day on the bay side of the causeway
that runs west of Swan Cove.
The best shorebird was a Wilson's Phalarope seen on the evening of the
14th and the morning of the 15th.
There were about equal numbers of adult and juvenile Caspian Terns (up
to 20
total) and a similar number of Royal Terns. On the 14th I counted 30
Sandwich Terns, but they were there in similar numbers throughout the
week. I counted up to 40 Black Skimmers also there all week. There were
more Forster's than Common Terns and I only saw a few Least Terns
towards the end of the week. The best Tern was a single Black Tern seen
on the 13th.
Laughing Gulls were numerous. There were more than 50 Herring Gulls and
at least 10 Great Black-backed Gulls. I did not see a single
Ring-billed Gull all week.
I saw all of the expected egrets and herons during the week, including
two adult and one juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron that hung around
that salt marsh next to the house we were renting. In that same marsh at
low-tide I counted up to 20 Clapper Rails darting out of the marsh grass
to splash in the shallow water left in the ditches. I had one group of
an adult and three half-grown juveniles one evening. Glossy Ibis I only
saw once (a flock of six flying over the marsh at sunset).
There were two adult and one immature Bald Eagle hanging out at Swan
Cove (usually in the pines on the far side).
Finally, on the morning of the 15th, I saw an adult Peregrine make two
passes over the shorebird flocks, putting them all up at once.
Dave Larsen
Clifton
