Below are the results of our weekly shorebird/gull survey conducted at
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Monday April 10, 2017. All water areas
(impoundments and beach areas) were covered in the 6.75 hour survey. All
individuals are counted for the target species; other birds seen or heard on
the survey are followed by a dash.
Another beautiful spring day at the Refuge. We counted 2,397 individual
shorebirds of 14 species. Dunlin were the most common by far with 1,362
followed by Sanderling 537 and Willet 249. We counted 62 Piping Plovers with 52
of them on the Hook. We assume that some of these are stopping at the Refuge on
their migration further north, and others may also be staying to breed. Three
pectoral sandpipers were difficult to pick out in the wet grassy area at the
edge of B-South, north end.
The biggest surprise sightings were not even shorebirds. A Common Goldeneye in
Assateague Channel observed from the Service Road is not often seen in our area
even in the winter and is normally gone north by this time of year. Early
species were the 8 Black Terns along the Wildlife Loop where we have seen them
before, just not this early and one Blue Grosbeak on the Service Road. Birds
that we saw for the first time this year were: Royal Terns and Black Skimmers
both of which were on F Pool across from the NPS Visitor Center at the beach.
Our next survey will be Tuesday, April 18th. Clyde Morris and Joelle Buffa
| Canada Goose | -- |
| Tundra Swan | -- |
| Gadwall | -- |
| American Wigeon | -- |
| American Black Duck | -- |
| Mallard | -- |
| Northern Pintail | -- |
| Green-winged Teal | -- |
| Surf/Black Scoter | -- |
| Bufflehead | -- |
| Common Goldeneye | -- |
| Red-breasted Merganser | -- |
| Wild Turkey | -- |
| Red-throated Loon | 32 |
| Common Loon | 10 |
| Horned Grebe | 50 |
| Northern Gannet | 83 |
| Double-crested Cormorant | 178 |
| Great Blue Heron | -- |
| Great Egret | -- |
| Snowy Egret | -- |
| Little Blue Heron | -- |
| Tricolored Heron | -- |
| White Ibis | -- |
| Glossy Ibis | -- |
| Black Vulture | -- |
| Turkey Vulture | -- |
| Osprey | -- |
| Northern Harrier | -- |
| Bald Eagle | -- |
| Red-tailed Hawk | -- |
| American Oystercatcher | 32 |
| Black-bellied Plover | 34 |
| Piping Plover | 62 |
| Killdeer | 2 |
| Whimbrel | 4 |
| Marbled Godwit | 34 |
| Sanderling | 537 |
| Dunlin | 1,362 |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | 3 |
| peep sp. | 6 |
| Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher | 29 |
| Wilson's Snipe | 2 |
| Greater Yellowlegs | 61 |
| Willet | 249 |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | 12 |
| Laughing Gull | 44 |
| Ring-billed Gull | 38 |
| Herring Gull | 158 |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 64 |
| Great Black-backed Gull | 33 |
| Black Tern | 8 |
| Forster's Tern | 101 |
| Royal Tern | 5 |
| Black Skimmer | 4 |
| Rock Pigeon | -- |
| Mourning Dove | -- |
| Belted Kingfisher | -- |
| Downy Woodpecker | -- |
| Northern Flicker | -- |
| American Crow | -- |
| Fish Crow | -- |
| crow sp. | -- |
| Tree Swallow | -- |
| Barn Swallow | -- |
| Carolina Chickadee | -- |
| Brown-headed Nuthatch | -- |
| Carolina Wren | -- |
| American Robin | -- |
| European Starling | -- |
| Ovenbird | -- |
| Pine Warbler | -- |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | -- |
| Yellow-throated Warbler | -- |
| Field Sparrow | -- |
| Savannah Sparrow | -- |
| Song Sparrow | -- |
| Eastern Towhee | -- |
| Northern Cardinal | -- |
| Blue Grosbeak | 1 |
| Red-winged Blackbird | -- |
| Eastern Meadowlark | -- |
| Common Grackle | -- |
| Boat-tailed Grackle | -- |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | -- |
