Chincoteague NWR has always been one of our favorite birding spots, having gone there since 1982. We spent the day there today and covered several areas. Along Beach Road we saw great, snowy, and cattle egrets. The cattle egrets were riding on the backs of the Chincoteague ponies as they often do. Also along the road we spotted great blue, little blue, and tricolored herons. We also saw an immature yellow-crowned night heron walking in the mud near some vegetation. We heard a clapper rail in Little Tom’s Cove and saw a willet while dozens of royal terns were resting on the shore. One of the terns I caught in flight was banded on the leg with a “56C” band. I sent a description and picture to Virginia Tech Plover and they identified it as a tern that was banded as a chick on 7/4/20 near Hampton, VA. We tried walking the Woodland Trail but were shortly turned back by large number of mosquitoes and few birds. We walked across the causeway bridge near the refuge entrance and saw Forster’s tern, black-bellied plover, and willet. The highlights of drving around Wildlife Loop were appproximately 40 blue-winged teal and an adult bald eagle.
MY PHOTOS: yellow-crowned night heron, black-bellied plover, great egret, Chincoteague Lighthouse, Chincoteague ponies, royal tern, willet
