Chincoteague, Virginia and Eastern Worcester County, Maryland4/28/07

Photos: Chincoteague Fishing Shack. Common Yellowthroat -- E.A. Vaughn WMA. Black Swallowtail -- E.A. Vaughn WMA.


I decided to head to Chincoteague, Virginia last Saturday with the goal of photographing American Oystercatchers and Whimbrels. In Maryland it is difficult to get close to these two species of shorebirds without some luck but at Chincoteague there are a few oyster beds close to the road where Oystercatchers are regular and Whimbrels are often observed in the marshes close to the road in the refuge. I arrived at the oysterbeds around 7:30 in the morning and to my chagrin they were completely under water. Getting out of my car I did a quick scan along a small beach by the road and about twenty feet away was a single Oystercatcher! I took many photos and finally was able to get a pic of the Oystercatcher with an oyster in its beak. I then headed into the refuge where I drove straight to the marshes where I had seen Whimbrel on previous visits. Once again I was in luck, but the birds were farther away than I had hoped. Still I got one decent photo to use on the website. Whimbrels are the only curlews that are regular migrants along the east coast. They are very skittish birds, so I was glad to get this bird photographed. I took a walk through the low pine woods on one of the refuge trails where I ran into a flock of Myrtle Warblers and Blue-headed Vireos. Blue-headed Vireos are one of the early migrants songbirds on Delmarva. When I was almost back to the parking lot I noticed something move behind a big pine tree. It turned out to be a fat "Delmarva" Fox Squirrel. "Delmarva" Fox Squirrels are an endangered sub-species of Fox Squirrel that live only on the Delmarva Peninsula. Fox Squirrels need clear forests to live and with the destruction of this habitat across most of their range they have become rare. Blue Grosbeaks and Little Blue Herons were also added to the photo list. On the way out of the refuge I photographed a large Red-bellied Turtle basking on a log in the ditch alongside the road. From Chincoteague I traveled up into Maryland and hit E.A. Vaughn WMA in eastern Worcester County. E.A. Vaughn WMA is an area of marshes, pine woods, and mixed woodland that borders on the bay which separates the mainland from the barrier islands. Along a small pond I found a pair of Solitary Sandpipers that were very cooperative for my camera. I also was able to get photos of Common Yellowthroats and White-eyed Vireos. Yellowthroats are pretty little warblers that live in marsh habitats and White-eyed Vireos are commonly found in scrubby areas across Delmarva. A good find was a very fresh Black Swallowtail nectoring on a flowering bush. On the way back home from Worcester County I made a brief stop along the Nassawango where I was able to photograph a female American Redstart. April 28th was the best photo day I have had all year with 14 species added to my photo list.