On this page I plan to describe the birds currently resident in the area where I take most of my photographs. My bird-watching usually takes place on Chincoteague Bay and in the surrounding wetlands rather than in the Refuge itself. The bird populations differ between these areas. For example I do not see Snow Geese anywhere but the Refuge, while I am much more likely to spot a Willet of Greater Yellowlegs on the shores of Swans Gut Creek (yes, it's really called that) where it feeds into the Bay. The same divergence occurs with respect to waterfowl: Red-breasted Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers, and Buffleheads are fairly common on the Bay, but on the Refuge I see Pintails and Northern Shovelers. What I see also has a lot to do with how high the tide is. Unless otherwise noted, the descriptions below refer to the Bay and Swans Gut Creek rather than the Refuge. (The banner above shows, respectively, a male House Finch, a Semipalmated Plover, a male Hooded Merganser, and a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird.)
Mid November Bird variety on Swan Gut is relatively low now with the summer birds gone and the winter birds not yet arrived. The Great Blue Herons are there, as well as the Bald Eagle, and Ospreys are sometimes seen migrating through. We've spotted the first Buffleheads, Common Loons, and Greater Yellowlegs of the season, but not in large numbers. At the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge the Snow Geese have arrived.
Late September The Snowy Egrets are mostly gone and the Great Egrets will only be around for a few more weeks. We've seen a few Osprey passing through. The Willets, Yellowlegs, and winter waterfowl have not yet arrived. The Great Blue Herons are starting to show up in larger numbers after having been absent until mid-summer. Our resident Bald Eagle is still making his presence felt with the occasional meal of a careless seagull. We've seen a number of Royal Tern's, but not close enough to take a picture. The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have left until late spring.