Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge - Day 2

I woke up early on Wednesday morning, so early in fact that I arrived at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge before the sun was up. As I waited, I enjoyed watching the marshes brighten as the day dawned.

The rising sun brought many birds out into the ponds and impoundments. I heard the whinny of the famous Chincoteague ponies behind me, but did not see them.

Sitka elk splashed their way through Swan Cove. They are an Asian species that was introduced to the island and are distinguished from the native white-tailed deer by their smaller size and white rumps. They prefer the wetter habitats

I took a walk along the Woodland Trail and headed for the wild pony outlook. I did not see any of the ponies there, but did come across some more of the Sika elk. On the way back, I saw many American robins and northern cardinals. Also saw red-bellied woodpeckers and yellow-shafted flickers. I paused for a while to watch some apparently fearless white-tailed deer at close range.

Continuing on, I watched the egrets, cormorants, ducks, and terns in the ponds. I saw three of the ponies in the distance. One was nuzzling another. I continued on and headed for Tom's Cove. Today, there was no wind and the setting was calm and peaceful. There were not too many birds around, mainly ring-billed and laughing gulls. I turned around and headed back. Had some nice views of a tricolored heron. I drove on a short distance and came upon the same ponies that I had seen earlier. This time, they were grazing at the side of the road.

I walked the Lighthouse Trail and before I had to turn back because of some deep puddles, I came across one of the Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrels. This is an endangered species - it's size will strike terror in the heart of anyone who feeds birds in a backyard.

I wanted to drive the wildlife loop, but it would not be open until three o'clock. I had been at the refuge for more than three and a half hours already that day and did not know whether it would pay to wait another four and a half hours. (There would have been no question, had I not been returning to New York later.) I went to the visitors center and asked what I was likely to see on the loop that I had not already seen. The answer was snow geese. Since the refuge was founded as a haven for them, I felt that I should make the attempt to see some. I was told that there was a flock of about twenty not too far down the road from the center. If I took a short walk, I should be able to see them. (While the road is closed to vehicular traffic before 3:00 PM, it is open to pedestrians and bicyclists whenever the refuge is open.) I went back to the motel, checked out, and returned to the refuge within twenty minutes. I started the walk towards the geese. What a difference a day makes. Not a cloud in the sky; the warmth of the sun was tempered a cool, light breeze. I walked towards a blind and came upon the snow geese which actually numbered over a hundred. A group of four ponies grazed not far from the flock. Large numbers of Canada geese were also in the pool.

While walking away from the blind, I watched turtles on a log, saw the pine trees in the background and the cattails and marsh grasses along the ponds. It was a truly peaceful setting. I was enjoying it so much that instead of returning to my car, I decided to walk the entire 3.2 mile loop. And it was a good decision. I sat and watched some Canada geese for a while; observed several large flocks of snow geese come in; saw blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, gadwalls, and other ducks; watched a male goldfinch feed his wing-shivering, begging young; but mostly just reveled in the extraordinary beauty of the place. Even the pine trees that had been decimated by a beetle infestation had their own form of beauty. The wildlife loop was an exquisite way to end the trip.

Copyright © 1996 Richard L. Becker