Birding at Chincoteague & Blackwater

Flock of snow geese at Chincoteague NWR

On the weekend of February 8-10, 2019, Penn Birding had a wonderful trip to Chincoteague
Island, VA. It was the season to view birds that have migrated from the north for the winter. It
may be warmer here for the birds, but still cold to us.

At the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, we saw several Great Blue Heron, bufflehead
ducks, mallard ducks, Northern pintail, and snow geese. We tried to spot some more rare and interesting birds announced on Ebird such as the Eurasian wigeon and Brants but to no avail. Regardless, the birds we did see were all worth braving the chilly winds!

Fun fact: Chincoteague is also well known for its wild ponies!

Blackwater NWR

On the way back to Philadelphia on the last day, we stopped by Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, well known for its frequent raptor sightings. We did indeed see quite a few bald eagles, a kestrel, and turkey vultures. We also saw a large flock of snow geese and pelicans. As an interesting side note, we learned that the Blackwater Refuge area was the hometown of Harriet Tubman.

Bald eagle at Blackwater NWR

Written by Eileen. Photos by Shereen.