November 2014 short trip to Chincoteague/Assateague
We made a short (2-day) trip to Chincoteague and Assateague on the Atlantic Coast of Virginia and Maryland, the weekend after Thanksgiving. Most of the time we spent in the town of Chincoteague and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (which, confusingly, is not on Chincoteague Island but on Assateague Island, and the lighthouse there is called Assateague Lighthouse, but we also swung by Ocean City for a brief stop. (Click on each image to see the high-resolution version)
The most memorable wildlife encounter was with the thousands of Snow Geese at Tom's Cove in Chincoteague NWR. I knew the geese had migrated south at this time of the year, but did not quite expect to see so many there. At sunset, seemingly endless streams of these snow-white birds (but not all of them, as some are of the "blue morph") arrive at the dunes around the cove.
There are other birds too.
And an obligatory shot of a pony.
At Tom's Cove, we also saw one of the most spectacular sunsets.
Other pictures from this trip.
And finally a shot of the Atlandtic Ocean, taken from Ocean City, MD.
Snow Geese
Snow Geese
Snow Geese
Snow Geese
Snow Goose
Snow Goose
Snow Goose
Snow Goose
Snow Goose
Snow Goose
Snow Goose
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
Bonaparte's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Gull (juvenile Herring Gull?)
Great Black-backed Gull
Tundra Swan
Northern Shoveller
American Oystercatcher
Pony
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Dune
Assateague Lighthouse
Assateague Lighthouse
Chincoteague Channel
Assateague and Chincoteague Islands (taken from the top of Assateague Lighthouse)
Assateague and Chincoteague Islands (taken from the top of Assateague Lighthouse)
Atlantic Ocean