Field Trip Report: Chincoteague, September 5-7, 2025

Photo: Cormorants in the Landscape by Jenny Ashby

Thumbnail Photo: Clapper Rail by Seth Honig

Field Trip Report

by Meredith Bell, VSO Field Trip Co-chair

This year’s Chincoteague trip was one for the record books. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, and our group of 128 participants, the largest ever for this trip, spotted 144 species, also the largest number for this trip! We counted birds found on the Causeway, Chincoteague Island, on the two boat trips in Tom’s Cove, and throughout Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

The Friday afternoon Meet-and-Greet Happy Hour on the back lawn of the Refuge Inn has become a favorite tradition. It’s always a joy to welcome first-timers, catch up with longtime friends, and feel the anticipation for the birding ahead.

The boat trips on Friday and Saturday afternoons sold out quickly. Participants loved the chance to see a variety of species at close range, including a rare sighting of a Snowy Plover, only the second ever recorded in Virginia. On Sunday morning, a dozen birders hired Daisey’s Island Cruises to reach the Tom Cove Hook, where they were rewarded with great looks at the Snowy Plover, along with a good mix of shorebirds.

There were many highlights throughout the weekend. On the Wildlife Loop, an unusually cooperative adult male Northern Bobwhite delighted the group. Thirteen species of warblers made appearances on the various trails and the beach. The boat trip produced 4 Black Scoters seen on land and later in the water, along with a Common Loon. The Island Nature Trail brought sightings of both a Warbling Vireo and a Blue-headed Vireo. On the Marsh Trail, a Rufous Hummingbird and a Peregrine Falcon were seen Sunday morning. Other surprises included 3 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks near the marina and a Barn Owl calling behind the McDonald’s.

If you’d like to relive the trip, visit the photo album on the VSO Facebook page, where participants have shared fantastic images.

We are deeply grateful to our field trip leaders—Andrew Rapp, Jerry Via, Bill Akers, Lee Adams, Nancy Barnhart, Shirley Devan, and Meredith & Lee Bell—whose efforts ensured a memorable experience for everyone.

Mark your calendar now for next year’s Chincoteague adventure, Sept. 11-13, 2025!

The complete list of species for the weekend is below.

Species list 

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Canada Goose

Blue-winged Teal

Northern Shoveler

American Wigeon

Mallard

American Black Duck

Black Scoter

Northern Bobwhite

Wild Turkey

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Clapper Rail

Black-necked Stilt

American Oystercatcher

Black-bellied Plover

Kildeer

Semipalmated Plover

Piping Plover

Snowy Plover

Upland Sandpiper

Whimbrel

Marbled Godwit

Ruddy Turnstone

Red Knot

Stilt Sandpiper

Sanderling

Dunlin

Least Sandpiper

White-rumped Sandpiper

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Short-billed Dowitcher

Spotted Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

Lesser Yellowlegs

Willet

Greater Yellowlegs

Laughing Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Caspian Tern

Black Tern

Common Tern

Forster's Tern

Royal Tern

Sandwich Tern

Black Skimmer

Common Loon

Double-crested Cormorant

Brown Pelican

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Little Blue Heron

Tricolored Heron

Cattle Egret

Green Heron

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

White Ibis

Glossy Ibin

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Northern Harrier

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Cooper’s Hawk

Bald Eagle

Red-shouldered Hawk

Barn Owl

Great Horned Owl

Belted Kingfisher

Red-headed Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Merlin

Peregrine Falcon

Great Crested Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Acadian Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe

White-eyed Vireo

Blue-headed Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Blue Jay

American Crow

Fish Crow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Tree Swallow

Purple Martin

Barn Swallow

Cedar Waxwing

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Carolina Wren

House Wren

Marsh Wren

Gray Catbird

Northern Mockingbird

European Starling

Eastern Bluebird

American Robin

House Sparrow

House Finch

American Goldfinch

Chipping Sparrow

Field Sparrow

Seaside Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Eastern Towhee

Bobolink

Eastern Meadowlark

Baltimore Oriole

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Common Grackle

Boat-tailed Grackle

Northern Waterthrush

Black-and-white Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

American Redstart

Northern Parula

Magnolia Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Pine Warbler

Yellow-throated Warbler

Prairie Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Wilson’s Warbler

Scarlet Tanager

Northern Cardinal

Blue Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting