Discover Worcester County - The Great Outdoors
Birding On Assateague Island
The 30-mile stretch of beach, scrub, salt marsh and mud flats (extending into Virginia) is the refuge of the brown Pelican (at the northern tip of their breeding range), uncommon oystercatchers, ubiquitous gulls and the endangered Piping Plover. An unspoiled wilderness and a major migratory stop-over, Assateague offes new birdwatching discoveries throughout the year.
Birders should be warned, that mosquitos and biting flies can make for uncomfortable conditions, especially in the summer, and that poison ivy is pervasive. The Assateague Island National Seashore maintains camping facilities year-round, marked nature trails, and conducts guided tours during the summer months. Keep and eye out for:
Coastal Birds
- Loon (Common; Red-throated)
- Northern Gannet (offshore--can be seen from the beach)
- Brown Pelican
- Cormorant (Great; Double-crested)
- Gull (Glaucous; Iceland; Greater Black-backed; Common Black-headed; Little; Bonaparte's)
- Tern (Common; Least; Royal; Forster's; Caspian; Gull-billed)
Shorebirds
- Plover (Piping; Semipalmated)
- American Oystercatcher
- Sandpiper (Spotted; Least; Western; Sanderling; Semipalmated; Dunlin)
- Willet
- Marbled Godwit
Wading and Marsh Birds
- American Bittern
- Heron (Black-crowned; Yellow-crowned; Great Blue; Little Blue; Tricolored)
- Egret (Snowy; Great)
- Glossy Ibis
- Rail (King; Clapper; Virginia)
Geese, Ducks and Other Waterbirds
- Grebe (Horned; Pied-billed)
- Goose (Snow; Canada)
- Brant
- Duck (Canvasback; Harlequin; Oldsquaw; Bufflehead; Lesser Scaup; Greater Scaup; Red-breasted Merganser)
- Eider (King; Common)
- Scoter (White-winged; Common; Surf)
- Common Goldeneye
- Swan (Tundra; Mute)
Raptors
- Osprey
- American Kestrel
- Merlin
- Peregrine Falcon
- Owl (Short-eared; Great Horned; Northern Saw-whet)
Land Birds
- Horned Lark
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Common Yellowthroat
- Sparrow (Seaside; Song)
- Lapland Longspur
- Snow Bunting
- Boat-tailed Grackle
|
