Rain or snow, sleet or drizzle, no problem: waterfowl are built for foul weather. Their outer feathers have interlocking barbules that hold together like Velcro, blocking out wind and rain. They also secrete from special glands near the tail a waterproofing oil that coats their feathers while they are preening. And don’t forget the down, which they can fluff up to keep extra warm.
So sleet and rain on Saturday, Feb. 8, did nothing to deter the waterfowl when the Eastern Shore Master Naturalists hosted their second bird walk in partnership with the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR). Common loons, red-breasted mergansers, oystercatchers, buffleheads and a greater yellowlegs were among the waterfowl identified by the eight people who joined the walk. The group also saw two immature eagles.
The birds feasted on crabs, snails and shellfish as the tide went out on the mudflats and oyster beds outside the Tom’s Cove Visitors Center, where birders sheltered from the sleet under the eaves at the viewing platform. For one couple, weekend tourists from the Washington D.C. metro area, the walk was a wonderful opportunity to learn about wildlife. “I’ve never bird watched before,” the woman said. “What are the most numerous birds you see here? And where can I see more?”
On Assateague beach, a flock of 50 or more snow geese rose out of the sand dunes, flashing their distinctive black wingtips as they circled overhead. They are the iconic winter bird of the Chincoteague refuge. February is the last chance to see the snow geese before they begin their 3,000-mile annual migration north to their breeding grounds in the Arctic tundra where they will stay from March to October.
ESMN plans to hold its next bird walk on Saturday, March 22. Watch this website and the CNWR Facebook page for details, or call Stella Dawson (202) 230 7832.