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Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
​A photographer's paradise
For photographers, the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge , located on Assateague Island in Virginia, is a primary draw to the Delmarva peninsula.   Although Assateague is one island, the Maryland and Virginia sections have radically different personas. The Maryland section is left largely undisturbed and natural, although there are developed campgrounds. The Virginia portion is mostly wildlife refuge, which is manipulated to provide habitat for desirable species.

From Chincoteague, one accesses Assateague by driving across a causeway onto the island and paying a fee at the Fish And Wildlife Service booth. The entrance fee is $10.00 for a one week pass, or $15 for an annual pass. If you bought a pass at the Maryland end of Assateague for the National Seashore, you can use it for the refuge as well. The refuge is open year-round, generally from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset—that is, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. May through September,
6 a.m. to 6 p.m. November through February, and 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. in March, April, and October. Hikes at daybreak are ideal for photography and wildlife observation, although this timing corresponds with increased mosquito activity. The rewards, however, usually outweigh the loss of blood. Human traffic is minimal, wildlife is active, and sunrise over the Atlantic can be unforgettable.

The Chincoteague NWR is open all year. Beachgoers and pony lovers fill Chincoteague in the summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day. In the fall, the demographic shifts to an older, more educated crowd who use Chincoteague as a launching pad for forays into the refuge to spot migratory wildfowl. At the cusp of dawn, tenacious birders and photographers align themselves at the water’s edge, expensive lenses propped on tripods to capture nature’s early golden light. Assateague Island is situated along the Atlantic Flyway, a major travel route for migratory birds. Waterfowl, raptors, warblers, and other transients drop down onto Assateague to feed and rest, and a good many spend the winter on the island. The Chincoteague wildlife refuge offers natural salt marshes, shallow artificial freshwater ponds, and maritime forest. The refuge is recognized as a Globally Important Bird Area, and the Audubon Society designated it a Top Ten Birding Hotspot where more than 320 species have been identified.

In the autumn, it is not uncommon for birders to count more than 50 species per visit. National Waterfowl Week celebrates peak migration at the Refuge and runs from Thanksgiving through the following Sunday. During the event, visitors can schedule educational bird walks, auditorium
programs, and family activities such as a birding hayride around the Wildlife Loop. 

You don’t have to be a birdwatcher to feel a sense of awe at the arrival of the snow geese in November. After nesting on the tundra north of the timberline, the birds fly more than 3,000 miles to their wintering grounds on Assateague. You can hear them arrive long before you see them, the cacophony of their honks audible at some distance as they talk excitedly to one another. Flying in large, shifting masses of tens of thousands of birds, the flock spirals like an avian tornado as it descends toward the water. Then each bird drifts down individually like a feathered snowflake to join its brethren for the night. Come spring, they take wing with their lifelong mates, returning to the place where they were hatched to raise the next generation of offspring.

In the southern part of the refuge, the famous Chincotteague ponies are most commonly spotted in the marshes on the south side of Beach Road. Often they are grazing far in the distance, their spotted hides contrasting with the rippling grasses. The observation platform off the Woodland Trail
provides another vantage point that will yield a good view only if the ponies happen to be grazing in that part of the marsh. Barbed-wire fences keep the ponies off the pavement and prevent people from feeding them.

Deer are so abundant at dawn and dusk that at times one can spot more than a dozen an hour—though they keep themselves scarce during hunting season. They are well camouflaged in the salt marsh. One would not think that brown deer could become invisible in green and yellow grass, but they do, drawing attention only when they move.

The Toms Cove Visitor Center within the refuge operates year-round, but ranger-led programs are only offered in the summer. The Coast Guard opens the Assateague Lighthouse for climbing one
weekend each month from May through November. The Herman H. Bateman visitor contact station, also on Beach Road, offers interesting exhibits, rest rooms, and a gift shop stocked with unique nature-themed items and books. A wildlife loop encircling Snow Goose Pool is open to bicycles and foot traffic by day, and to vehicles from 3 p.m. until dusk. From your car, you can see bald eagles, many species of duck and goose, egrets, and great blue herons. You can also catch the flashing of the lighthouse from that spot. Snow Goose Pool is one of the best places to capture the glory of an Assateague sunset with your camera, as geese settle in for the night and Sika and white tail deer cross through the lava-colored marshes. The marshes off Beach Road are optimal for photographing sunrises. 

Beach erosion has been progressively reducing the shoreline at the end of Beach Road, and consequently the same number of visitors crowd themselves into a smaller and smaller shorefront. The parking area was once paved until nor’easters systematically broke up the pavement and left it denuded. Now parking is a problem. Spaces are limited and the parking lot shrinks every year. The beach is progressively narrowing. At this point the Park Service is repairing the parking area every year to accommodate the vehicles of beachgoers, but it is likely that in the future, parking will be at a remote location, and visitors will be transported via mass transit vehicle. One idea is to make the ride an enjoyable feature of the beach experience, with perhaps a ranger onboard to point out wildlife and discuss the history of the island.

 The Chincoteague Refuge offers many opportunities for hiking. A fit individual who is up to the challenge can hike the almost 11-mile shoreline between Toms Cove and the fence forming the southern boundary of the Maryland section of the Assateague Island National Seashore—and then continue onto the Maryland portion. Visitors looking for an easier route can opt for the 1.5-mile wildlife trail or the paved 3-mile wildlife loop. 

Chincoteague is bicycle-friendly, and Assateague is a short bike ride from Chincoteague. Chincoteague has four public boat ramps which can be accessed with a permit issued at the town office, the police station, or the harbormaster. You can rent boats by the hour or by the day, kayak through the marshes, or canoe in the bay. Kayak and canoe tours and rentals are available on the island. The active visitor can bicycle the scenic back-roads of Chincoteague or the refuge, dive on shipwrecks offshore, or hike down a deserted beach to catch a glimpse of shy waterfowl. You can rent or charter a wide assortment of vessels—canoe, kayak, pontoon boat, sailboat, motor boat, or deep-sea fishing boat. Nature tours get you intimate with ponies, waterfowl, and wildlife. Festivals are held throughout the year—check with the Chamber of Commerce to find out what is scheduled at the time of your visit.
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge  park information 
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