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Category: Birding Opportunities

April Birding Guide for Chincoteague Island

April birding on Chincoteague is one of the most dynamic times of year, with activity across marsh, pine forest, and shoreline. Our position along the Atlantic Flyway makes the island popular stopover for migrating birds while also hosting those sett… Read more
Wesley Finneyfrock photo: Gorgeous, striking Kingfisher posing on bare branches with just a hint of green.

March Birding Guide for Chincoteague Island

March Birding Guide March birding on Chincoteague is full of activity across marsh, forest, and shoreline. Positioned along the Atlantic Flyway, the island provides an important stopover for migrating birds as well as a home for many year-round resid… Read more
Child with binoculars looking at the camera and smiling

Birding With Kids: How We Make It Fun

Birding with kids doesn’t have to look like quiet walks, perfect checklists, or long stretches of stillness. In fact, the best birding moments often happen when expectations are low and curiosity is allowed to lead the way. Here on Chincoteague, bird… Read more
Two tundra swans feed in the shallow wetlands of Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Birding photography by Wesley Finneyfrock.

December Birding at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

As December settles over the Eastern Shore of Virginia, the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge transforms into a sanctuary of winter calm—wide-open skies, muted marsh colors, crisp air, and some of the best waterfowl birding of the entire year. Ne… Read more

Top 10 Unexpected Birds of 2025

You’d Never Expect to Hear these birds at The Refuge Inn, but we did! If you’ve stayed at The Refuge Inn, you may have noticed the soft chorus of island life that surrounds us: wrens calling from the pines, robins at dawn, and the chatter of grackles… Read more
A Scarlet Tanager with bright red body and jet black wings pauses on a tree branch with lush green leaves

Coolest birds of 2025

Cool Birds of The Refuge Inn Our BirdWeather sensor records hundreds of feathered visitors each season — some familiar, others delightfully unexpected. From deep-forest travelers to ocean wanderers, these are a few of the coolest birds we’ve hea… Read more

Where Assateague Unfolds: Discovering the Tom's Cove Hook

Where the Island Unfolds: Discovering the Tom’s Cove Hook   In September each year, the Tom’s Cove Hook reopens to explorers and dreamers alike. By late March, it closes again to make way for migratory shorebirds who return to nest and rais… Read more
Fall birding- egret over fall marsh

October Birding at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

In October, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge sees a variety of bird species migrating through as part of their fall migration. The Refuge Inn sits at the entrance to the Wildlife Refuge, and sports many great birdwatching opportunities right on … Read more