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Visiting Chincoteague
Despite being a diehard Marguerite Henry fan as a child, and revisiting the books and movie with my daughters as an adult, I’ve never been to Chincoteague. Till last week, that is. We stopped on our way back north from a vacation further south, spending a night in “America’s happiest seaside town.”
While there, we had an absolutely stellar experience touring the waters around Chincoteague and Assateague by boat. Our guide, a lifelong Chincoteague resident, shared a wealth of knowledge and keen observation that gave us a sense of the local and natural history of the place, the ponies, the diverse coastal birds and other wildlife, and the way the community has evolved into a primarily tourist economy. These pictures capture only a small part of what we were able to observe.
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Winter Dead
Robin’s song is crystal clear
“Robin’s Song,” E.L.M. King
Cold as an icicle,
Sharp as a spear.
I have seen Spring lift her head,
Snowdrops a-shivering,
Winter dead.
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Out the Window
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Sapsucker Spring
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Morning
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Crocuses!
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Coaxing Spring
You can feel the chill in these photos of bluebirds, beaver-ravaged landscapes and ingeniously dammed streams, bare branches waiting for their spring clothing, busy salamanders scooting under and over the dead leaves choking cold pools.
But spring is in the works. The salamanders prove it. But you can feel a certain yearning in the sun and air for late winter to release its grip and let the growing season burst forth.
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Late February, Late Afternoon
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What do they put in this stuff?
Along with the bluebirds, pileated woodpeckers have shown an interest in the suet this year. We had one come once or twice years ago, but this one — part of a family of the majestic birds that frequent the dead ash trees out back — seems quite interested.
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Bluebirds?
We’ve seen bluebirds very rarely in the 24 years we’ve lived here. For some reason, this year we’ve had 3 or 4 pairs take up residence over the last several weeks, eating at the bird feeder. I thought you needed mealworms to attract these lovely creatures, but it seems peanut flavored suet is enough.
The bluebird is New York’s state bird. I so enjoy these small, fluffy bursts of color in an otherwise drab setting.
My daughter took the picture above, as well as this next one:
