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To See Chincoteague Ponies, Wildlife Assateague Bus Tour Is Best Bet

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By Cyndel Brunell

”What kind of bird is that?”

“How much smaller are the Chincoteague ponies from regular sized horses?”

“Are there any foals this time of year?”

“How deep is the water they swim in?”

If you want answers to these questions and many more you should take the bus tour out into the wilderness of Assateague Island on the East Coast of Virginia. On this ride you will see the world famous Chincoteague ponies and other wildlife in their natural habitat. 

The tour bus begins it 2012 schedule April 6 with a Friday trip at 4 p.m. For current information regarding wildlife tours, or to purchase tickets, inquire at the refuge visitor center or call the CNHA office at (757) 336-3696

The CNHA offers visitors the opportunity to tour the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge during the months of April to November. The tour accesses areas of the refuge that are normally only open to foot traffic. The tour covers approximately 15 miles and lasts about 90 minutes.

Depending on the time of year, foals may be frolicking in the vast forest and bush of the island or mares may be grazing in the saltwater grasses. Always standing guard nearby, is the stallion who commands a band of mares and foals. The bus leaves from near the information center and has now been in operation for a little over six years. In October I went on my first bus tour. The tours are ran by the Chincoteague Natural History Association, a large group of volunteers that supports agencies that run this national park in many ways.

The bus takes you 7 ½ miles out into the wilderness. Inside the bus there is a wheelchair lift, two double seated flip up benches, and individual seats two next to each other going down the aisle. Each seat has a very large window with hatches so you can take pictures without the interference of glass. Some drivers will tell you not to open the hatches, however. Many people from around the world go to the refuge to experience this tour of the island trails.

You can see many ponies of the larger northern herd on this trip, the herd that is kept out of sight of the public until Pony Penning. This is the big event that draws thousands to Chincoteague and Assateague each July. Ponies are not the only animals you will see on this relaxing yet exciting nearly two-hour journey. The smaller southern herd of wild ponies is sometimes seen right from your car on the right side of Beach Road, on the way out to the Atlantic Ocean.

On your bus trip you may also see sika elk, white tailed deer, turtles, egrets, snow geese, hawks, eagles, Canada geese, the glossy ibis and other migrating birds. With any luck you might see a Delmarva fox squirrel, an endangered animal that gets lots of attention from park managers. And in the nesting season you might get a distant look at a piping plover cage that provides protection against predators. The piping plover is a small at risk bird. Each trip promises something new.

The driver will stop or slow down whenever they see something and will normally give you a description of the animal. On rare occasions however, there can be a few surprises that you may not see regularly. Horses sometimes interact with other animals, or a predator bird catching food in a near-view. There are always unexpected happenings on this tour.

One thing is for certain though, you are sure to learn a lot about this historic barrier island from the driver-tour guides. The drivers are very well informed and just full of interesting details. You will most likely be with people from all over the country and even other countries. The questions above the first paragraph were asked on a tour this past summer by guests from Annapolis, Md., Long Island, New York; Michigan and Accomack County.

This is not a rushed tour and it is not expensive. For tour times and prices go to www.assateague.com. One word of caution, there are nice, clean restrooms at the information center where you buy your tickets, but this is the last one you will see until you return. Passengers are not allowed to get off the bus.

The information center which now runs the bus tours is where you buy tickets. It is a good idea to call in advance, because many trips are sold out. Officials of the historical association have talked about getting another bus. Also they run special tours upon request in advance. I hope I have inspired some readers to consider going on this tour. It is the only way, really, to be sure you will see the wild ponies up close by traveling on land. Unless, of course you want to hike the seven miles out, which some people do. The drivers and tour guides are well informed. I will assure you that you will at least be stunned, marveled, fascinated or surprised at things you may see or learn. I know I enjoyed this wilderness adventure and hope you will too.

 

Eagles Return to Find Nest Destroyed by Storm

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By Windy Mason and Robert Boswell

Early last December when the eagles returned to their nest on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, they found that high winds had damaged their home, causing it to fall about three feet. When the eagles returned a couple of weeks ago, after the November storm that pounded the Eastern Shore for three days, they found that the nest had this time been completely destroyed.

If the eagles were upset, no one could tell as they went right to work rebuilding, preparing the nest so they can lay eggs in late January. The nest is located high up in the Loblolly pine trees on the Wildlife Loop on the refuge. It is the same nest that drew thousands to the Bateman information center last year to watch live on a TV screen as the eagle parents rewove sticks and small branches to complete their structure just in time to lay eggs.

Visitors then counted the days, watching the male and female adults take turns sitting on the three eggs they laid, the first on January 25, the last on January 31. The excitement around the information center grew as time for the eggs to hatch grew near. Then, on March 2, the first eaglet used his “egg tooth” a point at the top, to break through the shell. The eggs hatched in the same order they were laid, the last by March 11.

Only one of the three eaglets survived, getting a daily diet of regurgitated fish brought to the nest from nearby waters. . The surviving eaglet left in early summer. The adults left soon after, returning recently for the new mating season.

The nest when rebuilt could be as large as 6 to 8 feet across, 12 feet deep and weigh over 1,000 pounds. But as of this week the eagles had a long way to go. Fresh, green twigs and pine needles can be seen on the screen. “They’re rebuilding it now,” said Michael Dixon, visitor services manager. “They’re both very active on the nest.”

The cable that carries the TV signal from the nest to the information center also needs repair. “We’ve had some trouble since the storm,” said Dixon. He said a repairman had been out in a kayak, trying to locate the problem.

Questions about the eagles can be directed to the visitor center through email at FW5RW_CNWR@fws.gov and by phone 757-336-6122. Other developments can be found on the at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/chinco/

While the eagles were at work on their nest, the refuge staff was also busy, restoring trails, roads, trying to reopen the park to visitors as soon as possible. Work has begun moving several feet of sand from around the circle at the beach and the parking lot to the north.

Before the full staff reported to work on Monday following the storm, Dixon came in on Saturday to take a new intern on a tour of the refuge. “There were some blue skies and the sun came out out and all looked somewhat right in the world,” said Dixon.

“But upon further discovery, when you go out to the beach and you see firsthand the three to four feet of sand which is covering the parking lots, one gets a true sense of what happened. I drove up the service road and went out and looked at the dunes that are on the north end and you could see where they had been carved out by the sea and the storm surge,” he said.

“The elevation of the dunes on the north end are much higher than the ones you see on the south end. So when you saw the erosion of the sand, there was a cliff-like drop off from the dunes being eroded away. The other dramatic change that occurred on the southern part of the island was the major over wash that cut through the Hook, creating another island”, said Dixon.

In the two and a half years he has been at the refuge this was the worst storm he experienced. “What surprised me most was seeing that from Beach Road to the Wildlife Loop was all covered with water,”

 “The wind gage at the National Park Service visitor center near the beach was destroyed at 70 knots,” Dixon said. Also, he said, out to the end of Swans Cove, hundreds of conch shells, not usually found there, were laying all around by the hundred.

Monday, November 21, was the first day the full staff reported to work. It began with a staff meeting conducted by Lou Hinds, refuge manager. “I was fielding calls from the Associated Press and other reporters who were calling in seeking information,” Dixon said. “The refuge manager and biologists were still assessing damage by going up in the helicopters, obtaining aerial photographs, coordinating with the National Park Service and other partners to really get a full sense of what was going on.”

Dixon said part of his job, along with other staff members, was to gather information so the refuge manager could make appropriate decisions about trail closures or public access. “It’s a challenge to keep pace with what’s happening on the ground and what people want to know,” said Dixon.

Dixon said he was struck at the resiliency of wildlife to adapt. “The birds, including snow geese which come at Thanksgiving, obviously were impacted. With salt water from the ocean covering their food supply, they relocated further north on the refuge.

“The other thing that amazed me was the willingness of people to help with the recovery effort. By that Monday, when we officially returned to work, the tree that fell over in front of the visitors’ center was gone, the boardwalk was repaired. The employees and volunteers immediately went to work. Dixon, who lives in Salisbury, said, “I felt bad being so far away and not being able to contribute to the effort; but at the same time, I felt relieved knowing that the community would come together for the sake of wildlife and this wonderful destination.”