Posted By Admin on August 27, 2010

“There’s nothing to do around here,” is a frequently heard comment from people, especially young people, who live on the Eastern Shore. But in the summer if you can get to Chincoteague and Assateague Islands that would be a hard claim to make. As the following report shows, there are events and activities for every age every day during these summer months. We have attempted to make it as easy as possible for readers, listing dates, places, times and prices.

– Robert Boswell, publisher. Errors and additions may be sent to my email, boswell.robert@gmail.com.

Category: Island Life, Pony Tales | No Comments »

Posted By Admin on August 10, 2010

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By Misty Thornton

Each year thousands of pony lovers arrive on the island of Chincoteague, Virginia the last week in July just to wrap their eyes around the famous Chincoteague ponies, many for a whole week full of fun and sight-seeing.

The Saltwater Cowboys, almost as famous as the Chincoteague ponies, begin their work on Saturday, the week before Pony Penning,  with the roundup of the southern herd. Then, on Sunday they move to the northern range at the tip of the Virginia side of the island to round up the larger herd of around 100 ponies plus foals. Where the land is so much bigger than the southern range, it  takes longer to round the ponies up and put them into their corra l. The northern herd is less seen by the public because the access road, which runs 7.5 miles into the wilderness, is only open to hikers.

Both the southern and northern ranges are part of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. The ponies are owned by the Chincotegue Volunteer Fire Company.

The swim which takes place on Wednesday of “Pony Week” is the event that brings 30,000 to 40,000 visitors to this small island off the Virginia coast, but on the last Monday in July what’s known as the Beach Run has become its own attraction. More than 3,000 visitors made up of  vacationers, pony-lovers and pony bidders line the Assateague beach early in the morning  to see the northern herd escorted along the Atlantic Ocean to the  southern corral on Beach Road.  This day is just the start of the  Pony Penning, a weeklong event.

This year’s beach run started off with traffic backed up just as visitors arrived on the bridge to Assateague Island before 6 a.m. because only one toll booth was open and collecting money. So everyone had to wait in a very impatient line to enter the island. When we finally got onto Assateague, the parking lot for the beach was packed.

Walking north from the parking lot, we joined the crowd in search of the perfect viewing spot. As we walked along the beach we saw family after family with their beach equipment, towels, water, binoculars, sunscreen,  chairs and anything else they could carry to help them pass the hour-plus wait as the sun rose over the Atlantic. Everyone was settling down in what they hoped would be  just the right spot to catch an early morning glimpse of the Chincoteague wild ponies.

One of these early morning families was from Maryland. Their family car wasn’t the regular car with the total of five seats in all. It was a strtch limo, with enough seats for the parents to carry all 10 of their children. “We always thought it would be nice to bring the kids here, and we’ve been coming for a couple years now,” said Tammy, the mother.

The wait was on but it wasn’t so bad. As the sun started to rise, the ripples in the water made it look like the horizon of orange and yellow was exploding into waves that crashed along the island sand. Children played in the ripples with their bathing suits on, and little ones dug holes into the sand to try and build some small sand castles.

After a wait of nearly two hours, at 7:30 a.m. the ponies appeared in a distance through light fog, all encouraged along by the Cowboys in a tight formation. As they passed, spectators cheered, most getting their first up-close look at a Chincoteague pony.

Except for a few “buybacks” the foals, even those just born, would not return to Assateague.  Most would be taken to new homes by owners who cast the highest bids at the upcoming auction on Thursday. Buybacks are a few chosen ponies that are auctioned off but returned to the herd.

The end of their trip on this Monday were the big corrals on the Beach Road curve, where all ponies from both herds and all their foals would spend the night.

Nestled by their mothers, the foals slept and nursed while the parents ate and drank the fresh water that was awaiting them when they entered the corral to join the southern ponies. Groups of ponies played and pranced about sometimes accidentally bumping into their mothers. Life in the corral would only last until early Wednesday morning, known as swim day, when the ponies would either swim or go by trailer lighting up the eyes of thousands who had come from across the nation to see them.

Category: Island Life, Pony Tales | No Comments »

Posted By Admin on July 27, 2010

Category: Island Life, Pony Tales | 1 Comment »

Posted By Admin on June 24, 2010

 By Wilma Young

Welcome to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Today you will

be walking the Woodland Trail. We can’t know in advance all the things you will encounter on the trail, but we can give you an idea of the possibilities and probabilities.

Before you begin your walk, just as your car turns off the Beach Road onto the Woodland Trail, there’s a landmark on your right. Just a few slabs of concrete in a tangle of greenbrier vines. This is all that’s left of an old life saving station- probably a portion of the cistern. In the previous century there were four of these stations on Assateague Island. Two of them were here on the Virginia’s end of the island.

Imagine now that it’s the eighteenth century. You would have been near the shore line, hearing the surf; instead of which, you are hearing the sounds of the pine forest, nearly a mile from the beach. Barrier islands grow and change rapidly. They are always in transition.

The Assateague Beach Life Saving Station was established in 1875. It wouldn’t have been manned in summer weather, but between August and June, a keeper and six or eight men were on duty twenty-four hours a day. These surf-men got room, board and twenty dollars a month in pay. You won’t, be surprised to learn that they trapped Muskrats to supplement their incomes. They not only endangered their lives rescuing crew men and saving the ships, they also did beach patrol, returning lost property they found, giving assistance to hunters and fishermen who had gotten lost on the island and providing them with food and lodging. In times of storm and high tides, they evacuated families who lived on the islands.

As you walk through the forest, you may encounter a Delmarva Peninsula Fox Squirrel. You will recognize him by his unusual size. He’s the largest of the tree squirrels, weighing up to three pounds and tail included, may be up to thirty inches long. His coat varies in color from light grey with silver chest and belly, to nearly black. Smaller species of squirrel seem to dash recklessly through the tree tops, traveling on tiny branches and launching themselves through the air, catching a nearby limb as if they were trapeze artists. The Delmarva’s are more cautious in the tree tops, running on larger limbs more suited to supporting their weight. They spend a great deal of time on the ground.  Now and then a grey squirrel may share habitat with the Delmarva’s. We try to discourage this by transporting them to more suitable areas as it is the Delmarva’s who are endangered.

Once, the Delmarva’s were common on the Delmarva Peninsula, ranging into New Jersey and Pennsylvania. They depended on the Loblolly Pine for shelter as well as for the supply of seeds from the cones of the pine. Clear cutting of the forest denied them the advantages of food, shelter and space and moved them into the endangered category.

 By the 1920′s, they were extinct in all states except Maryland. Between 1968 and 1971, thirty of these squirrels were moved here to Chincoteague Refuge where they were released near the lighthouse and here on the woodland trail. They seem to be prospering here as they have not only loblolly seeds to eat but also acorns, and buds and flowers of trees.

The Maritime Forest provides loblollies for the squirrels to make nests in and the occasional Hardwood Hollow Trees for dens. The refuge provides nesting boxes as well.

 Odd name: Loblolly. One researcher writes that the early settlers were impressed with the ever presence of this versatile pine and named it for the common and ever-present breakfast food of England- their porridge known as Loblolly. Lob is of the Middle English origin and meant literally “thick” and Lolly was a dialect word for broth. Loblolly also means “a mud puddle” which doesn’t say much for the porridge- but perhaps we can justify it for the loblolly tree because this pine does like to have its roots in a damp environment.

As the Loblolly grows taller, the lower branches fall which gives the forest a relatively clear understory with not too many places for predators to hide.

The Great Horned Owl may silently sweep down in the dusk and pick off a young squirrel. Owls have special soft downy feathers at wings’ edge which eliminate the flapping noise most birds produce in flight. These owls haven’t large ears- just tufts of feathers on either side of the top of the head. Small creatures must be especially vigilant because the owls have eyes positioned on the front of their heads giving them better binocular vision than birds with eyes on the sides of their heads. The owl doesn’t have moonlight or starlight every night that he’s hungry, so he listens too for rodents rustling in the leaves. This is the owl whose haunting mournful call is often used on movie sound tracks.

The understory isn’t completely clear. Greenbrier is a thorny tangled vine with heart shaped leaves that gives the squirrel a hiding place on the ground and would trip the unwary human and would certainly impede other predators.

Trumpet Creepers and grape vines add to the tangle in some parts of the forest. Poison Ivy achieves spectacular growth in this environment with the stems reaching the thickness of your forearm and climbing to the tops of the pine trees. The fruit, twigs and berries provide excellent and abundant food supply for white tailed deer, sikas, possums, ponies and at least fifty species of birds.

If you see a small heart-shaped face peering at you from a thicket, it’s our Sika. You’ve heard about them if you’ve been on the refuge more than ten minutes. These are the small Asian elk with the distinctive white patch on their rumps – their trademark- the powder-puff behind. A few Sikas, probably less than twenty were released on the island in the 1920’s.  Present population estimate is somewhat less than a thousand.

When you reach the pony overlook you will be facing an area of marsh with groundsel and marsh elder, flea bane and seaside goldenrod in season.

In the distance is the red and white 142 foot horizontally striped lighthouse about a mile and a half away. This is surprising when you remember that when the original 45 foot lighthouse was built in 1833 it stood near open sea. Toms Hook, the curved sandy stretch of the island has developed since the mid 1800′s.

To both right and left are small stands of Loblollies on slightly raised land areas. Often there are ponies loafing under the trees.

Where did these shaggy ponies come from?  You may take your choice of fact or legend. The early islanders let their live stock graze on the Barrier islands. These may be the descendents of those horses who have adapted to the harsh environment. Or you may choose to accept the stories of horses shipwrecked in the 1700’s – which swam to the safety of the islands and established a colony here. If you have a romantic streak, you may blend fact and legend. In any case, enjoy these hardy little island dwellers.

After leaving the pony overlook, you’ll come into an area where pools of fresh water stand near the trail. Here the vines and small shrubs are thicker and here is where you’ll find a large amount of bird activity.

You may be thinking that if it’s damp there’s a chance of snakes and amphibians- and you’d be correct. But don’t panic. As far as we know there are no venomous reptiles in residence here. We do have Hognose Snakes. This fellow gets his name from an up-turned snout. If threatened, he puts on a brave front; hisses, puffs out his head, and if this fails to make you back off, he will lie on his back, tongue hanging out of his gaping mouth and play dead.

The Black Rat Snake grows quite long; possibly 5 feet and is an excellent tree climber – often living in tree cavities. He is not venomous either.

Here near the fresh water ponds and brackish marshes you may find southern leopard frogs. They come in green or brown.

 The other amphibians you’re likely to encounter on the refuge are Fowler’s toads. They appear on sandy trails or around buildings. Their skin is dry, usually in shades of brown or grey with pale chests.

There’s a slight possibility of meeting a Red-Backed Salamander. They are only two and to five inches long. Not threatening creatures.

As this site is on the Atlantic flyway, we have a great many species of birds who visit us. We can’t begin to guess which ones you’ll encounter…it’s all up to season, weather and chance. Over Three hundred have been identified on this refuge, and twenty that have been seen only once or twice. Would you believe that the common house sparrow, The English Sparrow… falls into the Latter category, having been seen here only rarely. Oddly enough they are commonly seen on the next island to our west on Chincoteague Island.

 Warblers are frequent visitors to our refuge, some of them like the Pine Warbler and Prairie Warbler nesting here. Yellow Rumped Warblers were formerly called Myrtle Warblers because of their preference for the berries of the wax Myrtle bushes. Those berries are wax like and few other birds are able to digest them.

Red Eyed and White Eyed Vireos both nest here. These little fellows hide in myrtle thickets which provide excellent camouflage. During breeding season they sing throughout the day.

Bald eagles may be seen soaring over the refuge. . They aren’t bald you know, they have white feathers on their heads.  Turkey Vultures, often seen wheeling in the neighborhood really is bald.

If you don’t see woodpeckers along this trail, you’ll probably hear them. They peck at trees to locate food and also do a good bit of hammering in lieu of song, to impress their mates and also establish territory. Downy, hairy and Red Bellied Woodpeckers are seen here as well as Pileated Woodpeckers. The northern flicker is common as well. The Red Woodpecker is an occasional visitor.

You may hear a great scuffling in the leaves, in which case, look for the Rufous-sided Towhee leaves; he is, as his name suggests, rusty reddish brown. He has named himself, shouting “see tow See” although some listeners say he is asking you to “drink your tea”.

You’ll not be surprised to see Starlings here. From a flock of one hundred birds released in Manhattan in 1890, they have spread across the continent.  Their consumption of insects may be the one favorable characteristic of this bird.

You see, we’re nowhere near covering the three hundred plus species you might encounter: Owls, Buntings, Cardinals, Chickadees, Juncos… the list goes on…but walk the trail with alert.

Wilma Young served as a senior volunteer at several national parks, coming to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge three times. 

Her last stay at the Chincoteague refuge was just before her 80th birthday in 1997-98. On this third stay she served as an environmental education teacher for the Chincoteague Natural History Association. As a volunteer in her first two summers, along with the various duties she was given, Wilma found time to write. She spent hours reading about Chincoteague history and conducting research in the libraries. Some of her articles later found their way onto the Refuge web site, some were published in our local newspapers and some were used as trail guides for other volunteers. Today, at the age of 90, Wilma is as intensely interested in protecting our planet as she ever was. She can talk non-stop about the ways we humans have found to cause harm to our environment. She is passionate about things most people never take the time to learn. Years ago she wrote a story for her granddaughter, explaining why she often wasn’t home. “Every living thing depends on other living things and although we know a lot of the connections, we don’t know them all.” In explaining her work with the Refuge to her granddaughter, Wilma wrote, “…I help report the numbers on the goose collars…I answer questions our visitors have about all the wild creatures…I notify the biologists of any reports of unusual sightings of sick animal or creatures caught in nets…sometimes I pick up trash on the beach…I wander the trails, answering more questions…and best of all I look up a lot of stuff then write about it to help people understand how much we all need each other.” It is hard to find the words to describe this caring, kind and concerned grandmother. But her precise and accurate writing speaks for itself. We are pleased to publish her work in Wild Pony Tales. – Robert Boswell, publisher. 

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Posted By Admin on March 26, 2010

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By Windy Mason

 Xiao Xiao Zhang of Herndon was the Best of Show winner for the Jr. Duck Stamp Art Competition held at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Friday, March 19. Xiao studies art through Xing Art Studio.

Runners up, all of which took first place, are Elizabeth Kim from Vienna, schooled by Erae Art Studio; Anne-Sophie Kim from Chantilly, schooled by Erae Art Studio; Sally Zhou from Fairfax, schooled by Xing Art Studio; and Amy Ann from Fairfax, schooled by Erae Art Studio.

Winners were chosen by age group.

For K-3, first place winners were Wen Ip from Herndon, schooled by Xing Art Studio; Rachel Eom from Burke, schooled by Erae Art Studio; and Jane Wang from Fairfax, schooled by Xing Art Studio. Second place winners in this group were Kathleen Li from Chantilly, schooled by Xing Art Studio; Annie Wu Burke, schooled by Xing Art Studio; and Elise Ong from Springfield, schooled by Hope Chinese School. The third place winners were Peter Kim from Burke, schooled by Erae Art Studio; David Sohn from Springfield, schooled by Erae Art Studio; and Victoria Ren from South Riding, schooled by Xing Art Studio.

For grades 4-6, first place winners were Vivian Aeyang from Oak Hill, schooled by Xing Art Studio and Nathan Luong from Burke, schooled by Xing Art Studio.  In second place were Janis Chen from Herndon, schooled by Xing Art Studio; Cynthia Zhuang from Herndon, schooled by Lu Wei’s Art Studio; and Beth Zhao from Fairfax, schooled by Xing Art Studio. Third place winners in this age group were Timothy Liu from Fairfax, schooled by Xing Art Studio; Helen Park from Lorton, schooled by Erae Art Studio; and Caroline Chen from South Riding, schooled by Xing Art Studio.

Grade 7-9 first place winner was Julia Yang from Oak Hill, schooled by Xing Art Studio. In second place were Virginia Hsu from Clifton, schooled by Xing Art Studio; Olivia Hsu from McLean, schooled by Xing Art Studio; and Rose Yim from Fairfax Station, schooled by Erae Art Studio. Third place winners were Yang Peng from Springfield, schooled by Hope Chinese School; Ashley Yoo from Herndon, schooled by Erae Art Studio; and Hillary Liu from Fairfax, schooled by Asian Pacific Art Institute of America.

In grades 10-12, the first place winner was Ray Zhang from Fairfax, schooled by Xing Art Studio. Second place winners were Eunice Wu from Vienna, schooled by Asian Pacific Art Institute of America and Keun Ji Lee from Centreville, schooled by Erae Art Studio. Third place winners were Ji Young Kim from Chantilly; Yeo Won Yoon from Burke, schooled by Veronica Art Class; and Xinyue Yao from Fairfax, schooled by Asian Pacific Art Institute of America.

Two Accomack County students won Honorable Mention. Matthew Annis, 15, from Parksley, a 10^th grader at Arcadia High School, was inspired by duck hunting and his art teacher, Mrs. Rosemary Gibbons. He entered an acrylic which he first drew and then painted. Sarah Fluhart, 15, from Pungoteague, who is homeschooled, was inspired by “her ducks.”  She entered an acrylic created from a picture that she had taken. Sarah also enjoys creating with water color pencil.

There were 229 entries from around the state. The competition was run by Jr. Duck Stamp Coordinator, Aubrey Hall, a member of the refuge staff. The judges were representatives from a variety of areas and backgrounds. They were: Bob Wilson, a former deputy manager of the refuge, and wildlife photographer who lives here on the shore; Merry Maxwell is a deputy refuge manager at Eastern Virginia Rivers National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Warsaw; Kim Check, an environmental educator at the Ward Museum of Waterfowl Art in Salisbury; Bear Starr, a birder and volunteer for Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge; and Wally Makuchal, Jr. the Maryland National Duck Stamp Contest winner in 2009, now from Worcester County. “The judges were selected for their familiarity with waterfowl, art and conservation as well as their connections to the wetlands of the Eastern Shore,” said Hall.

The Best of Show winner will go on to the national competition. The winning artwork in the national competition will be made into an actual stamp and sold to raise money which will be applied towards environmental education and to support the Jr. Duck Stamp Program. The Jr. Duck Stamp is sold for $5 by the U.S. Postal Service as well as the Amplex Corporation. The appeal of the Jr. Duck Stamp is for collection and support of environmental education. These stamps are prized by many stamp collectors.

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