About 300 species of birds have been identified on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

The Eastern Shore and the islands of Chincoteague and Assateague are located along the Atlantic flyway for shorebirds, waterfowl, and others that nest in the north and migrate south for the winter. The salt marshes, the pine woods, and the specially-developed, freshwater impoundments on the refuge are also nesting places for a variety of birds including species of plovers, gulls, terns, geese, herons, and ducks.

You'll see many birds in the marshes on either side of the causeway (Route 175) that leads to the islands; and even as you drive across Chincoteague, you're likely to spot egrets and mallards near the water and occasionally in yards. But some of the best bird spotting, of course, will be on the refuge, either in the marshes along the main road or in the freshwater impoundments accessible on the three-mile Wildlife Loop (open to vehicles after 3 p.m).

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