We took a nature oriented boat trip with the Littoral group. This is the first of 5 posts on that trip. It started off overcast and cleared up a bit later. The female terrapin came ashore to lay her eggs.
Chincoteague Boat Trip
Chincoteague
Main Street Chincoteague
The little theater was showing “Before the Lighthouse.” Marc and I are reflected in the door. There are hoof prints of the famous Misty of Chincoteague in front of the cinema. Across the street, not far from the movie theater, is the Chincoteague Island Library.
For Dan’s Thursday Doors: CMU—Carnegie Mellon Doors – No Facilities
Island Moviehouse, Chincoteague 6/5/2025
Chincoteague Adventures
Randy Birch told us a story during our Chincoteague Island Adventures boat tour. This story contradicts the one at the Herbert H. Bateman Educational and Administrative Center in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. He said that when Buckalew, the first fish and wildlife manager, was shot it didn’t happen the way they said. He told how his grandfather and a few other guys were out illegally duck hunting before the season. They saw Buckalew coming and one of them fired off some buckshot which severely injured Buckalew. He said his grandpa helped get Buckalew back to town. When it came time for the trial Randy’s grandfather’s role in the events was left out. This was Buckalew’s way of saying thank you to Randy’s grandfather for having saved his life. I love local stories like this. Randy had more.
Cindy Faith, who we did a history walk with told us a few stories too. She is a terrific guide and very knowledgeable.
The cages to save the baby plovers from predation are an excellent invention. We need more of these on other beaches where they nest.
Chincoteague June 6
A collection of my plant and wildlife photographs made at the Assateauge Lighthouse and Assateague Beech, in Chincoteague, Virginia. All carefully identified.
Chincoteague June 5
It pays to get up early to capture the morning light. The dawn chorus was very noisy.
Chincoteague June 4
Marc and I did stopped ant the wildlife refuge and later at the Island Nature Trail in Chincoteague. There were hundreds of newly hatched little toads.
Chincoteague Museum
In the afternoon of June 3, 2025 we paid a visit to the charming little local museum. Exhibits cover the entire history of the island from prehistoric times to today. The exhibits include the first-order Fresnel lens from the Assateague Light. The museum is also the home of the taxidermied bodies of the Chincoteague ponies Misty and Stormy. They are portrayed in the award-winning series of books by Marguerite Henry. They are also featured in the children’s classic film “Misty of Chincoteague”. Other exhibits focus on the island’s oyster industry and its maritime history. The historic role of islanders as watermen, light keepers, and shipwreck rescuers is also showcased. I’ll cover the marvelous duck decoy shop in a later post.
- Museum of Chincoteague website
- Museum of Chincoteague Island – YouTube and
- When Assateague Was Home: Remembering the Lost Village | Museum of Chincoteague Island – YouTube.
- Chincoteague Island VA | Chamber of Commerce & Official Tourism Center
Chincoteage Island Adventures.
This is the second time I booked a boat tour with Chincoteague Island Adventures with Captain Randy Birch. His family has lived on Chincoteague for many generations. The stories he tells and the places we get to see are marvelous. We were the only two on the boat and it was so nice to get a private tour like that. He knows the local fishermen like the ones who showed us their catch of minnows.
This year is the 100th Annual Chincoteague Pony Roundup, Swim & Auction.
