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Chincoteague
and Assateague Islands qualify as two of my favorite places. Chincoteague,
VA is a very small town and is a fishing village that has redefined itself.
The population is around 4,000 most of the time, not counting tourists.
Assateague Island is a barrier island that spreads from near Ocean City, MD in
the north to Chincoteague in the South. There are really two different
areas in the Virginia section.
The
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is
maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is the part on the
Western section of the island. The
Assateague Island National Seashore is the Eastern section. When
driving on the island, you can't really tell where one ends and the other
begins.
There are wild ponies living on Assateague Island. The Virginia herds are owned and cared for by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department. As explained on the pony penning pages, the first year foals are auctioned to help fund the fire department and fund the care of the herd. The pony swim occurs each July.
Most people go to see the ponies. There is no longer any assurance of an up-close encounter. To protect the ponies and the visitors, they are fenced off. If you pay attention, you can usually get a good look, though. If not, you can still enjoy the birds and trails. If you heard they have mosquitoes, you heard right. Insect repellent deals with them.
Assateague Island is a great place to watch sunrises. When they reflect off the water of Black Duck Pool, it can be spectacular. Sunsets can be very pretty on Assateague and Chincoteague.
There's many birds on Assateague as well. The types depend on the time of year. Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons can usually be found. In the summer, we enjoy the Black Skimmers. In the winter, we enjoy the snow geese. Several pictures of these birds are on this web site.
We (like many) have taken a lot of pictures in Chincoteague and Assateague over the years. The menu above will take you to the various stories and pictures.