Birding By Bicycle
Dawn comes early to the coastline of Virginia as the first streaks of orange begin to separate the ocean from the sky. It’s just the right moment to start a new adventure - birding and biking through one of America’s most popular wildlife viewing destinations, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.
Along the Beach Road Trail bike path, you pass through a variety of habitats and soon your checklist is cluttered with the names of numerous waterfowl, shorebirds, wading and song birds. This birding-by-bicycle idea might just be the start of a whole new trend!

And soon, thanks to Wild Birds Unlimited and its customers, it will be even better. A recent $100,000 grant, through the Pathways To Nature Program, will help the Refuge with its project to extend the bike path while providing interpretive kiosks and exhibits along the way to tell the story of Chincoteague and its inhabitants.

What a story it is too! Established in 1943, Chincoteague Refuge, with over 14,000 acres of beach, dunes, marsh and maritime forest, has a long list of honors. It is designated as an International Shorebird Reserve, a World Biosphere Reserve, a National Natural Landmark, and it has been named as one of the top ten birding Hotspots by the National Audubon Society.

Over 320 species of birds are known to use the refuge for nesting, feeding, migration or winter habitat. The threatened Piping Plover nests on its long stretches of pristine beach, and the endangered Delmarva Peninsula Fox Squirrel can be found scampering through the stands of maritime forests in the refuge.

So the next time you’re in the mood for a new adventure, head for Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and don’t forget to bring your bike!

For more information about Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, visit: http://chinco.fws.gov/.

The Pathways To Nature Conservation Fund is a partnership between Wild Birds Unlimited stores and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to fund environmental education and wildlife viewing projects. We encourage all of our customers to visit these incredible places. Your patronage helped make these projects possible!
 

This is a Pathways To Nature® Travel Log