2026 Virginia – Bombay Hook and Chincoteague NWR

After breakfast our first planned birding stop is Bombay Hook NWR on the Delaware Bay. We should find many puddle and bay ducks, a few rails, many shorebirds, and raptors including Bald Eagle and Northern Harrier. American Avocet and Black-necked Stilt are likely.  A search through the
blackbird flocks may produce Yellow-headed or even Brewer’s Blackbird. There is a chance for both Barred Owl and Short-eared Owl.

From there we will proceed to Chincoteague NWR in Virginia. We’ll scope for Common Loon, Clapper Rail, Brant, Peregrine Falcon, and American Oystercatcher along the causeway. We will do as much additional birding as time allows. Dinner will be at one of the local seafood restaurants. We will spend all three nights at the same comfortable motel in the village of Chincoteague. It has a gorgeous view of the bay.

Overnight: Chincoteague

Our day’s birding will be at Chincoteague NWR and nearby environs. We’ll head for the causeway for the early morning activity, which can be impressive. This area will give us lots of shorebirds, usually including American Oystercatchers in the oyster beds, plus a nice variety of long-legged waders, waterfowl, and a Northern Harrier or Merlin.

There are some good spots toward the southern end of Chincoteague Island that often yield Brant, Marbled Godwit, Black Skimmer, and Brown-headed Nuthatch. After looking for Clapper Rail, we’ll make our way into the refuge. Birds here can range from Pine Warbler to Hermit Thrush and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, migrant warblers, and with any luck, an unusual duck or shorebird. We will attempt to find the endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrel while looking for songbirds on the Pony Trail.

There will be Sanderlings, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and Caspian and Royal Terns on the beach, and Common and Red-throated Loons, Brown Pelican, and possibly a Parasitic Jaeger or Atlantic Bottle-nosed Dolphin offshore.

Overnight: Chincoteague

Today we head south to the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula and Kiptopeke State Park. The hedgerows hold a nice variety of sparrows and migrant warblers, and we’ll check in at the hawk watch to see what raptors are moving and what else has been seen. One year we found a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron and a Snow Bunting on the rock jetties. We will hope to observe a songbird banding demonstration.

The next stop is Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR, which contains extensive songbird habitat. Even more extensive marshes are good for Marsh Wren, Clapper and Virginia Rails, and perhaps an American Bittern or Short-eared Owl. We will certainly add a number of new species to our growing list of shorebirds and other aquatic species.

The flats at Willis Wharf are also known for shorebirds, especially Marbled Godwit and Whimbrel, plus Willet and Stilt Sandpiper. We often have excellent looks at Saltmarsh Sparrow at this location.

We’ll return to Chincoteague by the end of the day for another great dinner and our third and final night there.

Overnight: Chincoteague

We’ll make the final 3-hour drive north and return to Philadelphia International Airport in the late morning, the end of a wonderful five-day tour on the Delmarva Peninsula!

Yes! We have birding planned if time allows and everything is on schedule.

Check the weather for the destination as close to your departure date as possible, and dress accordingly for your comfort level. You can also review our What to Bring page for more information.

There are many items the will be useful to you while on a Bird Treks tour. We have put together our list of recommendations on the What to Bring page.

Our tours are all conducted in English, but we do have some experience working with client that don’t speak English well – Some English would be needed for safety reasons. In locations where another language is predominately spoken, a native guide may accompany the tour.

Yes, we will always try our best to help with anything at all! We’re here to serve you. However, it is usually easier if you book your flight through your own travel agent as we can’t always get the best deals from your particular country. But we will help whenever needed!

While Day 1 is usually a travel (arrival) day, and the last day of the tour is usually also a travel day (departure), many people do like to arrive early and/or leave late. We can indeed book extra nights before and after the trip, and we in fact recommend you let us book them, as it avoids confusion and allows us to book the accommodation that is most convenient for the tour.

NOTE: Most often it is the same hotel or lodge that you use on the first night of the tour, but in some instances, it could be an airport hotel or an accommodation establishment where the guide is staying.

No, we do not. We find that it is better for trip participants to purchase their own medical, trip cancellation, and baggage insurance through their own insurance provider in the country they reside in. We expect all tour participants to have comprehensive insurance, and we encourage everyone to send us a copy of their insurance documents.

For most tours, meals are included in the tour price. This may include a hotel-provided breakfast, or guide-provided box lunches. For dinners, we strive to find interesting and delicious local restaurants – this allows us to give back to the local economy, and find exciting new place to eat.