< Original Chincoteague article
Chincoteague Revisited
Jim Flowers | E-Mail | Updated 2-28-2011
Chincoteague Pony - Jim Flowers
The week of Thanksgiving coincides with the Assateague Island Waterfowl Week and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Open House. The event allows visitors all-day use of the Wildlife Loop by automobile instead of just a few hours after 3pm which is the norm for most of the year. This provides a special opportunity to visitors who may be physically challenged or have small children. The visitor center hosts a variety of ongoing programs and events. Special guided walks and tours are available on trails that are normally closed to the public. Overnight accommodations on the island can be plentiful and all at "off season" prices for great savings. Many of the excellent restaurants remain open year-round so everything for a great visit is just a few minutes from the refuge. However, when planning your trip, remember that all pets are prohibited entry into the refuge including those in your vehicle.
Late November is prime time for the majority of migrant waterfowl species that visit the refuge too. Canada geese, swans, brant, ducks, herons, egrets, oyster catchers, loons, grebes, plovers and winter songbirds abound creating a vast amount of photographic and viewing opportunities for the avian photographer and enthusiast. Thousands of Snow Geese fill the sky for a tremendous experience of sight and sound. The famous wild ponies of Assateague Island and other mammals will add variety to your visit and the lighthouse is another attraction that few visitors can resist.
Foggy Egrets, Chincoteague NWR - Jim Flowers
My past visits to the area were primarily geared towards fishing the fantastic spring flounder run and then perhaps spending a few hours of birding on the refuge. This would be my first trip as a photographer and my first time to explore the wildlife loop and other areas in detail with ample time. I enjoyed 3 days of this event with four photographer friends and we all had a fantastic experience and captured hundreds of memories with our cameras.
Scenes from Chincoteague - Jim Flowers (Sika Elk, Raccoon, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Tree Swallows, and Pony)
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Map (Google interactive map)
left double click to zoom in
right double click to zoom out
click and drag to move
hover over markers to see descriptions
Jim Flowers is a professional commercial and family photographer, freelance photojournalist, graphic artist, and aspiring nature photographer. Originally from Texas, Jim began his photographic career as a partner with Frederick Boswell Photographers in Houston specializing in architectural, aerial and industrial photography serving the corporate scene, advertising, and the petroleum industry. He also founded Acu-color Photographic Labs serving other professional photographers in the Houston area. He later branched into family and sports photography.
After 12 years in Houston, Jim relocated to Washington DC to spend 16 years with the National Geographic Society and magazine in prepress production. Now retired from the magazine, Jim has started Arts N Images, a small home-based photography business serving the Hanover-Gettysburg Pennsylvania area.
"Once just a hobby and now a passion, photographing nature has become an integral part of my photography experience. I devote much of my spare time to exploring the outdoors and the flora and fauna that exists in the various areas I visit." - J Flowers, Arts N Images.