Chincoteague & Assateague, VA - Attacked by Seagulls

As a little girl, I had an unholy fascination with horses. So naturally, Misty of Chincoteague (by Marguerite Henry) was one of my favorite books. Unfortunately, as I found out on this road trip, nobody else has even heard of this book. And truth be told, I don’t remember the plot either, but I was still excited about seeing these legendary ponies in real life.

We adventurously chose to stay at a non-chain hotel – the Island Motor Inn, which turned out to be a great choice. The beaches were beautifully pristine, since Assateague is a National Wildlife Refuge. Our encounters with the wildlife, however, were not entirely positive. The endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrel was cute enough, but as we were biting into our picnic sandwiches on the beach, we were ambushed by a vicious flock of birds that looked like this:

We don’t know what they are actually called, but Chris has dubbed them the “Black-Headed Fuckers.” These things were devilishly calculating and coordinated in their attack. The entire flock attacked from behind, landing on my head to peck at my sandwich, and completely yanking Chris’s foot-long sub out of his hands and down the beach.

Apparently, according to National Geographic, these things have pecked small dogs to death in England.

Satellite Image