Nature Encounters with Capt. Debbie

07/20/2024

Older pictures with some of the ponies no longer with us.

05/05/2024

I am devastated beyond belief to learn of her passing. She was my favorite mare.

03/23/2024

Let's never forget our beautiful Soul Surfer & Surfer Dude and all the others who brought us so much joy.

05/15/2023

Great and Snowy egrets.

05/14/2023

Images over the years.

05/11/2023

Shore bird images from the eastern shore.

05/05/2023

Hi this is Capt. Debbie! This year I will be traveling and doing large group and hybrid ecotours. For many years I have partnered with a Captain who I felt ran similar tours to mine, Captain Randy Birch. He runs a small boat (like me) and he's a story teller. He knows all the secret places and how to get to them. I will be touring with Randy this year too! So I send you to Randy, a native of Chincoteague for many generations. He offers your best nature and pony encounters. I will still be posting images from 20 years of pony watching, and I'm still a Captain, I'm just taking a little bit of time for myself after running my business for nearly 15 years. http://www.chincoteagueislandadventures.com/boat-tours.html

04/10/2023

Signs of spring.

04/10/2023

An old image of our good buddy Surfer Dude.

03/23/2023

🤣😅

03/18/2023

Wild ponies on Assateague Island, Maryland.

03/11/2023

Your yearling 2022 pony fix.

03/08/2023

Looks like a controlled burn on Assateague, VA today.

03/03/2023

I posted this image years ago, and saw that it is circulating on the internet again today. The image is not fake, it originated from a bison farm in Canada. I conducted research on domestic bison after seeing this image, and indeed "the heaviest wild bull ever recorded weighed 2,800 pounds (1,270 kg) and, in captivity, the largest bison weighed 3,801 pounds (1,724 kg). They can stand at 6 feet to the hump. Despite their massive size, they are incredibly agile able to run at speeds up to 40 mpg and jump 6 feet high from a standing position."

02/17/2023

If you ever encounter a Sea lion along the coast, don't get near it. They can carry Leptospirosis, and they are also federally protected. When they are on the beach, they are resting, it's important not to scare them back into the water.

02/11/2023

Rainbow sheen on vernal pools . While they are beautiful the algae can be toxic. Never wade in them or let your dogs swim in them. Avoid altogether in hot summer months.

01/10/2023

This beautiful female red fox attempts to elude a mangy male

12/31/2022

12/31/2022

Tundra swans

12/27/2022

The Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge today.

12/24/2022

Beach is stormy lately.

12/24/2022

A small flock of Snow geese has arrived.

12/12/2022

Surf scoter

12/12/2022

Male Bufflehead

12/12/2022

Hooded mergansers

10/12/2022

Copyright Debbie Ritter.

10/08/2022

Ship wreck?

Aerial photograph of what tantalizingly looks like an uncovered shipwreck on Assateague Island in Virginia.