Lying at the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula, the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge serves as one of the country's most valuable stopovers for migratory birds. Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay, this 1,127-acre refuge was established in 1984 for migratory birds and endangered species management and for wildlife-dependent recreation including interpretation and education. This area is one of the most important avian migration funnels in North America. Each fall, like colorful clockwork, the refuge is the scene of a spectacular drama as millions of songbirds and monarch butterflies and thousands of raptors converge at the tip of the peninsula on their voyage south.