The 2017 Delmarva Birding Weekend is inviting nature enthusiasts to the shore to explore the bays and ocean by boat for seals, waterfowl and shorebirds April 27-30. Registration for the event is now open at www.delmarvabirding.com.
Organizers say that while the 4-day event offers lots of hiking trips, boats remain an easy and relaxing way to see wildlife. For non-paddlers, the weekend offers a seal- and gannet-laden trip that leaves from Fisherman’s Wharf in Lewes on Friday, April 28 at 2 p.m. There is also a chance to see whales on this trip.
On Saturday, April 29, the Assateague (Shorebird) Explorer departs at 2 p.m. from Ocean City to explore the coastal bays behind Assateague. Eagles, loons and sometimes seals and piping plovers can be seen on this trip. Pontoon rides are also offered on the eagle-rich lower Pocomoke River and at Trap Pond where an owl prowl takes place Saturday at 6 p.m.
Harbor and grey seals are a crowd favorite during the Delmarva Birding Weekend’s Lewes & Delaware Bay boat trip. (Photo credit: Delmarva Birding Weekend)
Birding Weekend also offers a full day trip on Saturday to Smith Island, which provides glimpses of Glenn Martin National Wildlife Refuge as the boat passes by.
Paddling enthusiasts can choose from eight offerings including a soothing sojourn from the James Farm along Indian River Bay Thursday morning to both evening and morning paddles on Ayres and Trappe creeks on Friday and Sunday. A Trails to Rails trip slips along the saltmarsh trails in Rehoboth Bay on Friday morning and the warbler-filled Pocomoke and Nassawango kayak trips through expansive bald cypress swamp are again offered Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Walkers and hikers can get an early start to the weekend with shorebirds along the Delaware Bayshore at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge and the Mispillion Harbor or stroll along a private farm near Assateague. On Friday, you can start your morning at Redden State Forest and follow it up with a shorebird spectacle at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in the afternoon.
On Saturday, explorers can traverse the wilderness at the landings of Maryland’s Chincoteague Bay and slip into the marsh for the Night Birds trip surrounding 11,000 acres of protected land. On Sunday morning nature lovers who prefer walking can choose the Warblermania trip nestled in the depths of the Pocomoke cypress swamp or hike through fields, ponds, forest and saltmarsh on the celebrated Newport Farms Diversity Walk.
Organizers say that several field trips regularly sell out, so interested birders are encouraged to register soon.
The walking tours, boat trips, and canoe and kayak paddles will be led by experienced guides, according to organizers.
“This is one of our biggest nature-oriented weekends,” said Lisa Challenger, tourism director for Worcester County, Maryland. “People go crazy over the number of eagles and herons, but they will see a lot more than that birding with our guides around Assateague Island and our cypress swamps near Snow Hill.”
New guided trips will feature jaunts around Laurel, Delaware, normally inaccessible private lands, and Maryland’s Chincoteague Bay.
Owls, like this barred owl, are favorites of the cypress swamps during the Delmarva Birding Weekend. (Photo credit: Delmarva Birding Weekend)
“The April weekend is spectacular,” said Southern Delaware Tourism Director Scott Thomas. “Imagine hiking a trail at Trap Pond to be met with one of the most beautiful yellows you’ve ever seen… in the form of a prothonotary warbler. Or spend a Friday afternoon at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge or boating around Lewes and the Delaware Bay, followed by happy hour in Rehoboth. That’s what the weekend is all about.”
Social events for new and experienced birders are scheduled throughout the weekend. These “Tally Rallies” are held at local breweries, bars, and restaurants, and allow participants to add to the species checklist and swap birding stories with new friends.
Organizers say the Delmarva Peninsula is one of the country’s premier birding areas, thanks to an extensive variety of habitat protected by our coastal parks, refuges and wildlife management areas. More than 400 bird species have been recorded in the region and previous Birding Weekend tallies have topped 200 species.
Organizers say the event also helps Delmarva’s birds by promoting birding and habitat conservation. Participants are encouraged to remind local businesses such as restaurants and shops that they are here to enjoy Delmarva’s natural areas and the birds that inhabit them.
“It’s our vast shallow bays and large tracts of protected marshes and bald cypress forests that make the Delmarva Peninsula one of the finest birding regions in the nation,” said guide and organizer Jim Rapp. “During the weekend, our guests will hike on private farmland and woodland that are normally off-limits to birders, and our waterborne trips go where the birds are.”
Co-organizer Dave Wilson added that few of the trips were physically taxing and that the event provides a rare opportunity to tally 100 species in a day in places that are normally inaccessible to the public.
Sponsors for the events include Worcester County Tourism, Southern Delaware Tourism, the Boardwalk Hotel Group, the Howard Johnson’s Oceanfront Plaza Hotel, Days Inn Ocean City, Jolly Roger Amusement Parks, the Delmarva Almanac, the Town of Snow Hill, the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, Somerset County (Maryland) Tourism, Coupons.com, Delmarva Board Sport Adventures, and Renewable Energy Corporation.
Additional sponsor and registration information, field trip descriptions and other resources for Delmarva Birding are available at www.delmarvabirding.com. To become a sponsor or for additional information, contact Jim Rapp at 443-614-0261 or Dave Wilson at Conservation Community Consulting by calling him at at 443-523-2201 or email him at conservationcc@gmail.com.
