Local birder, Chris Bennett, guided visitors through Cape Henlopen State Park Friday afternoon, during the first ever Winter Delmarva Birding Weekend.
Due to the popularity of the annual Delmarva Birding Weekend, organizers are now offering two of the celebrated birding extravaganzas in both January and April. The annual weekend includes walking tours, boat trips, and canoe and kayak paddles to accommodate nature lovers and fowl enthusiasts alike.
Bennett grew interested in birding from a college course and has been doing it ever since. He has been leading the trips for about ten years now.
“Winter is an excellent time to bird in the Mid-Atlantic, we get tons of stuff from further North, occasionally weird stuff from down South will show up, there’s a painted bunting, a bird that people go out to the Carolinas and Florida to see…” Bennett said.
Chris Bennett spots a bird in a nearby tree.
During any of these tours, guests will have a chance to see harlequin ducks, razorbills, swans, shorebirds, and falcons through their binoculars and camera lens.
“If participants thought the April weekend was spectacular, wait ‘til they see what winter has to offer,” said guide and organizer Jim Rapp. “The sheer number of bald eagles and ducks will blow people away.”
The new winter trips feature a near-shore maritime boat cruise, eagle-watching trips and jaunts in Delaware and Maryland through some of the most pristine habitats on the East Coast.
The group walks through Cape Henlopen State Park, stopping when they spot a bird.
Birders, both novice and experienced, joined the weekend tours in hopes of seeing species they have never seen before. One of the trip goals is to tally 100 species in a day in places that are normally inaccessible to birders.
Dick Plambock is originally from New Jersey and he moved to Millsbor, Del. a few months ago. He moved to the area to be with his kids, who in turn, got him into birding.
“I figured this would be a good opportunity to learn more about what’s in this area and with some experts, know what I’m looking at,” Plambock said.
Dick Plambock looks through his binoculars at a nearby tree.
For more information on Delmarva Birding Weekends, visit Delmarvabirding.com.
