Thursday, March 3 BirdINNg Trips & Reservations

*White-winged Scoter photo courtesy of Frode Jacobsen. Harbor and Gray Seals photo courtesy of Rita Modesti.*

AFTERNOON TRIP

Birding the Harriet Tubman Byway (DRIVING/HIKING)
Date and Time: Thursday, March 3, 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Cost: $65/person
Meeting location: small roadside pull-off at the Brodess Farm Site, located near 2881 Greenbrier Road, Bucktown, MD 21613. The GPS Coordinates are: 38.459031,-76.048522

This tour is sold out.

*Harriet Tubman mural by artist Michael Rosato. Bald Eagle and Lesser Yellowlegs photos courtesy of Frode Jacobsen.*

Discover the birds and wildlife that Harriet Tubman would have known as a young girl growing up in Dorchester County, MD

Join Harriet Tubman Tours and Delmarva Birding Weekends as we go birding along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway in Dorchester County, MD. During our guided, self-driven tour, we’ll learn about the life and times of the famed freedom seeker and human rights activist known as “The Moses of Her People,” Harriet Tubman. The route courses through the farms and Chesapeake Bay marshes of Dorchester County, home to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and some of the best birding and Bald Eagle watching on America’s Eastern Seaboard.

Harriet Tubman was born around 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland. She was brought into the world as Araminta “Minty” Ross, the middle of nine children born to Harriet “Rit” Green and Ben Ross, who were both enslaved. Her childhood was spent toiling on the plantation of Edward Brodess, who often hired his enslaved people out to neighboring farmers.

In 1849, Harriet Tubman escaped Maryland’s Eastern Shore to Philadelphia, but she returned at least 13 times to rescue around 70 people, including her parents, family members, and friends. In the face of incredible danger, she guided them safely to freedom as a conductor of the Underground Railroad — a secret network of people, places and routes that provided shelter and assistance to escaping slaves. By 1860, Harriet Tubman had earned the nickname “Moses” for liberating so many enslaved people at great risk to her own life.

During her formative years on the Brodess Farm and as a conductor of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman would have been intimately familiar with the birds and wildlife of Dorchester County. She used the call of a Barred Owl to alert freedom seekers that it was safe to come out of hiding and continue northward.

The same birds that Harriet Tubman would have known more than 170 years ago still inhabit the fields, forests and marshes of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Bald Eagles can be observed year-round, and active nests are visible during the winter and spring. During autumn and winter months, you can discover ducks, geese, swans and raptors. Spring and summer bring Osprey, egrets, shorebirds and warblers. American White Pelicans can be observed here in the winter and spring. More than 260 species have been documented along Blackwater’s ~4-mile Wildlife Drive.

Watch the video from WBOC TV16’s Outdoors Delmarva:

*American White Pelican, photo courtesy of Frode Jacobsen.*

These are just a few of the stops we will make along the ~20 mile, four hour driving and walking tour:

Brodess Farm site, Harriet Tubman’s childhood home
Bucktown Village Store, site of Harriet Tubman’s first act of defiance
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Wildlife Drive
Long Wharf, Portal to Slavery – Gateway to Freedom
Dorchester County Court House
“Take My Hand” mural, painted by artist Michael Rosato

We recommend that you visit the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center in Cambridge and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center near Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on your own before or after your tour begins.

Driving Route:

We will meet at the small roadside pull-off at the Brodess Farm Site, located near 2881 Greenbrier Road, Bucktown, MD 21613. The GPS Coordinates are: 38.459031,-76.048522. Please make certain to fuel up your vehicle and use the restroom before you arrive. We will have access to portable toilets during the tour along the Blackwater Wildlife Drive.

After visiting the Bucktown Store and Blackwater NWR, we will drive ~20 miles on our tour to Long Wharf, located at the end of High Street in Cambridge. We will end with a short driving and walking tour in Cambridge that will end at the “Take My Hand” mural painted by artist Michael Rosato, located at 424 Race Street, Cambridge, MD 21613.

Please note the following:

We have a permit that covers your vehicle daily entry fee for the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Wildlife Drive.
Please make sure you have enough fuel in your vehicle for the trip, as we will not stop at gas stations along the route.
We encourage you to explore Downtown Cambridge before and after your tour. You will find bakeries, restaurants, breweries and shops all within easy walking distance of the Harriet Tubman Museum in Cambridge.
Please click this link to review our COVID-19 safety guidelines and additional tips to ensure that you have a great experience!
No cancellations are accepted after February 15, 2022, unless diagnosed or quarantined with COVID-19.
Food and drink are not included in the cost for trips and tally rallies.
Trips will go rain or shine.
If the trip is canceled due to dangerous conditions, a full refund will be provided.

Delmarva Birding Weekends is offering tours with these COVID-19 guidelines in place.

PHOTO CREDITS: All bird photos courtesy of Frode Jacobsen. Seal photo courtesy of Rita Modesti. Birder photographs provided by the Delmarva Birding Weekends.