Friday, Oct. 11: Irish Grove MOS Sanctuary

Brown-headed Nuthatch, Saltmarsh Sparrow and American Black Duck. Photos courtesy of Frode Jacobsen.

MORNING FIELD TRIP

Irish Grove MOS Sanctuary (DRIVING/HIKING)
Date: Friday, October 11
Time: 8:00 – 11:00 am
Cost: $30/person (proceeds to benefit the Irish Grove MOS Sanctuary)
Guides: Jared Parks, Beth Sheppard & Jim Rapp
Meeting Location: 4110 Rumbly Point Road, Marion Station, MD 21838. Use GPS coordinates: 37.994380, -75.729794.

Dress and prepare for hiking on trails that may be wet and muddy. Waterproof boots are recommended. Please prepare for ticks. Be sure to bring insect repellent. For information about preventing tickborne diseases, please click here.

The Irish Grove MOS Sanctuary field trip is sold out as of 11:45 am on Thursday, Oct. 10.

Virginia Rail. Photo credit: Frode Jacobsen.

Join your guides Jared Parks and Beth Sheppard of the Lower Shore Land Trust and Jim Rapp of Delmarva Birding as we explore the 2,326-acre Irish Grove MOS Sanctuary. Managed by the Maryland Ornithological Society, Irish Grove occupies the Rumbly Point peninsula in southern Somerset County. The sanctuary mainly consists of tidal marshes, with some higher ground in pine forests. There are breathtaking, wide-open vistas of the tidal marshland. Most of the property is less than five feet above sea level. There are several fresh and salt water ponds surrounded by Loblolly Pine woods.

More than 235 species have been reported on eBird for Irish Grove. This is one of the best locations to observe Saltmarsh Sparrows, Seaside Sparrows, and Virginia Rails on the Lower Eastern Shore. For more information, please visit the site description on the Birder’s Guide to Maryland & DC.

This field trip is sponsored by the Lower Shore Land Trust through a grant from the Rural Maryland Council.

Irish Grove Sanctuary Conservation

Click on the image for a PDF of the map.

MOS purchased the original property for this sanctuary in 1968. The sanctuary has grown since then, with additional parcels added through purchase or donation in 1971, 1992, 2008, 2017 and 2019.  At 2,326 acres, Irish Grove is MOS’s largest sanctuary.

The old 1980s trail map of Irish Grove is no longer useful for navigating around the sanctuary, but it provides insight into how much the marsh has changed in the last 40 or 50 years. Because of climate change and accompanying sea level rise, the old “wet” trails that led through the marsh (shown as dotted lines on the map) have necessarily been abandoned; the “wet” trails are now, for the most part, underwater and not safe to traverse. In response to sea level rise, vegetation zones have shifted in a process known as marsh migration, in which the Low Marsh starts to occupy areas formerly held by High Marsh. Another consequence of marsh migration are “ghost forests,” areas of standing dead trees that have been killed by rising water levels. Bird populations have changed as well, and the endangered Black Rail, formerly a reliable breeder at Irish Grove, has now vanished as a breeder, although individual birds might still be found during migration by the lucky birder. 

Google Map

For our exact meeting location, use GPS coordinates: 37.994380, -75.729794.

Join us for more fun birding experiences Oct. 10 – 13 during OktoBIRDfest x Dogfish Head!

Red-shouldered Hawk, photo courtesy of Frode Jacobsen. Biking and birding at Cape Henlopen State Park.

Delmarva Birding Weekends (DBW) has field trips planned Thursday, Oct. 10 through Sunday, Oct. 13 during OktoBIRDfest x Dogfish Head! In addition to the Friday morning field trip at Irish Grove, you can join DBW for:

  • a Friday evening sunset cruise behind Assateague Island and Ocean City
  • birding by bike on Saturday morning at Cape Henlopen State Park
  • a Saturday evening sunset cruise in Lewes, DE
  • a Sunday morning birding tour at the Delaware Botanic Gardens in Dagsboro, DE!

Registration will open before August 15. Click here to read more!

Here are some tips to help make your birding adventure safe, fun and comfortable:

  • Dress and prepare for hiking on trails that may be wet and muddy. Waterproof boots are recommended. Please prepare for ticks. Be sure to bring insect repellent. For information about preventing tickborne diseases, please click here.
  • Carry sunscreen, sunglasses and/or a hat to protect yourself from the sun.
  • Bring rain gear if needed. Trips will go rain or shine, unless torrential rains prevent us from viewing wildlife.
  • Try to arrive a little before the scheduled trip departs.
  • Be courteous to your fellow birders. Speak quietly and turn off cell phones during trips.
  • There are restroom facilities at the house at Irish Grove.

Please note:

  • No cancellations are accepted after September 27, 2024. For a further explanation of our refund policy, please click here.
  • If the trip is canceled due to dangerous conditions, we will notify you via email. Please note that the email will be sent to all participants BCC, so you may need to check your email spam folder. A full refund will be provided within 15 days.