Saturday, Oct. 18

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

Registration is open! All reservations will be confirmed via email. No cancellations after September 27, 2025. Trips are subject to weather cancellations.

MORNING FIELD TRIPS

Birding by Bike at Cape Henlopen State Park (BIKING/HIKING)
Time: 8:00 am – 11:00 am
Cost: $30/person (must provide your own bike; see below for rental information)
Guides: Russ Kovach & Jim Rapp
Meeting Location: public parking area of Cape May Lewes Ferry Terminal, located at 43 Cape Henlopen Dr, Lewes, DE 19958. GPS coordinates: 38.781715, -75.118642

Please note: You must arrange for your own bike and helmet for this trip. If you need to rent a bike, please email dmvbirds@gmail.com. The entry fee for Cape Henlopen State Park is not required when cycling.

Meet your guides in the free parking area just outside of the Cape May Lewes Ferry Terminal for an overview of the morning’s itinerary. Over the course of this three-hour cycling tour, we’ll travel 12 miles along paved and compact bike trails (appropriate for both road and mountain bikes) through pitch pine forest, forested wetland, tidal marsh, dunes and beach habitats that support a wide array of bird life. We’ll make several stops to scope birds along the beach, ocean and bay, as well as a stop at the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch to scan the skies for migrating raptors and a stop at the Seaside Nature Center to watch the feeders.

Oyster Rocks Road to the McCabe Preserve (HIKING/DRIVING)
Time: 8:00 – 11:00 am
Cost: $30/person
Guides: Chris Bennett & Anthony Gonzon
Meeting Location: meet at the boat launch at the end of Oyster Rocks Road near Milton, DE. Park along the shoulder of the road, but be careful to not pull too far off the pavement. GPS Coordinates: 38.801919, -75.203195

Update (posted 2:00 pm on Sept. 24): This tour is sold out. If you want to add your name to the wait list, please email dmvbirds@gmail.com with your name and the number of participants in your group. We may be able to add you if someone cancels.

Semipalmated Plover, photo courtesy of Dr. Frode Jacobsen.

We’ll meet at the end of Oyster Rocks Road near Milton, DE to search for birds on the Broadkill River and the surrounding marshes, forests and fields. On the Broadkill, your guides will help you search for terns, gulls and Ospreys. We’ll hike along the road to scope the marsh for egrets and shorebirds. We’ll depart from our meeting location and caravan along Oyster Rocks Road to stop and look into the forest and fields for songbirds and raptors. We’ll then depart for the McCabe Preserve in Milton, DE for a short hike in the forest to search for songbirds.

After the morning tour, we encourage you to visit the Tasting Room at the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton for lunch and a brewery tour before the 3:30 – 6:00 pm Broadkill & Breakwater Cruise in Lewes. The tasting room opens at 11:00 am and is located at 6 Cannery Village Center, Milton, DE 19968.

MID-MORNING PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

Wildlife Photography Workshop (CLASS)
Time: 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Cost: $30/person (lunch is on your own)
Instructor: Troy Bynum
Meeting Location: Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, located at 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. The class will be hosted upstairs.

Troy Bynum is a wildlife photographer and avid birder from the Philadelphia area. He grew up in Mt. Airy, PA, and spent a lot of time exploring Wissahickon Valley Park as a kid, where his interest and love for nature began. As Troy grew, so did his admiration for nature – wildlife to be more specific. Now, Troy spends most of his free time exploring natural areas around the tri-state area in search of beautiful birds. He specializes in showcasing the beautiful patterns, textures, and colors found throughout nature. We oftentimes overlook a lot of these things that nature has to offer and Troy is on a mission to spark interest in others to go outside and explore the world around them. Check out Troy’s photos on Instagram at TB Wildlife Photography!

At the end of the workshop, we invite you to eat lunch with Troy and your fellow classmates at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats. Lunch is not included in the cost for the workshop. Troy will also be one of the guides on the 3:30 – 6:00 pm Breakwater & Broadkill River Sunset Cruise (scroll down for more information).

AFTERNOON BOAT TRIP

Breakwater & Broadkill River Sunset Cruise (BOAT)
Time: 3:30 – 6:00 pm (sunset is 6:18 pm)
Cost: $72/person (includes tip for First Mate)
Guides: Chris Bennett, Anthony Gonzon, Troy Bynum, Russ Kovach & Jim Rapp
Meeting Location: Fisherman’s Wharf, 107 Anglers Rd, Lewes, DE 19958. GPS coordinates: 38.776757, -75.137437

Update (posted 4:50 am on Oct. 18): Six seats remain open on the cruise.

White Ibis, photo courtesy of Dr. Frode Jacobsen.

Join us for a 2.5-hour cruise of the Lewes breakwater and the saltmarshes along the Broadkill River. We’ll depart from Fisherman’s Wharf in historic Lewes and head out towards the inner breakwater and the East End Light. Along the way, we’ll search the breakwater rocks and Cape Henlopen shoreline for gulls, terns and migrating shorebirds. We’ll then cruise up the Broadkill River and search the saltmarshes of Beach Plum Island and Great Marsh for herons, egrets, ibis and raptors.

Please park in the lot in front of The Wheelhouse restaurant. We encourage you to bring Dogfish Head craft brews if you want to enjoy a beer with your OktoBIRDfest boat tour!

TALLY RALLY & FIRESIDE CHAT

Tally Rally & Fireside Chat at the Dogfish INN
Time: 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Cost: free, but RSVP is required at dmvbirds@gmail.com
Speaker: Sara Bluhm, Executive Director of the Sussex County Land Trust
Meeting Location: The Dogfish INN, located at 105 Savannah Road, Lewes, DE 19958. We may host the Tally Rally inside or outside around the Cowboy Cauldron, so please dress for the weather! GPS Coordinates: 38.775121, -75.137909

Please note: the Dogfish INN parking lot is for guests only, but there is a public parking lot conveniently located across the street. Although the Tally Rally is free, we do ask that you RSVP with dmvbirds@gmail.com so that we can inform our hosts with the number in your party. Thanks!

Tally Rally at the Dogfish INN. October 2023.

OktoBIRDfest x Dogfish Head is more than a great opportunity to see unique local birds…it is also a time to meet unique local birders! Birders will enjoy complimentary samples of Dogfish Head craft ales and good company at the Dogfish INN. Help tally species observed during the field trips, and learn about local birding hotspots.

We’ll be joined by Sara Bluhm, Executive Director of the Sussex County Land Trust, for a fireside chat. Sara will talk about their work to protect natural, cultural, agricultural and recreational resources through land preservation, stewardship and education for today and tomorrow.

Please note:

  • No cancellations are accepted after September 27, 2025. For an explanation of our refund policy, please click here.
  • Food and drink are not included in the cost for trips and tally rallies.
  • Trips will go rain or shine, unless conditions are predicted to be dangerous.
  • If the trip is canceled due to dangerous conditions, you will be notified via email and a full refund will be provided.