Sept. 12: Great Cypress Swamp & Assawoman Wildlife Area

Red-headed Woodpecker and Snowy Egret photos courtesy of Dr. Frode Jacobsen.

On Saturday, Sept. 12, we’re partnering with our friends at Delaware Wild Lands for an all-day birding adventure in Southern Delaware. In the morning, we’ll search for songbirds in the Great Cypress Swamp. We’ll break for lunch, and then we’ll explore the forests and salt marshes of the Assawoman Wildlife Area.

Saturday, September 12

Great Cypress Swamp & Assawoman Wildlife Area (DRIVING/HIKING)
Time: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Guides: Russ Kovach & Jim Rapp from Delmarva Birding and Andrew Martin from Delaware Wild Lands
Cost: $110/person (includes transportation in the Great Cypress Swamp)
Meeting Location: meet in the parking area of Delaware Wild Lands, located at 24588 Cypress Road, Frankford, DE. GPS coordinates: 38.478253, -75.319342

Please note: 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.

Update (posted 3:30 pm on August 5): This tour is sold out.

Participants sometimes request a cancellation. If this occurs, we may be able to add you. If you are interested in adding your name to the waitlist for this tour, please email dmvbirds@gmail.com with your name and the number of participants in your group. We will contact you if something opens up.

On this tour, we’ll sample the birding hotspots in Southern Delaware’s cypress swamps and the forests and wetlands along Little Assawoman Bay!

Brown-headed Nuthatch. Photo courtesy of Dr. Frode Jacobsen.

We’ll meet at 8:30 am at the headquarters of the Great Cypress Swamp in Frankford, DE to check everyone in, use the restrooms, and review our schedule for the day. We’ll then board a van (or vans, depending on the group size) for a guided tour through the largest freshwater wetland and contiguous block of forestland in the State of Delaware.

The 10,000-acre Great Cypress Swamp is situated on the Southern edge of Sussex County and spills over into both Wicomico and Worcester Counties in Maryland. Historically, “The Swamp” was known as the headwaters of the Pocomoke River, but ditching in the 1930’s has diverted a large portion of its drainage to the Delaware Inland Bays. The Swamp is marked by hundreds of years of ditching and draining for agriculture, extensive timbering, and two major historical fires, the second of which is believed to have been started by the explosion of a prohibition-era still.

While we are birding, we will learn about the extensive hydrological restoration and habitat improvement projects managed by Delaware Wild Lands. Total hiking in The Swamp is expected to be less than one mile.

We’ll return to the parking area around 11:30 am for restrooms and lunch. We encourage you to enjoy a local restaurant in a nearby town, or pack a lunch and dine outdoors at a picnic table.

At 1:30 pm, we’ll meet in the parking lot near the entrance to the Assawoman Wildlife Area, located at 36991-36945 Camp Barnes Road, Frankford, DE 19945. The parking lot is located ~0.1 miles past the entrance on the left. GPS coordinate 38.498409, -75.095598

We will spend the afternoon birding the 3,100-acre wildlife refuge. Habitat at the Assawoman Wildlife Area includes freshwater impoundments, Little Assawoman Bay and its salt marshes, and loblolly pine forest. We will also bird from the newly constructed observation platform overlooking Mulberry Pond.

This field trip requires a Conservation Access Pass (CAP). Scroll down fo more information. Participants will drive their own vehicles between field trip sites. Total driving distance for this tour is between 20-25 miles, and total hiking for the day should not exceed three miles along mostly flat, compact trails.

Birding at Delaware Wildlife Areas requires a Conservation Access Pass (CAP).

Conservation Access Pass (CAP): Participants must purchase a Conservation Access Pass (CAP), which is required for any vehicle visiting a Delaware state wildlife area. The CAP provides needed funding to help the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife maintain and improve public access, facilities, and wildlife habitat in these beautiful refuges.

A 3-day CAP can be purchased for $10 for a Delaware registered vehicle and $20 for an out-of-state registered vehicle. Only one CAP is required per vehicle. Annual passes are also available, and are valid July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. For more information about purchasing your Delaware CAP, please click here.

Click on the Google Map for our field trip meeting locations:

Please note:

  • No cancellations are accepted after September 1, 2026. For a further explanation of our refund policy, please click here.
  • Trips will go rain or shine, unless torrential rains prevent us from viewing wildlife.
  • 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.