Thursday, April 21: Field Trips & Registration

Registration is open!

MORNING

DRIVING/HIKING: Birds of Bombay Hook, 8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
COST: $25/person
MEETING LOCATION: Bombay Hook NWR Visitor Center

Delaware’s most famous birding hot spot, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge near Dover, Delaware, offers a cornucopia of birding opportunities – from saltmarsh and bay beach to freshwater ponds and rich, deciduous woodlands. We’ll sample each of the main habitat types looking for migrants and local breeders, including wading birds, shorebirds, rails, and colorful songbirds. The trip will involve some easy walking and car caravans between major stops.

HIKING: Nassawango Creek Preserve & Pocomoke Pinelands, 8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
COST: $25/person
MEETING LOCATION: Furnace Town Historic Site, located at 3816 Old Furnace Rd, Snow Hill, MD 21863

During this 1.8-mile stroll, intrepid explorers can stroll through the heart of the 72,000 contiguous acres of permanently protected public and private lands surrounding Nassawango Creek. This trip is through pine forest cooperatively managed by The Nature Conservancy and the State Forest Service. While much of the land under state forestry is devoid of biodiversity due to 30-year pine monoculture harvesting, this land has been allowed to take on a more natural condition. Here, amidst a variety of forest ages and xeric dunes, we’ll look for interior forest birds like Summer Tanagers, Ovenbirds, Acadian Flycatchers, Worm-eating Warblers, Yellow-throated Warblers, and Louisiana Waterthrushes. Please dress and prepare for possibly muddy trails and ticks.

AFTERNOON FIELD TRIPS

DRIVING/HIKING: DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor, 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
COST: $25/person
MEETING LOCATION: DuPont Nature Center

Search for migratory shorebirds, wading birds and waterfowl along Slaughter Beach, Delaware, and learn about the connection between horseshoe crabs and shorebirds at the DuPont Nature Center. This is one of our best spots for early migrating shorebirds!

DRIVING: Sunset Park, Ocean City Inlet & Heron Park, 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
COST: $25/person
MEETING LOCATION: Sunset Park, next to U.S. Coast Guard Station at 610 South Philadelphia Avenue in Ocean City, MD

PLEASE NOTE: We recommend seeking free parking on South Philadelphia Avenue in front of Sunset Park and the U.S. Coast Guard Station, or along the nearby side streets. Starting April 1, Friday-Sunday parking is $3/hour at the Ocean City Inlet Parking Lot.

We’ll meet at Sunset Park (next to the U.S. Coast Guard Station at 610 South Philadelphia Avenue) to search for spring songbirds in this migration fallout site. We’ll then hike to the Ocean City inlet to seek Common Loons in breeding plumage, Purple Sandpipers on the jetty, and sea ducks in the Atlantic. We’ll walk back to the cars and drive to Berlin for a hike around the ponds at Berlin Falls Park. We’ll end our adventure at Burley Oak Brewing, where we’ll host our Happy Hour Tally Rally and enjoy locally-made craft beer and root beer.

TALLY RALLY

TALLY RALLY: Burley Oak Brewing Company, 4:30 p.m.
COST: FREE, food & drinks available for purchase
MEETING LOCATION: Burley Oak Brewing Company, 10016 Old Ocean City Blvd, Berlin, MD 21811

The Spring Delmarva Birding Weekend is more than a great opportunity to see unique local birds…it is also a time to meet unique local birders! Birders will enjoy great beer and good company at Burley Oak Brewing in beautiful and historic Berlin, Maryland.

See what birds have been tallied on the Thursday field trips, and learn about local birding hotspots from our DBW guides. Join us to swap birding stories and add to the DBW checklist for the weekend. There is no fee for attending the tally rally, but food and drinks will be available for purchase.

Please note that Burley Oak serves their own (delicious!) craft beer, root beer, and tacos. If you’re hungry for more, grab a meal in downtown Berlin before or after the Tally Rally, or bring something yummy with you to Burley Oak!

Please note:

  • No cancellations are accepted after April 4, 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.