BERLIN – The 2022 Delmarva Birding Weekend has evolved into Delmarva birding week when hundreds of nature enthusiasts will flock to the shore April 20-25 to enjoy the full array of mid-Atlantic birds as the region welcomes warblers, tanagers, and other spring migrants and prepares to say goodbye to its loons, falcons, and waterfowl as they head north.
Registration for the expanding event is now open at www.delmarvabirding.com.
New this year is a new walk into the depths of the 60,000-acre Nassawango woodlands where songbirds still cling to the vestiges of the once-mighty eastern forest.
Trips will again include birding the Harriet Tubman Byway, a jaunt around the wildlands by Phillips Landing near Laurel, Del., and a stroll through the Delaware Botanic gardens where folks will be fascinated by the profusion of feathers and flowers.
As always, the Shorebird Explorer with traverse the coastal bays behind Ocean City and Assateague from Talbot Street in Ocean City, and a day-long trip to Smith Island will include their world-famous cakes in the form of crab and confection.
Spring Birding Weekend staples continue to include an Ocean City Inlet and Berlin Heron Park trip, the Chincoteague Bay Landings trip, and Ayers, Pocomoke, and Nassawango paddles.
Nature lovers can register for just one field trip, or multiple field trips each day.
Guided by local fun-loving birders with decades-long experience, the trips will accommodate visitors from the curious nature lover to fowl fanatics.
Every year, birdwatchers from surrounding states descend on Delmarva for the event.
“This is one of our biggest nature-oriented weekends,” said Melanie Pursel, tourism director for Worcester County, Maryland. “People go crazy over the number of warblers and shorebirds, but they will see a lot more than that birding with our guides around Assateague Island and our cypress swamps near Snow Hill. Newport Farms and Ayers Creek are especially beautiful this time of year.”
“The April weekend is spectacular,” added Southern Delaware Tourism Director Scott Thomas. “Imagine hiking a trail at Redden State Forest to be met with one of the most beautiful crimson reds you’ve ever seen in the form of a Summer Tanager. Or spend an afternoon at Prime Hook or Bombay National Wildlife Refuges followed by happy hour in Lewes. That’s what the weekend is all about.”
Social events for new and experienced birders are scheduled throughout the weekend. These socially distanced “Tally Rallies” are held at local breweries, bars, and restaurants, and allow participants to add to the species checklist and swap nature stories with new friends.
Indeed, participants recount the event in terms of experiences rather than simply observing birds – a majestic Bald Eagle soaring over the marsh, a tri-colored Heron in breeding plumage catching fish, or the eerie hoot and shadow of a Barred Owl at dusk.
An outdoor experience is the true draw.
The Delmarva Peninsula is one of the country’s premier birding areas, thanks to an extensive variety of habitat protected by our coastal parks, refuges and wildlife management areas.
More than 400 bird species have been recorded in the region and previous Weekend tallies have topped 200 species.
If boasting that many species isn’t enough, participants should feel even better knowing that they’ve helped Delmarva’s birds by promoting birding and habitat conservation. Birders, both novice and experienced, make an important statement about the economic value of birds and their habitats through the money they spend in local hotels, restaurants, and shops.
Participants are encouraged to remind local businesses that they are here to enjoy Delmarva’s natural areas and the birds that inhabit them. This is more important now than ever.
“It’s our vast shallow bays and large tracts of protected marshes and bald cypress forests that make the Delmarva Peninsula one of the finest birding regions in the nation,” said guide and organizer Dave Wilson. “During the Weekend, our guests will hike on private farmland and woodland that are normally off-limits to birders, and our waterborne trips go where the birds are.”
Wilson added that most trips are not physically taxing and that the event provides a rare opportunity to tally 100 species in a day in places that are normally inaccessible to the public.
Sponsors for the events include the Dogfish INN, Maryland’s Coast (Worcester County Tourism), Southern Delaware Tourism, the Boardwalk Hotel Group, Jolly Roger Amusement Park, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays, and Somerset County (MD) Tourism. Special thanks also go to the private property owners who allow us access to their properties for this weekend.
Additional sponsor and registration information, field trip descriptions and other resources for Delmarva Birding are available at www.delmarvabirding.com. To become a sponsor or for additional information, please call 443-614-0261 or email [email protected].