Delmarva Birding has announced that the Winter Delmarva BirdINNg Weekend is planned for February 27 through March 1. The event is sponsored by Dogfish INN and Dogfish Head.
“This is the 11th year for this event,” Jim Rapp, founder of Delmarva Birding Weekends, said. “The weekend is spent enjoying great looks at the waterfowl, seabirds, shorebirds, raptors and even seals on full display in the mid-Atlantic during winter months. In January, 112 species were tallied, including 25 species of waterfowl, Great cormorant, Glaucous Gull and Razorbill.
The Dogfish INN is located in historic downtown Lewes next to the canal and a short walk from Fisherman’s Wharf. The perfect basecamp for exploring coastal Delaware, the INN has an offbeat approach to style, quality and craft in their 16 rooms.
“On Friday, February 27, we are offering an all-day field trip, we’ll explore some of Coastal Delaware’s best birding hotspots from the Atlantic beaches to the Delaware Bayshore,” Rapp said. “Russ Kovach and I will start the trip at the south jetty of the Indian River Inlet near Big Chill Beach Club at 8 AM where we will scope for sea ducks, loons and Great Cormorants.”
Other stops on that field trip include Tower Road and Silver Lake with lunch in Rehoboth. From there, the group will caravan to Oyster Rocks Road, Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge and Wagamon’s Pond in Milton. The day ends at Dogfish Head Brewery. The cost for the field trip is $55 per person. The address of the jetty is 27099 Coastal Highway, Bethany Beach with GPS coordinates 38.607106, -75.062124.
“Saturday, February 28, from 11:30 AM to 2 PM, join the Scoters & Seals Cruise with guides Chris Bennett, Karen Bennett, Jim Green and myself,” Rapp said. “We will meet at Fisherman’s Wharf, 107 Anglers Road in Lewes and set off on a 2.5-hour cruise around the mouth of the Delaware Bay aboard the Thelma Dale V.”
Rapp pointed out that the boat has a heated cabin, benches along a lower deck rail and a top deck of open-air viewing. The cruise will visit the two stone breakwaters and the ice breakers to try to see common and rare waterfowl. There is also a chance that harbor or gray seals will be spotted. The cost of the trip is $72 per person and includes a tip for the first mate. GPS coordinates for Fisherman’s Wharf are 38.776829, -75.137510.
“On Sunday, March 1, we will feature a driving/hiking tour of the Assawoman Wildlife Area from 8 AM to 11:30 AM,” Rapp said. “Chris Bennett and Anthony Gibson will lead this tour of the 3,100-acre Assawoman Wildlife Area. Here, you can see freshwater impoundments, Little Assawoman Bay and its saltmarshes, and loblolly pine forest. Guests will also bird from the newly constructed observation platform overlooking Mulberry Pond.”
The tour requires a Conservation Access Pass and participants will drive their own vehicles to the parking lot near the Assawoman Wildlife Area, located at 36991-36945 Camp Barnes Road, Frankford, DE 19945. The parking lot is located about one-tenth of a mile past the entrance on the left. GPS coordinates are 38.498409, -75-095598. Total hiking should not exceed three miles while total driving distance is between six and eight miles. The cost is $30 per person.
Other meeting locations for birding excursions are at the parking lot at the Bowers Beach Boar Ramp at the intersection of Clinton Cubbage Road and Cooper Avenue in Bowers Beach (GPS coordinates 39,058611, -75.398910) for the Delaware Bayshore – Bowers Beach to Port Mahon tour on Friday, February 27. For the Tally Rally & Fireside Chat at Dogfish INN on Saturday, February 28, meet at 105 Savannah Road in Lewes (GPS Coordinates 38.775121, -75.137909).
On Sunday, March 1, meet at the Hugh T. Cropper Inlet Parking Lot, located at 805 South Atlantic Avenue, Ocean City, Maryland for the Ocean City Inlet and Heron Park tour. (GPS coordinates 38.324866, -75.087150). To learn more and to register, visit Delmarva Birding Weekends online.
