Kent County Birding - Field Trips
Kent County Bird Club Maryland Ornithological Society
FIELD TRIP SCHEDULE OCTOBER 2010--MAY 2011
All field trips will meet at the “Dollar General” parking lot (off Philosopher’s Terrace) in Chestertown unless otherwise specified. If you have questions, please contact the trip leaders. (Walter Ellison and Nancy Martin, 410-778-9568, e-mail: rossgull@baybroadband.net)
Fall 2010
October 2 – (SATURDAY) – Field Trip: 8:00 AM. Turkey Point & Elk Neck, Cecil County. This migration hot spot concentrates large numbers of migrants at the north end of Chesapeake Bay. We will take a leisurely walk to the lighthouse, stopping for a while at the hawk watch along the way. Bring lunch.
October 10 – (SUNDAY) – Big Sit. A different kind of field trip: join us at the observation platform at Tubby Cove, Eastern Neck NWR, to help tally all the birds seen from this single location. Drop by any time from first light to mid-afternoon and stay as long as you’d like.
October 23 – (SATURDAY) – Field Trip, 8:00 AM. Bombay Hook NWR, Delaware. The salt marshes of Delaware Bay host large numbers of waterfowl, gulls, late shorebirds and raptors. All day, bring lunch.
November 13 – (SATURDAY) – Field Trip, 8:00 AM. Assateague Island, Worcester County. A prime location for sea ducks, late shorebirds, and gannets at the beaches and marshes; and late migratory land birds in thickets and dune woodlands. All day, bring lunch.
November 21 – (SUNDAY) – Field Trip, 8:00 AM. Kent County Waterfowl. Twenty or more species of ducks and geese migrate through or to Kent County. We will explore landings, small ponds, and Chesapeake Bay to see how many of them have arrived before Thanksgiving. Half day, bring snacks.
December 19 – (SUNDAY) – Lower Kent County Christmas Bird Count. Full day of counting, followed by count down dinner. Contact compiler Nancy Martin for area assignments or more information.
Spring 2011
January 8 – (SATURDAY) - Field Trip, 8:00 AM. Kick off your birding year with a half-day at Eastern Neck NWR for waterfowl, eagles, and winter land birds.
January 22 – (SATURDAY) – Field Trip, 8:00 AM. Ocean City, Worcester County. Our annual search for winter specialties including gannet, sea ducks, alcids, gulls, Purple Sandpipers, and wintering songbirds. Full day. Dress warmly, bring lunch and warm beverages.
February 6 – (SUNDAY) – Field Trip: Winter Count. Full day. Join the field crew or count in your neighborhood, anywhere in Kent County. Contact one of the leaders for more information.
February 26 – (SATURDAY) – Field Trip, 8:00 AM. Kent Landings, Kent County. The county landings on the Chester River provide good waterfowl viewing. We will visit a selection of landings to look for sea ducks such as goldeneye and mergansers, and rafts of Ruddy Duck, Canvasback, and both scaup. We will also be alert for anything else, including both eagle species.
March 6 – (SUNDAY) – Field Trip, 8:00 AM. Chesapeake Farms, Kent County. Wintering waterfowl, raptors, White-crowned and other sparrows. Half day, bring snacks.
March 26 - (SATURDAY) – Field Trip: Owl Prowl. Meet at the Eastern Neck NWR Lodge at 7:00 PM. With cooperative weather, we hope this trip will bring us face to face with an owl or two after an introduction to local species and their calls.
April 9 – (SATURDAY) – Field Trip, 8:00 AM. Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, Kent Island. We will search the fields, waters and woods for songbird migrants including sparrows & early warblers, and water birds including late waterfowl, herons, and gannets. Full day, bring lunch.
April 30 – (SATURDAY) – Field Trip, 8:00 AM. Millington WMA, Kent County. Early migrants and open-country birds – Songbird migration should be just getting into high gear in the woods and meadows of this excellent location for migrants and breeding forest birds. Half day.
May 7 – (SATURDAY) – Beginner’s Bird Walk, 9:00 AM. Libby’s Nature Trail, Kent County. An attractive wooded trail hosting nesting woodpeckers, Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Wood Thrush, and Scarlet Tanager, that is also attractive to migratory songbirds. Half day.
May 14 – (SATURDAY) – Field Trip: May Count. An all-day effort to census as much of Kent County as possible. Join a field party or count in your neighborhood. Contact one of the leaders for details.
May 21 – (SATURDAY) – Field Trip, 8:00 AM. Delaware Bay Shorebirds and Horseshoe Crabs. The annual May gathering of northbound shorebirds including large numbers of Red Knot and Ruddy Turnstones in bright breeding dress feeding on Horseshoe Crab eggs along the shores of Delaware Bay is a migration spectacle. We will visit the Delaware Bay shore from Prime Hook north to Mispillion Light; an area also good for coastal marsh birds, gulls and terns. Full day, bring lunch.
