Field Trips

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2021-2022 Calendar of Events
The Cecil Bird Club will be holding limited field trips through early summer.  All dates should be considered tentative and subject to current pandemic restrictions.  It is highly recommended that you contact trip leaders a day or so before the scheduled trip.  Email addresses are listed at the end of this page.  New participants are welcome – membership is not required to participate in field trips. All are free and open to the public. Please read Trip and Meeting Participation Guidelines below.

JANUARY

Saturday, (1/22/2022)
Ocean City Area & Beyond
A classic trip to The prime Maryland winter birding hotspot. The Ocean City inlet hosts an unequaled variety of wintering ducks, possibly including all 3 scoters, Long-tailed, Harlequin Ducks, Mergansers, and maybe even an Eider or two. Add to that Red-throated and Common Loons, a grebe or two, Great Cormorant, Northern Gannet, Purple Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, and possibilities of rare gulls or a Razorbill. Over at Skimmer Island, there could be some shorebirds, and some Brant should be about. The ponds in the vicinity should hold an assortment of Canvasback, Redhead, Wigeon, Gadwall, Bufflehead, Ruddy, Teal, Shoveler – a great chance for good views to study the plumages at the time of year when their colors are brightest.
Meet at the Oceanic Motel located at the inlet just before the entrance to Ocean City Inlet Parking Lot at 9:00 A.M. Bring breakfast, lunch and snack, or money to buy take-out food on the way.
Dress for extreme cold and wind. Bring scope if you have one. Easy walking on level ground.
Trip Leader: Sean  McCandless
FEBRUARY
Saturday, (2/19/22)
Northeast Community Park
Whether you think gulls are gorgeous or hopelessly confusing, do we have a location for you! Join local gull expert Sean McCandless for a session of gull watching and identification. With numbers ranging from the hundreds to a couple of thousand, you might spot a rare Iceland, Glaucous or Lesser Black-backed Gull among the crowd. You never know what will show up!
Meet in the Northeast Community Park parking lot at 10 a.m. for this two-hour trip.
Trip Leader: Sean  McCandless
MARCH
Saturday,  3/5/2022)
Perryville Community Park
One of Cecil County’s prime duck viewing locations. A half-day of seeking out winter waterfowl at Perryville Community Park, and along the Susquehanna River. Dress for extreme cold and wind. Bring scope if you have one. A mix of driving and some walking.
Meet at Perryville Community Park….the parking area in front of the baseball fields on the right hand side. Meet at  9:00 a.m. for a half day trip.
Trip Leader: Sean McCandless
Saturday, (3/19/2022)
Blackwater & Beyond
This trip is designed to see good numbers of waterfowl during the height of spring staging season, at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County.  Bald Eagles are a common feature there as well. Ospreys, Tree Swallows, Pine Warblers may be newly arrived and a good tic for someone’s year list. Also, it’s a good possibility to see early shorebirds like Yellowlegs, White Pelicans as well as the pine woodland specialty and one of my favorite birds, the Brown-headed Nuthatch.
After Blackwater, we will likely make a stop in Cambridge at Oakley Street to get an up close and personal look at Canvasbacks, Redheads, American Widgeon and more.
Meet at the parking lot of Blackwater Headquarters at 9:00 a.m. for a long half-day trip and bring a few dollars for the entrance fee. See the Backwater NWR website for directions. Bring breakfast, lunch and snacks; there are few opportunities to purchase food in the vicinity. Dress for possible extreme cold and wind. Bring scope if you have one. Some easy walking on level ground.
Trip Leader: Sean McCandless
APRIL
Saturday, April 2
Fair Hill,  8:00
Saturday, April 16
Woodlawn
Woodlawn is a restored landfill that is a model for transforming an eyesore into a sight for sore eyes. Join us for a leisurely stroll around the fields and woods of this re-awakening natural area.
Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the Woodlawn Parking Area for a ½ day nature walk. Carpooling is encouraged Directions:
From I-95, take the Perryville, Rtes 275/222 exit north. Follow 275/222 north a few miles to Rte 276. Turn right, follow about 1 mile, turn left on Firetower Rd. Preserve (with parking lot) is on the left, just after the intersection with Waibel Rd.
From Port Deposit, take MD-276 (Tome Highway) towards Rising Sun. Take a left onto Firetower Road (past the Mobil station and across from the Land Hope Farms store). Less than a mile later, you will pass the entrance to the county transfer/recycling center. Immediately after the center’s entrance, The Woodlawn Wildlife Area gate is on the left.
From Rising Sun, take Rt 276 (Tome Highway) south to Rt 269, Barnes Corner Road. Turn right (west) onto Barnes Corner and then right at the first intersection onto Harrisville Rd, which becomes Firetower Rd at the West Nottingham Academy gate. Continue south on Firetower Rd to the entrance to the Wildlife Area, just past the intersection of Colora Rd on the right.
Trip leader: Ken Drier
MAY
May (date to be determined)
Bird Count DOS Bird-a-thon
The Delaware Ornithological Society holds an annual Bird-a-thon to raise awareness (and funding!) for shorebirds, especially the Red Knot, whose numbers have declined precipitously in just a few years. Our club has participated many times, and it is always fun. We have counted as many as 82 species!  No trip leader on this one and no formal trip.  Everyone is on his/her own.  Enjoy yourself in Delaware.  If you want to count species and/or donate to DOS, contact Paula or Maryanne.
Saturday, May  7  
Fair Hill NWMA – 7:30 am North Appleton Parking Lot
Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area (Fair Hill NRMA) has designated approximately 100 acres of grassland as preserved habitat for ground-nesting birds. This unique program will benefit Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks, Grasshopper Sparrows, and Northern Bobwhite, bird species whose numbers are in decline. Fair Hill NRMA and its contracted hay farmer have collaborated on a strategic mowing schedule that leaves the prime nesting area uncut through mid-July.
meeting place is at the North Appleton Parking lot. Parking Lot #3 (2895 Appleton Road) – Also known as the North Appleton Parking Lot. From the Rt. 273/Rt. 213 intersection: Drive East on Rt. 273 until the intersection with Appleton Road. Turn left on Appleton Road, drive approximately one mile to the intersection of Appleton Road and Black Bridge Road. Parking lot is located on your left.
Trip Leader: Ken Drier
Saturday, May 14
Fair Hill – 7:30 am – North Appleton Road Lot
Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area (Fair Hill NRMA) has designated approximately 100 acres of grassland as preserved habitat for ground-nesting birds. This unique program will benefit Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks, Grasshopper Sparrows, and Northern Bobwhite, bird species whose numbers are in decline. Fair Hill NRMA and its contracted hay farmer have collaborated on a strategic mowing schedule that leaves the prime nesting area uncut through mid-July.
meeting place is at the North Appleton Parking lot. Parking Lot #3 (2895 Appleton Road) – Also known as the North Appleton Parking Lot. From the Rt. 273/Rt. 213 intersection: Drive East on Rt. 273 until the intersection with Appleton Road. Turn left on Appleton Road, drive approximately one mile to the intersection of Appleton Road and Black Bridge Road. Parking lot is located on your left.
Trip Leader: Ken Drier
June
July
August
September
Saturday, (9/24/2022)
Turkey Point 
Join us for the traditional walk through the woods and fields for migrant songbirds, including warblers, vireos, flycatchers and more. Be prepared for a round-trip hike to the Point, a distance of about two miles. The pace will be leisurely. Most of the walking is on a gravel road with good footing, but there are a few hilly sections. Wear long pants, comfortable shoes/boots for walking. Bring drinks and/or snacks. Sunscreen and bug spray are strongly recommended.
Meet at the Turkey Point Parking Lot at 7:30 a.m. for a half-day trip. From the town of North East, go south on Rt. 272 about 11 miles. The road ends at the parking lot.
Trip leader: Sean  McCandless
October
November
December
Contacts: 
Ken Drier (kdrier@zoominternet.net)
Sean McCandless (seanmccandless1@gmail.com)
Paula Conescenti (paulagc@comcast.net)
June Mundis (jmundis@zoominternet.net)
Maryanne Dolan (maryanne.dolan@gmail.com)
 
Trip and Meeting Participation Guidelines
• All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise indicated (some destinations have an admission fee or will require payment of road/bridge toll).
• Due to limited parking, reservations may be necessary for some field trips, and carpooling is always encouraged.
• It is a courtesy to contact the trip leader (shown in the last column) if you are planning to attend a field trip.
• Please try to arrive at the field trip meeting place ten to fifteen minutes before the stated time to ensure you are not left behind.
• Trips designated as half-day are usually over by noon.
• It is a good idea to pack a lunch and drink for any trips designated full day.
• In inclement weather:
o Field trips may be canceled due to heavy rain or snow. The trip leader will call you if you have indicated you will attend.
o Bird counts may be canceled because of weather—if in doubt, contact the trip leader.
o Meetings may be canceled because of severe weather and dangerous driving conditions; such cancellations (meetings only, not field trips) will be announced via e-mail.
• For general trip information, to suggest a destination, or to volunteer as a trip leader, contact Ken Drier
• For more events, check the statewide MOS calendar.
• Most importantly, have fun!
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