Announcing Fall Bird Walks
Queenstown, Maryland – August 9, 2012 – Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) will offer two bird walks this fall highlighting preserved, publicly accessible properties in Caroline and Dorchester counties.
The first walk will be held at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at ESLC’s Lynch Preserve, near Preston. The property was donated to ESLC by Mary Lynch in 1998 and recently was enhanced with a welcome kiosk, improved trails, trail signs and benches. This 206-acre property is located at the confluence of Robins Creek and the Choptank River. The walk will take us through mixed upland forest and along riparian and forested wetland habitats where we will be looking for a variety of warblers, vireos, thrushes, flycatchers and other fall migrants. The middle of September promises a great variety of birds, often in great quantities. With luck, a nice northwesterly breeze will bring in many birds.
The second walk will be held at 8 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 13, at a property preserved by ESLC in 2008. The 392-acre property is owned by Dorchester County, is preserved with an ESLC/MET easement and is managed in partnership with the adjacent Henson Boy Scout Reserve. The property rests on the banks of Marshyhope Creek and is best known for being home to a globally rare wetland complex known as Wade’s Savannah. Our walk will begin in mixed upland forest and will wind through old sand and gravel borrow pits, along riparian wetland forest, through dry forest associated with an ancient dune complex, and finally to Wade’s Savannah. The walk will be held right in the middle of the late fall migration period, when anything is possible — from interesting local birds, such as the brown-headed nuthatch, to migrating warblers, thrushes, sparrows and hawks.
The cost for each walk is $15 for non-members, $10 for members, and $5 for children ages 6 to 12. For $20, people can join Jared Parks for the walk and receive a one-year membership to ESLC, which comes with exclusive discounts on many ESLC events, such as bird walks and night hikes.
All bird walk participants are encouraged to wear rubber boots and weather-appropriate clothing. Bug spray, a hat, sunscreen, and a full water bottle are also suggested. Don’t forget your binoculars!
If you are interested in joining us for one or both of these walks, please contact Jared Parks at jparks@eslc.org or 410-827-9756 ext. 167 or register here.