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The Delmarva Birding Weekend celebrates the spring migration of thousands of warblers, shorebirds, waterfowl and raptors.
The weekend combines boat trips, paddling treks, and expeditions by foot, and takes place Wednesday through Sunday, April 23 - 27.
The Delmarva Peninsula possesses an extensive variety of environments, including barrier islands, tidal wetlands, cypress swamps, upland fields and primeval forests. Field trips take place in the lands and waters that feed into the Chesapeake and Delaware bays and the Atlantic coastal bays. More than 300 bird species have been recorded in the region. One hundred ninety species were tallied during the 2007 event.
More than 40 field trips take place during the Delmarva Birding Weekend (DBW). Fourteen new trips have been added for the 2008 event, and some trips have already sold out. This year, nine trips will take place in Southern Delaware including tours of the Little Assawoman Bay, Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, the Broadkill River, DuPont Nature Center, Thompson Island Nature Preserve, and Cape Henlopen State Park. For the first year, the Cape May-Lewes Ferry will be providing birders with the opportunity to bird the Delaware Bay as well as the Cape May Light House and Higbee Beach in Cape May, N.J.
For the second year in a row, there will be a Beer, Birds & Bocce Tally Rally taking place from 5 to 7 p.m., Thursday, April 24, at the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in historic Milton. DBW participants will have the chance to compare notes over Dogfish’s award-winning ales as well as tour the facility and play on its bocce ball courts. A Rehoboth Beach Tally Rally and Green Drinks event will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, April 25, at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Aubrey Manzo, Southern Delaware Tourism’s marketing manager, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Delmarva Birding Weekend participants to Southern Delaware and to be given the opportunity to showcase Sussex County’s natural treasures to birders from all across the nation. The event continues to grow, year after year, and we could not be more excited to take part in such a fantastic event.”
Due to the popularity of the Delmarva Birding Weekend, and the variety of birding experiences in Southern Delaware, the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce will host the first annual Quiet Resorts Birding Weekend Oct. 17-19 to offer an autumn birding experience.
Participants will also be helping to promote bird and habitat conservation. Birders, both novice and experienced, can make an important statement about the economic value of birds and their habitats through low-impact tourism. Birders are encouraged to remind local businesses that they are here to enjoy Delmarva’s natural areas and the birds that inhabit them.
The Delmarva Birding Weekend is sponsored by Clear Into the Future - A DuPont Delaware Estuary Initiative, Delmarva Power and the Cape May-Lewes Ferry.
For more information about the Delmarva Birding Weekend, please visit www.delmarvabirdingweekend.org or call 443-944-8097.
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