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Birdwatching in Worcester County, Maryland
 | | Osprey, Assateague Island |
Thanks to our ecological diversity, Worcester County hosts a spectacular variety of birds, both resident and migratory--over 350 species have been recorded.
From our Atlantic coastline across the Pocomoke Forest and down our scenic Pocomoke River, we are home to pelicans and pewees, kingbirds and cuckoos, herons, harriers and eagles.
The nature of the county, with its coastal habitat and temperate climate, puts Worcester in the northernmost breeding range of several southern birds; although not found every year, there are recent breeding records of the Gull-billed Tern, Wilson's Plover, Brown Pelican, and Swainson's Warbler.
The southernmost winter sightings of the Common and King Eider, Harlequin Duck Purple Sandpiper and Great Cormorant often occur at the rock jetties of the Ocean City Inlet.
If you're looking for the Yellow-throated Warbler, Blue Grosbeak or Brown-headed Nuthatch...Boat-tailed Grackles, Horned Larks or Peregrine Falcons...a Willet or Chuck-will's widow--your best chances in Maryland are here in Worcester County.
Birding in Worcester County is a chance to experience the unspoiled wilderness which attracts, sustains and protects so much natural life. Within a radius of just a few miles exist the unique--yet easily accessible--worlds of a barrier island, a cypress swamp, centuries-old forest, tidal wetlands and secluded fields. Stop anywhere along the road and you'll be able to observe an abundance of birds which inhabit the immediate vicinity. State and national parks in the county offer camping, nature trails and guided tours, inviting you to share the beauty of our native landscape.
Abundant and uncommon Sightings follow the Seasons
Each season offers special opportunities for birding in Worcester County.
Come spring, the Pocomoke Forest is alive with nesting activity. Local residents, such as the Brown-headed Nuthatch, are visible before the arrival of nothern migrants--the White-eyed Vireo, Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Wood Pewee and the Worm-eating and Black-and-white Warblers. Now is the perfect time for canoeing on the Pocomoke River, where kingfishers are diving, Wood Ducks are nesting, and where you may spot a Bald Eagle high in the cypress trees. Large tracts of unbroken woodland throughout the county are especially attractive to migrant nesters. And in May, the extensive mud flats north of the Route 50 Bridge to Ocean City play host to a constant passage of shorebirds.
All summer long the Barn Swallows skim the inlets, rivers and ponds...Summer and Scarlet Tanagers blaze into the open...Meadowlarks cruise the fields and Indigo Buntings skirt the woods where Ruby-throated Hummingbirds buzz the honeysuckle.
It's a sure sign of fall when lone kestrels appear on the powerlines and the sky fills with rippling chains of Canada and Snow Geese, many settling here for the winter. Along the coast, Assateague witnesses innumerable migratory species, including Peregrine Falcons, Merlins and enormous flocks of Tree Swallows. Close offshore Northern Gannets pass by the hundreds.
During the winter, deserted beaches, back bays and the Ocean City inlet are home to Harlequin Ducks and Canvasbacks, Purple Sandpipers and eiders. Inland, the season brings the familiar cardinals, jays, chickadees and titmice into the open...Bobwhites rise suddenly from brush along the ditchbanks...and Eastern Bluebirds dazzle in the bare branches.
Birdwatchers Map of Worcester County
Pocomoke River
 | | Tricolored Herons, Assateague Island |
One of the nation’s unique scenic rivers, the Pocomoke winds among bald cypress at their northernmost range, then empties into Pocomoke Sound. As it twists through the Pocomoke State Forest, it offers sightings of timid interior dwellers rarely seen in the open. The forest shelters many rare plants and wildflowers as well. Along the river’s course, hawks, Ospreys and Bald Eagles fish, while wading birds stalk the shoreline. The Nature Conservancy has purchased large tracts of scenic, undisturbed land along the Nassawango Creek where wildlife, birdlife and flowers are plentiful. Many unique species can also be found here. The best way to explore the Pocomoke is by boat; there are several boat ramps in the Pocomoke City vicinity and in Snow Hill, where canoe rentals are also available.
Milburn Landing/Shad Landing
The two areas of Pocomoke Rivers State Park are located on opposite sides of the river, each with camping facilities and nature trails. Shad Landing features a marina, boat rentals and a river tour.
Branch Crossings
Wherever the road crosses the Pocomoke River or Nassawango Creek, there is an excellent opportunity in spring to see the bottomlands and forest birds of the area. The best vantages are Old Furnace Crossing, Whiton Crossing, Porters Crossing and Millville Crossing. Bald Eagles often are sighted at Massey and Purnell Crossings.
The area from Whiton Crossing to Route 12, south and west across Nassawango Creek to where Fleming Mill Road meets Dividing Creek is a prime area for song birds. Extreme care should be taken on some of the sand roads.
Pocomoke Cypress Swamp
A well known Bald Eagle roost. Due to a great increase in the population of Bald Eagles in the Chesapeake Bay area, these majestic birds sometimes congregate here in flocks of up to fifty.
Keep an eye out for:
· Wood Duck
· Wild Turkey
· Yellow-Billed Cuckoo
· Barred Owl
· Chuck-will's widow
· Pileated Woodpecker
· Great Crested Flycatcher
· Eastern Phoebe
· Nuthatch (White-breasted; Brown-headed)
· Vireo (White-eyed; Yellow-throated)
· Warbler Hooded); Kentucky; Prairie; Prothonotary; Pine; Black and White; Northern Parula; Ovenbird; Worm-Eating)
· Louisiana Waterthrush
· Yellow-breasted Chat
· American Redstart
· Summer Tanager
Ocean City
Inlet
During the winter, the inlet and rock jetties attract a variety of diving ducks, eiders and shorebirds, including Purple Sandpipers and Ruddy Turnstones; also various gulls such as Little Gull, Bonaparte's Gull and occasional white winged gulls.
Pelagic
Charter boats from Ocean City offer birdwatching trips to the Continental Shelf. It is usually necessary to go a minimum of 10-20 miles offshore to see these birds:
· Shearwater (Cory's; Greater)
· Wilson's Storm-Petrel
· Skua
· Razorbill
· Black-legged Kittiwake
· Atlantic Puffin
· Dovekie
4th Street Mud Flats
4th Street on the bayside in Ocean City overlooks mud flats which are a popular stop-over for many waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls and other waterbirds. The parking lot and boardwalk along the water make it a great vantage point for observing the birds. Look for American Oystercatchers in numbers and a large colony of Black Skimmers, as well as Common and Least Terns.
West Ocean City Pond and Griffin Ponds
A fantastic variety of waterfowl congregate here. Look for Canvasbacks in winter, Black-crowned Night Herons year-round. During fall and spring migrations, eight to ten species of puddle ducks can be seen; the Fulvous Whistling Duck and the Anhinga have been sighted in recent years. These ponds also attract the Pied-billed Grebe and many herons and egrets.
Georges Island Landing, Taylor's Landing & Public Landing
These three sites offer parking and access to the western shoreline of Chincoteague Bay. Inland, great flocks of Snow Geese settle in the open fields.
Keep and eye out for:
· Heron (Great Blue; Little Blue; Tricolored)
· Egret (Snowy; Great)
· Hooded Merganser
· Yellow Warbler
· Sparrow (Sharp-tailed; Seaside)
Delaware Wildlands Conservation Area
Swamp Road and Blueberry Road provide an opportunity to look for unusual Warblers in the spring. Swainson's Warbler has bred sporadically in this area during the last 10 years. The swamp itself, which is impenetrable and dangerous due to quicksand, supports all bottomland birds and acts as a "trap" for birds migrating north in spring.
Assateague Island
The 30-mile stretch of beach, scrub, salt marsh and mud flats (extending into Virginia) is the refuge of the brown Pelican (at the northern tip of their breeding range), uncommon oystercatchers, ubiquitous gulls and the endangered Piping Plover. An unspoiled wilderness and a major migratory stop-over, Assateague offes new birdwatching discoveries throughout the year. Birders should be warned, however, that mosquitos and biting flies can make for uncomfortable conditions, especially in the summer, and that poison ivy is pervasive.
The Assateague Island National Seashore maintains camping facilities year-round, marked nature trails, and conducts guided tours during the summer months.
Keep and eye out for:
Coastal Birds
· Loon (Common; Red-throated)
· Northern Gannet (offshore--can be seen from the beach)
· Brown Pelican
· Cormorant (Great; Double-crested)
· Gull (Glaucous; Iceland; Greater Black-backed; Common Black-headed; Little; Bonaparte's)
· Tern (Common; Least; Royal; Forster's; Caspian; Gull-billed)
Shorebirds
· Plover (Piping; Semipalmated)
· American Oystercatcher
· Sandpiper (Spotted; Least; Western; Sanderling; Semipalmated; Dunlin)
· Willet
· Marbled Godwit
Wading and Marsh Birds
· American Bittern
· Heron (Black-crowned; Yellow-crowned; Great Blue; Little Blue; Tricolored)
· Egret (Snowy; Great)
· Glossy Ibis
· Rail (King; Clapper; Virginia)
Geese, Ducks and Other Waterbirds
· Grebe (Horned; Pied-billed)
· Goose (Snow; Canada)
· Brant
· Duck (Canvasback; Harlequin; Oldsquaw; Bufflehead; Lesser Scaup; Greater Scaup; Red-breasted Merganser)
· Eider (King; Common)
· Scoter (White-winged; Common; Surf)
· Common Goldeneye
· Swan (Tundra; Mute)
Raptors
· Osprey
· American Kestrel
· Merlin
· Peregrine Falcon
· Owl (Short-eared; Great Horned; Northern Saw-whet)
Land Birds
· Horned Lark
· Yellow-rumped Warbler
· Common Yellowthroat
· Sparrow (Seaside; Song)
· Lapland Longspur
· Snow Bunting
· Boat-tailed Grackle
Fields & Farmland
Meadows and cultivated fields throughout the county support a remarkable abundance of colorful birds, many of them year-round residents.
Keep and eye out for:
· Cattle Egret
· Northern Bobwhite
· Killdeer
· Eastern Kingbird
· Horned Lark
· Purple Martin
· Barn Swallow
· Eastern Bluebird
· Sparrow (Field; Grasshopper)
· Indigo Bunting
· Eastern Meadowlark
· Orchard Oriole
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