Winter 2013 in Sussex County, DE

Get in the mood, and then head to Florida....before Florida weather get's here in the next few years.

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OLLI Spring 2013 Class Schedule

To all registered participants,

Below is the class schedule, which you should also receive by email. I have tried to add some new locations, and also visit some very reliable older locations. Feel free to email me with any questions.

Bill

billfintel@gmail.com

 

OLLI Spring 2013 Class Schedule

 We will spend as much time as possible birding in the field. On any day when the weather does not permit a field trip, the class will be cancelled. For the latest information on class status see Bill’s blog at http://billfintel.blogspot.com/ . This will be updated by 6 am on any field trip day with questionable weather. Also more detailed directions will be added as needed.

All classes will begin at 8:00 am at the meeting locations noted below. Be sure to bring binoculars. Also check the weather forecast and dress appropriately with a rain resistant windbreaker and footwear suitable for walking about one mile. Insect repellent, sunscreen, water and a snack are recommended. Classes will end by 11 am at the meeting location.

March 27 - Prime Hook NWR Headquarters. We will bird all types of habitats, such as woodlands, fields, marshes, impoundments and bay beaches. Osprey will be back by now, and many waterfowl should still be present.

Apr 3 - Cape Henlopen State Park Nature Center  (sticker required). Northbound raptor migration will be underway, sea ducks should still be present along with Northern Gannets, and we will of course search for two resident specialties, the Piping Plover and Brown-headed Nuthatch.

Apr 10 - Prime Hook NWR Headquarters. On this field trip we will visit several areas we did not visit March 27. Some of our target birds will be early shorebirds, and early woodland migrants like Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Brown Thrasher.

April 24 – Redden State Forrest. We will meet at the Headquarters just north of Georgetown. For directions see http://www.delawarebirdingtrail.org/cp3.html . We should have a mix of resident and transient neotropical migrants. Summer Tanager, Worm-eating Warbler and Red-headed Woodpecker are some species we will search for.

May 8 – Milford Neck Wildlife Management Area. Meet at Prime Hook Headquarters for carpooling to Milford Neck. We will search the woodlands for species like Scarlet Tanager, Acadian and Great-crested Flycatchers, and several species of thrushes, all of which should be in full song. We may also try for the elusive Virginia Rail and Marsh Wren where the road crosses some extensive marshland.

May 15 – Prime Hook State Wildlife Management Area. Meet at Prime Hook Headquarters for carpooling to the State Area. Walking is easy and tick-free along a gravel road through some very old forest. This is an excellent woods for migrants warblers, and for Yellow-throated Vireo, Pileated Woodpecker and Barred Owl.

May 22 - Gordon’s Pond (access from Rehoboth Beach going north up coast) - This area hosts a small but productive maritime forest, and excellent mud flats for shorebirds. We will take an easy walk to an elevated overlook of the pond.

May 29 - Mispillion Nature Center, either meet at Prime Hook at 8:00 am for carpooling to Mispillion, OR meet at the Mispillion Nature Center at 8:30 am. This is our annual spring pilgrimage to witness Horseshoe Crabs spawning and the thousands of shorebirds that feed on their eggs. It is also the best time and place to see the endangered Red Knot.