Friday, May 9
Registration is open!
We are still waiting for approval to run the North Point State Park trip on Friday, May 9. We will update the website as soon as approval is provided.
MORNING TRIPS
Middle Branch Park/Masonville Cove (DRIVING/HIKING)
Time: 8:00 – 11:00 am
Cost: $30/person
Guides: Bud Poole
Meeting Location: 3301 Waterview Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21230 – meet near the dock behind the Boat House, then Masonville Cove at 1000 Frankfurst Ave, Baltimore, MD
Please note: The parking lot at Masonville Cove is very tight, and there is no nearby street parking. Participants will be asked to carpool to reduce the number of vehicles. Drivers will be asked to return to Middle Branch Park after Masonville Cove. The drive is 5 minutes.
Visitors to Masonville Cove must wear closed-toe shoes with sturdy soles (no open-toe shoes or thin soles).
We will begin at Middle Branch Park, which has 150 acres of woods and open fields located on the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River. We will scope the river and waterfront for waterfowl, shorebirds and wading birds.
Around 9:20 am, we will depart for a 5-minute drive to Masonville Cove, which has 70 acres of protected bird sanctuary on a formerly neglected parcel of land along the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River. Some of the trails are closed to provide a buffer for nesting Bald Eagles. This trip will feature up to two miles of hiking on mostly flat nature trails and dirt roads. Restrooms available.
Hart-Miller Island (BOAT/BUS/HIKING)
Time: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Cost: $65/person
Guides: Tim Carney & Scott Housten
Meeting Location: 2024A Riverview Road, Essex, MD, 21221 – park and meet in the gravel parking area. Use GPS Coordinates: 39.255085, -76.427599
Please note: Hart-Miller Island will be replacing their pier some time this year. If this work is being done on May 9, we will need to cancel the trip. It will likely be rescheduled for another time. If this happens, guests will be offered a choice of refund or ticket transfer to the new date.
Visitors to Hart-Miller Island must wear closed-toe shoes with sturdy soles (no open-toe shoes or thin soles).
Please also note: The Hart-Miller Island field trip sold out at 12:30 pm on Friday, March 28. If you wish to be added to the waitlist, please email dmvbirds@gmail.com with your name and the number in your party. If someone cancels, we may be able to add you.
Take a boat to Hart-Miller Island! The island was created as a containment facility for sediment dredged from the access channels to the Baltimore Harbor, and has been restored to provide wildlife habitat. We’ll meet at a land-based location in Essex, MD, and be transported by boat to and from Hart-Miller Island. Once on site, we’ll board a bus to tour the island for birding and learning about its unique history and construction. Restrooms available. Boat departs promptly at 9:00 am, so please arrive early.
AFTERNOON TRIPS
Southwest Area Park + Gwynns Falls Trail South (DRIVING/HIKING)
Time: 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Cost: $30/person
Guides: Jim Rapp
Meeting Location: meet your guides in the parking lot for the Baltimore Highlands Light Rail Station, located at 4113 Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21227. GPS Coordinates: 39.236027, -76.632732
Please note: Free parking lot and/or street parking is available at all sites. For the Gwynns Falls Trail South — if street parking is full on Alluvion and Warner Street near Topgolf (next to the Horseshoe Casino), we may need to park in the parking garage. The cost for parking in the garage should not exceed $5.00.
We’ll begin this field trip with a leisurely ~1.5-mile hike at Southwest Area Park in Brooklyn, MD. The park has a variety of habitats, including open water, wetlands, forests and fields. Following the hike, we’ll then caravan to the Gwynns Falls Trail South, located behind the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore City just 15 minutes by vehicle from Southwest Area Park. We’ll hike ~1 mile on the paved trail while we search for ducks on the water and songbirds in the open meadows. If time allows, we’ll end this tour at nearby Swann Park. The shallow waters near Swann Park provide habitat for waterfowl, gulls and herons.
North Point State Park (DRIVING/HIKING)
Time: 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Cost: $30/person
Guides: Scott Housten
Meeting Location: the park address is 8400 North Point Road, Edgemere, MD 21219, but we will meet at the parking lot just inside the park entrance after the payment kiosk. Use GPS Coordinates: 39.220358, -76.430679
Please note: When you arrive at North Point State Park, participants must pay the entrance fee of $3/vehicle for Maryland residents; $5/vehicle for out-of-state residents.
We are waiting on park approval for this tour. If you are interested, please email dmvbirds@gmail.com with your name and the number in your party. When we reach our minimum, we will open registration.
North Point State Park is a 1,310-acre park southeast of the City of Baltimore, on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patapsco River. The Defenders Trail, which passes through the park, was used by soldiers in the War of 1812, when the area was under siege by the British. From 1906 through 1947, an amusement park was located here, and remnants of the amusement park era still exist in the park. Habitats include a large freshwater marsh, deciduous woodlands, bayshore with an outstanding view of the Chesapeake Bay, meadows, and farm fields. Within the park, a 667-acre section of the Black Marsh Natural Area has been designated a State Wildlands, with special protections that limit uses to passive recreation.
Please note:
- No cancellations are accepted after April 25, 2025. For a further explanation of our refund policy, please click here.
- Trips will go rain or shine, unless torrential rains or dangerous conditions prevent us from viewing wildlife.
- If the trip is canceled, we will notify you via email. Please note that the email will be sent to all participants BCC, so you may need to check your email spam folder. A full refund will be provided within 15 days.