Beans, Birds & Beers

Grab coffee at Arena’s Cafe or Notting Hill Coffee Roasters in Lewes, DE, before the morning field trip begins at 8:00 am at the Seaside Nature Center at Cape Henlopen State Park.  We’ll bird the hotspots around Cape Henlopen during the morning until noon and break for lunch in Lewes.

At 2:00 pm, we’ll board the Thelma Dale V for a three-hour late winter boat tour around the Delaware Bay breakwaters and Cape Henlopen as we search for scoters, loons, Great Cormorants, Purple Sandpipers — and seals! On our March 9, 2019 boat trip, we counted 65 Harbor and Gray Seals!

We’ll end the adventure with a Happy Hour tally rally at Irish Eyes at 5:00 pm. You can register for one trip or both.

MORNING

Cape Henlopen State Park (DRIVING/HIKING)
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Cost: $25/person
Meeting Location: Seaside Nature Center at Cape Henlopen State Park

Please note: Cost does not include entry fee for Cape Henlopen State Park. Access is granted with a Delaware State Parks Annual Pass, or with a day-use fee of $5/vehicle with DE tags or $10/vehicle with out-of-state tags. For more information, please visit Delaware State Parks Passes, Tags & Fees.

Meet your guides at the Seaside Nature Center at Cape Henlopen State Park for an overview of the day’s itinerary. After watching the bird feeders at the Nature Center, we’ll caravan through Cape Henlopen State Park. The largest state park in Delaware has much to offer birders in late winter. Located where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic, the park contains pitch pine forest, forested wetland, tidal marsh, dunes and beach habitats that support a wide array of bird life. Participants on this trip are sure to see Brown-headed Nuthatch, loons, scoters and other bay and sea ducks. Less common or rare birds that may be encountered include “Ipswich” Savannah Sparrow, Razorbill, Great Cormorant, and Lesser Black-backed Gull. After our morning adventure, we’ll break for lunch before the afternoon boat trip.

AFTERNOON

Lewes Boat Trip (BOAT TOUR)
2:00 – 5:00 pm
Cost: $60/person (includes tip for First Mate)
Meeting Location: Fisherman’s Wharf in Lewes, DE