Tentative Schedule-

Monday 6/24      10:30    

Arrive and check-in.  Lunch on campus will be followed by a brief orientation and some get to know each other activities.  Then we’ll head out to the Washington College River and Field Campus to explore the 228 acre restored grasslands.  After dinner on campus, we’ll go to Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge in search of owls, rails and other nocturnal birds.

 

Tuesday 6/25     

Breakfast on the road as we get a pre-dawn start for our trip to explore the forests and riversides of Susquehanna State Park.  Here we hope to find breeding warblers difficult to find on the upper shore.  After lunch at the park’s rest area we’ll continue birding the park and maybe check out Swan Harbor on our way back to Chestertown.  Dinner out.  Evening discussion on eBird, data collection and citizen science.

 

Wednesday 6/26 

Breakfast on the road again as we head to the marshes and wetlands of Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware.  Here we will work on shorebird identification, finding secretive marsh birds and adding additional breeding birds to the week’s list. We will have a picnic lunch at the refuge and will meet with refuge biologist to hear about their work.  Dinner on campus.  Evening lecture with Washington College biology professor Dr. Jennie Carr.

 

Thursday 6/27 

Breakfast on the road as we make our way to the Foreman’s Branch Bird Observatory located 15 minutes away on Washington College’s River and Field Campus.  Here we will spend the morning observing bird banding.  In addition to learning about its scientific uses, participants will have the opportunity to see species up close, allowing for finer study of bird plumage, molt, and morphology.  We’ll have lunch back on campus.  Participants check out at 12:30