Who’s up for some birds, beer, and socially distanced fun?
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Well, dust off your binoculars, ready your hand sanitizer, and head on down to eastern Maryland for Delmarva Birding Weekends’ second annual “Oktobirdfest.”
From Friday October 9 through Sunday October 11, birdwatchers are invited to experience the best fall birding the Delmarva Peninsula has to offer with a variety of guided excursions.
Trips to Maryland shore towns like Ocean City and Berlin, as well as other scenic locations in Sussex County, Delaware, and Worcester County, Maryland, will run throughout the weekend.
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© arlohemphill/Getty Images
Eastern Maryland, here we come!
Unlike Oktobirdfest 2019, this year’s fun will not include stops at local breweries due to COVID-19. Visits to the area’s breweries are optional and on an “on-your-own” basis.
Fortunately, the birds aren’t impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Dave Wilson, one of the weekend’s organizers, told WTOP that this time of year is particularly rewarding because you have a unique combination of birds in the region. According to Wilson, birds like plovers have arrived after breeding near the Arctic Circle, joining the resident tricolored herons, egrets, and little blue herons which haven’t yet migrated South for the winter. You might also catch a glimpse of birds of prey such as bald eagles and peregrine falcons.
“They’re just spectacular birds, really good stuff to see,” Wilson said, adding that the trips are not exclusive for expert birdwatchers.
“Most of our birders are beginners,” he continued. “There are no snotty birders or anything like that, we’re there to have fun and spend time out doors.”
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All events will have proper social distancing measures in place as part of their coronavirus restriction plans. It also includes hand sanitizer and mask-wearing requirements when groups cannot stay more than six feet apart.
Registration is now open. Visit DelmarvaBirding.com for tickets and more information.