Itinerary (Gourmet eating suggestions optional! Birding mandatory).

Friday 12 May
Gourmet Breakfast: Helen’s Sausage House 2m N of Smyrna on Rt 13.
Morning: Meet 7.30 am Bombay Hook NWR HQ. Bird all morning here. Warblers in the woods, waders in the water ….
Gourmet Lunch: Sambo’s (crabs etc) in Leipsic.
Afternoon: Little Creek WMA; Port Mahon Road, HQ area, Pickering Beach Road. Ted Harvey Conservation area. Drive to Seaford.
Gourmet Dinner: “Nautico” on US 13 in Seaford - an old fishing boat.
Night: Motellers have many options in Seaford (cheapest amongst the chains seems to be Best Western; Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn, Hampton Inn etc available) on or near US 13; closer for the next day would be the Relax Inn in Laurel, a few miles to the south on US 13. Campers will go to Trap Pond State Park, 5 miles east of Laurel on Rt 24. There are options to tents – cabins (sleep 4) and yurts are available. For details and prices see http://www.destateparks.com/Activities/camping/camprates.asp and scroll down to Campsites at Trap Pond State Park. We tried the cabins last year as it was a wet night and it worked well (other than the walk to the bathroom!).

Saturday 13 May
Gourmet Breakfast: Not very gourmet but Hardees and Dunkin Donuts are on US 13 northbound at Laurel. Not much else around.
Morning: Meet at Philips Landing boat launch in Nanticoke WMA at 7.00am. Directions: From US 13 at Laurel go west on Rt 24 through the town, over the railroad, and hang a right at the gas station (called First Stop) on to Rt 492. Follow small brown signs to Philips Landing boat launch, about 6m. from Laurel. We’ll bird Cherry Walk to the Nanticoke River - allow at least 3 hours. After, we’ll cross the river by the free ferry at Woodland and bird Chapel Branch Nature Area near Seaford.
Gourmet Lunch: The Pit at Laurel (BBQ) - opposite the Relax Inn.
Afternoon: Trussom Pond, Trap Pond State Park, other spots.
Gourmet dinner: The Old Mill at Delmar (Maryland crabs). There will be a wait.
Night: As Friday night.

Sunday 14 May
Gourmet Breakfast: NONE in Gumboro! The diner burnt down last year and has been demolished! You’ll need to allow for this as there’s nowhere else between Rt 13 and Rt 113.
Morning: Meet at the bridge at about 7.15am over the Pocomoke in the Cypress Swamp. We’ll be there for at least an hour, so exact timing not essential. Directions (important): go east on Rt 24 from Laurel or Trap Pond SP to the T-junction at Rt 26/30. Turn right (s) and proceed to Gumboro. Take Rt 54 from Gumboro, but hang a right onto Rt 413 almost immediately (50 yards). Proceed to T-junction and turn right onto Rt 419. Proceed to a second T (Bethel church on r) and turn left onto Bethel Road (you’re now in MD and roads are named rather than numbered). In one mile turn left onto Sheppard’s Crossing Rd. The meeting bridge is one mile down this road. In this area most of the morning. Leave the Swamp east to Selbyville for a search for the Eurasian Collared-Dove.
Gourmet Lunch: Em-Ing’s BBQ just south of Selbyville.
Afternoon: Work our way north. Redden State Forest (Red-headed Woodpecker), Ellendale (Vesper Sparrow), coastal spots.
Gourmet Dinner: Stewarts Brewing Co. at Bear (just s. of Wilmington). The brewer is DVOC member Herc Hoffman’s son.