Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 22:15:25 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Norm Saunders Subject: Re: Question - OC Jetty In-Reply-To: <796AE5A4C0638049B323BA4D8D9EF1720431D5@mail.lcv.org> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Denise Ryan asks: > Can someone tell me where to find the famous Ocean City=20 Jetty? I'm > planning my first OC birding excursion to that=20 area over the > holidays and I would like to start around that=20 area assuming the > lighting is right. Any recommendations for=20 modest hotels open near > the jetty is also welcome. Reply off=20 line please. Denise, I'm replying to you on-line because there may well be other folks out there who haven't been to Ocean City and who would love to have the answers as well. My first recommendation is to search out a copy of Claudia Wilds' book "Birding in the National Capital Area." It is published by Smithsonian Press and should still be available through the American Birding Association, the Audubon Naturalist Society, or local bird feeding stores. Although becoming sadly dated in many respects, it is still a wonderful guide to birding hotspots in Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware. Second, get good maps and use them to search out likely spots--get the De Lorme book for MD/DE and also, if you want to begin collecting good maps, the ADC book maps for all of the MD counties you want to visit. Start with Worcester County though, the home of Ocean City and other wonderful birding opportunities. One place to stay near Ocean City, is the Francis Scott Key, a clean and relatively inexpensive motel on Rt. 50, just west of the bridge into Ocean City. Their phone number is 410-213-0088. To get to Ocean City, take Rt. 50 from the beltway, cross the Bay Bridge, then continue on Rt. 50 all the way to the bridge that crosses Sinepuxent Bay into Ocean City proper. Just after crossing that bridge you will turn right at the first light to head south toward the tip of the island. After about 10 blocks or so you will be forced to turn left and then right and then left again. The final left will dump you into the jetty and inlet parking lot. You can set up your scope on the north jetty wall and look south toward the south jetty, but work in the past year or so has raised the level of the south jetty and made seeing the birds on the other side somewhat problematic. Walk to the southernmost point of the boardwalk (near the entrance into the parking lot)--this will give you some added height and at high tide will allow you to see many of the otherwise hidden birds just on the other side of the south jetty. If you want more information on spots in and around Ocean City to bird, please feel free to ask--there are so many places to recommend that one hardly knows where to begin! If you're thinking of being in Ocean City the weekend after Christmas, consider taking part in the Ocean City Christmas Count which will be on Sunday, December 28th this year. Let me know if you want more info. Best, Norm =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Norm Saunders Colesville & West Ocean City, MD marshhawk@att.net=20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================