Join us for a birding field trip at Fort Smallwood with Pete Givan! This place is a little out of the way, but a really great birding spot at the mouth of the Patapsco River. We hope to see a good assortment of songbirds and water birds.
What to bring: Bring your field guides and binoculars. Dress for the weather—it will be the middle of March so the weather could be just about anything. Whatever the weather, the birding should be good!
Location: Fort Smallwood [Map and instructions for where to meet will be emailed to participants after they register.]
Carpooling is encouraged: Due to the park’s entrance fee ($6.00 or $5.00 for seniors) we encourage carpooling. Please email Emily at eglaeser@marylandnature.org and she can put you in contact with others who would like to carpool.
Cost: Please register and pay on our website: https://marylandnature.org/events/
$15 Non-NHSM Member, $10 NHSM Member [Please note that there is an additional $6 ($5 for seniors) park entrance fee.]
About our leader: Mr. Givan began to take an interest in birding when he was growing up. His mother was an amateur birder and that affinity was passed on to him. He casually identified birds in his youth and then came college and the military where he moved away from that activity. It wasn’t until his forties when he began birding again. In 1997 he began working for the Wild Bird Centers which focus on backyard birding. He took it a step further and began leading local bird walks. His birding circle which consists of around 60 people has birded not only locally, but along the Eastern Shore, Cape May, and Western Maryland. Now that Mr. Givan has retired from running a Wild Bird Center storefront he hopes to expand his birding areas to include many more states throughout the country.
One of Mr. Givan’s goals while running his store was to get young folks interested in birding. One young man (Cameron) has birded with him for the last 5 years. He is now 17 and a birding phenom. Mr. Givan has sponsored him to go to a couple of birding summer camps to learn more about bird behavior and bird habitat which are just as important in making a proper identification. Needless to say, Mr. Givan is a valuable asset to the birding community and we can’t wait to get out in the field with him!
Mr. Givan, like most of the other people who lead NHSM field trips, is a volunteer, so your money will go directly to support the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible. Donate or become a member of the Natural History Society of Maryland by visiting https://marylandnature.org/support-maryland-nature/.
