The Wonder & the Wow: Birding Cruise on the Essex River

The Essex River estuary is one of the most productive and beautiful stretches of coastal habitat on the North Shore. During this guided cruise, we use binoculars and bird guides to observe and identify egrets, herons, terns, gulls, and shorebirds as they forage in the marsh.

Before we depart, a Joppa Flats Naturalist will walk the group along the salt marsh looking for creatures such as coffee-bean snails, ribbed mussels and live minnows that call the estuary their home.

Learn how the estuary functions as a nursery for marine life, a breeding ground and migratory rest stop for birds, and a landscape shaped by centuries of human use.

The pace is unhurried, the scenery is stunning, and the birding is genuinely excellent. It's a perfect summer evening on the water.