Cecil Birding Hotspots
C&D Canal Levees |
| Description |
The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
provides a shipping channel between the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays,
and stretches from Delaware City at
the
east end to Welch Point on the Elk River at the west end. The
levees
are the terraced banks of the canal, formed by piling up the dredge
spoils
during the initial digging and successive enlargements of the
canal.
Along much of the levees, roads at different levels of the terraces
allow
public access, and some tracts are designated as national or state
wildlife
areas. The dredge spoils are barren and gravelly, and support a
scrub-shrub
and grassland habitat, with conifers in some areas. Natural
freshwater
pools form in some places. |
| How to get there |
In the Cecil County portion of the
canal, there are three main access
points for vehicles:
- from
North Chesapeake City, take Rt. 285 east into town. Bear right
onto Lock St. and follow the street downhill to the T-intersection at
the
canal. Turn left (east) onto a paved road at the edge of the
canal;
this connects to a system of roads that allows you to drive to St.
George's
in Delaware. The paving ends when the road reaches the state line.
- from
south Chesapeake City, take Rt. 286 east to Bethel
WMA at the intersection of Bethel Cemetary Rd. Turn left
(north)
onto Bethel Cemetary Rd. and continue straight ahead to the entrance to
the canal levees. A left (west) at the levees will take you to a
productive area on the back side of Bethel WMA and the Canal Museum; a
right turn (east) will take you to the Delaware line in just a couple
hundred
feet. On weekdays before 4 p.m., it is possible to enter the
Canal
Museum grounds from the levees and to exit through their gate onto Rt.
286 (gate locked at other times).
- from
south Chesapeake City, use 3rd St. to reach the west side of
town.
Go straight on 3rd and then right to the foot of Walnut, down a steep
hill
to enter the levees. Make a left (west) at the levee road (the
road
to the right is blocked off). This entrance may close without
warning.
For foot access to hunting lands in the C&D Canal area, see the
areas listed below under "Nearby Sites."
|
| Map reference |
- De
Lorme MD State Atlas
Book: map page 78; grid C2.
- ADC
Cecil County Map Book: map page 18; grids E10, J9,
and D10 (access points).
- Google map - click here
|
| What to do
after arrival |
Drive the levee roads, stopping at
likely patches of trees, shrubs,
and grass to look for birds. Pull well off the road to allow other
vehicles to pass. Generally, the road at the lowest levee level (next
to
the canal) is always driveable for ordinary passenger vehicles, but the
dirt roads on upper levels of the levee may require a four-wheel-drive,
high clearance vehicle, especially after wet weather. |
| Birds to look
for |
- Year-round:
raptors, gulls, finches, sparrows.
- Spring,
summer, and fall: shorebirds, waders, swallows, flycatchers,
grosbeaks.
|
| Hours/Fees/Amenities |
No fee; open to vehicles
during daylight hours every day of the
year. The closest public restroom is at the Canal Museum (Monday
- Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.; closed Sunday) or at the
library
in South Chesapeake City (limited hours). There is a picnic area
just outside the Canal Museum along Rt. 286. |
| What to bring |
Most of the levee birding can be
done with binoculars. Waterproof
shoes/boots may be needed after wet weather, if you plan to walk
through
grass to try for sparrows. |
| Difficulty of
walking |
Varies. You can bird from the
car; if you choose to walk
or chase sparrows, some scrambling up and down gravelly hills may be in
order. |
| Personal safety |
Take precautions and bird with a
friend. Leave any valuables
locked in your car and out of sight. Stay close to your car. The
levees are isolated and
attract some illegal activities. Some areas are open to hunting, so
check
the State
hunting seasons. |
| Nearby
sites |
Bethel WMA,
Courthouse
Point WMA, Earleville WMA,
Elk Forest WMA,/Welch
Point WMA. |
| For more
information |
- The
C&D Canal and adjacent
lands are owned primarily by the
Army Corps of Engineers, which has an office in Chesapeake City
(410-885-5622).
- The
hunting areas are maintained by the MD Department of Natural Resources.
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Copyright
1998,
1999, 2007 Cecil Bird
Club; All rights reserved. May be printed for personal use
but may not be reproduced in any form for mass or commercial
distribution
without permission of the Executive
Committee
of the Cecil Bird Club.
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