Taking Stewart Road you will see many brackish and tidal wetlands. Turn on 8 Mile Road to Sportsman Road. The area reveals the geological structure of the island, a series of longitudinal old dune ridges and tidal sloughs.
Baltimore Oriole, and other migrants appear on the fence lines. The gravel area at the end of 8 Mile Road is a great place to park. American Oystercatcher, Ruddy Turnstone, and other shorebirds are common here year-round.
Turn on Sportsman Road, and scan the marshes on the left for Reddish Egret, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, and Tricolored Heron. Look carefully in the ditches for Clapper Rail. Check the piers on the right for American Oystercatcher, Willet, and terns. In fall and winter, Belted Kingfisher and Osprey are common. Where the road dead-ends, scan the sand bars and jetty for plovers and sandpipers, Black Skimmer, and terns. Continue birding as you return to Stewart.
Please be respectful of the humans living on Sportsman Road. They get lots of birding visitors. The shoulder of the road is very narrow, so don’t park in front of homes and block traffic.
