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Cecil Birding Hotspots
Bethel Managed Hunting Area
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| Description |
Bethel is a 400-acre managed
hunting
area just east of south Chesapeake
City, adjoining the C&D Canal levees
and the
grounds of the Canal Museum. The main birding feature is a
freshwater
impoundment.
There is also an extensive phragmites marsh and a barren, sandy dredge
spoils area, as well as upland areas of second-growth deciduous
forest.
A wide variety of birds have been seen here, including such specialties
as Black Rail, Virginia Rail, Common Moorhen, American Bittern,
Barnacle
Goose, Peregrine Falcon, Northern Harrier, Marsh Wren and Swamp
Sparrow.
There are breeding populations of Common Moorhen, Pie-billed
Grebe,
Mallard, and Wood Duck, as well as Black-and-White Warbler, Scarlet
Tanager, and Field Sparrow. |
| How to get there |
From south Chesapeake City, follow
Rt. 286 east. Bear right at
the entrance to the Canal Museum. Continue on Rt. 286 east to the
junction of Telegraph Rd./Bethel Cemetery Rd. As you travel east
on 286, the dike of Bethel WMA will be on the north (left) side of the
road. Turn left onto Bethel Cemetery Rd. and make an immediate left
into the small gravel parking area at the corner. |
| Map references |
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| What to do
after arrival |
To view the impoundment, climb the
small rise visible at the parking
area and walk to the left along the top of the dike. The water extends
in an east-west direction for almost a mile. Beyond that, the dike
road continues through the phragmites marsh and eventually joins with
the
extensive network of dirt roads in the canal levees. Don’t ignore
the lower portions of the dike, to your left as you walk west. The
trees, shrubs and puddles here attract a number of songbirds,
particularly
during migration.
To
hike the woods, bear right at the top of the small rise at the parking
lot onto a foot trail through the woods. This trail parallels Bethel
Cemetery Rd. and is blazed with silver paint and white triangles.
Continue straight until the trail ends in a sandy open area that, in
the
rainy season, may contain fresh-water pools that attract shorebirds and
ducks. There are also fresh-water pools in the surrounding woods,
making good habitat for Prothonotary Warbler. Explore the woods
that border this sandy area, or continue north on the network of canal
levee roads.
Alternatively,
as the woods trail passes the dredge spoils area north
of the impoundment (easily seen through the trees), bear left (west) to
enter the spoils. Cross the spoils to enter a woods north of the
impoundment, where an obvious trail borders the impoundment and then
loops
north along the edge of the phragmites marsh. Eventually, this trail
will bring you to the sandy area described above, from which you can
return
to the parking area by following the woods trail parallel to Bethel
Cemetery
Rd.
Another
possibility is to drive north on Bethel Cemetery Rd. to its
terminus at the canal levees.
There is vehicle
access here to the system of levee roads. A right turn at the canal
will take you east to Delaware. A left turn will take you west along
the canal to the Canal Museum, but the exit from the canal through the
museum grounds is gated and is often closed.
In either direction, the canal roads offer access to good habitat for
sparrows
and, in the canal itself, for waterfowl, terns, gulls, and other birds
associated with open water.
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| Birds to look
for |
Fall: ducks, geese,
herons in the impoundment; sparrows, finches,
bluebirds, plovers, sandpipers in the phragmites marsh and spoils;
warblers,
vireos, tanagers, woodpeckers, thrushes, flycatchers, kinglets, other
migrating
songbirds in the woods.
Winter:
ducks, geese, loons, grebes, cormorants in the impoundment;
raptors, sparrows, finches, bluebirds in the phragmites marsh and
spoils;
woodpeckers, Hermit Thrush, kinglets, nuthatches in the woods.
Spring:
ducks, geese, loons, grebes, cormorants, terns, swallows
in the impoundment; rails, bitterns, raptors, sparrows, wrens, finches,
bluebirds, plovers, sandpipers in the phragmites marsh and spoils;
woodpeckers,
thrushes, tanagers, warblers, vireos, flycatchers in the woods.
Summer:
ducks, herons, egrets, swallows, terns in the impoundment;
rails, bitterns, swallows, raptors, sparrows, wrens, finches, bluebirds
in the phragmites marsh and spoils; woodpeckers, warblers, vireos
in the woods.
Be aware that bird populations at
Bethel are unpredictable. Some
days there are so many birds that it is difficult to know where to look
first; on other days you will be lucky to see a Mallard. |
| Hours/Fees/Amenities |
Access to Bethel MHA is
restricted to hunting permit holders for the hunting season from
September 1 through
February 15. Check State
hunting seasons.
Outside the hunting
season, Bethel is open for hiking, fishing,
bird watching, nature photography, etc. with non-hunting permit. No fee
to enter; however, the
free annual non-hunting use permit is strictly required and must be
displayed on your parked
car. To request a permit, contact the Gwynnbrook Wildlife and Heritage Service Office
at 410-356-9272;
allow 3
weeks for delivery
of your permit by mail.
No amenities at the site. Nearest
restrooms are at the Canal Museum (Monday - Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4:15
p.m.; closed Sunday) and the library in Chesapeake City (limited
hours). There is a picnic area just outside the Canal Museum along
Rt. 286. |
| What to bring |
A spotting scope is necessary for
good views of the impoundment, but
is not needed for the woods walk. The top of the dike and the trails
may be muddy. Waterproof shoes are recommended for extensive exploring. |
| Difficulty of
walking |
Easy. Once the small rise at
the parking lot is climbed, all
the walking is on level roads or trails. |
| Personal safety |
Do not visit during hunting season.
This
area is isolated and most people would probably feel more comfortable
accompanied
by a friend. There is illegal off-road vehicle use on the dikes and
spoils area; please report this to DNR Police if you observe it.
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| Nearby sites |
C&D
Canal Levees, Courthouse
Point MHA, Elk Forest WMA/Welch
Point WMA. |
| For more
information |
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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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