This year's Delmarva Birding Weekend April 25-27 will offer no less than 16 hiking, biking and canoeing trips throughout the Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia Eastern Shore.

Organized by DLITE, the highly touted weekend of birding and nature tours suits outdoor enthusiasts of any kind and is perfect for the clueless to professional birder. The Eastern Shore of Maryland is considered to be of international significance with some 380+ species sighted in the concentrated area. Bald eagles, prothonotary warblers, owls, peregrine falcons, loons, and pileated woodpeckers are just a few of each year's highlights. This year, a Herp Hike at Twilight will be offered for the first time at Adkins Mill Pond as well as a Bird by Bike on Assateague trip. Each tour is guided by one or more professional birders. Those interested can call 800-852-0335 or go to skipjack.net/le_shore/birdingweekend to inquire or sign up. A list of 2003 trips April 25-27 follows:

Canoe and Kayak Trips
Prothonotary Paddle: A 4-hour trip on the Pocomoke River, Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. Highlights--prothonotary warblers, woodpeckers, barred owls. Cost is $30/canoe.
Warblers on the Water: A 2-hour trip on Nassawango Creek, Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. Highlights--7,000-acre Nature Conservancy preserve, bald cypress, warblers. Cost $30/canoe.
Heron Happiness: A 3-hour canoe tour in the coastal bays, Sunday 8:30 a.m. Highlights--Herons, egrets, ibis, pelicans, terrapins. Cost $30/canoe.

Boat Excursions
Shore Bird Explorer: 2-hour trip in the northern bays and behind Assateague, Saturday, 2 p.m. Highlights--oystercatchers, loons, terns and wild ponies. Cost $15/person.
Peregrine Falcon Watch: 3.5-hour event by boat and foot at Deal Island, Saturday 8 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. Highlights--peregrine falcons, black-necked stilts, glossy ibis. Cost $15/person.
Smith Island Pelican Cruise: All day cruise to Smith Island and Martin NWR, Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Highlights--boxed lunch, pelicans, egrets, herons, and waterfowl. Cost $45/person.

Night trips
Night Birds of the Marsh: 3-hour stroll at EA Vaughn WMA, Saturday, 6 p.m. Highlights--bitterns, rails, wrens, owls, frogs. Cost $10/person.
Assateague Night Sounds: 2-hour walk on Assateague Island, Saturday, 8 p.m. Highlights--rails, bitterns, owls, stars. Cost $10/person.
Night Life at the Salisbury Zoo: 2.5-hour walk at the zoo, Saturday, 7 p.m. Highlights--jaguars, alligators, bobcats, wild owls. Cost $10/person.
Owl Prowl: 2-hour stroll in Pemberton Park, Saturday, 8 p.m. Highlights--barred owls, screech owls, great-horned owls and frogs. Cost $10/person.
Herp Hike at Twilight: 2-hour search along Adkins Mill Pond, Saturday, 7 p.m. Highlights--frogs, salamanders, toads, lizards, turtles and snakes. Cost $10/person.

Day Treks
Warblermania:
5-hour stroll along Nassawango Creek, Saturday & Sunday, 6 a.m. Highlights--prothonotary warblers, hooded warblers, parulas, gnat catchers, woodpeckers. Cost $10/person.
Eagles and Others: 2.5-hour jaunt in Pemberton Park, Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m. Highlights--nesting eagles, wading birds, waterfowl and raptors. Cost $10/person.
Neotropicals along the Nassawango: 2-hour hike along Nasswango Creek Preserve, Saturday & Sunday, 2 p.m. Highlights--vireos, warblers, flycatchers, woodpeckers. Cost $15/person.
Delaware's Coastal Birding Delights: 3-hour tour along Assawoman Wildlife Area bays, Sunday 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Highlights--loons, eagles, brown- headed nuthatches. Cost $10/person.
Bird by Bike: 3-hour tour on Assateague, Saturday, 8:30 a.m. Highlights--ponies, quail, herons, terrapins, towhees, thrashers, catbirds, and warblers. Cost $10/person.

Rare Birds of Maryland
Mark Hoffman, Associate Director of the MD Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife and Heritage Service will discuss rare birds of Maryland with slides of 70 of our rarest species. Mark is a life-long birder and currently holds the record for the most species seen in Worcester County (380) and in Maryland. Friday 6:30-9 p.m. Cost $30.
Birders Social: Meet the guides and participants and share stories from the weekend trips. Saturday, 4-6 p.m. Beverages and light fare. No cost.

The spectacular weekend is made possible with help from the Salisbury Zoo, Worcester and Wicomico Tourism, Maryland DNR, the Coastal Bays Program, Assateague Island National Seashore and Rural Development Center.