For three days in April, Worcester County will be a place for the birds -- warblers, shorebirds, waterfowl, nesting birds and raptors -- during the sixth annual Delmarva Birding Weekend.
Held in conjunction with the Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition in Ocean City April 23 through 25, the birding weekend will include birding trips into the varied habitat of the lower Eastern Shore.
Organizers plan guided canoe trips in the back bays at Assateague Island, the Pocomoke River and Nassawango Creek, a woodland hike through Pocomoke State Park and a night trip to the marsh at E.A. Vaughn Wildlife Management Area.
"The Eastern Shore offers an extensive variety of environments and hundreds of bird species," said Lisa Challenger, director of tourism for Worcester County.
The weekend is sponsored by the Salisbury Zoo, Assateague Island National Seashore, the Department of Natural Resources and Worcester County.
The wildfowl carving competition at the Ocean City Convention Center annually attracts world-class carvers and artists.
In addition to more than 125 vendors of fish and wildlife art, a series of free seminars and children's programs will be held at the convention center.
Daily admission to the convention center is $8 for adults and $7 for students, with children 12 and under admitted free when accompanied by an adult. A three-day pass is $16.
For more information, call 800-852-0335.
Crabbing changes
When crabbing season opens Thursday, new regulations will go into effect, including a $5 non-commercial license for recreational crabbers using between 600 and 1,200 feet of trotline or 11 to 30 collapsible traps or rings.
Recreational crabbers using hand lines, dip nets, 10 or fewer collapsible traps or 600 feet or less of trotline are not required to buy the non-commercial license.
Unlicensed crabbers can catch up to a bushel per day.
The $5 license allows two bushels per day for one crabber and a total of three bushels per day if there are two or more people crabbing from the same boat.