There are lots of opportunities to see wildlife at Assateague Island in Maryland. Besides getting up close views of pelicans at sunrise via paddle board you can also go out on a kayak or paddle board for trips through the marshy areas on the bay. One of the many birds you can see is a green heron.
Green Herons like to hang out at the water’s edge to bring in fish or catch dragonflies. They are small in comparison to great blue herons.
This heron seemed to be quite successful at catching fish.
This one proudly paraded around in the grass with a little fish it caught. There are many things to see at Assateague while on the water. When you go to Assateague don’t ignore the bayside, you may miss out on a lot.
There are a lot of different kinds of wildlife to see at Assateague Island and the surrounding area. No telling where this American Bald Eagle’s nest is. It could be on the mainland or somewhere on the island. I only saw the eagle one day when I was there, so like the Adirondack eagles it probably travels a lot within the bay area.
These pictures were all taken from a kayak. It is hard to be steady when on a kayak. You can’t use a tripod.
This is an adult eagle. They get the white feathers totally in around their head by the time they are five. After they are born and fledge they mostly have brown feathers as juveniles.
When I saw it look down I was hoping it would swoop down and catch a fish. Not to be this day. I would like to see an eagle catch a fish.
After a while it flew away to another dead tree in another part of the bay. After three trips to Assateague, this was my first time seeing an eagle there. I felt lucky.
One thing you can do every morning at Assateague Island is go to the ocean side beach and watch the sunrise. Sometimes the horses beat you there.
These pictures are taken at Assateague State Park.
My last day there, the boys said they wanted to get up and paddle board at sunrise. I did not believe them as they have been staying up late ghost crabbing until midnight etc.
Sure enough one of the boys and his dad made their way to the beach after I did and went out paddle boarding. There was cloud cover near the horizon, so the sun did not actually appear until a little after sunrise. The sky was purplish.
Paddle boarder gets a good view of a pelican that flies right in front of him.
At this time of the morning I usually see pelicans flying low over the crests of the waves going south and returning north. The above paddle boarder had the experience of a group of pelicans flying right in front of him on his way out.
The boy and his father went pretty far out but had trouble travelling north. The currents out there were going in two directions.
For the days I was there I was the only one who got up each day to watch the sunrise.
The other boys made it out to watch the two brave the ocean during sunrise. Usually several people are on the beach each morning at the state park for the rising of the sun. Just another way to enjoy Assateague Island!
One of the many activities you can do at Assateague Island is paddle board. The best place to go is on the bay side of the island , Sinepuxent Bay. The best time to go when there is no bad weather expected and the winds are not too high.
This is not far from the state boat launch.
One place to put in that I recommend is the state board launch on the mainland side of the Verrazano Bridge. It is across from the Assateague Island National Seashore Visitor’s Center. This one is free and there are two boat launches and plenty of parking in a paved lot. You can also walk from the parking lot/ grass area to a small beach area on the water.
Water pathways thru the marshes are mostly on the island side of the bay. The water near the edges of these is usually shallow.
The other place I recommend is the launch at the national park at the end of Ferry Landing Road. This has some spots near the launch and a restroom. You would have to pay to get to this launch as you have to go through the toll booth inside the park. The fee is over 20 dollars for a seven day pass. Veterans can get a free lifetime pass. There is also a pass for seniors.
It is possible to catch crabs, and clams and see many types of waterfowl in these locations.
There are also free places to launch on the right hand side of the road when you are going from the bridge into the park before you get to the troll booths. You are allowed to park and launch where there is extra shoulder with rocks and there is a beach like area where the water comes right up close to the road.
You cannot park on the island side of the Verrazano Bridge. I have seen people do that in the past, but last year there seemed to be an issue with people respecting the horses, so that is no longer allowed. There are signs up saying no parking and usually there is a ranger there sitting in a vehicle making sure no one is stopping when the horses are present.
There is a lot to do at Assateague besides swim and camp. Get out and enjoy a variety of activities.
What do you do after clamming on the bay at Assateague Island? Cook them!
There is a whole process of soaking them in water and changing it out mixing between salt water and fresh water. This process takes a while. We did not eat the clams the day we caught them, but the next day. I would say read up on any directions on-line on how to prepare clams.
Boiling Them
The process of cooking them that they followed involved boiling them until the shells open. They were planning on cooking them in sauce after they remove them.
Then they transferred them to another container to have their shuckers remove the clams from the shells.
Below is what they look like after boiling them.
Removing them from the Shell
Use a knife or a clamming knife to remove the clam from the shell.
Responsible kids can take part in this.
Cut Them Into Pieces
If you are putting it into pasta, you may want to cut the clam into smaller pieces.
Making the Sauce
Next they cooked the white sauce then spread it over pasta.
Result
The result was well liked. The location was the Assateague State Park Campground. This is another activity kids can be involved in.
The best places to go are on the bay side of the island and some areas along the mainland side of the bay. Some areas near beaches or access points near the bay may be picked over by others before you. If you can go by kayak, canoe, or paddle board, it may be better to put in on the mainland side of the Verrazano Bridge. You can see the boat launch on the upper middle section of this map.
National Park Boat Launches
There are good places to launch on the National Park land. Follow the signs after you cross the bridge and travel on Bayberry Road. There are a couple of places with obvious areas with a lot of extra stone on the shoulder roadside to park and launch before you get to the park tollbooth. These are free spots on the right. I recommend also launching from Old Ferry Landing Road launch. This is after the tollbooth, so you need to pay. There are paved parking spots at the launch and one restroom. If you are a veteran you may be eligible for a free lifetime National Park Pass. I believe there is also a pass for seniors. Otherwise, it is over $20 to enter the park for day use. I believe this covers multiple days though.
What Do You Need?
To make it easier, there are certain tools you can bring to clam. Some people bring a rake to scrap or dig up the clam. Many times just by rubbing your foot along the bottom while standing you can feel where they are. The rake can be used to loosen them. Others use a rake with a basket where they can scoop up the clam. Kids however seem to enjoy swimming down to grab them. Bring buckets to hold them clams in with water as well.
Sometimes other things come up with the clam.A combination rake with basket.Sometimes you can find multiple clams in the same location.He liked to dive under the water to bring them up.She was very happy to find some on her own and add to the effort.He found a lot of large clams in chest deep water.
Notice in all the above shots clams were not found in shallow water. Sometimes you can find them there but also look in deeper water sometimes as well.
Official bucket holder and clam collector.Heading back after collecting 120 or more clams.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the experience. We all returned after about an hour and a half out on the water on our kayaks and paddle boards. Sometimes finding your own food is an adventure.
One my way to a store in Ocean City, Maryland I saw these two vintage vehicles used to advertise a business. They are still in good shape with nice paint jobs.
Pizza Tugos in Ocean CityPizza TugosAn old fire truck was used to advertise Nick’s House of Ribs in Ocean City.
I wonder if today’s vans and trucks will every be used in this fashion in the future. I love this creative way to advertise a business. What do you think?
I made a short trip to Assateague Island, Maryland for a few days to meet friends who secure a campsite every year. To get the week they want, they have four devices up and ready to click at the moment the campsites go up on the website for that week the following year. One device got the reservation. I guess July is the harder month to try to reserve because schools in the southern U.S. and north both have off that entire month, whereas June and August they don’t.
This horse was on the beach at sunrise at the state park camper’s beach. I was there three days and two of the days at sunrise the horses were there to watch the sun come up. The beach is a short walk from the campsites and over a dune. It is worth getting up at 5 or 5:30 to watch the beautiful sunrise with the added bonus of horses!
I try to keep a distance from the loons, but have several times over the past few years had one or more come up and swim close to me. This is the first time I felt I was being tasked to step in as a baby sitter.
Left by mom next to my kayak, the baby eyed me intently.
The mother and baby swam up close to my kayak, then the mother disappeared under the water to fish, while the baby stayed above water chilling out near my kayak. Normally the baby swims in the water following the direction the mom went under the water in peeping all the way. This time the baby was quiet.
A few minutes later the mother came up with a fish.
She tried to present it to the baby.
The baby turned its head away. Either it was full or it was too big for it.
Mom continued to swim around with the fish in its mouth hoping the baby would change its mind. Who knew? My new summer side hustle in life is a loon babysitter.
Loons are fun birds to watch. I took 3 kayak trips on a lake over three days. Each time I watch these loons for an hour or so. I have a zoom lens ,an extender and these are cropped.
The lighting changed even within the hour or so I watched them this day. It depended on which way they were facing, cloud cover, and what objects they were near. In this case I believe the green colour was a reflection in the water from a boat cover. The mom kept the little one near the shore of the lake.
Mom! That’s too big for me!
The parents kept parading around with small fish that seemed much too big for the baby. I think the baby finally ate them when they cut them in pieces. It is fun to watch nature. Loons are becoming my favourite birds. They have such personality.
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