Somerset County
Somerset County is one of the eight counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and is located in the southwest corner of this region. The county seat is Princess Anne, home to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Somerset County includes the southernmost point in Maryland, on a long neck of land southwest of the city of Crisfield, known as the “Seafood Capital of the World.” Crisfield is home to the annual National Hard Crab Derby. Smith Island, Cedar Island, and Janes Island lie just offshore, along with many other smaller islands, all reachable only by boat.
Somerset County has 310+ species reported on eBird. For the county eBird checklist, eBird hotspots, and more, click here.
View a comparison of Maryland counties based on total number of species reported on eBird.
Somerset County has an extensive, deeply indented shoreline on the Chesapeake Bay. Major waterways include the Wicomico, Manokin, and Annemessex Rivers, as well as Pocomoke Sound along the southern border of the county. The majority of the county is rural, with forested lands and agricultural fields, and there are abundant wetlands. The topography is almost entirely flat.
Adjacent counties are Dorchester to the northwest; Wicomico to the north; Worcester to the east; St. Mary’s County to the west on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay; and the state of Virginia to the south, across the Pocomoke Sound.
U.S. Route 13 is the main north−south corridor through Somerset County. MD Route 413 provides access to Crisfield, and MD Route 363 runs east-west to Deal Island.
The local chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society is the Tri-County Bird Club, which serves Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties, and which meets in Salisbury (Wicomico County).
Explore birding sites in Somerset County by choosing from the list below.
