Wicomico County

Wicomico County is one of the eight counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and is located in the lower portion of this region. The county seat is Salisbury, a historic town that is located in the center of the county and that is home to Salisbury University. The University operates the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, which has an extensive collection of traditional carved waterfowl decoys as well as contemporary paintings and sculptures focused on the Chesapeake Bay way of life. The Ward Museum is well worth a visit for any birder.

Wicomico County has 304+ 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.

Wicomico County does not have a shoreline directly on the Chesapeake Bay, but the southwest tip of the county is formed by two large Bay tributaries, the Nanticoke and the Wicomico Rivers, which empty into the Bay just a short distance beyond the county’s border. Much of the county is still rural, but being close to the popular beach resorts in neighboring Worcester County, residential development is creeping in. The undeveloped parts of the county are forested or in agricultural production, and there are abundant wetlands. The topography is almost entirely flat.

Adjacent counties are Dorchester to the northwest; Somerset to the southwest; Worcester to the east; and the state of Delaware to the north.

A major corridor through the county is US Route 50, which runs roughly diagonally northwest-southeast through the northwest corner of the county, then east-west through eastern section of the county. US Route 13 is the major north-south roadway.

To view the State Highway Administration’s printable road map of Wicomico County (PDF format), please click here.

The local chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society is the Tri-County Bird Club, which serves Wicomico, Somerset, and Worcester Counties, and which meets in Salisbury.

Explore birding sites in Wicomico County by choosing from the list below.