Blue Heron Nature Preserve & South Island Hiker-Biker Trail

Blue Heron Nature Preserve (formerly Price Creek Environmental Area) & South Island Hiker-Biker Trail

Romancoke Road, Stevensville, MD, 21666
GPS Coordinates: 38.896375, -76.351286
(410) 758-0835

Blue Heron Nature Preserve is a 300-acre wildlife area on the southern peninsula of Kent Island in Queen Anne’s County. This former farm was purchased by the county in 2000 and consists of fields, hedgerows, and woodland borders adjoining Price Creek, a sheltered tidal estuary off the Chesapeake Bay. The preserve has had a variety of names over its brief lifespan, and some still refer to it as the Price Creek Environmental Area or as the Nemo  Equestrian Trail or as the Greenberg Property.

[Do not confuse this nature preserve in Queen Anne’s County with the similarly named Heron Park in Berlin, Worcester County.]

This preserve, with surprisingly good grassland habitat, deserves more attention. It’s easy to find, lying along a state highway, and easy to bird, with a straightforward layout. You’ll see in the Birdlife section below that the preserve supports a good assortment of waterfowl, shorebirds, waders, songbirds, raptors, and more. The only group of land birds not well represented are Forest Interior Dwelling Species (FIDS), because there are no extensive woodlands here. The preserve also has pollinators and other insects, herps, and lots of native plant species – enough to keep a naturalist busy for hours.

Blue Heron Nature Preserve is blessedly free of recreational features such as playgrounds and sports fields, but part of the 300 acres is used for a golf driving range. The nature preserve’s main feature for visitors is the “Nemo Equestrian Trail,” named for Rodney “Nemo” Niedomanski, a late county commissioner who supported the establishment of the trail shortly before he passed away.

You’ll probably be starting your birding from the parking area for the equestrian trail in the southeast corner of the preserve (although there is alternate access from the Blue Heron Driving Range at the north end – see below). The equestrian trail consists of a mown grass loop around the property – and although intended for horseback riding, it’s perfectly fine for birding. Our trail map at the link in the At a Glance section on this webpage shows the basic layout of the trails, but be aware that since these are simply mown strips, the exact location may vary from season to season and side trails may spring up or disappear. Be mindful that the “mown grass” is field grass with a bunchy growth habit, and so is uneven underfoot, and there may be matted grass, roots, and vines that catch your feet. Be sure to wear sturdy closed toe shoes or hiking boots.

Still, the land is flat and the walking is relatively easy. You can choose to go left (clockwise) or right (counter-clockwise) as you leave the parking area – it makes no difference. The main trail loop around the outskirts of the big open field is about 2 miles long, but your route might be slightly longer or shorter depending on whether you use any of the cross-trails that connect parts of the outer loop. Just see what birds attract your attention as you walk and choose your path accordingly.

The field is planted with a mixture of grasses and blooming plants and appears to be mown just once or twice a year, making for good scrubby habitat that attracts songbirds such as Grasshopper and Field Sparrows and other scrub-shrub types such as Brown Thrashers, White-eyed Vireos, and Yellow-breasted Chats. The fields contain a surprisingly diverse mix of native plants that support pollinators and other wildlife, but invasive exotics, such as Mile-a-Minute Weed and Chinese Bushclover, are also present. To get a taste for the plants present, see reports on iNaturalist.

At the northeast corner of the preserve, there is a pair of fairly large man-made wetlands covering almost 8 acres. The two wetlands are separated by a berm, and a trail runs across the berm, allowing viewing of the wetland interiors. The wetlands may be ringed with tall vegetation, depending on season. There is also a small pond or wetland in the middle of the field toward the south end. Other wet spots may come and go with the seasons, depending on rains. Check all these spots carefully for waterfowl, waders, rails, and shorebirds.

The property is ringed by a wooded strip, sometimes just a line of single trees, but there is a more substantial border in some spots, for example, at the southeast corner, where there is a patch of wet woods. The woods consist mostly of deciduous trees typical of bottomlands, such as Red Maple, Southern Red Oak, American Sweetgum, and Black Tupelo. There are also stands of conifers, including Eastern White Pine, Loblolly Pine, and Eastern Red Cedar.

The western boundary of the nature preserve lies along Price Creek and a border of mixed woods separates the fields from a strip of marshland on edge of the creek. There are no maintained trails that broach the woods to provide a view of the marsh and open water of Price Creek, but look for openings where there are visitor-made trails , especially near the southwest corner of the preserve, or at the northwest corner, where the preserve abuts the golf driving range.

A 30-acre portion of the preserve on the opposite side of Romancoke Road is covered with wet woods and has no apparent access or trails. This east portion abuts the South Prong of Shipping Creek.

The Blue Heron Driving Range (public, no fee) at the north end of the nature preserve is technically part of the same 300-acre parcel as the nature preserve itself, but of course is maintained under very different conditions. Still, it’s worth pulling into the separate parking area for the driving range to check out the wet woods that lie between the driving range’s parking lot and Romancoke Road, as well as scoping the grass of the driving range for field birds or – if you’re lucky – maybe even grasspipers – those specialist shorebirds that like to forage on turf. And a pro tip: the trail at the north end of the nature preserve is easily accessed from the driving range; simply walk around the unmown vegetation to the left of the driving range entrance gate and you’ll be on the nature preserve trail, with a good view of the north end of the wetlands.

You will notice that there is an asphalt-paved trail along the west side of Romancoke Road, just outside the wooded boundary of the driving range and nature preserve. That’s the South Island Hiker-Biker Trail, which runs between Matapeake Beach and the Romancoke Public Fishing Pier (about 6 miles one-way). Benches and water can be found along this wheelchair-accessible trail, which is managed by the County Parks & Recreation Department. Parking for the South Island Trail is free at Matapeake Beach at the north end, but there is a parking fee at Romancoke Fishing Pier at the trail’s south end ($2.50 per hour per vehicle, paid through a cashless pay machine). The Romancoke Fishing Pier provides birding opportunities in its own right, as it extends 600-feet out into the waters of Eastern Bay. It’s especially good for waterfowl and other water birds in winter; you might, for example, see Common and Red-throated Loons and Northern Gannets. In high summer and late summer, look for terns such as Least, Caspian, Forster’s, Common, and Royal.

Birdlife:

Over 184 species have been reported on the eBird hotspot for the Blue Heron Nature Reserve (formerly Price Creek Environmental Area).

The Romancoke Fishing Pier at the south end of the South Island Hiker-Biker Trail has its own hotspot, with over 116 species reported.

Year-round (most of these are breeders, but not the gulls): Mourning Dove; gulls including Ring-billed and Great Black-backed; Double-crested Cormorant (long period from March through December, not quite year-round); Great Egret (February through November, absent only in dead of winter); Great Blue Heron; Black and Turkey Vultures; Cooper’s Hawk; Bald Eagle; Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks; Belted Kingfisher; woodpeckers including Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy (might be absent during breeding season), Northern Flicker; Blue Jay; American and Fish Crows; Carolina Chickadee; Tufted Titmouse; Horned Lark; Carolina Wren; European Starling; Brown Thrasher; Northern Mockingbird; Eastern Bluebird; American Robin; American Pipit (sporadic, can show up any time); House Finch; American Goldfinch; Chipping and Song Sparrows; Red-winged Blackbird; Common Grackle; Northern Cardinal.

Summer or Breeding Season: Wood Duck; Yellow-billed Cuckoo; Chimney Swift; Ruby-throated Hummingbird; Killdeer; Laughing Gull; terns including Least and Forster’s; Pied-billed Grebe; waders including Glossy Ibis, Little Blue Heron, Snowy Egret; Green Heron; Western Cattle-Egret; Osprey; Eastern Screech-Owl; Great Horned Owl; Pileated Woodpecker; Great Crested Flycatcher; Eastern Kingbird; White-eyed Vireo; Red-eyed Vireo; swallows including Bank, Tree, Barm, Northern Rough-winged, and Purple Martin; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher; Northern House Wren; Gray Catbird (might overwinter some years); Cedar Waxwing; Grasshopper Sparrow; Yellow-breasted Chat; Orchard Oriole; Brown-headed Cowbird; Common Yellowthroat; Blue Grosbeak; Indigo Bunting.

Winter: At least 19 species of waterfowl have been reported, including Tundra Swans on Price Creek; American Herring Gull; Sharp-shinned Hawk; Northern Harrier; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets; White-breasted Nuthatch (might be year-round but not detected); Winter Wren; Hermit Thrush (check the pines); Purple Finch; Pine Siskin; sparrows including Field, American Tree, Fox, Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned, White-throated, Savannah, Swamp, and Eastern Towhee; Eastern Meadowlark; Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Fall and Spring Migration: Virginia Rail; Sora; shorebirds including Black-necked Stilt, Black-bellied Plover (infrequent), Semipalmated Plover, Short-billed Dowitcher, WIlson’s Snipe, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Dunlin, White-rumped Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, and Semipalmated Sandpiper; Caspian Tern; Horned Grebe; Common Loon; Tricolored Heron; Broad-winged Hawk; American Kestrel; Merlin; Peregrine Falcon; Eastern Wood-Pewee; Eastern Phoebe; Blue-headed Vireo; Lincoln’s Sparrow; Bobolink; warblers including Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-White, American Redstart, Cape May, Northern Parula, Magnolia, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Blackpoll, Black-throated Blue, Palm, Pine, Yellow-throated, Prairie, and Canada.

Note the absence of breeding FIDS such as Acadian Flycatcher and Wood Thrush; this is because there are no large forest stands. The only breeding warbler is Common Yellowthroat. Northern Bobwhite were previously found here but have not been consistently present since about 2010, but perhaps they will return, since bobwhite are now thriving at several locations in the county, and the habitat at the preserve is becoming better for them. House Sparrow is almost unreported.

Wheelchair Access:

The mown trails are not manageable by wheelchairs, and there is very little opportunity to bird from the car at the preserve’s parking area. There might be better birding from or near the car at the parking area for the driving range north of the preserve. There is a portable restroom at the driving range but it may not be handicapped accessible. Another option is to bird along the South Island Hiker-Biker Trail, which is wheelchair-accessible. You could park at the Blue Heron Driving Range to bird along the South Island Trail as it runs along the eastern boundary of the Blue Heron Nature Preserve, or park at Matapeake or Romancoke for a longer ride. The South Island Trail is asphalt-paved and the terrain is level and flat. See the South Island Trail map in our map packet at the link in the At a Glance section of this webpage.

Pet Policy:

Pets are allowed on leash; you must pick up after your pet and take the bagged waste with you. If horses are present, take steps to control your pet.

Special Designations:

Blue Heron Nature Preserve is protected in perpetuity through a conservation easement held by the Maryland Environmental Trust.

Special Features:

• A couple of picnic tables are located near the parking area.
• Of course, horseback riding is popular.
• Naturalists will enjoy the diversity of plant and animal life.

Local MOS Chapter:

There is no chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society in Queen Anne’s County, but many birders participate in MOS through the Kent County Bird Club, the Talbot Bird Club, or the Caroline County Bird Club; all of these MOS chapters offer field trips and meetings with informative programs, free and open to the public.

Parking:

The preserve’s parking area is on the west side of Romancoke Road (MD Route 8) across from Laird Benton Road to the east. The dirt and gravel lot is at the southeast corner of the preserve. Large enough to hold 20 or more cars.
GPS Coordinates: 38.896375, -76.351286 | Google Map

Directions:

Blue Heron Nature Preserve is located on the long, southward-facing peninsula of Kent Island, between Matapeake to the north and Romancoke to the south.

From Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Western Shore of Maryland: After crossing the bridge on US Route 50 and arriving on Kent Island, take Exit 37 for MD Route 8 and Romancoke/Stevensville. Make a right to go south on Romancoke Road/MD Route 8. Proceed south for approximately 6.3 miles, passing the Blue Heron Golf Course and the Blue Heron Driving Range on your right (west side of the road). The parking area for Blue Heron Nature Preserve will be on your right, opposite Laird Benton Road, which heads east.

From the Lower Eastern Shore, including Salisbury, Easton, and Cambridge: Use US Route 50 north to approach the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Go over the Kent Narrows Bridge to arrive on Kent Island. Stay on US Route 50 until Stevensville, then use Exit 37 for MD Route 8 and Romancoke/Stevensville. Follow the signs at the exit to go south on Romancoke Road/MD Route 8. Proceed south for approximately 6.3 miles, passing the Blue Heron Golf Course and the Blue Heron Driving Range on your right (west side of the road). The parking area for Blue Heron Nature Preserve will be on your right, opposite Laird Benton Road, which heads east.

From the Upper Eastern Shore, including Elkton: Take MD Route 213 south to Galena. At Galena, go south on MD Route 313 and follow to US Route 301. Turn right to go south on US Route 301 for about 31 miles, then follow the signs to merge onto US Route 50 toward the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Go over the Kent Narrows Bridge to arrive on Kent Island. Stay on US Route 50 until Stevensville, then use Exit 37 for MD Route 8 and Romancoke/Stevensville. Follow the signs at the exit to go south on Romancoke Road/MD Route 8. Proceed south for approximately 6.3 miles, passing the Blue Heron Golf Course and the Blue Heron Driving Range on your right (west side of the road). The parking area for Blue Heron Nature Preserve will be on your right, opposite Laird Benton Road, which heads east.

Nearby Sites:

Queen Anne’s County:  Browns Branch Wildlife Management Area ■ Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center – Horsehead ■ Conquest Preserve ■ Ferry Point Park ■  Matapeake Clubhouse & Beach / Matapeake Fishing Pier & Boat Ramp ■ Terrapin Nature Park ■ Tuckahoe State Park (Queen Anne’s County) ■  White Marsh Park at Bloomfield Farm ■  Wye Island Natural Resources Management Area

Habitats:

Bottomland Deciduous ForestsConifersHedgerows Lawn, Ballfields, Golf CourseStormwater Retention Pond Hay Meadows, Pasture, Grass FieldOld Fields, Shrubby Meadows Forested SwampFreshwater Marsh or FloodplainOpen Ocean, Bay, or EstuarySalt or Brackish Marsh

Features and Amenities:

BeginnersFree - No Entry Fee at Any TimeHabitat Restoration ProjectHiking/Walking TrailsHorseback RidingNative Plant Garden or Meadow/Pollinator PlantsParkingPets AllowedPicnic AreaWater ViewWheelchair Accessible Features

Type:

Chesapeake Bay Eastern ShoreCounty ParksHiker-Biker Trails (Paved)