Howard County Bird Club
Race Road Wetlands Detailed Information
The combination of shallow water, extensive emergent vegetation, and numerous snags is reminiscent of the Eastern Shore. Although this Coastal Plain wetland has little easy access, it is worth checking regularly.
Habitat: As long as beavers maintain the dams that created this wetland, county birders have a choice location for marsh and water birds. During years with normal rainfall, this large area of standing shallow water contains patches of cattails, extensive sections of spatterdock, plus other emergent and wetland vegetation. Snags in the water provide perches for birds and basking sites for turtles. A few standing dead trees are used as nest sites by cavity-nesting birds. When water levels drop, mudflats emerge at the west end. In drought years, the entire area dries by late summer. Deciduous trees surround the wetland. West of the powerlines there is a grassy field which has been planted with trees. Floodplain forest continues west along Deep Run.
Layout: This beaver-created swamp wetland is oriented east to west along the south side of Race Road near Deep Run. Portions of the site can be glimpsed through the deciduous trees adjacent to the road. Do not park along the road unless there is a marked shoulder or gravel pull-off. The one major gravel parking area is on the south side of the road 0.5 miles west of the intersection with Furnace Road. The best place to view the wetlands is under the transmission lines where there is no parking. Continue less than a 0.1 mile west of the opening under the lines and park on the south side of the road. Look for a remnant driveway containing two large stumps with space for one or two vehicles. Park and walk back to the lines. Race Road is a busy route with heavy truck traffic from local businesses so avoid walking in the road and do not risk stopping your vehicle on the road in order to scan. You may spot an occasional deer path or fishing trail, but the location is not popular for fishing so paths are few. If you choose to explore south of Race Road, boots are essential during much of the year. Once across Deep Run, you will find a network of ATV trails.
Best Time to Visit: Unless the water is frozen or the area is completely dry, there is the potential for interesting species at almost any time of the year. March through November, or even December can be rewarding. Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday are the times when truck traffic is lowest.
Birding: A scope is recommended although much can be seen with binoculars. Because of the standing snags and downed logs, frequent slow scanning is necessary to tease out all the hidden waterfowl. The area regularly attracts Great Blue Herons (which have nested, although not in the last few years), Great Egrets, Little Blue Herons, night-herons, and occasionally an American Bittern. Wood Ducks nest. Along with the ever-present Mallards and Canada Geese, Gadwalls and Green-winged Teal are regular. Hooded Mergansers, a rare county breeder, have nested several times within the last decade. Shorebirds may be present when mudflats appear, although the variety to date has not been high. Various woodpeckers, flycatchers, vireos, warblers, tanagers, and orioles can be expected in the trees along the shoreline. Rusty Blackbirds may be present in spring. Eastern Screech-Owls and Barred Owls are resident. Tree Swallows, Eastern Bluebirds, and Prothonotary Warblers (a rare county nester) have utilized cavities in the snags for breeding. The 2002-2006 breeding bird atlas established Swamp Sparrow as a county nesting species here. Turtles and frogs are numerous.
From the gravel parking area, there is sometimes a narrow trail to the water’s edge, but it grows over quickly in spring—and there is no real “edge” to much of the wetland. Race Road is raised so it offers decent, if incomplete, views of the water. The opening beneath the transmission lines offers the most open sight lines. When standing at that location, do not be surprised by the loud, rather strange noises coming from the private property on the north side of the road. Dogs and domesticated fowl announce your presence. West of the main wetland, Deep Run parallels Race Road, which here has an ample shoulder all the way to Hanover Road. This provides numerous opportunities to park in order to look and listen for floodplain species.
Hanover Road. Race Road intersects Hanover Road 1.2 miles west of the small driveway parking area near the transmission lines. The land on the west side of the intersection is state park property. Park on the east side of the intersection, not in the driveway on the west. The sizeable cattail-dominated pond along Hanover Road is worth checking since both American Bittern and Sora have been recorded there. Follow the remains of a paved driveway and walk across the bridge. Warbling Vireos nest near the bridge. A network of ATV trails will become apparent. (On pleasant weekends and warm evenings, this illegal activity will be obvious from the noise and clouds of dust in dry weather.) From the top of the rise on the west side of the bridge, a wetland on the north side is visible. This once had probable nesting Virginia Rails; however, with the construction of several large buildings in the adjoining business park, the drainage pattern changed. Rails have not been present during the nesting season for several years. “No Trespassing” signs have been posted. You can still check the cattail-covered pond along Hanover Road which is a stopover for rails and bitterns.
Furnace Road. At the opposite end of Race Road, it is possible to continue investigating the floodplain in the vicinity of the mouth of Deep Run. South of the Elkridge Furnace Inn there is a short stretch of floodplain near the bridge into Anne Arundel County. It is possible to park along the road in one or two places. Among other floodplain birds, look and listen for Prothonotary Warbler.
Highlights: The combination of slow-moving water and emergent vegetation has created perhaps the largest wetland of this type in the county.
Handicapped Access: Extremely limited. When there are no leaves on the trees, park in the gravel area. It is possible to sit in one’s vehicle and scan a portion of the water visible between the trees. The opening beneath the transmission lines requires parking 100 yards west of the viewing area and walking back along a busy road.