In the winter, waterfowl fill the impoundments. Black ducks, pintails, gadwall, wigeon, blue- and green-winged teal, and many other species of waterfowl spread across the water, resting and searching for food. In the spring and fall, migrating shorebirds, including glossy ibis and black-necked stilts use the marshes to rest and feed. Visitors often see wood duck hens and their ducklings in and around the water after they have left the many nest boxes made for them by wildlife biologists. Herons and egrets abound, while nesting willets, a type of shorebird, fill the summertime sky.

Typical of river habitat on the Chesapeake Bay, Fairmount WMA's 4,000 acres are mostly marshlands. It is located between the Manokin and Annemessex Rivers in Somerset County. Forested wetlands occupy a small portion of the area. Two man-made ponds, or "impoundments," have been created. This habitat, as well as the lush wetland plants, including wigeongrass, horned pondweed and saltmarsh bulrush and a dense population of invertebrates make Fairmount attractive to many species of waterfowl.