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Bird Watching Takes Flight in Delaware
More and more people of all ages and from all over the country are dusting off their field glasses and breaking out the birding books as they join others who enjoy the art of bird watching.
Highlights of the trip included an opening reception at the Delaware Museum of Natural History, which houses a collection of about 4,000 bird species; a late night owl prowl at the Brandywine State Park; a trip to Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island, one of the three largest heron rookeries on the east coast; a tour of Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge; a visit to the Milford Neck Wildlife area, including the newly opened DuPont Nature Center; and a kayak excursion along the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal.
For more birding hotspots, check out the Delaware Birding Trail or go to www.VisitDelaware.com.
May 19th, 2008 at 8:35 am
I’ve been all over the country and the world, but this was the first time I visited Delaware. The state is so small it’s easy to overlook. I was impressed at how much there is to see and do in Delaware. I came during the height of the spring bird migration and saw tons of birds. I was mesmerized watching an egret trying to swallow an eel (and eventually succeeding), hearing a screech owl and seeing rare birds like the yellow-crowned night heron.
June 4th, 2008 at 3:23 am
June 4, 2008
As a southern Delmarva resident, I have ducked in and out of Delaware for tax-free shopping, the State Fair, and to briefly explore the natural habitats.
In late May I lingered to experience the same birding trek as David. For 2.5 days, our hardy group braved the rains of Pea Patch Island, was awestruck by globally renown Bombay Hook NWR, and relished the balmy Atlantic beaches. Seeing a Blue Grosbeak, a Summer Tanager, and scores of shorebirds were moments of “wow.” Delaware Tourism’s Nikki Boone and guides, Jim Rapp and Jeff Gordon (not the NASCAR star), enhanced the goose bump moments of discovery and delicious dining.
A family, couples, or solo trip to “The First State” can be an inspirational journey. BTW, it was a Great Blue Heron that struggled to swallow the eel. Egrets and herons are cousins, so in the grand schemata it does not matter.
Emily
October 21st, 2008 at 8:33 am
We have a Heron with part of it’s leg and it’s foot missing. Is there anything anybody can do for this bird. He can still fly, but we are concerned that she may not be eating. We have a pond in Keys of Marsh Harbor and the Heron is here everyday. Somebody said we also have turtles in the pond, maybe that is how she lost her leg. She also lays on the grass alot of the day. Please, if anybody can HELP let me know.