Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

THU July 22

I wanted to visit Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge after I read an article in National Geographic. The Refuge is about 15,900+ acres on the eastern shore of Delaware and on the Delaware Bay and has been recognized worldwide for its management.

When I got out of the car at the Visitors Center on my way in to talk to the Ranger I was bitten 4 times and the Ranger told me that Green Flies were out and that I should use bug-spray which I put on as soon as I got back to the car.

Off on the 15-mile car tour and at the first stop I got about 10-yards when I finally gave up with swatting the bugs swarming around my face and retreated back to the car for my Bull-Frog insect repellent and tried a second time, nope so I did 99% of the tour in the car. I did get out when I left the swamp area and moved to the sea and salt marsh area.

There are some areas in the Refuge that they describe as cooperative farming meaning farmers get to plant some areas for themselves and they then plant other areas for the migratory birds; an interesting arrangement. Sometime they take these planted out of the rotation to let they rest, they mow these resting areas every two to three years to prevent the growth of woody vegetation.

I was there at a time when there wasn’t any migration going on so the bird population was down to just the locals. I did see Wood Ducks, Snowy Egrets, a Greater Egret, a Blue Heron and a Crane plus many many birds that were too far away for me to identify.

This is really the place for serious birders and they were out with their tripods, big scopes and notebooks.

Biodiversity is the watchword that the Refuge goes by.

On the way out I stopped for a late lunch not far from the Refuge at a place called Sambo’s Tavern in a framing and crabbing village of Leipsic and I watched the tide go out as I enjoyed a grilled tuna-steak sandwich.