Farm Field at Bombay Hook by Tim Williams

Photo by Tim Williams

Events Calendar 2008

3/29 10:00 - 12:00 Get to Know the Refuge
    Refuge Manager Oscar Reed will fill you in on what goes on at the refuge during a behind the scenes tour. Your will tour the facility and learn about how the areas are managed for wildlife and habitat conservation.
4/12 10:00 - 16:00 Environmental Education Workshop and Horseshoe Crab Training
    This workshop will introduce teachers and volunteers to the national wildlife refuge system and the natural resources at Bombay Hook. Participants will learn how to use the refuge as a hands-on outdoor classroom and and how the refuge manages habitats for wildlife. Included are trail walks; fresh, brackish and bay wetland studies; and wildlife identification. Horseshoe crab training will be part of the workshop (14:30 - 16:00). Bring a bag lunch and dress for outdoor activities. Call to register.
4/15 9:30 - 11:30 Gardenkeepers
    Meeting and garden work.
4/19 13:00 - 16:00 Highway Cleanup
    Celebrate Earth Day! Meet at the Visitor CeMay 1, 2008ar. Refreshments will be served afterward. Sponsored by the Friends of Bombay Hook.
4/26 8:00 - 11:30 Early Spring Bird Walk
    Meet at the Visitor Center. Join Frank Rawling and Ken Liehr for a morning of listening to and looking at some of our early spring arrivals and breeders. This program is appropriate for beginning birders as well as those looking to learn more about the bird life at Bombay Hook.
4/27 13:00 - 15:30 Bicycle Tour of the Refuge
    Join Tina Watson for a guided bicycle tour. We will stop to discuss habitats, wildlife management techniques and do bird identification. The guided trip will be approximately six miles; riders may continue on their own throughout the refuge roads. The roads are packed dirt; a bicycle with hybrid tires is recommended. Bring your helmet and check your tire pressure!
4/29 10:00 - 12:00 Botany Walk at Finis Pool
    Join Susan Yost, Ph. D., Delaware State University Claude E. Phillips Herbarium, for a botany walk at Finis Pool Woods. We'll look for beautiful spring ephemerals like bloodroot, wood anemone, alumroot, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, May-apple, golden ragwort, and toothwort. Woody species will include tulip trees, oaks, red maple, sassafras and arrow-wood. Participants will use hand lenses to observe plants detail and will be introduced to wildflower and tree field guides. Meet at the Visitor Center.
5/3 8:00 - 11:30 Early Spring Bird Walk
    Meet at the Visitor Center. Join Frank Rawling and Ken Liehr for a morning of listening to and looking at some of our early spring arrivals and breeders. This program is appropriate for beginning birders as well as those looking to learn more about the bird life at Bombay Hook.
5/4   Shorebird Identification Workshop
    Presented by Andy Urquhart and Eric Braun. Learn to identify shorebirds based on size, structure, habits and plumage. Half-day trip includes classroom instruction and field work. Reservations are required. Call (302) 239-2471 to register.
5/6 8:00 - 11;30 Early Spring Bird Walk
    Meet at the Visitor Center. Join Frank Rawling and Ken Liehr for a morning of listening to and looking at some of our early spring arrivals and breeders. This program is appropriate for beginning birders as well as those looking to learn more about the bird life at Bombay Hook.
5/7 10:00 - 12:00 Salt Marsh Boat Ride
    The trip will take us to the salt marsh mud flats where we will look for shorebirds. Dress for the weather. The trip will be limited to eight participants and may be canceled due to weather conditions. Call to register.
5/9 19:30 - 21:30 Evening Program on Frogs
    Jim White, Associate Director, Land and BiodiversitMay 1, 2008trip at Bombay Hook. Jim has been studying the distribution of amphibians and reptiles on the Delmarva Peninsula for over twenty years. He is the coauthor of a field guide, Amphibians and Reptiles of the Delmarva Peninsula, published in 2003. Jim does the annual frog and toad surveys at the refuge. The program will begin with a presentation in the auditorium and then head outside to look for frogs and toads. Bring your flashlight and wear boots. Hop, skip and jump to get to this program; you won't want to miss it!
5/10 7:00 - 13:00 Spring Bird Count
    Meet at the Visitor Center. Birders of all skill levels are welcome to participate. Teams will be formed. Each team will be assigned an area of the refuge to survey; they will record how many birds of each species are observed. For more information, call Tina Watson at (302) 653-6872.
5/13 9:30 - 11:30 Gardenkeepers
    Meeting and garden work.
5/17 8:00 - 16:30 Migratory Bird Festival
    The theme for International Migratory Bird Day 2008 is: Tundra to Tropics: Connecting Birds, Habitat and People. Come join us for a day filled with information, fun, hands-on activities, exhibits, wildlife photography and art, boat rides and more. Check back later for a complete schedule of events.
5/24 11:30 - 13:30 Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab Presentation
    Greg Breese, Project Manager for the delaware Bay Estuary Project, will start the program with a presentation on shorebirds, their amazing migration journey and horseshoe crabs on the Delaware Bay. The group will then go to Pickering Beach to see the shorebirds and the horseshoe crabs that come up onto the beach to spawn. Meet at the Visitor Center auditorium.
5/31 12:00 - 16:30 Field Trip to DuPont Nature Center
    In the months of May and June, the shoreline of the Delaware Bay becomes an important stopover for many species of migratory shorebirds on their way to their breeding grounds in the high Arctic. Spend an afternoon at the DuPont Nature Center, located near Slaughter Beach, DE, learning about the shorebird migration and horseshoe crab connection. We will explore the exhibits in the nature center to learn about the coincidence of the horseshoe crab spawning and the bird migration, then observe the shorebirds from the observation deck using spotting scopes.
6/3 11:00 - 13:00 Salt Marsh Boat Ride
    The trip will take us to the salt marsh mud flats where we will look for shorebirds. Dress for the weather. The trip will be limited to eight participants and may be canceled due to weather conditions. Call to register.
6/4   National Garden Week Program
    Check back later for details.
6/10 9:30 - 11:30 Gardenkeepers
    Meeting and garden work.
6/21 10:45 - 17:00 Field Trip to Pea Patch Island Rookery
    Joel Citron will meet us in Delaware City for the 12:00pm ferry. We will spend a couple of hours walking the trail on the north end of the island looking for herons that nest in the rookery as well as other birds on the island. An 11-passenger van will leave Bombay Hook NWR at 10:45am. Call to reserve a seat if you want to go with us, or meet us in Delaware City in time to board the 12:00 ferry.