Birding Activities

Different species make their way to Prime Hook throughout the year. Hawks, eagles and ospreys are common to the refuge much of the time. The Friends offer an array of seasonal birding events including birdwalks with interpreter Bill Fintel every 3rd Saturday of the month.

Spring	Shorebird Migration
Spring/Summer	Neotropical Birds
Autumn/Winter	Waterfowl

2009 SCHEDULE

Sunday, February 22 - Winter Waterfowl	This is an excellent time of year to observe many different species of waterfowl in their most exquisite breeding plumage. If we are fortunate, we may even see some courtship displays, and you can say farewell to many of the winter resident Snow Geese, which will now be beginning their migration back to the arctic tundra.
Saturday, March 14 - Harbingers of Spring	Today we will search for the two best Sussex County harbingers of spring - the Osprey and the Laughing Gull. Even though spring officially begins in six days and it appears to be too early for these birds, these harbingers of spring have been moving north sooner in recent years. We will also look for early shorebirds and late waterfowl.
Saturday, April 18 - Early Returning Songsters	Some of the first returning songsters are Brown Thrasher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Common Yellowthroat, and Chipping Sparrow. Plus most year-round resident birds will now be in full song. This is a great time to get out and relearn the common bird songs of spring.
Saturday, May 16 - Spring Migration Peak	In Delaware, May 16 is within the week of peak spring migration, at least in terms of diversity of species. Will we tally 100 species during this field trip? Quite possibly yes, but again our goal will be to have all participants see all the best species we encounter. This is just an amazing time to be out in the field with so many different birds, most singing their spring song.