Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge
November 10, 2021

It was a beautiful day to enjoy the last colors of Fall and the first waterfowl of Winter. Even on Nov. 10 we didn’t need coats or gloves.

The Bombay Hook refuge on the Delaware side of the bay is always a pleasing birding destination. Most of the dabbling ducks were there, and looking fresh in their post-eclipse plumage. We saw Ruddy Ducks, Wigeon, Pintails, Green-winged Teal, Gadwall and more. A few Pied-billed Grebes came close enough to be photographed.

A few species of shorebirds which typically winter in the Delaware region were present in good numbers; we saw several hundred Greater Yellowlegs, 60+ Avocets, a few hundred Dunlin, and just a few lingering Dowitchers, probably Long-billed.

The herons were not all gone; there were some Great Egrets, some Great Blue Herons, one Snowy Egret. We couldn’t find a Little Blue Heron reported by others.  Harriers, Red-tails, a Kestrel and some not-very-close Bald Eagles made up the raptor list.

Landbirds were scarce, with just a few Savannah and Song Sparrows at the refuge. Still, we were able to compile a list of nearly 50 species, which is “pretty good for November,” we think.