Bird Watching in Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley
There’s a reason the American Birding Association headquarters are located in Delaware City — Northern Delaware is one of America’s richest birding areas.
Every year, thousands of rare songbirds, shorebirds and raptors migrate along the Delaware shore, stopping along the way at one of the state’s many natural habitats and wildlife areas.
Pea Patch Island is best known as the home of Fort Delaware, but it’s also a summer home to nine different species of herons, egrets and ibises. In fact, the island is one of the largest wading-bird nesting areas on the East Coast. An observation tower along the island’s Prison Camp Trail provides the perfect vantage point for bird-spotting.
From the hills and valleys of the Piedmont region and the Ashland Nature Center (with its prime view of hawk migrations) to the urban wetlands wildlife refuge of the DuPont Environmental Education Center, the region offers plenty of opportunities to check those rare, coveted species off your list.