Birding at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum

I spent a very nice morning at John Heinz NWR. I was picking Sydney up from the airport at around 2pm and had the morning to bird. John Heinz NWR is 11 minutes from Philly international Airport for those of you who may not know. The refuge comprises the largest remaining freshwater tidal Marsh in all of PA! The whole refuge is about 1000 acres in size situated just outside of Philadelphia.

I rolled in later than usual for me, about 11:00, and birded for almost 4 hours. The birds were singing the whole time: Lots of Yellow Warblers, Palm Warblers (all yellow subspecies), and so many Yellow-rumped Warblers. I have only visited once before but it is an amazing place. I was greeted by a very nice refuge volunteer who told me some species seen earlier that day including an American Bittern, my favorite; and so my trek began.

The loop I walked was 4.5 miles. I was joined by throngs of birders and city dwellers alike just getting out for a nice walk. Four Caspian Terns showed of their impressive orange bills and snappy wing beats over the Big Boardwalk. They were very vocal as the flew high over the water. A few osprey had joined them up high, while low just over the water what seemed like uncountable Tree and Barn Swallows darted around the massive pool. I estimated the number of Tree Swallows to be about 110 but I'm sure that number could be higher.

It took me a while to get an ear for Rusty Blackbird songs and call notes but with practice and running into them regularly now I see and hear them all over! There were a few calling and flying around at different points on the trail. There short metallic song usually ending in an rising slur is similar to other blackbird species locally but definitely distinguishable in the field. Compare it to common grackles short all metallic single or two part song with a very short rising slur at the end, if any.

Once I found some calmer areas of water hidden around corners or tucked away just enough to provide some cover I saw another common swallow species: Northern-rough Winged Swallow. These large dusty brown swallows are another aerial acrobat swooping and diving over the water to catch insects. I stopped at the James Carroll Observation Tower and enjoyed seeing the whole wetland before me. It was still early in the day; I took it all in and kept moving.

My next interesting find was on the Tinicum Marsh Boardwalk. There were rafts of floating reeds and other sundry items. That can be great habitat for shorebirds, so I never pass up a glance. I am glad I looked; there were two Greater Yellowlegs standing amid the reeds and plastic bottles and pieces of styrofoam, but blending in to the background was a shorebird with yellow legs. Smaller than the Yellowlegs but not as small as a Least Sandpiper. The bird had a heavy breast with dense streaks of light and dark mottled brown, and a two toned, slightly decurved bill. Anyone figure it out yet? It was a Pectoral Sandpiper! An early migrant still seemingly still in nonbreeding plumage based on how light the bird was.

Honestly, the rest of my walk was nice but I didn't have any other amazing finds. I ended my trip with 58 species. I had some misses like the American Bittern, Green Heron, and Belted Kingfisher. Sixty or Sixty-five species is easily a reachable number. Now time for a little rant.

I passed by so many birders and photographers on my walk. Many of the people I passed had their phones held out in front of them. I would walk up to them and ask "What is Merlin hearing?" and they would say "oh it was a Yellow-rumped Warbler" or "It keeps telling me there is a Yellow Warbler here, but I cant find it!" Learn your bird songs people, and get some binoculars for god's sake! I'm kidding, of course. If I had a tool like Merlin when I was new to birding I'm positive I would have used it the same way. Do seriously get some binoculars though, hunting for little warblers with a camera must be tough!

I picked Sydney up from the airport after a little misunderstanding over the baggage claim area (I don't fly very much) and we went on our way home. Sydney and I ate at a Cracker Barrel on the way. She is obsessed with salt and pepper shakers and Cracker Barrel has no shortage of options for her to look through. I was taken with a collared button-up flamingo shirt, but they didn't have my size. I've been looking for a nice button up with birds on it that I can wear out, real birds not that fake off colored and fantastical species stuff. The staff was nice but the food was mediocre at best. when did they stop bringing a corn bread and biscuit basket to the table right away?

Thus ended my birding day. Have you ever visited John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge? it really is a wonderful place, and a great place for people from the city to get outside and enjoy some nature for a change. Next time you find yourself over by the PHL why don't you stop on by for some birding! I would definitely give John Heinz National wildlife refuge a big old five stars.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

and remember the birds wait for no one so Bird On!

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