John Heinz Wildlife Refuge, Philadelphia, USA

Want to get out of the city for a while without driving anywhere? Want to get away from it all for a day? Want to do some birding? If so, get the airport train from Market East, Suburban or 30^th Street Stations to Eastwick and head out of town. When you get off the train, cross the road and walk along Crane Street until it joins up with S84th Street. Turn left and continue on until you get to the junction with Lindbergh Blvd. Turn left again and walk until you see the sign for the Refuge on your right.

Inside you’ll find more than 1000 acres of mixed habitat: tidal marsh; lakes; wet and dry woodland and meadows. Despite the fact that the Refuge is bordered on one side by the freeway, train line and airport you can wander along the 10 miles of tracks and feel that you are deep in an older America.

If you don’t feel like being alone, you can join one of the many themed walks from the excellent visitors centre and have a guided tour of some of the natural highlights of the place. A list of the walks is available from their website. Even if you don’t go on a themed walk you are likely to bump into friendly, knowledgeable staff and other visitors who will help you identify the birds and other wildlife. I had the pleasure of meeting some of these people and they were brilliant company – I can now tell you the difference between some of the many species of sparrow that live there!

I was there in late October, the weather was still sunny and mild and the place was alive with birds and beasts.  Being British I was delighted to see that American icon, the Bald Eagle, but even happier to see Woodchucks.

Woodchuck

Now, I know American readers will be going, “pah, Woodchucks, common as dirt”, but to me they were exciting, OK? The air above the lakes was swarming with tree swallows and the trees with yellow-rumped warblers. Chuck in rafts of ducks, red tailed and red shouldered hawks and a whole host of other birds (see below) as well as deer, chipmunks and turtles. This is a place I fell in love with immediately, so much so that I spent two Sundays there.

The visitor centre has some interesting exhibits as well as providing useful things like toilets, food and drink. There is also a small gift shop (I have a very cool baseball cap and no shame when it comes to wearing it).

For more information, including walks, opening times, etc, go to: http://www.fws.gov/heinz/index.html

Bird List:

• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Mute Swan
• Canada Goose
• Black Duck
• Mallard
• Northern Pintail
• Wood Duck
• Northern Shoveler
• Green-Winged Teal
• Ruddy Duck
• Turkey Vulture
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Red-Shouldered Hawk
• Bald Eagle
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Ring-Billed Gull
• Laughing Gull
• Forster’s Tern
• Mourning Dove
• Belted Kingfisher
• Red-Bellied Woodpecker
• Eastern Phoebe
• Tree Swallow
• Northern Rough-Winged Swallow
• Carolina Chickadee
• Tufted Titmouse
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
• Golden-Crowned Kinglet
• American Robin
• Gray Catbird
• American Crow
• Yellow-Rumped Warbler
• Blackburnian Warbler
• Common Yellowthroat
• Northern Cardinal
• House Finch
• White-Throated Sparrow
• White-Crowned Sparrow
• Swamp Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• Savannah Sparrow
• Rusty Blackbird
• Common Grackle
• Red-Winged Blackbird

Apologies for the lack of pictures, I only had my city camera on me as I was there on business.