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Bird and Wildlife Photography at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge
Exploring the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge Park in Delaware
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge is situated on the Delaware Bay, a short drive Northeast from Dover. Covering over 16,000 acres, it hosts an immense variety of wildlife. It is best known for the varied species of birds, including some migratory and coastal species. The refuge has several walking trails that are fairly short and easy to navigate. You can also drive an auto tour that promises to provide excellent views of both the marshland and the wildlife. For an excellent guide on the auto tour, visit: https://www.friendsofbombayhook.org/about-refuge/tour/.
Over 300 species of birds have been documented at Bombay Hook on eBird (https://ebird.org/hotspot/L126637) and it is common to see birds of prey like Bald Eagles, Northern Harriers, and Sharp-shinned Hawks. Great Blue Herons are abundant year-round as well as many species of ducks and other waterfowl.
Landscape photography opportunities are not quite as abundant as wildlife, however there are still ample opportunities to get some pretty stunning shots. Several of the hiking trails lead out to observation towers that can provide elevation over much of the flat landscape. Even if you stay to the auto route, as we usually do, you can still find some pretty amazing shots along the way, such as the image below.
During the winter months, the colors are muted with many of the trees barren of leaves. This does give the opportunity to challenge yourself to find ways to make your photographs interesting. Below, we were lucky enough to view a Northern Harrier just above the marsh reeds, which gave a complimentary horizontal texture to the bird’s suspended verticality.
Surrounded by marshland and tidal mudflats, there are several ponds and larger standing bodies of water to watch for your favorite birds. Often, this is a great opportunity to catch some interesting reflection shots if you can find a calm day to visit.
On the walking trails and the auto tour route, there are ample opportunities to find birds and wildlife that are not waterfowl. Often hidden in thickets or flying about quickly, smaller birds and wildlife are abundant. We always try to find a species we’ve not captured before when we go to Bombay Hook, and the below photograph was one such example. You have to stay prepared and be quick and luckily we were ready for the yellow-rumped warbler below!
Lastly, take a few moments to view the slide show below for additional photographs taken at Bombay Hook. You can pause the slideshow by clicking the icon in the upper right of each photograph.
This beautiful fox casually strolled down the road for quite some time, oblivous to several photographers clamouring to take his picture! He paused for a moment to think about the road ahead while having a little scratch. 
A pair of bald eagles bask in the morning sun. 
A heron perches on a branch 
We were lucky enough to see the local gang of Sand Cranes 
A sharp-shinned hawk surveys the ground from a perch 
A Northern harrier rides the breeze looking for food 
A pair of greater yellowlegs wade in the chilly waters at Bombay Hook 
A Great Blue Heron snatches a fish for breakfast 
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