More Birds In Philadelphia. These With Feathers At The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.

It was finally quiet when I woke up early Saturday morning at the Double Tree Hotel on Broad Street in Philadelphia. For two days I was serenaded with Eagles cheers, shouts and songs in my room. The were no  more Eagles chants or fans . Broad Street was deserted and clean. The city did a wonderful job cleaning up the thrash from the Super Bowl parade.

After watching the Philadelphia Eagles football team, affectionately known as ” the Birds” in the parade on Friday I decided to look for a different kind of birds, the ones with feathers , at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Tinicum.  located in south Philadelphia.

I had visited the refuge  two previous times, both in the Winter .  The  1000 acre refuge   protects the Tinicum Marsh ,  largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh  in Pennsylvania. Located on the Atlantic Flyway, over 300 species of birds have been sighted here.

There were no other vehicles in the parking lot when I arrived around 7:30 a.m..  It  was overcast and a cold 25 degrees when I walked out on  the Wetland Loop trail.  I soon  came to a large  the large impoundment pond,

and found much of it was covered in ice.  I was disappointed  since I was looking for ducks and water fowl and they  would not be able to swim on the ice covered pond.

I didn’t see any ducks but I was greeted with the cheerful songs of a Carolina wren, I would hear and see a few of these birds on my hike.

I also heard a northern cardinal. I didn’t see the male cardinal that was singing but I was able to get a photo of this female.

And there was this mourning dove perched in a tree, its feathers fluffed to stay warm on this cold February morning.

I came to a boardwalk that crossed the pond,

and while walked  on the boardwalk, saw a  large flock of Canada geese  on the ice.

I also saw one lone gadwall  duck swimming on some open water on the pond.

I walked back to the trail, and was surprised to find a lot of birds active on the cold cloudy day, I saw a downy  woodpecker,

a brown creeper,

and a flock of white throated sparrows in the woods along the trail. I would see dozens of these sparrows on my five mile hike.

The trail  followed   the Darby Creek which flowed into the tidal Delaware River. It created the freshwater  Tinicum tidal marsh. The marsh was once over 5000 acres when the first Swedish settlers arrived in the early 1600’s. Before the arrival of the Swedish settlers the marsh was the the homeland of the  Turtle Clan of the Lenni Lenape   tribe of native Americans. They hunted, fished  and gathered for hundreds of years.

Water from the Delaware River flows up the creek during high tide, creating the marsh. When it is low tide mud is exposed, and the small creatures that live in it, making for excellent feeding ground for water fowl and other birds.

I saw a flock of mallard ducks on the creek, this is the colorful male, and

this a male swimming with the brown female.

A couple of common mergansers also swam on the creek. This is a male ,

and this a female .

The trail continued between the freshwater  impoundment pond and the  tidal marsh.

Many large silver maple , eastern cottonwood, mulberry and other large  trees I wasn’t sure of  lined the trail.I have only been here in the Winters month but imagine it will be a beautiful hike when the trees have leaves.

I came to some areas of open water on the pond where I saw a few ring necked  ducks, and

a pair of invasive mute swans. These swans compete with the native water fowl and do much damage to the native vegetation.

There were also some  northern shoveler ducks swimming and diving here in the ice free areas of the pond. .

The sun tried to break through the clouds as I walked along the pond and the large , old trees on the trail. As I came to the east end of the pond I saw more  northern shoveler ducks some  swiming in the pond,

and others standing on the ice with some Canada geese.

I also saw song sparrows, and

swamp sparrows in the reeds and woodlands along the trail. I was surprised with the large number, and different species, of birds I was seeing on my hike.

 I came to a another boardwalk  on the trail which  led to the Darby Creek and  the center of the  Tinicum Marsh.

I believe it was low tide since there was little water in the marsh. The Darby Creek will back up when the tide is high and fill the marsh with water.It was drab and dreary looking  now  but I imagined it would be  lush and green in the Spring. I hope to return  and see it this year.

Soon after the boardwalk the Wetland Loop Trail  intersected with the Tukey-Foot Trail which I followed for a short distance to the Tinicum trail.   This trail took me through some grasslands

and along the Darby Creek.

There were some larger old trees here too, including osgae orange , eastern cottonwood and mulberry and  maple.

Here I saw a  blue jays and  red winged black birds in the tree tops.

My luck  seeing a lot of  bird activity continued when I saw this red shouldered hawk perched  on a  tree branch. 

It is a beautiful bird and flow as I approached.

Walking back to the Wetland Loop Trail I saw a northern mockingbird  in a tree. For you regular readers of my blog you would know I associate  these birds with my dad.  He loved seeing these birds and they bring back wonderful memories. They remind me that my dad is always with me and I felt his presence that cold morning. I had a very warm feeling after  seeing the mockingbird.

I followed the Wetland Loop Trail which again took me along the lake where I again found many large old trees,I also saw the first green on my hike, some leaves on blackberry brambles were still green.

I also saw withered  milkweed pods ,

Indian hemp seeds and

bristle grass along the trail, reminders of th once lush growth that occurred last year.

The trail  then approached busy interstate 95.  The constant sounds of the traffic on the highway  could  heard as I walked along  the interstate and then Bartam Avenue for  about 1/2 a mile.

After leaving the side of the  highway the trail took me back along  the impoundment pond.

Here I saw a few American robins,

a small flock of golden crowned kinglets,

and a northern flicker perched on a tree in the distance.

The trail now entered an older hardwood forest with  some bitternut hickory , pin oak , white poplar ,

and sweetgum trees, these are spiny fruits of the sweetgum trees that were scattered along the trail.

I had now  hiked about 4 miles.  So far I had only seen two young woman running on my hike. Now I began to see a lot of people, running, hiking, and walking their dogs on the trail.

The trail  would continue, at various distances, along the impoundment pond. When it neared the pond  I saw a few more  northern shovelers sharing a log,

and swimming with some mallard ducks.

I would see one more new species of birds, this tufted titmouse, on my hike. I was disappointed there wasn’t more bird activity in these older and thicker woodlands.  Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web page with some more photos of the many species of birds I saw on my five mile hike. Philadelphia John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge birds February 15 2025.

I saw more people on the trail ad I finished my five mile hike  and I was surprised to find the parking lot now filled with cars. The refuge is a popular hiking area even in the middle of Winter. It was a great hike. I saw a lot of birds and look forward to returning in the Spring. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web page with some more photos from  my five mile hike through the refuge . Philadelphia John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge  February 15 2025.

I had walked a little over 5 miles on my hike, and, as usual, I was hungry. I checked my Google maps for nearby restaurants and decided to try the Penrose Diner. It was only a few miles away and on my route back to the hotel.  It was a great choice. I love visiting diners and mom and pop restaurants on my travels. ( I haven’t , by choice, eaten in a fast food restaurant in 30 years)  I learned this was a famous diner  for over 50 years. It was crowded but I was served quickly by a pleasant waitress. I enjoyed the vegetable omelet with rye toast and home fries.

I left the diner and found myself near the Navy Yards. I followed the directions on Google maps and found myself neat the Sports Complex where the Eagles Super Bowl started the previous morning.

I though  appropriate t0 be driving up Broad Street following the parade route of the other “Birds” I traveled to Philadelphia to see.

I got back to my hotel around noon,  I spent the first part of the afternoon editing the many photos I took in the morning. I was going to go for another hike but  but clouds moved in a a cold rain began to fall. I spent the afternoon editing photos and around 5 p.m. took a quick walk in the rain back to the Samuri Restaurant where I ate the night before. I had another bowl of miso soup with a California roll,

and another bento box this time with salmon instead of scallops. It was, once again delicious. I returned to my room and, despite the rain, and it being a day after the parade. listened to the Eagles chants echoing on Broad Street. The Eagles fans would again be out celebrating until the early morning hour. If I were younger I’d be joining them. However, I was glad to retire after another great day in  my favorite city,  the greatest city in the world, Philadelphia,  the  home of the Super Bowl Champion Eagles.

“In wildness is the preservation of the world.”   Henry David Thoreau

“The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth … the only home we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need — if only we had the eyes to see.”  Edward Abbey