Pitch Pines, Birds, Bracken Ferns And An Old Friend, Exploring Cape Henlopen State Park In Lewes , Delaware

I was up before the sunrise again in Milford, Delaware on Sunday .  This time, however,  I was in my car driving to Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes  and so I didn’t get to watch it rise.  It was about a 30 mile half hour drive to the park . The skies were clear and it was a cool and windy 48 degrees in Milford. I was going  to the  Gordon Pond Trail in the park where my law school roommate suggested we meet at 10:30 a.m. I wanted to get in a 5 mile hike before we met.  It was another coincidence on this trip since a friend had  just  recommended I visit Cape Henlopen.   I briefly looked at the map of the park before I left and saw the Gordon Pond Trail but   wasn’t sure what to expect on this hike. My hike was  looking promising when I saw this white tail deer, and female mallard duck greet me along the entrance road to the parking lot. There were already a lot of cars and folks at the Herring Point  parking lot near the Gordon Pond Trail. I learned Herring Point is located on a large dune overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. I took in  the spectacular  view of the crashing wave below, and walked over to the ruins of the  World War II Battery Herring, one  of four bunkers serving as  artillery emplacements,  built on top of the dune to defend the Delaware Bay. I then walked down to the beach, where I already found a lot of surfers riding the waves crashing on the beach, I walked back up the dune, and saw a flock of blue gray gnatcatcher fluttering in the red cedar trees along the trail. I walked down from the dune and  began my hike beneath the tall pine trees on the Gordon Pond Trail. Here I saw a bird I have often searched for on my hikes, a blue grosbeak,this is  a brightly colored male. As I proceeded on my hike I was surprised to find I was surprised to realize that there were  the familiar contorted pitch pines growing in the dunes along the trail. 

These pine trees grew on the ridges  I hiked on as a child and a young  man. I have so many memories of picking mushrooms, huckleberries , hiking and camping under their contorted branches.

Beneath the pine trees were bracken ferns. These, too, grew  beneath the pitch   pines  in the woodlands of my home in mountains of  Northeastern Pennsylvania. 

It was very strange to see them growing on the sand dunes along the trail here in Delaware. I have seen them growing near the shore in the pine barrens of New Jersey but never in the dunes along the ocean. I have learned they thrive in  nutrient poor soil and harsh conditions such as  the mountain ridges of Pennsylvania and the sand dunes along the shore. This was my first experience in walking through a pitch pine woodland along the ocean and I  loved it.

And it wasn’t only the pitch pines and bracken ferns I enjoyed seeing on my hike . There was also a lot of  wildlife along the trail. This  was the first of many eastern gray squirrels I would see,

and this, the first of many species of birds, very appropriately, a pine warbler I often see on my hikes in Northeastern Pennsylvania. 

I continued on the trailthrough  the pitch pines growing along with American holly. I loved hiking  in the  lush American holly woodlands along the shore at Sandy Hook New Jersey. There were a few folks riding past on bicycles as I continued on the trail but I still saw a lot of birds including my first sighting of a  brown headed nuthatch,

and the familar, bad colorful, indigo buntings,

and a northern cardinal perched in an American holly  tree.

The trail left the pitch pine woodland,

and took me to a boardwalk along the  meadows  and wetlands of Gordon Pond. It was a beautiful Sunday morning with mild temperatures in the 70’s and  beautiful late May sunshine. I now saw a lot more hikers and bikers enjoying the trail on wonderful morning.

  And I continued to see a lot of birds along the trail, including this male common yellowthroat,

and a few  eastern kingbirds.

There  were many birds wading in the  marsh and ponds,

including semipalmated sandpipers,

willets,

greater yellowlegs,

royal terns,

a killdeer,

and this green heron.

There were some woodlands between the marshes and the trail and here I saw this seaside sparrow,

a lot of  red-winged blackbirds, including this male,

and this female,

My favorite were a pair of blue grosbeaks, this is the female,

and this the male.

It was a perfect day for hiking on this scenic trail.  It wasn’t only the many species of birds that were enjoying the sun,  there was now a steady stream of hikers and bikers on the trail enjoying the early June sunshine.

I hiked out about 2 1/2 miles when I came to an observation platform overlooking the marshes and waters of Gordon Pond. 

 After taking in the view ,  I decided to walk  a little further, thinking to myself how lucky I was to observe so much bird activity.  I thought to myself it would have been nice to see a bald eagle, and looking across the marsh, I saw  this bald eagle perched in a tree. The magic of this morning hike continued!

I began my hike back and continued to see many of the birds I saw earlier, and I also saw  a few  cedar waxwings  along the trail.

Snowy egrets wadded in the waters of  pond and

a great egret,

and royal tern flew overhead.

I was  so surprised with the many species of birds I saw on  my hike,and I would see two more, an osprey and

a fast flying harrier hawk.   Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web page with some more photos of the many birds saw on my 6 mile hike in  the state park. Delaware  Cape Henlopen State Park birds May 31 2026.

I was almost back at the trail head when I met my law school roommate Paul and wife Ann walking toward me on the trail.   I walked back on the trail for another mile with them, recalling memories and catching up on the many years that passed since we attended law school. I also learned from them that was one of President Biden’s favorite biking trails. It was a great way to end a  wonderful  hike on the Gordon Pond Trail.   Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web page with some more photos from my 6 mile hike in  the state park. Delaware  Cape Henlopen State Park May 31 2026.

After finishing our hike I followed Paul and his wife to the Lewes-Cape May Ferry pier,

where we had a wonderful lunch and a great conversation   at the  Grain on the Rocks restaurant. I had a grilled salmon sandwich. After lunch I visit  Paul and his wife’s condo before  I returning to my  hotel where I edited photos for an hour or so.

It was a beautiful day so I couldn’t stay inside. In late afternoon I decided to  drive into the town of Milford and visit Goat Island, located in the center of town  along the Mispillion River.

The 9 acre island was created in 1927 when a channel in the river to remove an oxbow and improve navigation.

I followed a short 1/2 mile  nature trail through  the woodlands on the island.

Once again I was greeted by a northern mockingbird as I crossed  the bridge onto the small island. It was late afternoon, sunny and hot out so I didn’t expect to see much bird or other wildlife activity.

I followed the trail which took you through a number of different habitats,  there was a board walking through a  wetland.

The trail next came to a shallow channel surrounded by marsh land.

Here I saw a great blue  heron wading in the muck.

The trail took me into dense woodland with large, old trees some I was familiar with like red maple, tupelo and white oak and sassafras,

while others I  never saw before like camphor and sweet bay magnolia trees.

I also saw familiar American robins,

and a turkey vulture. I didn’t take a lot of photos because I took so many on my morning hike and didn’t want to edit them.

I finished my hike on the island and walked along the river.  It was late afternoon, I had walked almost 8 miles and I was hungry again so I left Goat Island and looked for a place to eat .Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web page with some more photos from my hike in the city park  Delaware Milford Goat Island  May 31 2026.

I decided on Meding’s Seafood, which I passed on my drive to Milford. It was few mile north of town and another good choice.   I had to try their famous cream of crab  soup, it was delicious but very filling.

When my garden salad fried seafood platter arrived I never thought I could finish it, but I did it was another delicious meal. And the very pleasant and friendly waitress also gave me some info on the local hiking trails and parks. She told me her favorite beach, and a great place to see the horseshoe crabs was Pickering Beach. She said there were only  a few homes along the isolated beach and it would be a great place to see the horseshoe crabs and enjoy the solitary beach.   I returned to my hotel, edited some photos, and was again asleep early, looking forward to finding out if the waitress was right early the next morning.

“Beautiful as they are, these tidal places are often moody and strange. Sometimes you can feel the bittersweet tang of your mortality rubbing up against a beachhead of infinity”. Christopher Camuto

“Often, during passes through our “poor and sandy level” in the Commons, I collect one or two sprigs of pitch pine and carry them home. There, they make a handsome reminder for a week or so before they dry and go over to tan color.” Henry Thoreau