DIRECTIONS: There are two entrance points for visiting this area. The first is from the main gravel dike of the refuge at a point just past the observation blind where the road forks (see refuge description in Philadelphia for directions). The dike road continues to the left. Take the path straight ahead that will take you through an open field and a few small wooded areas. This area can be good for sparrows in fall and winter. Continue along this trail, keeping the creek to your right and it will slowly turn right giving you your first unobstructed view of the marsh. If you continue ahead you will find an observation blind that provides excellent viewing. The second entrance point is located along PA 420 (Wanamaker Avenue) in Essington. From I-95 take the PA 420 north exit. Go 0.2 mile and park in the dirt lot just north of the exit ramp entering from the right. Please don't block the entrance to the service road. There is also a parking area just opposite from this location on PA 420 south. Walk east along the gravel road several yards to a foot path leading off to the left. Follow this foot path through the moist wooded areas, across two old wooden bridges to a connecting gravel road. This wooded area contains nesting Green Heron, American Woodcock, Eastern Kingbird, Carolina and House wrens, Gray Catbird, Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Song and Swamp sparrows, Baltimore Oriole, and American Goldfinch. During the winter you may find Sharp-shinned and Red-tailed hawks, Northern Saw-whet Owl (rare), Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Field and White-throated sparrows, and Rusty Blackbird. Follow the black gravel road towards the creek. During the winter when the impoundment in the refuge is frozen you can find several species of puddle ducks here. In late summer Forster's Tern and Double-crested Cormorant abound, and the shoreline has Great and Snowy egrets and Little Blue Heron. The gravel road ends at a bridge and observation platform overlooking a tidal marsh. From here you can walk the path to the right that borders the east side of the marsh which contains an observation blind, or you can take the more productive path to the left that meanders along the creek and eventually arrives at the observation blind mentioned with the first entrance directions. Before proceeding on either trail, stop at the bridge and observation deck to scan the marsh in front of you. This location is good for shorebirds in both spring and fall. Some species found here include Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Greater and Lesser yellowlegs, Solitary, Spotted, Semipalmated, Western (fall), Least, White-rumped, Baird's (rare in fall) Pectoral and Stilt (fall) sandpipers, and Dunlin. American and Least bitterns can sometimes be flushed from the creek banks in spring and summer. By taking the trail to the left that follows the creek upstream you will travel through sections that contain thick underbrush, moist thickets, cattails, thorny vines, and willows. This area is good any time of year but is excellent between August and November when migrants abound. Hundreds of Bobolink accompanied by even larger numbers of blackbirds and swallows occur here in fall. Large numbers of herons of at least six species can be observed returning to roost in the evening. The Wood Duck population here has undergone an explosion, and it is not unusual to count upwards of 150-200 birds coming to roost. During the waterfowl migration in October and November large numbers of Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail and Northern Shoveler can be found among the floating vegetation. Marsh Wren, Yellow Warbler, and Common Yellowthroats are common nesters here. A restored wetland area is located in the middle of the two trails and can be excellent for viewing shorebirds. Shorebirds gather in this area when the creek mudflats disappear during high tide. There is one observation deck available for viewing. From these observation sites you have a wonderful view of the marsh and a good opportunity for photographs if you are patient. By far, the most numerous of the shorebirds is the Semipalmated Sandpiper, followed closely by the Least Sandpiper. These two species together with both the Greater and Lesser yellowlegs comprise about 80% of the shorebirds present here. The remaining species that occur regularly are Black-bellied, American Golden (Oct.) and Semipalmated plovers, Solitary, Western, White-rumped, Baird's, Pectoral, and Stilt sandpipers, Hudsonian Godwit, Dunlin, Short-billed and Long-billed (October/November) dowitchers, Common Snipe, and Wilson's Phalarope. Occurring less frequently are Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone, and Red-necked Phalarope. On the west side of PA 420 there is a large lagoon and lake formed by a spit of land that juts out into the creek. This area can be reached from a parking lot along PA 420 just north of the entrance to I- 95. Here there is a trail that leads to a pier used by fisherman, but it also provides a good birding location. From the pier you can find Double-crested Cormorant and Forster's Tern feeding in the pond in late summer and fall and Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked and Ruddy ducks in winter. Gulls congregate at the south tip of the island during low tide and are best observed from the marina entered via Swarthmore Avenue in Ridley Township.