Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, on the Delaware Bay shore of Sussex County, is one of the most important migratory-bird refuges on the Atlantic Coast — 10,000 acres of Delaware Bay coastal marsh, freshwater impoundments, shrub habitat and sandy beaches that are a critical component of the globally significant Delaware Bay shorebird stopover, where hundreds of thousands of migratory shorebirds concentrate each May to feed on horseshoe-crab eggs.

The refuge was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy (2012) and subsequent storms, but restoration of the beach and marsh is ongoing. The refuge’s freshwater impoundments, walking trails and Wildlife Drive provide excellent accessible birding for waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds and raptors throughout the year. Prime Hook NWR is a treasured natural icon of Delaware.

Prime Hook NWR offers birding (the primary activity — the refuge is excellent for shorebirds on the bay beach and impoundments in spring and fall, wintering waterfowl in the impoundments, raptors including bald eagles and northern harriers year-round, and the extraordinary May horseshoe-crab and shorebird event on the bay beach), hiking and walking the refuge trails and Wildlife Drive, fishing in the refuge waterways, hunting in designated areas in season, photography, and wildlife watching. The May shorebird spectacle on the bay beach and the wintering waterfowl are the singular draws.

Late May (around the full moon) is the most spectacular period — the horseshoe-crab spawning concentrates tens of thousands of shorebirds (red knots, ruddy turnstones, sanderlings, semipalmated sandpipers) on the bay beaches in one of the great wildlife spectacles in North America. Fall (September through November) brings migrant shorebirds to the impoundments and wintering waterfowl (canvasbacks, scaup, buffleheads) from October. Winter is excellent for raptors (northern harrier, rough-legged hawk, short-eared owl). Spring for the horseshoe crabs, fall for the migrant shorebirds and winter for the raptors are the highlights.

Prime Hook NWR was established in 1963 to protect the Delaware Bay coastal marsh and shorebird habitat. The refuge’s freshwater impoundments were built in the 1970s and 1980s to provide managed waterfowl habitat. Hurricane Sandy (2012) overwashed a portion of the bay beach dike system, significantly damaging the freshwater impoundments by saltwater intrusion. A major post-Sandy restoration project has worked to restore the dike system, the freshwater impoundments and the bay-beach wildlife habitat. Prime Hook NWR preserves a critical segment of the Delaware Bay shorebird migration corridor.

Prime Hook NWR occupies the Delaware Bay coastal plain of southern Delaware — a low-lying landscape at or near sea level, with the bay-fronting sandy beach and dune system, fresh and brackish impoundments, and the poorly drained coastal-plain sediments behind. The Delaware Bay shoreline here is erosion-dominated (losing sand and marsh edge over time), with the storm overwash from Hurricane Sandy dramatically accelerating the erosion. The freshwater impoundments are managed by a system of dikes and water-control structures. The coastal-plain sediments, the bay dynamics and the managed impoundments created the refuge landscape.

Prime Hook NWR is a critical staging area for the Delaware Bay shorebird migration — tens of thousands of red knots, ruddy turnstones, sanderlings and semipalmated sandpipers concentrate on the bay beaches and impoundments in May to feed on horseshoe-crab eggs before completing their migration to the Arctic. Year-round the refuge supports bald eagles (nesting; visible year-round), northern harriers and short-eared owls (winter), wintering canvasbacks, scaup and buffleheads, and nesting ospreys, great blue herons and various marsh birds. Prime Hook is one of the finest birding refuges on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Prime Hook NWR protects a critical segment of the Delaware Bay shorebird migration corridor — a globally significant ecological event where the timing of the horseshoe-crab spawning and the northbound shorebird migration creates one of the largest staging events for migratory birds in the Western Hemisphere. The red knot is federally threatened, and the Delaware Bay horseshoe-crab harvest has been managed to protect the crab population and by extension the knots. Post-Sandy restoration of the coastal marsh and impoundments is a major ongoing conservation project. Protecting the bay beach, the impoundments and the horseshoe-crab habitat sustains this irreplaceable migration system.

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge holds a treasured place among the natural icons of Delaware — one of the most important shorebird migration refuges on the Atlantic Coast, a critical component of the Delaware Bay horseshoe-crab and red knot spectacle, and an excellent accessible birding destination on the Delmarva Peninsula coast. Its role in the recovery of the federally threatened red knot makes it a conservation landmark. Prime Hook is a cherished natural icon of Delaware.

Prime Hook NWR is in Sussex County, Delaware, accessible off U.S. Route 1 near the town of Milton. The refuge visitor contact station is on Fowler Beach Road; the Wildlife Drive and trailheads are accessible from the same road. Fowler Beach (the bay beach access) is within the refuge. Milton (about 5 miles north) and Lewes and Rehoboth Beach (about 10 miles south) have services. Check the USFWS for current refuge access (post-Sandy restoration may affect some areas), hunting seasons, and birding conditions before visiting.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service manages Prime Hook NWR. The post-Sandy restoration of the bay beach and impoundments is the primary ongoing project; some areas may be restricted during restoration work. Visitors help by not walking on horseshoe-crab nesting beaches during the May spawning (observe from designated viewing areas only), respecting all shorebird concentrations (do not flush resting or feeding shorebirds), following all fishing and hunting regulations, not feeding wildlife, packing out all trash, and supporting the refuge’s restoration programs. The red knot and the horseshoe crab are globally significant conservation species; protecting their habitat here is directly consequential.

The bay beach during horseshoe-crab season (May) requires careful behavior — approach the spawning beach slowly and quietly from designated areas only; do not walk among the spawning crabs or flush the feeding shorebirds (both can cause significant harm to the crabs and the birds). Hunting occurs seasonally in designated areas; wear blaze orange if hiking during deer and waterfowl seasons. Biting insects (mosquitoes and greenhead flies) are intense in the coastal marsh in summer; carry strong repellent. Respect the spawning beach, the hunting seasons and the insects.

Free and open to the public during daylight hours. Horseshoe-crab spawning beaches: observe only from designated areas during May spawning (check USFWS for specific rules). Hunting in designated areas in season requires Delaware license and USFWS permit. Fishing requires Delaware license. No pets on the Fowler Beach area. Check the USFWS for current access, restoration area closures, hunting seasons and rules before visiting.

Cape Henlopen State Park (about 15 miles south — the finest state park in Delaware and a complementary Delaware Bay birding site for the May shorebird event), the town of Lewes (charming historic town, excellent restaurants and the Cape May-Lewes Ferry), the town of Milton (nearby, with the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery), Rehoboth Beach (Delaware’s premier resort beach), the Delaware Seashore State Park and the Assawoman Wildlife Area to the south, and the Delaware Bay shore define the region. Prime Hook and Cape Henlopen together anchor the Delaware Bay birding experience, the finest combination for the May shorebird event in Delaware.

Visit Fowler Beach in late May around the full moon (the peak horseshoe-crab spawning night) and watch from the designated shoreline areas — the experience of seeing the ancient crabs emerge from Delaware Bay in the moonlight with tens of thousands of shorebirds feeding among them is one of the finest wildlife moments on the East Coast. Check the USFWS website and the Delaware Ornithological Society for current shorebird counts and crab conditions before your visit. Bring a spotting scope for the impoundments in fall and winter — the canvasback and scaup concentrations are spectacular. Contact the refuge for the latest access conditions (post-Sandy restoration may affect some areas).