Birding Region: Piedmont Hills & Valleys
Site #3: Brandywine Creek State Park

Site Map         

4.5 miles NW of Wilmington (302) 577-3534
Managed by: Delaware State Parks

A diverse assemblage of forests, thickets, fields, and meadows bordering the Brandywine River, Brandywine Creek State Park features excellent walking and woodland birding at any time of year. The most direct way to access the park's riverside forest, where one typically encounters the best numbers of migrant songbirds, is from the east side of the river at Thompson's Bridge.

On the west side of the Brandywine, the main entrance to the park offers open hillside habitats and some lovely scenic vistas. The entrance road winds past brushy fields where a few pairs of Grasshopper Sparrows and Eastern Meadowlarks breed. Park at the Brandywine Creek Nature Center and check the excellent bird-feeding station; inquire also about any naturalist-led activities that may be available. Directly behind the center is the lovely Tulip Tree Woods. Beyond that, several trails continue toward the river. Open fields near the nature center parking lot, especially the aptly-named "Hawk Watch" parking lot, reached by turning right (E) 1/4 mile prior to the center itself, are good places to watch for southbound raptors in September and October. . .Click to Continue

Other Birding Sites in the Piedmont Hills & Valleys Region:

1. White Clay Creek State Park
2. Ashland Nature Center
3. Brandywine Creek State Park
4. Wilmington State Parks