U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Bombay Hook

National Wildlife 

Refuge

Bombay Hook

National Wildlife Refuge

2591 Whitehall Neck Road

Smyrna, DE 19977

302/653 9345 Office

302/653 6872 Visitor Center

302/653 0684 Fax

Email: R5RW_BHNWR@mail.fws.gov

www.fws.gov/northeast/bombayhook

Federal Relay Service

for the deaf and hard-of-hearing

1 800/877 8339 

This brochure is also available upon 

request in a large print version.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

1 800/344 WILD

August 2009
Cover photo: 

Great blue heron by 

Earl West, Jr.

background photo:

Jamie Richie

Bombay Hook was established in 

1937 as a link in the chain of refuges 

extending from Canada to the Gulf 

of Mexico. It is primarily a refuge 

and breeding ground for migrating 

birds and other wildlife. The value 

and importance of Bombay Hook 

for migratory bird protection and 

conservation has increased through 

the years, primarily due to the 

management of the refuge and the 

loss of high quality habitat along the 

Atlantic Flyway.

Bombay Hook Introduction

National Wildlife 

Refuge protects 

one of the largest 

remaining expanses 

of tidal salt marsh 

in the mid-Atlantic 

region. The refuge, 

located along the 

coast of Delaware, is 

mostly marsh, but also 

includes freshwater 

impoundments and 

upland habitats that 

are managed for 

migratory birds and 

other wildlife.

This blue goose, 

designed by J. N. 

“Ding” Darling, 

has become the 

symbol of the 

National Wildlife 

Refuge System. 
the National Register of Historic Places 

as an important example of the brick 

plantation houses of eighteenth century 

Delaware. 

The Allee House is again in need of 

restoring. Over the past 40 years, the 

house’s walls and support beams have 

become damaged and weakened by 

water. The house is not open to the 

public at this time.

Refuge management programs are 

primarily aimed at developing and 

protecting habitat for migratory 

birds. The refuge is a focal point for 

waterfowl migrating between their 

northern breeding grounds and 

southern wintering areas. Large 

numbers of ducks and geese arrive 

each fall to spend the winter or to stop 

over as they head south. The Delaware 

Bay is the second largest staging area 

for spring migratory shorebirds in 

North America.

Water levels in refuge impoundments 

are manipulated to produce desirable 

emergent and underwater plants for 

waterfowl. When pools are drawn 

down, large populations of shore and 

wading birds feed on the mudflats. 

Upland agricultural crops are 

grown on about 850 acres to provide 

additional food for waterfowl and 

other migratory birds.

Tidal salt marsh 

is some of the 

most valuable 

wildlife habitat in 

Delaware. Large 

portions of the 

refuge have been 

maintained in 

a near pristine 

state. The marsh, 

with its intersecting tidal streams 

and rivers, provides excellent natural 

habitat for birds and mammals 

and serves as a nursery for marine 

organisms, and provides sporting or 

commercial value.

Refuge 

Management and 

Objectives

The recorded history of Bombay 

Hook begins in 1679 with the sale of 

marshland by Mechacksett, Chief 

of the Kahansink Indians, to Peter 

Bayard of New York. Known to the 

Native Americans as Canaresse, 

meaning “shaggy bushes” or “thicket”, 

the name Bombay Hook evolved 

from the Dutch name “Bompies 

Hoeck” meaning “little-tree point.” 

Dutch settlers cut salt hay from the 

marsh, trapped muskrats and hunted 

waterfowl. The tidal streams that 

interlace the marsh provided fish, 

crabs and oysters.

From 1938 until 1942, an AfricanAmerican company of the Civilian 

Conservation Corps completed 

construction projects to establish a 

refuge for migratory waterfowl at 

Bombay Hook. They built a dike and 

water control structures creating 

Raymond Pool, enclosed Shearness 

Pool and built a causeway at Finis Pool. 

They cleared timber and undergrowth 

from Shearness and Finis swamps. The 

CCC built a headquarters building, 

two houses, a boathouse, and a 90-foot 

observation tower. They also built 

and maintained roads, planted more 

than fifty thousand seedling trees, and 

assisted in a mosquito control research 

project.

With the onset of World War II, the 

Army Air Corps, based at Dover, used 

parts of the refuge for training with 

air-to-ground rockets.

The Allee House at Bombay Hook 

stands today, just 

as it did in the 

eighteenth century, 

overlooking the 

fields and marshes 

of Kent County. 

The restoration of 

the Allee House 

was completed in 

1966, and, in 1971, 

it was placed on 

History

E. Doran

The Allee House

Pintail Duck

 M. Anthony

Wood Duck

Hollingsworth
DOVER

Clayton

Smyrna

Cheswold

Little Creek

NJ

DE

Delaware River

Hartly

Bombay

Hook

NWR

Leipsic

6

6

9

9

13

71

13

42

8

8

13 10 113

N

D E L A W A R

E

B

A

Y

Shearness 

Pool

l o o P s i ni F

Whitehall Neck Road

Dutch

White

Oak

Road

Muddy

Branch

River Leipsic

v e r R i

s no mi S

Duck

Creek

S h e a r n e s s

G u t

Leatherberry Flats

Green Creek

Raymond

Pool

Sluic e Dit ch

Bear 

Swamp 

Pool

Bombay Hook

Point

Goose

Point

Little Bombay Hook

Ma h o n R i v e r

Old Womans Gut Donas Landing

(Steamboat)

Leipsic

Deepwater

Point

Bombay Hook

Island

Kent

Island

Kelly

Island

0 1 2 Miles

0 2 Kilometers

9

9

6

Neck Rd.

North

Duck Creek

Refuge Headquarters

Fischer

Tract

Heading North on Route 13 from Dover, take Route 42 East to Route 9, 

Leipsic. Proceed North on Route 9 for 2 miles and take a right on 

Whitehall Neck Road, which ends at the refuge entrance.

Heading South on Route 13 from Smyrna, take Road 12 East (Smyrna-Leipsic Rd.) until it merges with Route 9 (5 miles),

and take a left on Whitehall Neck Road after 1/4 mile.

Heading North or South on toll road Route 1 take exit 114 (Smyrna-South exit). At the end of the ramp turn right at 

traffic light onto Route 13 North. Turn right at next light onto Road 12 East (Smyrna-Leipsic Road). This road merges 

with Route 9 South (5 miles). Turn left onto Whitehall Neck Road which ends at refuge entrance.

Her ring Branch

Boardwalk

Trail

Bear Swamp 

Trail

Parson Point Trail 

Refuge Boundary

Refuge Headquarters

Hiking Trails

Wildlife Drive

Observation Tower

Legend

Allee

House

85

Donas Landing Road

Savannah

Road

To Smyrna

Route 13
Though wildlife can be seen year 

round at Bombay Hook, fall and 

spring offer the best opportunity 

for observing peak concentrations of 

migratory birds.

October and November are typically 

the most interesting since waterfowl 

populations are at their peak. More 

than 150,000 ducks and geese use the 

refuge at this time.

Spring is another great season to visit 

the refuge. March has another peak 

for waterfowl populations as 

they travel to their northern breeding 

grounds. April brings early shorebird 

migrants from South America and the 

emergence of reptiles and amphibians 

from winter hibernation. 

Shorebirds are at their highest 

concentration during May and there 

are excellent viewing opportunities 

along the driving route. They come 

to Delaware Bay primarily due to the 

arrival of horseshoe crabs that are 

laying eggs along the shore. These 

eggs provide the shorebirds with 

energy needed to complete their 

northward migration. They also feed 

on invertebrates in the tidal marshes 

and exposed mudflats, providing 

opportunities to view thousands of 

shorebirds. May is also the peak time 

for warblers, with the five nature trails 

offering great birding opportunities.

Wading birds such as herons, egrets 

and glossy ibis, reach their peak 

numbers during the summer months. 

Mammals can be seen year round, 

particularly in the early morning and 

evening hours. These include whitetailed deer, beaver, muskrat, red fox, 

river otter, woodchuck and opossum.

Wildlife Calendar

Whitetail deer

M. Anthony

Ruth Pfeffer

Great Blue Heron

The public is welcome to visit the 

refuge for wildlife-dependent 

recreational opportunities. In 1997, 

the National Wildlife Refuge System 

Improvement Act was passed, 

establishing wildlife conservation as 

the fundamental mission of the refuge 

system. The Act also recognizes 

wildlife-dependent recreation involving 

wildlife observation and photography, 

environmental 

education and 

interpretation, 

hunting, and fishing 

as the priority public 

uses of the refuge 

system. Fishing is 

the only one of these 

uses that is prohibited 

on the refuge and 

there is no public boat 

access. Since Bombay 

Hook is a National 

Wildlife Refuge, 

collecting, disturbing, feeding, injuring 

or damaging animals and plants is 

prohibited.

The visitor center is open MondayFriday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 

open on spring and fall weekends from 

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The visitor center 

as well as Boardwalk and Bear Swamp 

trails are accessible to visitors with 

disabilities.

A 12-mile round-trip wildlife drive and 

five nature trails (ranging from 1⁄4 to 1 

mile in length) provide opportunities 

to observe and photograph wildlife. 

Three of the trails have 30-foot 

observation towers.

Public hunting, primarily for deer and 

waterfowl, is permitted under special 

regulations on portions of the refuge 

during Delaware state seasons.

Environmental education and 

interpretive programs are available 

on the refuge. Volunteer, teacher, and 

Public Use

Marian Johnson-Pohlman

Bird Watchers
To help purchase more wildlife 

habitat and to sustain refuge 

operations, Congress passed the 

Emergency Wetlands Resources 

Act in 1986. The law authorized the 

Fish and Wildlife Service to charge 

entrance fees at national wildlife 

refuges such as Bombay Hook.

Visitors may pay the daily fee or 

purchase one of several annual passes 

– the Federal Duck Stamp, Bombay 

Hook Pass or Interagency Annual 

Pass. All are sold at the refuge. Anyone 

62 years or older may purchase the 

lifetime Interagency Senior Pass 

for $10. Blind and permanently 

disabled persons are eligible for a free 

Interagency Access Pass. All passes 

will admit you and your passengers or 

family. Children under 16 are admitted 

free. Educational and scientific groups 

may enter free with prior notice. 

Refuge staff will be happy to issue a 

pass and answer any questions.

Entrance Fee 

Options

Bombay Hook 

National Wildlife 

Refuge

Ruth Pfeffer

Bald eagle

leader workshops are offered in the 

spring and fall. The diverse group of 

habitats - freshwater, brackish, salt 

marsh, bay, grassland, farm field, and 

forest - provide excellent opportunities 

to study and compare habitats.

Volunteers staff the visitor center, 

conduct environmental education 

programs, lead activities during special 

events, assist with wildlife surveys and 

provide landscaping and 

trail maintenance. General public 

programs are offered throughout the 

year and are listed on Bombay Hook’s 

website www.fws.gov/northeast/

bombayhook.

Contact the refuge office for 

more information on recreational 

opportunities.

Bombay Hook National Wildlife 

Refuge is one of more than 550 

refuges in the National Wildlife 

Refuge System administered by the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 

National Wildlife Refuge System is a 

network of lands and waters managed 

specifically for the protection of 

wildlife and wildlife habitat and 

represents the most comprehensive 

wildlife management program in 

the world. Units of the system 

stretch across the United States 

from northern Alaska to the Florida 

Keys and include small islands in the 

Caribbean and South Pacific. The 

character of the refuges is as diverse 

as the nation itself.

The Service also manages National 

Fish Hatcheries and provides Federal 

leadership in habitat protection, 

fish and wildlife research, technical 

assistance and the conservation and 

protection of migratory birds, certain 

marine mammals and threatened and 

endangered species.

Painted turtles

J. Richie