U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Bombay Hook

National Wildlife 

Refuge

Bombay Hook

National Wildlife Refuge

2591 Whitehall Neck Road

Smyrna, DE 19977

Office: 302/653 9345

Visitor Center: 302/653 6872

Fax: 302/653 0684

Email: R5RW_BHNWR@mail.fws.gov

Web site: bombayhook.fws.gov

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 2004
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 

high quality habitat loss elsewhere in 

the Atlantic Flyway.

Bombay Hook Introduction

National Wildlife 

Refuge is about 16,000 

acres, the terrain is 

flat — less than ten 

feet above sea level. 

Tidal salt marsh 

composes four-fifths of 

the refuge, one of the 

largest expanses of 

nearly unaltered tidal 

salt marsh in the midAtlantic region. The 

refuge also has 1,100 

acres of impounded 

fresh water pools and 

swamps, and 1,800 

acres of uplands with 

agricultural crops, 

grasslands, seasonal 

moist soil areas and 

This blue goose, 

designed by J. N. 

“Ding” Darling, 

has become the 

symbol of the 

National Wildlife 

Refuge System. 
examples of an early brick farmhouse 

in Delaware. The restoration and 

furnishing of the Allee House were 

completed in 1966. In 1971 it was placed 

on the National Register of Historic 

Places as an important example of the 

plantation houses of eighteenth century 

Delaware.

Refuge management programs are 

primarily aimed at developing and 

protecting habitat for waterfowl and 

other migratory birds, including the 

threatened bald eagle. 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 stopover 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 

1,100 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 from 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 were 

plied for fish, crabs and oysters.

From 1938 until 1942, a Company of 

the Civilian Conservation Corps, made 

up entirely of African-Americans, 

was engaged in construction projects 

to establish a refuge for migratory 

waterfowl at Bombay Hook. They 

completed a dike and water control 

structures creating Raymond Pool, built 

part of the dike to enclose 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 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 airto-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. 

It is one of the 

most handsome 

History

E. Doran

The Allee House

Pintail Duck M. Anthony

Wood Duck

Hollingsworth
DOVER

Camden

Smyrna

Cheswold

Little Creek

NJ

DE

Delaware River

Hartly

Bombay 

Hook 

NWR

Leipsic

6

6

9

9

13

13

42

8

896

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 Woman s 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.

ch an r B g in r re H

Boardwalk 

Trail

Bear Swamp 

Trail

Parson Point Trail (closed Nov. - June)

Refuge Boundary

Refuge Headquarters

Hiking Trails

Wildlife Drive

Observation Tower

Legend

Allee 

House

85
Biodiversity is the variety and 

interdependence of plants and animals 

within their preferred habitats. 

All habitats are needed to sustain 

diversity. The greater variety of 

habitats, the greater variety of plants 

and animals. All classes of animals 

are important––from the vertebrates 

that include five classes of animals 

with backbones (mammals, birds, 

reptiles, amphibians, and fish), to 

the invertebrates, animals without 

backbones (insects, shell fish, worms, 

centipedes, millipedes, etc.). Bombay 

Hook is managed to provide a diverse 

group of habitats: freshwater, 

brackish and salt marsh, bay, 

grassland, farm field, and forest.

Biodiversity (Biological 

Diversity)

Frog

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

Ruth Pfeffer 

Semipalmated sandpiper and Ruddy Turnstone

Painted Turtles

J. Richie M. Anthony

Horseshoe Crab

Ruth Pfeffer 
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 Golden Eagle Passport. 

All are sold at the refuge. Anyone 

62 years or older may purchase the 

lifetime Golden Age Pass for $10. 

Blind and permanently disabled 

persons are eligible for a free Golden 

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.

Bombay Hook National Wildlife 

Refuge is one of more than 540 

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.

Entrance Fee 

Options

Bombay Hook 

National Wildlife 

Refuge

Ruth Pfeffer

Bald eagle

The public is welcome to visit the refuge 

for wildlife observation, nature study 

and photography year-round during 

daylight.

Visitor facilities include a visitor center, 

auto tour route, observation towers 

and nature trails. Bear Swamp Trail 

and the visitor center are accessible to 

visitors with disabilities. A cassette tape 

interpreting the auto tour is available.

The visitor center 

is typically open 

Monday-Friday from 

8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

and on spring and fall 

weekends, from 9:00 

a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is 

closed on summer and 

winter weekends. If 

requested in advance, 

tours, habitat studies, 

nature walks and 

audiovisual programs 

are available. Volunteer, teacher 

and leader workshops are offered in 

the spring and fall. General public 

programs are offered during special 

event days such as Migratory Bird Day, 

National Wildlife Refuge Week and our 

Spring and Fall Festivals. Volunteers 

staff the visitor center, conduct 

environmental education programs, lead 

activities during special events, assist 

with wildlife surveys and provide trail 

maintenance.

A 12-mile round-trip auto tour route and 

five nature trails (ranging from 1⁄4 to 

1 mile in length) provide opportunities 

to observe and photograph wildlife. 

Three of the trails also have 30-foot 

observation towers. The historic Allee 

House is open for tours on spring and 

fall weekends from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Public hunting, primarily for waterfowl 

and deer, is permitted under special 

regulations on portions of the refuge 

during the Delaware state season.

Public Use

Marian Johnson-Pohlman

Bird Watchers