Philly Birding Weekend: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge

Join us for Philly Birding Weekend’s tour of John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum. Once part of a 5,000-acre expanse of tidal marsh where Lenape communities fished and gathered, Tinicum Marsh was steadily diked and drained by European settlers beginning in the 1600s. By the late 1960s, the marsh’s remaining acres faced a new threat from a proposed highway and landfill, prompting local citizens to organize and successfully petition Congress for its protection. In 1972, that grassroots effort led to the creation of what is now John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, celebrated today as America’s First Urban Refuge and home to the largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania, a critical stopover for birds along the Atlantic Flyway.

This field trip is part of Audubon Mid-Atlantic’s 5th annual Philly Birding Weekend, a celebration of the incredible birdlife thriving right in our backyard! Over the course of this weekend, we explore some of the region’s richest birding hotspots in the metropolitan area. Whether you’re a seasoned birder or picking up your binoculars for the first time, there is a walk, paddle, or ride designed for you.