In the shadow of Philadelphia, one of Americas largest and most historic cities, you can watch Pintail ducks feeding, Red-bellied turtles basking, butterflies flitting, and foxes play.

Welcome to the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum. With just 1,200 acres of marshes, fields, streams and forests, the refuge is small in acres but big biologically.

Flocks of Red-wing Blackbirds feeding, Osprey mating, Red-tail hawks soaring, Egrets migrating, Great Blue Herons wading, and thousands of Tree Swallows diving to gobble up mosquitoes, are just a few of the over 281 species of birds that have been recorded at the refuge.

In the spring, thousands of Tree Frogs, Spring Peepers, Southern Leopard Frogs, and Bull Frogs fill the air in Southwest Philadelphia with their calls for a mate. And the frog orchestra is accompanied by the dance and song of Woodcocks.

Come summertime, sunbathing is allowed... for the many species of turtle that call the refuge home. State threatened Red-Bellied Turtles can be found along the shores of Darby Creek warming their cold blood. Butterflies come in abundance to feast in the refuge fields and along refuge roadsides.

Fall is a good time to spot deer, muskrats, and foxes with binoculars or a camera as the refuge resident mammals prepare for winter. Duck "hunting"... with a camera is also encouraged. Pintails, Northern Shovelers, and Green-Winged Teal, make their migratory pit stops at the refuge impoundment.

It may be cold outside, but winter is the best time to see the refuge's owls. Great Horned Owls have in the past nested under Interstate-95, heedless to its booming traffic!

Less visible to the visitor but just as important are the economic benefits of this small but wonderful wetland. Native aquatic vegetation removes thousand of tons of pollutants from Darby Creek waters daily. Spongy marsh soils absorb flood waters, replenish the local water table, and contribute to the supply of well water in areas as far away as Gloucester County, New Jersey. Tinicum's Marshes, along with other wetlands in the Delaware estuary, are the nursery for commercial and sport fisheries along the Delaware River, the Bay, and the Ocean.

It's no wonder then, that the refuge provides the perfect place for environmental education. Thousands of school children from the Philadelphia area, come to learn about the natural world around them.

Through the grassroots support of local citizens, organizations and politicians, Congress declared Tinicum Marsh a National Wildlife Refuge in 1972. This urban oasis is just one of over 530 national wildlife refuges managed by the United State Fish and Wildlife Service.

Every state in the nation is home to at least one National Wildlife Refuge. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt, designated five acre island Pelican Island in Southern Florida as a protected habitat for Pelicans which were being hunted to extincition. From this original five acres, the National Wildlife Refuge System has grown to over 93 million acres. It is the only system of public lands set aside to protect and preserve wildlife for the ongoing benefit of the American people.

Come to the refuge to fish, bike, canoe, walk, observe birds and butterflies, photograph wildlife, take a hike with a naturalist, and last but not least, find peace and solitude close to home.

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