Spotlight DE Family Fun Day



Saturday, September 27, 2025


The gates of Prime Hook NWR will open ½ hour before sunrise and will close ½ hour after sunset. The visitor contact station will be open from 9 am to 3 pm.



Questions? Contact us at (302) 684-8419 or info@friendsofprimehook.org


Click here for printable schedule

GUIDED BIRD WALK ~ ACCESSIBLE TRAILS

8:00 am - 10:00 am
Meet in parking lot near Dike & Boardwalk trailheads





Whether you’re a newcomer to birding or you’ve been birding for a little or a long time, there’s something for everyone to enjoy on our wheelchair-accessible trails. Join members of the Sussex Bird Club as they set a leisurely pace for birdwatching on the Dike and Boardwalk Trails.


Leaders will have a scope but feel free to bring your binoculars or camera. Please dress in layers, appropriate to the forecasted weather.


Registration is required with a limit of 10 participants.


REGISTER

MONARCH TAGGING AND BUTTERFLY IDENTIFICATION

10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Meadow beside the Purple Martin towers





Monarch tagging is a citizen science initiative that allows individuals to contribute to research on monarch butterfly migration and population status by placing small, numbered tags on the hindwings of monarchs.


Come learn how to safely capture monarchs, determine the sex of each butterfly, tag them, record the tag data then release them. At the end of the tagging season, these data will be submitted to Monarch Watch and added to their database to be used in research. We'll also be capturing and identifying other butterflies in the meadow.


Registration requested.


REGISTER

NATURE SCAVENGER HUNT, JR. RANGER TRAIL, INVERTEBRATES, CORN HOLE, DISC GOLF MINI COURSE

11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Pavilion & grassy areas near the Dike & Boardwalk trailheads





Bring your little and big children to the Hook for science that feels more like an adventure. Refuge manager, Chance Davis, will wow them with uber cool invertebrates. Help your little kids finish a simple nature scavenger hunt and let your older kids enjoy the challenge of completing our Jr. Ranger Trail.


If they need a break from passive learning, we've got corn hole and disc golf to let them blow off some steam. Head up to the Refuge HQ building for arts & crafts, tattoos, face painting, and more! No registration required.



SHOREBIRD ID GAME, ARTS AND CRAFTS, FACE PAINTING, TATTOOS, MAKE YOUR OWN BIRD MASK, AND MORE!

11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Prime Hook Headquarters





Spend some time with us on the patios of the new headquarters building and watch your kids delight in getting their first butterfly tattoo or having their faces painted. We've got a wide assortment of kits for your young makers to build and bird masks for them to decorate.


When they've finished exploring their creative side, take them over to the pavilion near the Purple Martin towers at the head of the Dike Trail to geek out on science and earn a badge or a prize bag for completing our scavenger hunt or Jr. Ranger Trail challenge. No registration required.



GUIDED BIRD WALK ~ WOODLAND TRAIL TBD

4:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Meet at headquarters parking lot





Our friends at Sussex Bird Club will lead a second bird walk to close out Prime Hook's participation in Spotlight Delaware's inaugural Family Fun Day. They'll guide the group on a walk looking for birds on one of the more challenging woodland trails in the refuge.


Group leaders will have a scope but feel free to bring your camera or binoculars. Please dress in layers, appropriate to the forecasted weather.


Registration is required with a limit of 10 participants.


REGISTER



Friends of Prime Hook NWR
12322 Turkle Pond Road
Milton, DE 19968
(302) 684-8419
info@friendsofprimehook.org