Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge is a refuge for birds located in the state of Delaware. With a broad salt marsh (a salty wetland) where seawater flows in and out spreading across it, it is a precious resting place where migratory birds traveling long distances rest and find food.

The reverse of the coin depicts a great blue heron standing in a salt marsh together with a great egret behind it. The large heron in front and the white egret behind come together to capture a peaceful moment of the birds that dwell in the wetland.

The great blue heron is a large water bird with long legs and neck, well known for the way it stands at the shallow water’s edge watching for fish. The white great egret, too, is a bird that represents the wetland. That these two birds are drawn together shows how important a home Bombay Hook is for a variety of water birds.

This refuge was designated on June 22, 1937. As a place set up to protect wetlands where migratory birds can rest and breed in safety, it serves as an essential stopover on the journey of birds traveling up and down the eastern coast of the United States.

This coin in the America the Beautiful series reminds us that a wetland, which to the human eye may look like nothing more than a muddy flat, is in fact a precious resting place that sustains countless birds.