Silver Lake Park is a 465 acre wildlife and recreational property in Bucks County, PA. Bucks County is north of Philadelphia and across the river from New Jersey. The lake within the park was created as a man-made mill pond with the 1687 building of a dam on Otter Creek. Much of what was once open water has filled with silt over the 300 plus years and is now marsh. The Silver Lake Nature Center occupies about half of the Park and includes the state’s best protected example of a Coastal Plain Forest in Pennsylvania, according to the county’s publicity. Before retirement, Robert Mercer was for 40 plus years, the naturalist manager for this Center.
When Bob and his wife, Eileen Mercer, were seeking a winter haven in retirement, they focused on the Charleston area which they had visited on vacations. They searched areas like Isle of Palms, downtown Charleston, and Folly Beach before stumbling onto Seabrook Island. In their research of the Island, they were attracted to the focus on its wildlife. After spending four years renting a Marsh Walk for three months or so each year, Eileen and Bob purchased a villa on Creek Watch Trace. Bob joined the Seabrook Island Birders board and is currently the President. It is interesting to note that they had joined both Seabrook Island Birders (SIB) and SINHG before they set foot on our Island in early 2017.
Bob grew up in Eastern Pennsylvania and graduated from Clemson with a degree in Parks and Recreation Administration. He credits Paul Hamel at Clemson as the person who kicked off his interest in nature education and Rick Mellon, Mellon Biological Service, as to birding in particular. His initial job out of college was for six months with the US Department of Fish and Wildlife in Oklahoma. When there was an opportunity to become involved with the Silver Lake Nature Center, in a part of the United States with which he was more familiar, he grabbed it. In that position, he was the leader of all manner of educational endeavors including bird walks within the Park and at destinations within a couple hour’s drive. Cape May, New Jersey (a very popular birding area because it is located on a primary migratory flyway) was a common destination. He has been a longtime and active member of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (the nation’s second oldest birding society) which is located in Philadelphia.
Eileen grew up on a New Jersey farm and went to Trenton State College (now known as The College of New Jersey) and was initially employed as a teacher. Following that she worked in an environmental laboratory. Subsequently she became involved with properties of historical interest and their programs. One of her specialties was providing live demonstrations of how cooking was done a couple hundred years ago and what was cooked. She had been interested in birds from her days on the farm and she was accustomed to going on guided bird walks similar to what SIB provides here on the Island. This is where she first met Bob, who was guiding those walks. It was not until several years later, however, when they reconnected.
Bob and Eileen have birded all over the Lower 48 states and Hawaii, they have birded Costa Rica (twice), Cancun, and Panama. Bob has also birded in Belize, and Veracruz MX. This year they are planning the vacation of a lifetime visiting and birding in the Galapagos Islands for 10 days, then Ecuador for 10 days, and ending the trip with 7 days in Peru visiting Machu Pichu and other birding hot spots. While not driven by listing, their accomplishments are evident in their bird species “life lists.” Bob’s USA life list is 704 species, his world life list is 1096 species. Eileen’s world list is somewhere around 702, however she does not pay close attention to her list size or composition. Bob has also contributed 2,797 photos to eBird of 508 different species, as well as 213 audio files for 93 species. An incredible contribution to this citizen science project, and with 11,000 species of birds in the world, Bob & Eileen have many more opportunities to add to their lists.
Both Bob and Eileen have well-honed birding skills including a keen ability to identify many birds by their songs and calls. Many SIB members, especially those new to the world of birding, have benefited from their knowledge as they are both patient and excellent teachers. Bob is currently the President of Seabrook Island Birders, co-committee chair of our Shorebird Stewards program, co-chair of our Activities committee, leading many of our walks when on the Island, and frequently is the researcher and author of our “Ask SIB” blogs. We are very grateful for everything Bob and Eileen do for our organization and grateful they chose Seabrook Island as their home away from home.
Updated by Gina Sanders, 2025
Originally Submitted by George Haskins, 2018
Photo provided by Bob & Eileen Mercer