Date: 4/11/25 5:03 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaare, April 11th, 2025
* Delaware * Statewide * April 11, 2025 * DEST 2025.04.11
*Birds mentioned Snow Goose Brant Mute Swan Tundra Swan American Wigeon Ring-necked Duck Long-tailed Duck Black Scoter Surf Scoter HARLEQUIN DUCK Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Northern Bobwhite Wild Turkey WHITE-WINGED DOVE Ruby-throated Hummingbird Chimney Swift Chuck-will’s-widow Eastern Whippoorwill Sandhill Crane American Coot American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Whimbrel Ruddy Turnstone Solitary Sandpiper Long-billed Dowitcher Short-billed Dowitcher American Woodcock Wilson’s Snipe Dunlin Least Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper RUFF/REEVE Black Tern Caspian Tern Common Tern Forster’s Tern Royal Tern Bonaparte’s Gull Black-headed Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Pied-billed Grebe Brown Pelican Northern Gannet Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Green Heron Black-crowned Night Heron Glossy Ibis White Ibis SWALLOW-TAILED KITE Osprey Barn Owl Great Horned Owl Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Merlin American Kestrel Blue-headed Vireo White-eyed Vireo Purple Martin Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Sedge Wren Purple Finch Chipping Sparrow Seaside Sparrow Vesper Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Baltimore Oriole Rusty Blackbird Ovenbird Louisiana Waterthrush Northern Waterthrush Orange-crowned Warbler Common Yellowthroat Black and White Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Pine Warbler Palm Warbler
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: April 11, 2025 To Report: Andy Ednie 302-792-9591 (VOICE) Compiler: Andy Ednie (<ednieap...>) Coverage: Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, nearby Delaware Valley, Southern New Jersey, Maryland
For Friday, April 11th, this is Birdline Delaware from the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science in Greenville. The Birdline is the rare bird alert (RBA) for The First State sponsored by the Delaware Ornithological Society. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. The unofficial Delaware State Year List increased to 231 species, including 11 species of warbler.
A pair of SWALLOW-TAILED KITES were photographed over the athletic fields at Killen’s Pond State Park on Saturday but not re-found. There was a high count of 4 SWALLOW-TAILED KITES flying around Cape May Lighthouse on Tuesday includng. ne was even seen flying towards Delaware. Another bird found last week was a WHITE-WINGED DOVE photographed near Ocean View. That dove was only seen at a feeder for 2 days before it left.
Downstate, a flock of 17 WHIMBRELS was found on Sunday while looking for the REEVE that was seen the previous day at Gordon’s Pond in Cape Henlopen State Park. Other shorebirds reported included BLACK-NECKED STILT, AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, BLACK-BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, plus PECTORAL and LEAST SANDPIPER. Gulls seen included a winter plumaged BLACK-HEADED GULL, plus BONAPARTE’S, and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS. A pair of SEDGE WRENS were seen at Mile Marker 4, north of the observation platform. Another SEDGE WREN was also heard calling and eventually seen at the north end of Raymond Pool in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, on the impoundment side just before the copes of trees on the right.
Lots of migrants are arriving back in Delaware. New this week was a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH seen at Finis Pool in Bombay Hook. The first PROTHONOTARY WARBLER was reported at Ellis Pond near Laurel. OVENBIRDS were reported at Trap Pond State Park and Redden State Forest. A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was seen along Creek Road in White Clay Creek State Park. BLACK AND WHITE WARBLERS were seen at Chapel Branch Nature Center in Seaford, Redden Sate Forest, Prime Hook, Bombay Hook and Middle Run Natural Area near Newark. COMMON YELLOWTHROATS were seen at Prime Hook, Cape Henlopen, Bombay Hook and as far north as Bear. LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSHES were reported at White Clay and Brandywine Creek State Park. PALM and PINE WARBLERS are being seen throughout the state. WHITE-EYED VIREOS were seen at Cape Henlopen, Bombay Hook, and Cheswold. BLUE-HEADED VIREO was seen at Bombay Hook today.
The first SOLITARY SANDPIPER of the year was seen at Glasgow Park today. The previously reported COMMON RAVEN nest at the University of Delaware water tower at Star Campus now has adults feeding 4 young. This is the first successful nesting of this species in the state. Elsewhere, a RAVEN was carrying nesting material at Brandywine Park in Wilmington. WILSON’S SNIPE, GREEN HERON and a MERLIN were seen on the Univrsity of Delaware Ag Farm. RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were found at Phillips Park in Newark. A HOODED MERGANSER was seen on a Pumpkin Patch retention pond off Limestone Road near Hockessin. A PURPLE FINCH was seen at Ashland Nature Center. A YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was seen at Brandywine Creek State Park. OSPREY are nesting on the cell phone tower at Harry’s Pond in the Brandywine Town Center.
A female COMMON GOLDENEYE was at Dragon Run spillway in Delaware City, with BUFFLEHEAD and PIED-BILLED GREBE. RING-NECKED DUCKS were seen off Cox Neck Road. A female RED-BREASTED MERGANSER was seen on Thousand Arce Marsh. Shorebirds seen at Thousand Acre today included DUNLIN, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, and CASPIAN TERN. The first CHIMNEY SWIFT of the year was seen flying over Thousand Acre with PURPLE MARTIN, BARN and NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW. LITTLE BLUE HERON and CATTLE EGRETS were seen at Gray Fox Farm off Dutch Neck Road SANDHILL CRANES were seen at Ashton Tract, and a flock of almost 300 BONAPARTE’S GULLS were seen there today. An estimated 500 BONAPARTE’S GULLS were seen today at Augustine Beach. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS along with AMERICAN WOODCOCK, BARN OWL, PURPLE FINCH, WILD TURKEY and NORTHERN BOBWHITE was found at Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area at the maintenance yards off Collins Beach Road.
A VESPER SPARROW with a truck load of other sparrows, including a high count of 150 CHIPPING SPARROWS plus SEASIDE SPARROW, was found Sunday at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. The VESPER SPARROW was along the auto tour, past the refuge visitor’s center turn right and then seen at the first left hand bend in the road. There has been an incredible show of 60-80 BALD EAGLES at “the Hook” this week as adults and young feast on spawning Carp and Perch. Shorebirds in Bombay Hook including BLACK-NECKED STILT, AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED, and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, WILLET, LONG-BILLED and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, WILSON’S SNIPE, plus PECTORAL and LEAST SANDPIPER. Waterfowl reported included TUNDRA and MUTE SWAN, SNOW GOOSE, AMERICAN WIGEON, HOODED MERGANSER, and PIED-BILLED GREBE. Waders included BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, LITTLE BLUE and GREEN HERON, plus GLOSSY IBIS. A flock of 275 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS were seen in the plowed fields off Whitehall Ne! ck Road and a peak count of 8 AMERICAN KESTRELS were seen in the wires.
An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER continues to visit a feeder off Bryant’s Corner Road near Camden-Wyoming. HOODED and COMMON MERGANSERS were seen at the Main Tract in Little Creek Wildlife Area along with 15 PIED-BILLED GREBES and 350 AMERICAN COOTS. AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER and BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER were seen at Mispillion Inlet from the Dupont Nature Center. AMERICAN AVOCETS were found along the Dike Trail at Prime Hook headquarters. STILT, PECTORAL and LEAST SANDPIPER were seen at Oyster Rock Road, along with TRICOLORED HERON.
At Cape Henlopen State Park, the previously reported SPOTTED TOWHEE has not been seen at Cape Henlopen Point parking lot since April 1st. AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, PIPING PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, and ROYAL TERN were seen at Cape Henlopen Point, plus BRANT and HORNED GREBE. An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was seen at the Hawk Watch, plus BROWN PELICAN, NORTHERN GANNET, BLACK and SURF Scoter offshore. CHUCK-WILL’S WIDOW, EASTERN WHIPPOORWILL and a GREAT HORNED OWL were heard calling at dusk in Cape Henlopen this week. RED-BREASTED, WHITE-BREASTED, and BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES were seen at the Seaside Nature Center. WHITE IBIS continues to be seen at Gordon’s Pond.
The previously reported HARLEQUIN DUCK continues at the Indian River Inlet. Other sea ducks included BRANT, LONG-TAILED DUCK, plus SURF and BLACK SCOTERS. NORTHERN GANNET and BROWN PELICAN were reported offshore. Terns at the inlet included FORSTER’S, COMMON and BLACK TERN. A lone TUNDRA SWAN remains at the Ingrams Point retention pond off Road 412 near Millsboro. 3 BALTIMORE ORIOLES continue to be seen at feeder in Lewes. RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS are starting to arrive at feeders downstate in Lewes and Greenwood. A few DARK-EYED JUNCOS continue to be seen at feeders.
Thanks to the many people that make the Birdline possible including Kyla Snowden, Gary Griffith, Sally O’Byrne, Ethan Kang, Christian Schiebe, Chris Hinkle, Bert Filemyr, Mike Rosengarten, Lynn Jackson, Martin Selzer, Frank Rohrbacher, Ed Wrzesniewski, Chris and Karen Bennett, Greg Gough, Sue Gruver, Tom Stock, Lynn Gulla, Richard Jullian, Rob and Carol Blye, Phil Misseldine, Teddy Burke, Carolyn Holland, Jim and Amy White, Rod Murray, Wendy Cesario, Kim Steininger, Judy Montgomery, Scott Northey, Melissa Lafferty, Kris Benarcik, Mike Gardner, Amy and Declan O’Neil. John and Andy Dunn, Sam Melanson, Jeff Buler, Cameron Tescher, Will Krohn, Megan Kasprzak, Sam Denenberg, Barbara Jones, Joe Francis, Mike Moore, Joe Russell, Bruce Peterjohn, and Joe Swertinski. The Birdline needs your help. Please call your sightings into 302-792-9591 or email <ednieap...> Until next week, this is Andy Ednie wishing you good birding.
