Date: 4/18/25 3:55 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, April 18th, 2025
* Delaware * Statewide * April 18, 2025 * DEST 2025.04.18
*Birds mentioned Snow Goose Brant Mute Swan Tundra Swan Northern Pintail Eurasian x American Green-winged Teal Canvasback Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Black Scoter Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter HARLEQUIN DUCK Bufflehead Common Merganser Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Ruby-throated Hummingbird Chimney Swift Eastern Whippoorwill Sora Virginia Rail King Rail Sandhill Crane American Coot American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Ruddy Turnstone Solitary Sandpiper Willet Wilson’s Snipe Stilt Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Purple Sandpiper RUFF/REEVE Caspian Tern Royal Tern Bonaparte’s Gull Black-headed Gull Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe RED-NEKED GREBE SOOTY SHEARWATER Brown Pelican Northern Gannet Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Green Heron Black-crowned Night Heron Glossy Ibis White Ibis WHITE-FACED IBIS Bald Eagle Broad-winged Hawk Red-headed Woodpecker Peregrine Falcon Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Yellow-throated Vireo Bank Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Sedge Wren Purple Finch White-crowned Sparrow Orchard Oriole Rusty Blackbird Orange-crowned Warbler Black and White Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Hooded Warbler Northern Parula Yellow-throated Warbler Prairie Warbler Palm Warbler LAZULI BUNTING Blue Grosbeak
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: April 18, 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 18th, 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 243 species, with 12 new additions including 13 species of warbler and a new state record!
The new state record was a LAZULI BUNTING that was photographed at a bird feeder downstate. The bird was a 1st cycle male that was molting into breeding plumage. Unfortunately, there is no further word about this bird but the pictures were posted on the Delaware Birding Facebook page. The LAZULI BUNTING is a western species that sometimes shows up in winter, the only east coast records this year were in Ohio and Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Also new his week was a WHITE-FACED IBIS found in a flock of Glossy Ibis on Delaware Wildlands property off Staves Landing Road, off Route 9 south of Odessa. The bird was seen in the pond just past 210 Staves Landing Road. Several WILSON’S SNIPE, YELLOWLEGS and GREEN-WINGED TEAL were also seen along the edge of the pond. Unfortunately, several BALD EAGLES were in the area spooking the IBIS. A bird normally found along the western gulf coast and into the Midwest, there has been quite a few WHITE-FACED IBIS reported this spring; from Fire Island, NY, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and as far north as Portland, Maine.
A RUFF is back at Oyster Rocks Road in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Photographed today, that bird was seen on the northwest side of the road, along with WILLET, PECTORAL and STILT SANDPIPERS. A large flock of BONAPARTE’S GULLS were along Cods Road.
There were two big fallouts of spring migrants this week on Monday and today. New this week was a HOODED WARBLER at the parade grounds opposite the Seaside Nature Center in Cape Henlopen State Park on Tuesday, along with 17 PALM WARBLERS. NORTHERN PARULA was found at White Clay Creek State Park and Middle Run natural Area in Newark. PRAIRIE WARBLER and PARULA were found today at the Port Penn impoundments in Augustine Beach Wildlife Area. A PROTHONOTARY WARBLER was reported at Saw Mill Road in Blackbird State Forest near Townsend. A YELLOW-THROATED VIREO was also reported near Townsend. ORCHARD ORIOLE was seen Raymond Pool in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. BLUE GROSBEAK and GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER were reported today at Cape Henlopen. The first BROAD-WINGED HAWKS were at Bombay Hook, First State National Historical Park, Brandywine Creek and Oversee Farm State Park.
SORA, KING and VIRGINIA RAIL were heard calling along Big Stone Beach Road along with AMERICAN BITTERN and EASTERN WHIPPOORWILL. A SORA was heard at Greer’s Pond off Dutch Neck Road today. VIRGINIA RAILS were also reported at Thousand Acre Marsh near Delaware City and Peterson Urban Wildlife Area in Wilmington. An AMERICAN BITTERN was also seen at this latter location. EASTERN WHIPPOORWILL was also reported at Oyster Rocks Road.
A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER with white lores was photographed at Curtis Mill Park in Newark. The previously reported COMMON RAVEN nest at the University of Delaware water tower at Star Campus is feeding 4 young. A PURPLE FINCH was seen at Middle Run. A flock of 50 CHIMNEY SWIFTS were reported over Delaware Park near Stanton this week. RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were found at Ashland Nature Center. COMMON MERGANSERS are still being seen at Brandywine Park in Wilmington. The PEREGRINE FALCONS at the Brandywine Building in Wilmington are incubating 3 eggs this year.
A waterfowl fallout along the Delaware River in New Castle produced RED-NECKED GREBE, TUNDRA SWAN, CANVASBACK and LESSER SCAUP plus GLOSSY IBIS. BUFFLEHEAD and PIED-BILLED GREBE was at Dragon Run spillway in Delaware City. RING-NECKED DUCKS continue to be seen off Cox Neck Road. SANDHILL CRANES, CASPIAN TERNS, and the previously reported BLACK SWAN were seen on Thousand Arce Marsh. An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was found by the Muskrat Trapper’s exhibit in Port Penn. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS along with SANDHILL CRANE, WILD TURKEY, and BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER was found at Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area off Collins Beach Road.
The previously reported SEDGE WREN continues to be found at the north end of Raymond Pool in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Shorebirds in Bombay Hook including BLACK-NECKED STILT, AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED, and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, WILLET, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, and WILSON’S SNIPE. Waterfowl reported included a hybrid EURASIAN x AMERICAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL along with TUNDRA and MUTE SWAN, SNOW GOOSE, NORTHERN PINTAIL, RING-NECKED DUCK, HOODED MERGANSER, RUDDY DUCK plus AMERICAN COOT and PIED-BILLED GREBE. Waders included AMERICAN BITTERN, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, GLOSSY IBIS, and GREEN HERON.
A CASPIAN TERN was seen on Lake Como in Smyrna. ROYAL TERN and GREATER SCAUP were seen at Port Mahon. An AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER plus BLACK-NECKED STILTS, WILLET and BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER were seen at Bower’s Beach. LESSER SCAUP and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER were seen on Delaware Bay. AMERICAN AVOCETS were seen at Big Stone Beach. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH and a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER were reported along the Big Stone Beach Road in Milford Neck Wildlife Area. AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, WILLET, BLACK-NECKED STILTS and RUDDY TURNSTONE were seen at Mispillion Inlet from the duPont Nature center. Northern Gannets were seen offshore.
At Cape Henlopen State Park, the previously reported SPOTTED TOWHEE was seen again at Cape Henlopen Point parking lot after not being seen last week. BRANT, AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, PIPING PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, and ROYAL TERN were seen at Cape Henlopen Point. A SOOTY SHEARWATER was seen Wednesday along with BROWN PELICAN and NORTHERN GANNET at the Hawk Watch, plus, WHITE-WINGED, BLACK and SURF SCOTER offshore. RED-BREASTED, WHITE-BREASTED, and BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES were seen at the Seaside Nature Center. WHITE IBIS, TRICOLORED HERON and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON continues to be seen at Gordon’s Pond. Shorebirds included SOLITARY SANDPIPER, PIPING PLOVER, BLACK-NECKED STILT, and the continuing BLACK-HEADED GULL.
The previously reported HARLEQUIN DUCK continues at the Indian River Inlet, plus SURF and BLACK SCOTERS. NORTHERN GANNET and BROWN PELICAN were reported offshore. A late PURPLE SANDPIPER was found on the jetty. TRICOLORED HERON, GLOSSY IBIS and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON were seen at Burton Island causeway along with HORNED GREBE. Large numbers of COMMON LOONS in breeding plumage were reported on Rehoboth Bay.
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