Date: 6/13/25 4:08 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, June 13th, 2025
Delaware * Statewide * June 13, 2025 * DEST 2025.06.13
*Birds mentioned BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK Snow Goose Mute Swan Black Swan Lesser Scaup Black Scoter Surf Scoter Common Merganser Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE Northern Bobwhite Wild Turkey Common Nighthawk Virginia Rail Common Gallinule Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Whimbrel RED-NECKED PHALAROPE Spotted Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Willet Lesser Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Red Knot White-rumped Sandpiper Black Skimmer GULL-BILLED TERN Least Tern Caspian Tern Common Tern ROSEATE TERN Royal Tern Common Loon Cory’s Shearwater Great Shearwater Wilson’s Storm-Petrel AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN Brown Pelican Least Bittern American Bittern Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Western Cattle Egret Black-crowned Night Heron Yellow-crowned Night Heron White Ibis ROSEATE SPOONBILL MISSISSIPPI KITE Osprey Northern Harrier Bald Eagle Great Horned Owl Red-headed Woodpecker Peregrin Falcon Willow Flycatcher Yellow-throated Vireo Cliff Swallow Brown-headed Nuthatch Veery Grasshopper Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Louisiana Waterthrush American Redstart Prothonotary Warbler Kentucky Warbler Northern Parula Blackpoll Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Summer Tanager
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: June 13, 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 June, Friday the 13th, 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 316 species mark with 2 new additions.
A ROSEATE SPOONBILL was seen today at Thousand Acre Marsh from the south base of the Reedy Point Bridge along Route 9 near Port Penn. Parking is at the fisherman’s pullout off Reedy Point Road at the foot of the bridge. The SPOONBILL was seen at the far side of the pool. This is the same ROSEATE SPOONBILL that was seen earlier in the week at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge near Smyrna, identified by its immature plumage and deformed bill. There was another ROSEATE SPOONBILL seen briefly at Gordon’s Pond in Cape Henlopen State Park on Monday but not re-found. These are the northern most sightings this year for SPOONBILLS along the East Coast, the closest being a single sighting at Ft. Smallwood near Baltimore last week. This is the 4th time in 5 years that ROSEATE SPOONBILLS have been found in Delaware.
Reedy Point Bridge also had PEREGRINE FALCON, OSPREY and BALD EAGLE roosting on it. Thousand Acre Marsh had AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN yesterday, plus LESSER SCAUP, RUDDY DUCK, and COMMON GALLINULE. SANDHILL CRANE were reported at the Ashton Tract in Augustine Wildlife Area. LEAST BITTERN, “Calico” LITTLE BLUE HERON and COMMON GALLINULE were found at the Port Penn impoundments. HOODED MERGANSER continues at Glasgow Park. EASTERN MEADOWLARK and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW was seen at Prices Park in Middletown. CLIFF SWALLOWS were seen at Flemings Landing Bridge along Route 9.
Northern Parula and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH were reported at White Clay Creek State Park. Willow flycatcher was found at Middle Run Natural area near Newark. VEERY and YELLOW-THROATED VIREO were reported at Mt. Cuba Wildflower Preserve. A female COMMON MERGANSER and NORTHERN HARRIER were seen at First State National Historical Park, Brandywine Unit. A COMMON LOON in full breeding plumage was seen again along the Delaware River at Battery Park in New Castle.
A RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was seen Saturday at the north end of Raymond Pool in at Bombay Hook and a WHIMBREL was seen there on Monday. GULL-BILLED TERN was seen at Bombay Hook yesterday. Other shorebirds seen included BLACK-NECKED STILT, AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, WILLET, LESSER and GREATER YELLOWLEGS, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, plus WESTERN and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER. BLACK SKIMMERS and CASPIAN TERNS were seen at Bear Swamp. Waders reported included SANDHILL CRANES, LEAST BITTERN, GLOSSY IBIS, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, COMMON GALLINULE, and VIRGINIA RAIL. SNOW GOOSE, BLACK and MUTE SWAN, plus RUDDY DUCK continues to be seen at Shearness Pool. NORTHERN BOBWHITE, WILD TURKEY and a late BLACKPOLL WARBLER were seen by the visitor’s center.
There was a flock of 25 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS at the Amalfi Road retention pond off Underwood Corner Road near Clayton. There was a group of 30 CLIFF SWALLOWS at Lake Como in Smyrna. A female RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, plus BLACK SKIMMER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, and SPOTTED SANDPIPER were seen at Port Mahon. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH continues to be seen along the Big Stone Beach Road. SPOTTED SANDPIPER, PROTHONOTARY and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER were seen at Killen's Pond.
Shorebirds seen at Mispillion Inlet from the Dupont Nature Center included RED KNOT, AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, BLACK-BELIED PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, DUNLIN, SANDERLING, and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER. A WESTERN CATTLE EGRET was seen at the cow pens along Cedar Creek Road. The PIPING PLOVER Nesting Program at Fowlers Beach in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge reported a record 20 nesting pairs this spring. Unfortunately, there’s been 5 nest failures due to marauding GREAT HORNED OWLS. WHITE IBIS, VIRGINIA RAIL, BLACK SKIMMER and LEAST TERN were seen along the Dike Trail at Prime Hook Headquarters. BLACK-NECKED STILT was seen at Oyster Rocks Road.
Sea watchers from the hawk watch platform in Cape Henlopen State Park were successful finding pelagic birds including WILSON’S STORM PETRELS, CORY’S AND GREAT SHEARWATER, plus BROWN PELICAN, BLACK and SURF SCOTER. Birds seen at Cape Henlopen Point included ROSEATE, GULL-BILLED, ROYAL, CASPIAN, LEAST and COMMON TERNS plus PIPING PLOVER and AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER. A EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE made a brief visit flying past the hawkwatch this week. A single SNOW GOOSE was seen walking along the beach at Herring Point. A flock of 20 WHITE IBIS and 72 SNOWY EGRETS seen at Gordon’s Pond. CORY’S SHEARWATER, WILSON’S STORM-PETREL, BLACK SCOTER, and BROWN PELICAN were also seen from the Cape May – Lewes Ferry.
WHITE IBIS and YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON was seen at Burton’s Island in Delaware Seashore State Park. TRICOLORED HERON and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON were seen at Masseys Landing on Long Neck. An AMERICAN BITTERN was seen in South Bethany near the Assawoman Canal. In Delaware, a MISSISSIPPI KITE was seen flying over Millsboro this week. This has been an exceptional year for MISSISSIPPI KITES in Pennsylvania with a big cicada hatch in northern Chester Co. at French Creek State Park. RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, SUMMER TANAGER, PROTHONOTARY WARBLER and a late AMERICAN REDSTART was seen at Nanticoke Wildlife Area near Laurel. KENTUCKY, WORM-EATING, and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER continue be seen at Redden State Forest.
Both PEREGRINE FALCON fledglings have left the nest at the Brandywine Building in downtown Wilmington. You can watch the action from the web site DOSbirds.org.
Thanks to the many people that make the Birdline possible Wayne Longbottom, Ellie McDonald, Matthew Simon, Wil Martens, Lynn Kohler, Jon Cupp, Bert Filemyr, Mike Rosengarten, Chris Hinkle, Clay Chianese, Mike Philips, Kevin Bronson, Marshall Brown, Jen Driscoll, Edward Patton, Nathan Parmeter, Karen Barker, Frank Rohrbacher, Cole Tiemann, Ed Wrzeniewski, Kim Steininger, Christy Holden, Chris and Karen Bennett, Greg Gough, Sue Gruver, Tom Stock, Richard Jullian, Randy Fisher, Phil Misseldine, Carolyn Holland, Sam VanHorne, Jim White, Wendy Cesario, Rod Murray, Scott Northey, Melissa Lafferty, John and Andy Dunn, Will Krohn, John Skibicki, Joe Francis, Mike Moore, 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.
