Date: 6/20/25 4:56 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, June 20th, 2025
Delaware * Statewide * June 20, 2025 * DEST 2025.06.20
*Birds mentioned BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK Snow Goose Mute Swan Black Swan Northern Pintail Black Scoter Surf Scoter Hooded Merganser Ruddy Duck Northern Bobwhite Wild Turkey Common Nighthawk Chuck-will’s-widow Virginia Rail King Rail Common Gallinule Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Spotted Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Willet Lesser Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Red Knot White-rumped Sandpiper Wilson’s Snipe Black Skimmer Black Tern GULL-BILLED TERN Least Tern Caspian Tern ARCTIC TERN Common Tern ROSEATE TERN Royal Tern SANDWICH TERN Cory’s Shearwater Great Shearwater Wilson’s Storm-Petrel Great Cormorant AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN Brown Pelican Least Bittern Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron REDDISH EGRET Western Cattle Egret Black-crowned Night Heron Yellow-crowned Night Heron Glossy Ibis White Ibis ROSEATE SPOONBILL Northern Harrier Barred Owl Red-headed Woodpecker Peregrine Falcon Yellow-throated Vireo Cliff Swallow Brown-headed Nuthatch Veery Saltmarsh Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Worm-eating Warbler Louisiana Waterthrush Black and White Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Kentucky Warbler Hooded Warbler Northern Parula Blackpoll Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Summer Tanager Blue Grosbeak
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: June 20, 2025 To Report: Andy Ednie 302-792-9591 (VOICE) Compiler: Andy Ednie (<ednieap...>) Coverage: Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, nearby Delaware Valley, Southern New Jersey, Maryland
On the Summer Solstice, for Friday 20th, 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 remains at 316 species this week.
Lots of pelagic species were seen from shore this week with the predominately east winds at Cape Henlopen State Park. There have been multiple sightings of CORY’S SHEARWATERS and WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS plus an occasional GREAT SHEARWATER. These birds were seen between Herring Point and the hawk watch. Additionally, CORY’S SHEARWATER and WILSON’S STORM-PETREL were seen from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry and WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS were seen in Delaware Bay at Mispillion Inlet from the Dupont Nature Center and from Port Mahon. A dead GREAT SHEARWATER was picked up off the beach at Key Box Road in Delaware Seashore State Park south of Dewey Beach.
In Sussex Co., 9 species of TERNS were reported. A pair of ARCTIC TERNS were seen from Herring Point on Monday, a SANDWICH TERN was photographed from the swimming beach, GULL-BILLED and ROSEATE TERNS were seen at Cape Henlopen Point with LEAST, COMMON, ROYAL and CASPIAN TERNS. An adult BLACK TERN was reported at Oyster Rocks Road in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. COMMON, CASPIAN, and ROYAL TERNS were found at Port Mahon, along with a flock of 100 BLACK SKIMMERS.
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, NORTHERN PARULA, and YELLOW-THROATED VIREO were found at White Clay Creek State Park. LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH was seen from Middle Rune Natural Area near Newark. VEERY, BLUE GROSBEAK, and BARRED OWL were reported from Brandywine Creek State Park. LEAST BITTERN was discovered at the Peterson Urban Wildlife Area in Wilmington. The PEREGRINE FALCON have fledged 2 young this year at the Brandywine Building in downtown Wilmington. You can watch the action from the web site DOSbirds.org. An adult PEREGRINE was seen carrying prey over I-95 in downtown Wilmington.
Today, there was a flock of 4 AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN seen at Thousand Acre Marsh along with COMMON GALLINULE. A single bird was also seen flying over Fort Delaware at Pea Patch Island along with WESTERN CATTLE EGRET, YELLOW-CROWNED and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS. The PELICANS seems to be tide dependent, roosting at Thousand Acre at low tide and moving to the river to feed with the incoming high tide. The previously reported ROSEATE SPOONBILL has not been seen since Monday but please continue reading for more information. PEREGRINE FALCON was reported at the Reedy Point Bridge. SANDHILL CRANE were reported at the Ashton Tract in Augustine Wildlife Area, along with WARBLING VIREO and NORTHERN BOBWHITE. LEAST BITTERN, LITTLE BLUE HERON and COMMON GALLINULE were found at the Port Penn impoundments.
SAVANNAH and GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS were found along Green Giant Road and at Prices Park in Middletown. EASTERN MEADOWLARK was also found at the latter location. HOODED, KENTUCKY, and WORM-EATING WARBLERS were reported at the Tybout’s Tract in Blackbird State Forest. SUMMER TANAGER was reported along Hollett’s Corner Road near Blackiston. HOODED MERGANSER continues at Glasgow Park. CLIFF SWALLOWS were seen at Appoquinmink Creek Bridge along Route 9 and at the Leipsic River Bridge.
Late lingering WILSON’S SNIPE and SPOTTED SANDPIPER were photographed at Bombay Hook. Other shorebirds seen included BLACK-NECKED STILT, AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, WILLET, LESSER and GREATER YELLOWLEGS, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, plus SEMIPALMATED and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER. BLACK SKIMMERS and CASPIAN TERNS were seen at Bear Swamp. Waders reported included SANDHILL CRANE, 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 HARRIER was seen flying over the marsh opposite Shearness Pool. NORTHERN BOBWHITE and WILD TURKEY were found at the visitor’s center. PROTHONOTARY WARBLER continues to be reported at Finis Pool.
The flock of BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS continues at the Amalfi Road retention pond off Underwood Corner Road near Clayton. A female NORTHERN PINTAIL, plus BLACK-NECKED STILT, BLACK SKIMMER, and 2 BONAPARTE’S GULLS were seen at Port Mahon. Another ROSEATE SPOONBILL was found at the central tower area in Little Creek Wildlife Area on Monday. This might be the SPOONBILL originally reported at Gordon’s Pond near Rehoboth Beach last week because it’s brighter pink and lacks any BILL anomalies seen with the Bombay Hook/Thousand Acre Marsh bird. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH, WORM-EATING and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER continues to be seen along the Big Stone Beach Road. A late lingering BLACKPOLL WARBLER was reported at Killen's Pond State Park along with PROTHONOTARY and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER.
Shorebirds seen at Mispillion Inlet from the Dupont Nature Center included lingering RED KNOT, BLACK-BELIED PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, DUNLIN, and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER plus AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER. AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, PIPING PLOVER, BLACK AND SURF SCOTER, AND BROWN PELICAN were seen at Cape Henlopen Point. There was a possible single observer sighting of a REDDISH EGRET at marker #5 along the Gordon’s Pond. Unfortunately, other birders looking for this bird were unsuccessful. SALTMARSH SPARROW was also reported from Gordon’s Pond. A GREAT CORMORANT was photographed on the Lewes Breakwater.
BLACK AND WHITE, KENTUCKY, WORM-EATING and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER were reported from Redden State Forest. RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were found at Peninsula Golf Course on Long Neck, Bay Forest at Bethany Beach, and Strawberry Landing at Assawoman Wildlife Area. KING RAIL, WHITE IBIS and BROWN-HEADED NUTHHATCH were found at this latter location along with 8 calling CHUCK-WILL’S WIDOW at dusk. COMMON NIGHTHAWKS were reported at Cape Henlopen State Park. WHITE IBIS were also reported at Burtons Island in Delaware Seashore State Park, along with TRICOLORED HERON and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON. WHITE IBIS were also seen at Gordon’s Pond, Oyster Rocks Road, and as far north as Slaughters Beach.
Thanks to the many people that make the Birdline possible Ellie McDonald, Eric Hartshaw, Chuck Mitchell, Ellen and Jake Jacobson, Martin Selzer, Lynn Jackson, Chris Hinkle, Tom Voter, Tanya Burnett, Mike Rosengarten, Edie Parnum, Mike Phillips, Patty Masten, Marshall Brown, Jen Driscoll, Edward Patton, Frank Rohrbacher, Cole Tiemann, Maddi Martin, Josh Bernstein, Ed Wrzeniewski, Kim Steininger, David Brown, Zach Baer, Holly Merker, Manny Dominguez, Tom Donahue, TJ Mooney, Chris and Karen Bennett, Greg Gough, Sue Gruver, Tom Stock, Richard Jullian, Alice Mohrman, Phil Misseldine, Carolyn Holland, Jim White, Wendy Cesario, Rod Murray, Scott Northey, Melissa Lafferty, Mat Smith, John and Andy Dunn, 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.
