Date: 10/4/25 8:12 am From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, October 3rd, 2025
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * October 3, 2025 * DEST 25.10.03
*Birds mentioned Brant Black Scoter Surf Scoter Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Yellow-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Ruby-throated Hummingbird Sora Virginia Rail Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher American Avocet Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover HUDSONIAN GODWIT Marbled Godwit Ruddy Turnstone Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Wilson’s Snipe Short-billed Dowitcher Long-billed Dowitcher Wilson’s Phalarope Red Knot Dunlin Western Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper BAIRD’S SANDPIPER Stilt Sandpiper PARASITIC JAEGER Bonaparte’s Gull Caspian Tern Common Tern Royal Tern Black Skimmer Common Loon Northern Gannet AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN Brown Pelican ROSEATE SPOONBILL Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Green Heron Black-crowned Night Heron White Ibis GOLDEN EAGLE Broad-winged Hawk Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon Least Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Eastern Kingbird Blue-headed Vireo Warbling Vireo White-eyed Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Common Raven Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Brown Creeper Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher Swainson’s Thrush Gray-cheeked Thrush American Pipit Purple Finch Saltmarsh Sparrow Lincoln’s Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Rusty Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Hooded Warbler Black and White Warbler American Redstart Prothonotary Warbler CONNECICUT WARBLER Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Blue-winged Warbler Northern Parula Cape May Warbler Magnolia Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Yellow Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Palm Warbler Prairie Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Scarlet Tanager Indigo Bunting Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: October 3, 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, October 3rd, this is Birdline Delaware from the Delaware Museum of Natural History in Greenville. The Birdline is sponsored by the Delaware Ornithological Society (DOS). Statements made on the Birdline do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors. The unofficial Delaware Annual list remains at 328 species this week.
A couple of CONNECTICUT WARBLERS were reported this week from Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge and Bay Point at Summit Bridge. There was numerous PALM and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS reported this week, Warblers commonly seen included, OVENBIRD, BLACK AND WHITE, AMERICAN REDSTART, NORTHERN PARULA, MAGNOLIA, CHESTNUT-SIDED, CAPE MAY, BLACKPOLL, BLACKBURNIAN, BAY-BREASTED, plus BLACK-THROATED BLUE and BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER.
A few RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS are still coming to feeders right now. If you see an unusual hummer, please contact the Birdline at the sites above. Some late fall lingerers included BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, BALTIMORE ORIOLE, SCARLET TANAGER, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, and INDIGO BUNTING New arrivals for the fall included RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, RUBY-CROWNED and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, and BLUE-HEADED VIREO. EASTERN PHOEBES are migrating in force right now, the official bird of the MLB playoffs.
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, TENNESSEE and NASHVILLE WARBLER were seen at Middle Run Natural Area. Another PHILADELPHIA VIREO was seen in a yard near Newark. Both PHILADELPHIA and WARBLING VIREO were seen at Ashland Nature Center, along with BLUE-WINGED, TENNESSEE, and WILSON’S WARBLER. A LINCOLN’S SPARROW continues by the pavilion next to the lodge, and there was a flyover PURPLE FINCH. A female COMMON MERGANSER was seen along the Red Clay Creek.
A LEAST FLYCATCHER was found in a backyard in Wilmington near Lancaster Pike. NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and CANADA WARBLER were seen at First State National Historical Park-Brandywine Unit. SOLITARY SANDPIPER and 5 COMMON RAVENS were seen at Brandywine Creek State Park along with GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH and LINCOLN’S SPARROW behind the maintenance shed. Another GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH was seen near the Wild Bird Store in Hockessin.
SANDHILL CRANES were seen at the Ashton Tract in Augustine Wildlife Area. A YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER was reported last Saturday and PHILADELPHIA VIREO was photographed on Thursday at the Ashton Tract. COMMON RAVEN was reported at the Port Penn impoundments.
An AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN made a brief stop at Shearness Pool in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge near Smyrna yesterday. Shorebirds at Bombay Hook included a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER last Saturday at Bear Swamp and winter plumaged WILSON’S PHALAROPE seen yesterday. Other shorebirds included both 8 MARBLED and 13 HUDSONIAN GODWIT, plus a big count of 1000 AMERICAN AVOCETS, with BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, DUNLIN, LONG-BILLED and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, plus SPOTTED, WHITE-RUMPED, PECTORAL, WESTERN and STILT SANDPIPER, and CASPIAN TERN. Waders found included SORA, VIRGINIA RAIL, SANDHILL CRANE, and LITTLE BLUE HERON. At least 10 PEREGRINE FALCONS and a MERLIN were seen hunting shorebirds over the impoundments. Interesting landbirds included the first WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW of the season plus WHITE-EYED and PHILADELPHIA VIREO, LINCOLN’S SPARROW, and an immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKER along the Boardwalk Trail. A late PROTHONOTARY WARBLER was seen at! Fork Landing Road near Frederica.
BLACK-BELLIED and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, were seen at Mispillion Inlet from the Dupont Nature Center. An AMERICAN PIPIT was spotted flying over at Lighthouse Road. RUDDY TURNSTONE was found at Fowlers Beach in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and RUSTY BLACKBIRD were seen at Prime Hook headquarters. BLACK SKIMMER and AMERICAN AVOCET were seen along the Dike Trail. TENNESSEE WARBLER and WARBLING VIREO were reported in a yard near Milford.
There was a high count of 4 PARASITIC JAEGERS at Cape Henlopen State Park on Wednesday, along with RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, BROWN PELICAN, NORTHERN GANNET and COMMON LOON. AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, WHITE IBIS, plus COMMON, CASPIAN and ROYAL TERN were seen at Cape Henlopen Point. EASTERN KINGBIRD, WHITE-EYED, and PHILADELPHIA VIREO was seen at the Seaside Nature Center in Cape Henlopen State Park along with BROWN-HEADED and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH. A pair of immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were seen flying over the hawkwatch. SURF and BLACK SCOTER were seen at the bayside lighthouse. PURPLE FINCH and the first BROWN CREEPER of the season was seen along the Walking Dunes Nature Trail.
It was a feeding frenzy at Gordon’s Pond with HUDSONIAN GODWIT, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, LONG-BILLED and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, RED KNOT, WILSON’S SNIPE, plus PECTORAL and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER along with TRICOLORED, LITTLE BLUE, and GREEN HERON with approximately 1200 WHITE IBIS. COMMON, CASPIAN and ROYAL TERNS were seen along with a single BONAPARTE’S GULL. SALTMARSH SPARROW and PRAIRIE WARBLER were seen along the trail. BRANT was seen along the breakwater from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry.
There was a peak count of 9 TRICOLORED HERONS, along with BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON and WHITE IBIS at Burton’s Island in Delaware Seashore State Park. YELLOW-THROATED VIREO, HOODED and YELLOW WARBLER were seen along the Burton’s Island nature trail. RED-HEADED WOODPECKER continues to be seen at the Peninsula Golf Couse on Long Neck.
The first GOLDEN EAGLE of the season was reported at the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch on Wednesday. A ROSEATE SPOONBILL was seen flying past Cape Henlopen after earlier leaving Cape May. Good numbers of AMERICAN KESTREL, MERLIN, and PEREGRINES were seen all week. Ashland Nature Center reported 12 species of raptor although low numbers. Highlights were 39 BROAD-WINGED on Wednesday. COMMON RAVENS are being seen almost daily and a COMMON NIGHTHAWK was seen on Tuesday. Thanks to our hawk counters Jen Ottinger and David Brown.
And thanks to all the people that make the Birdline possible, including Al Guarente, Aaron Reb, Kent Raymond, Alissa Kegelman, Gina Sheridan, Lynn Jackson, Martin Selzer, Mike Hudson, Frank Rohrbacher, Declan O’Neil, Jen Driscoll, Chase Wilkerson, Rod Murray, Carolyn Holland, Mary Braun, Gary Griffith, Rob Blye, Sue Gruver, Greg Gough, Phil Misseldine, Richard Jullian, Wayne Longbottom, Greg Wittt, Matthew Herron, Ellen and Jake Jacobson, Chris and Karen Bennett, Jim and Amy White, Kim Steininger, Dave Brown, Wendy Cesario, Will Krohn, Aaron Coolman, Megan Kasprzak, Ian Stewart, Chris Machulski, Mike Moore, Bruce Peterjohn and Joe Swertinski. Special thanks to Joe Tricarico who distributes this list to DOS members. Birdline needs your sightings. Please call your reports into 302-792-9591 or email <ednieap...> Until next week, this is Andy Ednie wishing you good birding and let’s go Phillies!
