Date: 10/11/25 4:44 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, October 10th, 2025
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * October 10, 2025 * DEST 25.10.10
*Birds mentioned Cackling Goose Black Scoter Common Merganser Ruddy Duck Chimney Swift Common Nighthawk Ruby-throated Hummingbird Virginia Rail Common Gallinule American Coot Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher American Avocet Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover HUDSONIAN GODWIT Marbled Godwit Ruddy Turnstone Spotted Sandpiper Willet Wilson’s Snipe Short-billed Dowitcher Long-billed Dowitcher Wilson’s Phalarope Dunlin Western Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper PARASITIC JAEGER Caspian Tern Royal Tern Black Skimmer Common Loon Red-throated Loon Pied-billed Grebe Northern Gannet AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN Brown Pelican Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Black-crowned Night Heron Yellow-crowned Night Heron White Ibis Osprey Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper’s Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Merlin Peregrine Falcon Blue-headed Vireo Warbling Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Common Raven Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Brown Creeper Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet Veery Swainson’s Thrush Hermit Thrush Gray-cheeked Thrush Wood Thrush American Pipit Purple Finch CLAY-COLORED SPARRW Vesper Sparrow Saltmarsh Sparrow NELSON’S SPARROW Lincoln’s Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Ovenbird Black and White Warbler American Redstart Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler CONNECTICUT WARBLER Northern Parula Cape May Warbler Magnolia Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler TOWNSEND’S WARBLER Palm Warbler Prairie Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Summer Tanager Indigo Bunting
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: October 10, 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, Ten/Ten, 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 increased to 330 species this week with two new additions. Delaware is preparing for a big Nor’easter this weekend. Travel along the beach may be detoured due to coastal flooding.
A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was found behind the Ashland Nature Center Hawk Watch at a little weedy patch called the “Magic Circle”. The bird was seen Monday and Tuesday but not seen since. LINCOLN’S SPARROWS were seen at Ashland, Middle Run Natural Area, Peterson’s Urban Wildlife Refuge, Augustine Wildlife Area-Ashton Tract, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, McCabe Nature Preserve, and Burton’s Island, Delaware Seashore Sate Park. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW was seen at Ashland, Middle Run, Ashton Tract, and Bombay Hook. Additionally, a VESPER SPARROW was photographed at the Smith’s Mill Road section of Middle Run. Sparrow and another was seen at Forbes’s Field near Woodlawn Trustees at Rt 92 and Woodlawn Road.
A TOWNSEND’S WARBLER was photographed at Strawberry Landing in Assawoman Wildlife Area on Monday, but the observer didn’t realize it until reviewing the pictures. If accepted, this will be only the second state record. The first ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER of the season was found at Gordon’s Pond, near Cape Henlopen State Park on Monday. TENNESSEE WARBLER was reported at Bombay Hook and Bethany Beach Nature Center. Several NASHVILLE WARBLERS were seen at Bombay Hook, Gordon’s Pond, Red Mill Acres, and the Bethany Beach Nature Center. There was numerous PALM and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS reported this week, Lingering Warblers 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.
An adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was found at First State National Historical Park south of Ramsey Road. PHILADELPHIA VIREO was seen at Ashland Nature Center, along with flyover CACKLING GOOSE, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW and PURPLE FINCH. A female COMMON MERGANSER was seen along the Red Clay Creek. 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 new arrivals for the fall included RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BROWN CREEPER, RUBY-CROWNED and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, BLUE-HEADED VIREO, SWAINSON’S, HERMIT and GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, VEERY, and INDIGO BUNTING.
SANDHILL CRANES were seen at the Port Penn Tract in Augustine Wildlife Area along with VIRGINIA RAIL, CASPIAN TERN. A WARBLING VIREO was seen at Cooper’s Crossroads. Shorebirds reported at Port Penn included PECTORAL and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER. SEMIPALMATED PLOVER and LITTLE BLUE HERON were seen at Pea Patch Island, at the Ashton Tract. EASTERN MEADOWLARK was found at Price’s Park in Middletowen.
A winter plumaged WILSON’S PHALAROPE was seen Shearness Pool in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge near Smyrna on Wednesday. Other shorebirds included MARBLED and HUDSONIAN GODWIT, AMERICAN AVOCETS, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, DUNLIN, LONG-BILLED and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, plus SPOTTED, WHITE-RUMPED, PECTORAL, WESTERN and STILT SANDPIPER. Interesting landbirds included NELSON’S and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW RUDDY DUCK, PIED-BILLED GREBE, COMMON GALLINULE and AMERICAN COOT were seen at the main trat in Little Creek Wildlife Area. A late WOOD THRUSH was seen at Killen’s Pond State Park.
CASPIAN and ROYAL TERNS were seen at Mispillion Inlet from the Dupont Nature Center. AMERICAN PIPIT was found at Fowlers Beach in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. A pair of AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS were seen flying over the Boardwalk Trail at Prime Hook headquarters. RUDDY TURNSTONE, WILLET, BLACK SKIMMER and TRICOLORED HERON were seen along the Dike Trail.
There was a high count of 4 PARASITIC JAEGERS at Cape Henlopen State Park along with BROWN PELICAN, NORTHERN GANNET plus RED-THROATED and COMMON LOON. AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, WHITE IBIS, plus COMMON, CASPIAN and ROYAL TERN were seen at Cape Henlopen Point. CONNECTICUT and PRAIRIE WARBLER was seen at the Seaside Nature Center in Cape Henlopen State Park along with BROWN-HEADED and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH.
HUDSONIAN GODWIT, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, and WILSON’S SNIPE with approximately 1200 WHITE IBIS were seen at Gordon’s Pond State Park. SALTMARSH SPARROW was seen along the Gordon’s bike trail. A YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON was seen along the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal from the Freeman Highway and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON was found at the Monroe Ave ponds.
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was seen at the Peninsula Golf Course on Long Neck and at Redden State Forest. A late SUMMER TANAGER, VEERY and BLACKPOLL WARBLER were also reported at this later location. WARBLING VIREO and PRAIRIE WARBLER were seen at James Farm Eco-Preserve near Ocean View.
Its ACCIPITER season at Delaware’s Hawk Watches. A total of about 100 SHARP-SHINNED and 50 COOPER’S HAWKS plus a single BROAD-WINGED was seen at Ashland Nature Center. COMMON RAVENS, COMMON NIGHTHAWK and CHIMNEY SWIFT were also reported. Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch reported about 150 SHARPIES and 50 COOPER’S HAWK, plus OSPREY, MERLIN and PEREGRINE FALCON. There was a flight of over 500 BLACK SCOTERS offshore along with a flyover BARN SWALLOW. Thanks to our hawk counters Jen Ottinger and David Brown.
And thanks to all the people that make the Birdline possible, including Donna Carter, Ryan Johnson, Tim Carney, Kent Raymond, Alissa Kegelman, Bert Filemyr, Mike Rosengaten, Susan Russo, Richard Hudson, Cheryl Duford, Deborah Hanson, Jim McConnell, David Yhomas, Frank Rohrbacher, Declan O’Neil, Rod Murray, Carolyn Holland, Mary Braun, Gary Griffith, Rob Blye, Sue Gruver, Greg Gough, Phil Misseldine, Richard Jullian, Ellen and Jake Jacobson, Chris and Karen Bennett, Jim and Amy White, Keely Milbourne, Kim Steininger, Dave Brown, Wendy Cesario, Will Krohn, Aaron Coolman, Megan Kasprzak, 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!
