Date: 10/24/25 4:40 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, October 24th, 2025
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * October 24, 2025 * DEST 25.10.24
*Birds mentioned Snow Goose Cackling Goose Blue-winged Teal Black Scoter Surf Scoter COMMON EIDER Common Merganser Ruddy Duck Northern Bobwhite WHITE-WINGED DOVE Yellow-billed Cuckoo Ruby-throated Hummingbird Virginia Rail Sora 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 American Woodcock Short-billed Dowitcher Long-billed Dowitcher Wilson’s Phalarope Western Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper PARASITIC JAEGER Bonaparte’s Gull Black Skimmer Common Tern Caspian Tern Royal Tern Common Loon Red-throated Loon Pied-billed Grebe Northern Gannet Brown Pelican AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN Great Cormorant Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Snowy Egret Green Heron Glossy Ibis White Ibis Osprey Bald Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper’s Hawk GOLDEN EAGLE Broad-winged Hawk Barn Owl Barred Owl Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon Eastern Phoebe Eastern Wood Pewee Blue-headed Vireo Common Raven Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Brown Creeper Northern House Wren Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher Swainson’s Thrush Wood Thrush Pine Siskin Purple Finch CLAY-COLORED SPARROW Saltmarsh Sparrow NELSON’S SPARROW Seaside Sparrow LARK SPARROW Lincoln’s Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Yellow-breasted Chat Rusty Blackbird Ovenbird Black and White Warbler American Redstart Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Common Yellowthroat Northern Parula Cape May Warbler Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Blue Grosbeak Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: October 24, 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 24th 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. This is Andy Ednie, glad to be with you. The unofficial Delaware Annual remain at 331 species this week.
A WHITE-WINGED DOVE was photographed on the electric wires along Route 9 north of Leipsic on Tuesday evening. This is only the second record for the state this year and both were single observer sightings. A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was seen by the bike racks at the Visitor Center in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge near Smyrna on Saturday with COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, LINCOLN’S and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. BLUE WINGED-TEAL, CACKLING GOOSE, and MUTE SWAN was seen at the south end of Shearness Pool. A winter plumaged WILSON’S PHALAROPE was seen with MARBLED and HUDSONIAN GODWIT, AMERICAN AVOCETS, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED, and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, LONG-BILLED and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, plus SPOTTED, WHITE-RUMPED, PECTORAL, WESTERN SANDPIPER and CASPIAN TERN. SANDHILL CRANE, SORA, VIRGINIA RAIL, WHITE IBIS, SNOWY EGRET, and LITTLE BLUE HERON were reported. NORTHERN BOBWHITE was calling near the visitor center. BARN and BARRED OWLS were reported at the refuge. Some late li! ngerers seen included YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT near Bear Swamp tower, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, and EASTERN WOOD PEWEE.
Other late lingerers reported included BARN SWALLOW at Gordon’s Pond near Rehoboth Beach, Taylor’s Gut in Woodland Beach Wildlife Area and at Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area. BLUE GROSBEAK was at the Ashton Tract in Augustine Wildlife Area. NORTHERN HOUSE WREN seen at Curtis Mill Park in Newark and Cape Henlopen, SWAINSON’S THRUSH at Ashland Nature Center and YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS at Ashland and Burton’s Island in Delaware Seashore State Park. Downstate, a ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK was reported at Prime Hook Headquarters.
Numerous PALM and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS continue to be reported this week. A late OVENBIRD was seen along the Christiana River in Newark. A BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER was seen at Middle Run Natural Area. An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was found at Harry’s Pond in the Brandywine Town Center off Concord Pike. NASHVILLE WARBLERS was reported at Ashland Nature Center and Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Several PRAIRIE WARBLERS were reported including sightings at the Boardwalk Trail at Bombay Hook and at Cape Henlopen State Park. Other warbles at Cape Henlopen included TENNESSEE, CAPE MAY and NORTHERN PARULA. A female AMERICAN REDSTART was seen feeding in the brush by the Dupont Nature Center at Mispillion Inlet.
Other common fall migrants this week included YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, EASTERN PHOEBE, BLUE-HEADED VIREO, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, WINTER WREN, HERMIT THRUSH, PURPLE FINCH, and RUSTY BLACKBIRD. WHITE-CROWNED and LINCOLN’S SPARROW was found behind the Ashland Nature Center Hawk Watch. A female COMMON MERGANSER was seen along the Red Clay Creek. COMMON RAVENS were reported Brandywine Creek State Park, University of Delaware Ag Farm, and Delaware City. BARRED OWL was reported at Middle Run. AMERICAN WOODCOCK and NORTHERN BOBWHITE were seen at Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area A few RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS are still coming to feeders right now. If you see an unusual hummer, please contact the Birdline.
A flock of 7 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS were seen flying over the Mahon Impoundment of Little Creek Wildlife Area today. Also seen was GLOSSY IBIS, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, RUDDY DUCK, PIED-BILLED GREBE, AMERICAN COOT and 10 BARN SWALLOWS. PURPLE FINCH and PINE SISKIN were reported in a yard near Smyrna. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH, VIRGINIA RAIL, BONAPARTE’S GULL plus SURF and BLACK SCOTER were found along the Big Stone Beach Road in Milford Neck Wildlife Area.
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, ROYAL TERNS and VIRGINIA RAIL were seen at Mispillion Inlet from the Dupont Nature Center. NELSON’S SPARROW was found along Lighthouse Road. A LARK SPARROW was reported from the Dike Trail and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. WILLET, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, and PECTORAL SANDPIPER were seen at Oyster Rocks Road.
PARASITIC JAEGERS were seen chasing gulls and terns at Cape Henlopen State Park. AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, BLACK-BELLIED and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, WILSON’S SNIPE and BLACK SKIMMER were seen at Cape Henlopen Point. BROWN-HEADED and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH was seen at the Seaside Nature Center. NELSON’S, SALTMARSH and SEASIDE SPARROW were all seen at Gordon’s Pond State Park. The first flock of SNOW GEESE were seen sitting on the pond, along with TRICOLORED and LITTLE BLUE HERON, SNOWY EGRET, and over 100 WHITE IBIS. RUDDY TURNSTONE was seen at Lewes Beach. AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, SPOTTED SANDPIPER and GREEN HERON were seen on the Lewes Breakwater. GREAT CORMORANT and over 100 BROWN PELICANS were seen from the Cape May – Lewes Ferry.
A female COMMON EIDER was found at the south jetty of Indian River Inlet. COMMON, ROYAL and CASPIAN TERN were seen at the inlet. TRICOLORED HERON and WHITE IBIS were reported at Burton’s Island. Another late lingering GREEN HERON was seen at the Chapel Branch Nature Center in Seaford.
A GOLDEN EAGLE was seen at Ashland Nature Center Hawk Watch today. A late BROAD-WINGED HAWK was reported yesterday. Good numbers of BALD EAGLES, SHARP-SHINNED and COOPER’S HAWKS continue to be seen. RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, and late CHIMNEY SWIFT and NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW were also reported. Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch reported good numbers of OSPREY, BALD EAGLES, AMERICAN KESTRELS, MERLIN and a few PEREGINE FALCONS. PURPLE FINCH and PINE SISKINS were reported at both hawk watches this week. Thanks to our hawk counters Jen Ottinger and David Brown.
And thanks to all the people that make the Birdline possible, including Steven Grunwold, Sara May, Jeremy Gardner. Evan Speck, Nolan Walker, Linda O’Rouke, Chris Hinkle, Kent Raymond, Bert Filemyr, Mike Rosengarten, Ed Wrzesnieski, Rod Murray, Carolyn Holland, Mary Braun, Tom Donahue, Natalie Cavalieri, Jeff Homes, Jacob Hall, Teresa Noel, Jim O’Neil, Rob Blye, Sue Gruver, Greg Gough, Russel Kovach, Geoff Malosh, James Smith, Richard Jullian, Ellen and Jake Jacobson, Chris and Karen Bennett, Anthony Gonzon, Jim and Amy White, Holly Merker, Kim Steininger, Dave Brown, Wendy Cesario, Will Krohn, Aaron Coolman, Melissa Lafferty, Jean-Marie Gauthier, Amy and Declan O’Neil, Autumn Heil, Larry Drexler, Ellie McDonald, Phil Rushworth, Jim Austin-Cole, David Mignagne, Kris Benarcik, Joe McCann, Sam VanHorne, Alan and David Belford, Megan Kasprzak, Mike Moore, Bruce Peterjohn and Joe Swertinski. Special thanks to Joe Tricarico who distributes this list to DOS members. Birdlin! e 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!
