Date: 11/14/25 4:51 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, November 14th, 2025
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * November 14, 2025 * DEST 25.11.14
*Birds mentioned White-fronted Goose BARNACLE GOOSE Cackling Goose Tundra Swan Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Black Scoter Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter COMMON EIDER Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Northern Bobwhite Ruby-throated Hummingbird Sora Sandhill Crane American Avocet Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Marbled Godwit Ruddy Turnstone Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Spotted Sandpiper Wilson’s Snipe American Woodcock Short-billed Dowitcher Long-billed Dowitcher Western Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER Parasitic Jaeger Bonaparte’s Gull Iceland Gull Caspian Tern Royal Tern Black Skimmer PACIFIC LOON Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Brown Pelican AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN Black-crowned Night Heron Yellow-crowned Night Heron White Ibis Bald Eagle Osprey GOLDEN EAGLE Northern Saw-whet Owl Red-headed Woodpecker ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER Common Raven CAVE SWALLOW Barn Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Sedge Wren EVENING GROSBEAK Pine Siskin REDPOLL Purple Finch LECONTE’S SPARROW Saltmarsh Sparrow NELSON’S SPARROW Fox Sparrow Lincoln’s Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Rusty Blackbird YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD Orange-crowned Warbler Common Yellowthroat
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: November 14, 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, November 14th 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. November is known in the birding community for when exotics show up, and this week was loaded with interesting sightings. The unofficial Delaware Annual List added 4 new species, increasing to 337 species this week.
It was a “Triple Lindy” at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, with birds from the Rocky Mountains, Greenland, and Siberia! The highlight was an immature SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER seen at the north end of Shearness Pool. This Asiatic peep, about the size of a PECTORAL SANDPIPER with a bright rufous cap normally winters in Australia. This is the 4th time in the last 5 years that an immature SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER has been found at Bombay Hook and was still being seen on Thursday. The bird was not seen today because the refuge was closed for hunting. Birders looking at the sandpiper also found a BARNACLE GOOSE with Canada’s on Leatherbury Flats opposite Shearness and an ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER at the Saltmarsh Boardwalk parking lot at Raymond Pool. Unfortunately, these last two birds were seen only one day.
AMERICAN AVOCET and MARBLED GODWITS were seen, but no HUDSONIAN GODWITS were not seen this week. Other shorebirds seen included BLACK-BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, WILSON’S SNIPE, GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, SHORT-BILLED and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, plus SPOTTED, WESTERN PECTORAL and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER. The first Tundra Swans of the season were seen, along with CACKLING GOOSE, RING-NECKED DUCK, LESSER SCAUP and HOODED MERGANSER. A CAVE SWALLOW was seen flying over Shearness Pool on Tuesday. An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was reported Wednesday, along with PINE SISKIN, SNOW BUNTING, and AMERICAN PIPIT. SORA and SANDHILL CRANES were also found at the refuge this week.
At Ashland Nature Center, a REDPOLL was recorded flying over the hawkwatch. Other winter birds reported included a female EVENING GROSBEAK, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, FOX, and LINCOLN’S SPARROW, RUSTY BLACKBIRD and EASTERN MEADOWLARK. The previously reported pair of RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS continue to be seen at First State National Historical Park, Brandywine Unit. The woodpeckers were found along the creek south of Ramsey Road. A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was seen flying over First State today. RING-NECKED DUCK, HOODED MERGANSER and PIED-BILLED GREBE were seen at Harry’s Pond in the Brandywine Town Center. A SAW-WHET OWL was reported from a yard near Glasgow. HORNED and PIED-BILLED GREBES were seen at the Pencader Ponds LESSER SCAUP was seen at the St. Annes Retention Pond in Middletown. An adult male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was seen in a flock of blackbirds along Route 9 near Cedar Swamp, just a little south of Fire Base Lloyd.
The previously reported drake COMMON EIDER continues to be seen at the mouth of the St Jones River at Bower’s Beach. To reach this area, take Main Street to Frack Ave to the parking lot at the end. Lots of birds were seen here, including BLACK, SURF and WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, WESTERN SANDPIPER, CASPIAN and ROYAL TERN, and flyby TREE SWALLOW. AMERICAN WOODCOCKS were reported at Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area and at the Logan Lane Tract of Ted Harvey Conservation Area. There was a flock of 14 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS on the Port Mahon impoundments of Little Creek Wildlife Area. AMERICAN WIGEON and GREATER SCAUP were seen at Port Mahon. The first COMMON GOLDENEYE of the season was seen at at the Logan tract. A flight of 32 WOOD DUCKS was seen at Killen’s Pond State Park. Another drake WHITE-WINGED SCOTER was seen at Bennett’s Pier.
NELSON’S and SALTMARSH SPARROW continue to be seen along Lighthouse Road at Mispillion Inlet. BLACK, SURF and WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, GREATER SCAUP, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, and ROYAL TERN were seen from the Dupont Nature Center. A single immature YELLOW-CROWNED was seen among the BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS at the pond across from the Marvel Salt Marsh Preserve. Another CAVE SWALLOW was seen at Fowlers Beach in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, along with a flock of 9 more AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS. Other waterfowl seen included RING-NECKED DUCK, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, WESTERN SANDPIPER and WHITE IBIS.
There was a late report of a LECONTE’S SPARROW photographed at Gordon’s Pond State Park last week. This bird was found by the 2-mile marker, but subsequent searches only produced SEDGE WREN, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, and NELSON’S SPARROW along with about 35 WHITE IBIS. ICELAND GULL and PACIFIC LOON were seen from the hawk watch at Cape Henlopen State Park. PARASITIC JAEGER, NORTHERN GANNET, and BROWN PELICAN, was seen at Cape Henlopen Point. TUNDRA SWANS were seen on the ocean at Herring Point. BRANT, BLACK, SURF and WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, PURPLE SANDPIPER, GREAT CORMORANT, and BONAPARTE’S GULL were seen from the Cape May Lewes Ferry.
A flock of 3 BARN SWALLOWS were seen flying over Silver Lake in Rehoboth Beach. Another CAVE SWALLOW was seen at Indian River Inlet on Saturday. There was a big flock of BONAPARTE’S GULLS feeding in the inlet along with ROYAL TERN and BROWN PELICAN. WHITE IBIS was seen at Burton’s Island in Delaware Seashore State Park. A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER continues to be seen at the Peninsula Nature Center and Golf Course near Millsboro. A late lingering RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD continues to come to a feeder near Harbison.
A pair of GOLDEN EAGLES was seen on Veteran’s Day at the Ashland Nature Center Hawk Watch and another was seen yesterday. A total of 45 BALD EAGLES were seen this week along with a late OSPREY. COMMON RAVENS continue to be seen daily. Weather conditions were extreme at the beach with high winds and low temperatures. Single GOLDEN EAGLES were found on Saturday and yesterday. Lots of waterfowl is moving down the coast. RED-BREASTED and BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES were in the pines by the hawkwatch parking lot. Thanks to our hawk counters Jen Ottinger and David Brown.
And thanks to all the people that make the Birdline possible, including Al Guarente, Dan Lebbin, Steve Minner, Sheryl Johnson, Debbie Beer, Ed Wallace, Bob Edelen, Alex Wiebe, Armas Hill, Dave Ebbitt, Christian Schiebe, Anne Russell, Kevin Bronson, Gary Griffith, Ed Patten, Hank Davis, Lynn Jackson, Martin Selzer, Bert Filymer, Mike Rosengarten, Jason Horn, Eric Adams, Ryan Johnson, Kent Raymond, Ed Wrzesnieski, Rod Murray, Carolyn Holland, Mary Braun, Rob Blye, Sue Gruver, Greg Gough, Richard Jullian, Andrew Albright, Phil Misseldine, Randy Fisher, Chuck Mitchell, Anne Dinkle, David Bridge, Sussan Russo, Paul Pisano, Steve Vaughn, Chris and Karen Bennett, Kim Steininger, Dave Brown, Wendy Cesario, Will Krohn, Aaron Coolman, Cole Tiemann, Melissa Lafferty, Jean-Marie Gauthier, Alison Ellicott, Amy and Declan O’Neil, Kris Benarcik, Scott Northey, Sam VanHorne, Ian Stewart, Mike Moore, and Joe Swertinski. Special thanks to Joe Tricarico who distributes this list to DOS me! mbers. 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!
