RBA * Delaware * Statewide * November 21, 2025 * DEST 25.11.21
*Birds mentioned BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK Brant Ross’s Goose BARNACLE GOOSE Cackling Goose Tundra Swan American Wigeon EURASIAN WIGEON Canvasback Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Black Scoter Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter COMMON EIDER Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Sora American Coot Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher American Avocet Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Marbled Godwit Ruddy Turnstone Willet American Woodcock Wilson’s Snipe American Woodcock Short-billed Dowitcher Long-billed Dowitcher Wilson’s Phalarope Western Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Purple Sandpiper SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER Stilt Sandpiper Parasitic Jaeger Bonaparte’s Gull Royal Tern Black Skimmer Red-throated Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Northern Gannet Brown Pelican AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN American Bittern Tricolored Heron Black-crowned Night Heron Yellow-crowned Night Heron White Ibis Bald Eagle Osprey Red-shouldered Hawk GOLDEN EAGLE Short-eared Owl Red-headed Woodpecker Merlin Peregrin Falcon YELLOW-HEADED CARACARA White-eyed Vireo Common Raven Northern Rough-winged Swallow Tree Swallow CAVE SWALLOW Barn Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Marsh Wren Sedge Wren EVENING GROSBEAK Pine Siskin Purple Finch RED CROSSBILL Snow Bunting Chipping Sparrow Seaside Sparrow NELSON’S SPARROW Fox Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Rusty Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orange-crowned Warbler Common Yellowthroat Palm Warbler Dickcissel
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: November 21, 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 21st 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. With one new addition, the unofficial Delaware Annual List increased to 338 species this week.
And what an addition! a YELLOW-HEADED CARACARA was found at the Kalmar Nyckel shipyard on Wednesday and continued to be seen today. Not only is this the first state record and first mid-Atlantic record but the northernmost confirmed sighting. In North America, YELLOW-HEADED CARACARA has only officially been seen in Texas, southern California and southern tip of Florida. The bird was first seen as it flew across the shipyard and landed on the light pole, identified by the white patches in the wings. The Kalmar Nyckel shipyard is located on E. 7th Street in downtown Wilmington. People looking for this site should drive past Trinity Presbyterian Church and Christiana Park, looking for the tall ship on the right. The shipyard has given permission to access the area for parking and restrooms, please be mindful of the equipment and restricted areas. The YELLOW-HEADED CARACARA was also seen directly across the Christiana River at Commerce Street at B&M Meats. It was discovered that! the bird was photographed one day earlier by a truck driver from Ohio picking up Chiquita bananas that posted pictures on the Birds of Prey FaceBook page.
Birding was hopping at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge! The highlight was an immature SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER seen at the north end of Shearness Pool still being seen yesterday. Other shorebirds included AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, WILSON’S PHALAROPE, WILSON’S SNIPE, GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, SHORT-BILLED and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, plus stilt, WESTERN, PECTORAL, WHITE-RUMPED, and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER. The previously reported BARNACLE GOOSE was seen at Raymond Pool and then out on Route 9 north of Leipsic on Sunday. Other waterfowl included CACKLING GOOSE, TUNDRA SWAN, and HOODED MERGANSER. SORA and SANDHILL CRANES were also found at the Shearness Pool. Land bird highlights were SEDGE and MARSH WREN, WHITE-CROWNED, FOX, and CHIPPING SPARROW, plus a WHITE-EYED VIREO at the Bear Swamp trailhead.
Birders looking for the CARACARA also found a BALTIMORE ORIOLE along the Christiana River. A trove of swallows at the Wilmington Wastewater treatment plant included BARN, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED and a CAVE SWALLOW seen from Hay Road. At Ashland Nature Center, a female EVENING GROSBEAK continues to be seen intermittently along with FOX and WHITE-CROWNED 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. RING-NECKED DUCK, HOODED MERGANSER and PIED-BILLED GREBE were seen at Harry’s Pond in the Brandywine Town Center.
A flock of 40 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS were seen on Wheatley’s Pond, mostly immatures with brown bills. Best viewing is from the shoulder of Route 300 on the outskirts of Clayton. A drake EURASIAN WIGEON was with AMERICAN WIGEON, LESSER SCAUP and about 400 AMERICAN COOTS at the east side of the Port Mahon impoundments of Little Creek Wildlife Area. There was also a flock of 14 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS continuing at the Port Mahon impoundments, along with COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and another CAVE SWALLOW. AMERICAN BITTERN, SHORT-EARED OWL, and SNOW BUNTING were found at Port Mahon. The previously reported drake COMMON EIDER was last seen at the mouth of the St Jones River at Bower’s Beach on Saturday. HORNED GREBE, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER and RED-THROATED LOON were seen this week. BROWN PELICAN, NORTHERN GANNET, and ROYAL TERN were seen at Big Stone Beach. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH was found at Milford Neck Wildlife Area. RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH was seen at Killen’s Pond State! Park.
A RED CROSSBILL was reported coming to a feeder in Milford. PINE SISKIN was reported at Abbott’s Mill Nature Ce3nter. NELSON’S SPARROW continue to be seen along Lighthouse Road at Mispillion Inlet. An immature YELLOW-CROWNED continues with BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS at the pond across from the Marvel Salt Marsh Preserve. SNOW BUNTING, AMERICAN BITTERN and SHORT-EARED OWL was also seen at Fowlers Beach in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, along with WHITE IBIS and TREE SWALLOW. A WILLET was among the shorebirds off the Dike Trail at Prime Hook headquarters. WHITE IBIS and AMERICAN PIPIT was found at Oyster Rocks Road.
DICKCISSEL, ORANGE-CROWNED and PALM WARBLERS were seen at The Point parking lot in Cape Henlopen State Park. There was a flyby AMERICAN WOODCOCK at Cape Henlopen Point, plus AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, BLACK-BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, PARASITIC JAEGER, and SNOW BUNTING. BRANT, COMMON GOLDENEYE, plus BLACK, SURF and WHITE-WINGED SCOTER were seen offshore. PURPLE FINCH, BROWN-HEADED and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH were seen at the Seaside Nature Center. GREAT CORMORANT and BROWN PELICAN were seen from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry.
The first of the season ROSS’S GOOSE and CANVASBACK were seen on Silver Lake in Rehoboth Beach today. COMMON EIDER continues to be seen at Indian River Inlet and BLACK SKIMMER was seen today. There was a big flock of BONAPARTE’S GULLS feeding in the inlet along with ROYAL TERN and BROWN PELICAN. PURPLE SANDPIPER and RUDDY TURNSTONE were seen on the jetty. TRICOLORED HERON and SEASIDE SPARROWS were seen at the marsh by the south campground in Delaware Seashore State Park. A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER continues to be seen at the Peninsula Nature Center and Golf Course near Millsboro.
The was a record high count of 275 RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS at the Ashland Nature Center Hawk Watch yesterday. Three single GOLDEN EAGLES were seen this week, for a total of 7 GOLDEN EAGLES this season. COMMON RAVENS continue to be seen daily. Single BALD EAGLES and OSPREYs continue to be seen at the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch, plus MERLIN and PEREGRINE FALCON seen today. Lots of waterfowl is moving down the coast, and WHITE IBIS were seen flying along the coast. Thanks to our hawk counters Jen Ottinger and David Brown.
And thanks to all the people that make the Birdline possible, including Jeanette Slopr, Lauren Morgans, Gina Sheridan, Eric Braun, Mimi Mango, Jason Liu, Mike Bowen, Chris Hinkle, Al Guarente, Steve Minner, Armas Hill, Christian Schiebe, Kevin Bronson, Hank Davis, Lynn Jackson, Martin Selzer, Bert Filymer, Mike Rosengarten, Wil Schafer, Matthew Hixson, Kitt Heckscher, Ethan Kang, Lloyd Maier, Sean McCandless, Greg Butcher, Menachem Goldstein, Jim Austin-Cole, Jay Mangel, Ron Furnish, Andrea Martin, Andy Markel, Jason Horn, Kent Raymond, Ed Wrzesnieski, Rod Murray, Carolyn Holland, Mary Braun, Rob Blye, Sue Gruver, Greg Gough, Richard Jullian, Phil Misseldine, Randy Fisher, Ashley Norton, Sussan Russo, Chris and Karen Bennett, Kyla Snowden 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 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!
