Date: 2/13/26 5:16 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, February 13th, 2026
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * February 13, 2026 * DEST 26.02.13
*Birds mentioned GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE x CANADA GOOSE Brant Ross’s Goose Blue-winged Teal American Wigeon Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup HARLEQUIN DUCK Black Scoter Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter COMMON EIDER Long-tailed Duck Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Wild Turkey Northern Bobwhite American Coot Sandhill Crane American Avocet Ruddy Turnstone Wilson’s Snipe Purple Sandpiper Bonaparte’s Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Iceland Gull Common Loon Red-throated Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe RED-NECKED GREBE Great Cormorant American Bittern Black-crowned Night Heron Great Egret ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK Barred Owl Short-eared Owl Yellow-bellied Sapsucker YELLOW-HEADED CARACARA Common Raven Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Hermit Thrush Purple Finch Pine Siskin Lapland Longspur Snow Bunting American Tree Sparrow Fox Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Orange-crowned Warbler Pine Warbler
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: February 13, 2026 To Report: Andy Ednie 302-792-9591 (VOICE) Compiler: Andy Ednie (<ednieap...>) Coverage: Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, nearby Delaware Valley, Southern New Jersey, Maryland
For February Friday the 13th this is Birdline Delaware from the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science 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 List increased to 182 species this week. YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, HERMIT THRUSH, PURPLE FINCH and FOX SPARROW continue to be regularly reported.
New this week was the re-finding of YELLOW-HEADED CARACARA in Milford! This rarity was re-found on the north side of town along the Milford-Harrington Hwy (DE Route 14) between Sandbox and Church Hill Roads. The bird is being seen on private property but birders can watch from the public road, but be careful of the traffic. This is probably the same CARACARA that was seen in December at the Kalmar Nyckel shipyard in downtown Wilmington and 2 weeks ago near Frederica. WILD TURKEYS and an ICELAND GULL were also seen out in the fields by birders looking for the CARACARA. A hybrid GREATER WHITE-FRONTED X CANADA GOOSE was found along Canterbury Road near Felton.
Also new were sightings of RED-NECKED GREBES at Fowlers Beach in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge and at Indian River Inlet. The sighting at Fowlers Beach was along the canal by the parking area. There was an influx of RED-NECKED GREBE sighting along the East Coast as Lake Onterio froze over with the records setting cold. RED-NECKED GREBES were seen from Long Island to the North Jersey shore and as far south as Virginia Beach. AMERICAN AVOCET, WILSON’S SNIPE, CANVASBACK, LESSER SCAUP, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW and SHORT-EARED OWL were also seen at Fowlers Beach. ROSS’S GOOSE was seen at the intersection of Cods and Prime Hook Beach Road.
The previously reported ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS continue to be seen at Fox Point State Park near Edgemoor. Those birds were seen across the river, along with WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, COMMON MERGANSER, and GREAT CORMORANT on the river. REDHEAD, COMMON GOLDENEYE, and RUDDY DUCK was seen at Battery Park in the Town of New Castle. A winter plumaged adult BLACK-HEADED GULL was seen flying down the river on Wednesday. Another ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was seen across the river at Killcohook Island dredge area, at the New Jersey/Delaware state line.
At least 3 different ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS were seen coming to feeders in the northern Delaware area, 2 at the previous locations in Newport and Newark, and now in Hockessin where an ORANGE-CROWN was seen last year. A PINE WARBLER was also seen in Hockessin. A WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW was seen coming to a feeder in Newark off Apple Road near Phillips Park. COMMON RAVEN was seen at the Universite of Delaware Ag Farm. A BARRED OWL was reported at Arbor Park off W. Pleasant Hill Road. A single PINE SISKIN was found on a feeder in Bear. Another COMMON RAVEN was seen at Lums Pond State Park feeding on a deer carcass alongside the road.
COMMON LOON and GOLDENEYE were seen at Augustine Beach near Port Penn. A RED-THROATED LOON was seen at the Augustine Creek causeway om the Delaware River. A SANDHILL CRANE was seen flying over Delaware Route 1 at Drawyer’s Creek north of Odessa. A BRANT was seen flyover over Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area; REDHEAD was found at Collins Beach and NORTHERN BOBWHITE was at the maintenance yards.
The auto tour at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge re-opened last week. AMERICAN TREE SPARROW was found at Bear Swamp. Waterfowl reported included TUNDRA SWAN and HOODED MERGANSER. ROSS’S GOOSE was seen among the SNOW GEESE along Whitehall Neck Road, plus a pair of LAPLAND LONGSPURS. Another PINE SISKIN were seen in Cheswold. COMMON RAVEN was reported along the N. Little Creek Road. REDHEAD and CANVASBACK were seen at Little Creek Wildlife Area–Mahon impoundment. LONG-TAILED DUCK and SHORT-EARED OWL were seen at Port Mahon. REDHEAD, RING-NECKED DUCK, and GOLDENEYE were found at Bower’s Beach.
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW continues at Herring Point in Cape Henlopen State Park, along with LONG-TAILED DUCK, GREATER and LESSER SCAUP, plus SURF, BLACK and WHITE-WINGED SCOTER. RUDDY TURNSTONE, BRANT and SNOW BUNTING was seen at Cape Henlopen Point. RED-BREASTED and BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES were seen at the Seaside Nature Center. Another ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was visiting a feeder at Red Mill Pond. PIED-BILLED GREBE, RING-NECKED DUCK, and COMMON MERGANSER were at Burton’s Pond off Route 24.
A BLACK-HEADED GULL was photographed over the water at Rehoboth Beach. At Indian River Inlet, there was a drake and female HARLEQUIN DUCKS plus 18 COMMON EIDERS. Other waterfowl included BRANT, GREATER and LESSER SCAUP, LONG-TAILED DUCK, SURF, BLACK and WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, HORNED GREBE and GREAT CORMORANT. PURPLE SANDPIPER and RUDDY TURNSTONE, plus BONAPARTE’S and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL were seen on the jetty. BLUE-WINGED TEAL, 250 AMERICAN WIGEON, MUTE and TUNDRA SWAN, RING-NECKED DUCK, GOLDENEYE, HOODED MERGANSER, GREAT EGRET, and AMERICAN BITTERN were seen this week at Assawoman Wildlife Area. An immature BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON was photographed at Massey’s Landing
Thanks to all the people that make the Birdline possible, including Meredith Hall, Shannon and Dan Skalos, Brody Ritter, David Carr, Gary Griffith, Bethany Twardowski, Frank Henshaw, Eli Havalow, Cole Tiemann, Will Krohn, Sergio Savino, Martin Selzer, Debbie Blair, Chris Rankin, Rod Murray, Chris Hinkle, Jason Horn, Bert Filemyr, Carolyn Holland, Sue Gruver, Greg Gough, Richard Julian, Nancy Cunningham, Sally Fintel, Chuck Mitchell, Wil Martens, Kim Steininger, David Brown, Chris and Karen Bennett, Melissa Lafferty, Don Stockly, Jenna Christy, Laureen Eick-Benson, Karen Barker, Ryleigh Sweet, Frank Rohrbacher, John and Andy Dunn, Joe Francis, Mike Moore, Bruce Peterjohn, and Joe Swertinski. Special thanks to Joe Tricarico for list distribution to DOS members. Birdline needs your sightings. Please call your reports into 302-463-0113 or email <ednieap...> Until next week, this is Andy Ednie wishing you good birding!
