Date: 2/27/26 4:54 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, February 27th, 2026
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * February 27, 2026 * DEST 26.02.27
*Birds mentioned Brant Ross’s Goose Snow Goose Cackling Goose Tundra Swan Mute Swan Wood Duck Blue-winged Teal American Wigeon EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED “COMMON” TEAL Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup HARLEQUIN DUCK Black Scoter Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter COMMON EIDER Long-tailed Duck Common Merganser Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck American Coot Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher Black-bellied Plover Ruddy Turnstone Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Long-billed Dowitcher American Woodcock Dunlin Purple Sandpiper Bonaparte’s Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Iceland Gull Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Great Cormorant American Bittern Barred Owl Short-eared Owl Eastern Pheobe YELLOW-HEADED CARACARA Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Tree Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch American Pipit Purple Finch Pine Siskin American Tree Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Rusty Blackbird Boat-tailed Grackle Orange-crowned Warbler Pine Warbler
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: February 27, 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 Friday, February 27th 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 remained at 187 species this week. A major snowstorm hit Delaware on Monday, February 23rd. Northern Delaware received about 8 inches, but Sussex County was plummeted with 20+ inches. Additionally, the wet snow caused extensive tree damage. While Cape Henlopen and Indian River Inlet are open, most areas in the county are inaccessible right now.
The previously reported YELLOW-HEADED CARACARA was last reported on Saturday, February 21st from Delaware City. It was photographed in a back yard but not seen since. In the Milford location, the CARACARA was last seen February 18th along Holly Hill Road. Keep an eye out if you’re traveling down Route 9 towards the canal!
Waterfowl is on the move! In northern Delaware, A pair of ROSS’S GOOSE was seen in the skeins of SNOW GEESE flying over at White Clay Creek State Park. Additionally, COMMON and HOODED MERGANSERS, RING NECKED, and RUDDY DUCKS are returning. WOOD DUCKS have arrived with sightings at White Clay Creek, Brandywine Park, Winterthur Museum, Bombay Hook, Burton’s Pond near Lewes, and Assawoman Wildlife Area. REDHEADS are still being seen at Burton Pond, CVS Pond in Lewes, and at Canal Pond off Cox Neck Road near Delaware City. CACKLING GOOSE was seen today on Harry’s Pond in the Brandywine Town Center.
There was a big flight of 120 PURPLE FINCH at White Clay yesterday. A single PINE SISKIN was reported off Weldin Road in Brandywine Hundred. A PINE WARBLER was seen coming to a feeder in Hockessin. COMMON RAVEN was seen at the Alapocos Run State Park, Ashland Nature Center, and White Clay Creek State Park. A BARRED OWL was reported in Auburn Valley State Park near Yorklyn. AMERICAN TREE SPARROW was seen at the University of Delaware Ag Farm. A MARSH WREN was calling at Collins Beach in Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area.
There were numerous reports of AMERICAN WOODCOCK after the snowstorm this week. One was flushed along the paths at Brandywine Creek State Park Another WOODCOCK was found in a yard off Apple Road in Newark. AMERICAN WOODCOCKS were reported doing courtship display, known as the “Timberdoodle Dance”, at Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Milford Neck Wildlife Area, Fowlers Beach and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge at the headquarters area.
A EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED “COMMON” TEAL with the horizontal wing strip was found at Bear Swamp in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge along with SANDHILL CRANES. Some early arriving shore included LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, DUNLIN, plus GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, Waterfowl reported included TUNDRA SWAN, RING-NECKED DUCK, and HOODED MERGANSER. AMERICAN TREE SPARROW continue to found along the auto tour road.
AMERICAN AVOCET, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, BONAPARTE’S GULL and AMERICAN COOT were seen at Little Creek Wildlife Area–Mahon impoundment. AMERICAN BITTERN and SHORT-EARED OWL were seen at Port Mahon. PIED-BILLED GREBE was seen at the David Small’s central tower. ROSS’S GOOSE, CAVASBACK, LONG-TAILED DUCK, SURF SCOTER and HORNED GREBE were seen at Bower’s Beach. BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS were found north of Bowers at the St. Jones River inlet plus a single BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE
TREE SWALLOWS were reported from Mispillion Inlet to Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. GREATER SCAUP and LONG-TAILED DUCK were seen at Fowlers Beach along with SHORT-EARED OWL and AMERICAN BITTERN. Landbirds at Fowlers Beach included EASTERN PHOEBE, AMERICAN PIPIT, EASTERN MEADOWLARK and PINE WARBLER.
BRANT, LONG-TAILED DUCK, SURF SCOTER and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER were seen at Cape Henlopen Point. PURPLE SANDPIPER and RUDDY TURNSTONE were seen on the breakwaters from the bayshore. RED-BREASTED and BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES were seen at the Seaside Nature Center. A RUSTY BLACKBIRD was coming to a feeder at Angola Neck in the snow. An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was at a feeder near Red Mill Pond in Lewes and a PINE WARBLER was in a yard near Redden State Forest at Georgetown.
An AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER and ICELAND GULL were seen at Indian River Inlet, along with PURPLE SANDPIPER on the jetty. The previously reported drake and hen HARLEQUIN DUCKS plus 10 COMMON EIDERS were at the inlet, plus BRANT, GREATER and LESSER SCAUP, LONG-TAILED DUCK, SURF, BLACK and WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, HORNED GREBE and GREAT CORMORANT. BLUE-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN WIGEON, MUTE SWAN, RING-NECKED DUCK, and HOODED MERGANSER were seen this week at Assawoman Wildlife Area.
Thanks to all the people that make the Birdline possible, including Doug Norton, Jeff Gordon, Evan Jarman, Carter Chambers, Kees de Mooy, Nancy Goggin, Blair Ferguson, Paul Beckman, Ashley Norton, Ed Crow, David Hunter, Bodo Stern, Barbara Jones, Brian Moyer, Will Krohn, Chris Rankin, Carolyn Holland, Mary Braun, Sue Gruver, Greg Gough, Richard Julian, Steve McInnis, Will Martens, Kelly White, Ed Wrzesniewski, Ryan von Hilst, Kim Steininger, Chris and Karen Bennett, Melissa Lafferty, Don Stockly, Jim and Amy White, Sally O’Byrne, Laureen Eick-Benson, Frank Rohrbacher, John and Andy Dunn, Karen Barker, Wendy Caserio, Sam VanHorne, 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!
