Date: 5/1/26 5:49 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, May 1st, 2026
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * May 1, 2026 * DEST 26.05.01
*Birds mentioned Brant Snow Goose Northern Pintail EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Surf Scoter Black Scoter White-winged Scoter Common Merganser Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Wild Turkey Northern Bobwhite Eastern Whip-poor-will Chuck-Will’s-Widow Yellow-billed Cuckoo Virginia Rail Sora King Rail Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Hudsonian Whimbrel Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Willet Long-billed dowitcher Short-billed Dowitcher Wilson’s Snipe Red Knot Least Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper PARASITIC JAEGER Least Tern Common Tern Royal Tern Black Skimmer LITTLE GULL Bonaparte’s Gull Iceland Gull GLAUCOUS GULL MANX SHEARWATER Common Loon Red-throated Loon PACIFIC LOON Northern Gannet Brown Pelican American Bittern Least Bittern Black-crowned Night Heron YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON Tricolored Heron Western Cattle Egret Red-headed Woodpecker American Kestrel Peregrine Falcon Acadian Flycatcher Warbling Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Cliff Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch House Wren Wood Thrush Veery Swainson’s Thrush Hermit Thrush Grasshopper Sparrow Salt Marsh Sparrow LARK SPARROW White-crowned Sparrow Bobolink Eastern Meadowlark Louisiana Waterthrush Northern Waterthrush Worm-eating Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Kentucky Warbler Hooded Warbler Blue-winged Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Palm Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Summer Tanager Scarlet Tanager Indigo Bunting Rose-breasted Grosbeak Blue Grosbeak
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: May 1, 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, May 1st 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 by 10 birds to 274 species this week. New additions included, RED KNOT, ACADIAN FLYCATCHER, VEERY, SWAINSON’S THRUSH, BOBOLINK plus KENTUCKY, MAGNOLIA, and BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER.
One of the best hotspots in Delaware remains Cape Henlopen State Park. A LARK SPARROW was seen this week at the Herring Point Parking Lot near the Port-a-Poty’s. A breeding plumage PACIFIC LOON was seen off Herring Point on Wednesday, along with NORTHERN GANNET, COMMON and RED-THROATED LOONS, plus SURF and BLACK SCOTERS. A WHITE-WINGED SCOTER was seen at the Fishing Pier. A MANX SHEARWATER was seen Saturday at the hawkwatch, along with intermittent PARASITIC JAEGERS. BRANT, AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER and PIPING PLOVER were seen at Cape Henlopen Point. MAGNOLIA WARBLER, RED-BREASTED and BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH were seen at the Seaside Nature Center. CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW was heard by Ft Miles. Birders traveling downstate should be aware that the boardwalk around Gordon’s Pond is closed on weekdays for repairs. It will be open on weekends.
Some common spring migrants seen this week included SPOTTED and SOLITARY SANDPIPER, BLUE-HEADED VIREO, WOOD THRUSH, SCARLET TANAGER, INDIGO BUNTING plus BLUE and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS. Spring migration produced 21 species of warbler including BLUE-WINGED, NASHVILLE, YELLOW, MAGNOLIA, YELLOW-THROATED, PRAIRIE, PALM, PROTHONOTARY, WORM-EATING, KENTUCKY, HOODED, plus BLACK-THROATED BLUE and BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLERS. HOODED WARBLERS were seen several locations this week including Abbott’s Mill Nature Center, McCabe Nature Preserve, Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge entrance road, Norman Wilder Wildlife Area, Blackiston Wildlife Area, Finis Pool in Bombay Hook and a yard in Westover Hills. KENTUCKY WARBLER was seen today at Brandywine Creek State Park on the west bank south of Thompson’s Bridge (this is the same spot as last year). KENTUCKY’S were also reported at Blackiston and Redden. A BLUE-WINGED WARBLER was photographed at Auburn Valley State Park in Yorklyn.
In northern Delaware, RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS continue to be seen at First State National Historical Park south of Ramsey Road and at Brandywine Creek State Park, COMMON MERGANSER was seen on the Brandywine Creek. An EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL was calling in the evening at Coverdale Farms this week. The first BOBOLINKS were seen at Auburn Valley State Park. NASHVILLE WARBLER was reported at Mt. Cuba Wildflower Preserve. HERMIT THRUSH and VEERY were seen at White Clay Creek State Park along with NORTHERN and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, plus YELLOW-THROATED and WARBLING VIREO.
WESTERN CATTLE EGRETS were seen at Gray Fox Farm off Dutch Neck Road near Port Penn. SORA was found at Thousand Acre Marsh along with LEAST and PECTORAL SANDPIPER. PEREGRINE FALCON was seen under the Reedy Point Bridge. A pair of AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS were seen flying up river at Collin’s Beach in Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area along with BONAPARTE’S GULL. AMERICAN WOODCOCK, WILSON’S SNIPE, WILD TURKEY, NORTHERN BOBWHITE, and a late lingering WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW were also reported
Shorebirds at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge included BLACK-NECKED STILT, AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED, and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, WILLET, LONG-BILLED and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, WILSON’S SNIPE, plus SPOTTED, STILT, PECTORAL, LEAST, and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER. A lone SNOW GOOSE continues to be seen at Finis Pool off Raymond Neck Road. The previously reported EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED “COMMON” TEAL was seen at Shearness Pool. Also reported was VIRGINIA RAIL, YELLOW-CROWNED and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, plus AMERICAN and LEAST BITTERN. HOODED WARBLER was seen at the west side of Finis Pool and PROTHONOTARY WARBLER was seen were Finis Pool crosses Route 9.
A LITTLE GULL with BONAPARTE’S GULLS was seen sitting on the Delaware River at Woodland Beach. CLIFF SWALLOWS were seen at the Fleming Landing Bridge along Route 9. Late ducks at Port Mahon included BLACK SCOTER, plus GREATER and LESSER SCAUP. GRASSHOPPER SPARROW and EASTERN MEADOWLARK were found at Bergold Road behind Dover Air Force Base. YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and SUMMER TANAGER were reported at the Norman G. Wilder Wildlife Area off Berrytown Road near Felton. A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was reported near Stratham Lane in Milford Neck Wildlife Area. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH and TRICOLORED HERON was seen along the Big Stone Beach Road; A KING RAIL was photographed along the marsh at the little wooden bridge. BROWN PELICAN, HOODED and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER plus all three species of SCOTER, SURF, BLACK and WHITE-WINGED were seen from Big Stone Beach.
The first RED KNOTS of the season arrived at Mispillion Inlet this week, seen from the duPont Nature Center, along with BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, and SANDERLING. LEAST, COMMON and ROYAL TERN was seen at the Back Beach area. An adult YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON was seen at the Marvel Salt Marsh Preserve Pond. GLAUCOUS and ICELAND GULL were seen on the Delaware Bay at Mispillion Inlet from Marvel Ave in Slaughters Beach.
NORTHERN PINTAIL was seen at Oyster Rocks Road in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge Shorebirds at Oyster Rocks included BLACK-NECKED STILT, AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL, SHORT and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, plus STILT and PECTORAL SANDPIPERS along with AMERICAN KESTREL and SALTMARSH SPARROW. VIRGINIA and KING RAIL were seen from Prime Hook Beach Road along with SOLITARY SANDPIPER. An immature ICELAND GULL was found in a farm field along E. Redden Road, near the state forest. WORM-EATING WARBLER, SUMMER TANAGER, plus NORTHERN and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH were seen in the Headquarters Tract of Redden State Forest.
The PEREGRINE FALCONS have hatched their first two chicks at the nest box on the Brandywine Building in downtown Wilmington. You can watch the nest box activity on the DOS Falcon cam found at: www.dosbirds.org/citizen-science/falcon-watch/, Fledgling Watch should begin from mid-June into July. Sign up now to help the babies!
Thanks to all the people that make the Birdline possible, including Scott Barnes, Hannah Aukland, Chris Hinkle, Armas Hill,, Chase Wilkinson, Andy Jenkins, Jean-Marie Gauthier, Lana Glass, Judith Picciotto, Bert Filymer, Mike Rosengarten, Win Shafer, Jason Horn, Martin Selzer, Lynn Jackson, Bodo Stern, Rod Murray, Chris Rankin, Kent Raymond, Ed Wrzniewski, Carolyn Holland, Sue Gruver, Debbie Blair, Rob Blye, Greg Gough, Richard Clifton, Richard Julian, Alice Mohrman, Steve McInnis, Nancy Cunningham, Chris and Karen Bennett, Anthony Gonzon, Melissa Lafferty, Kris Benarcik, Frank Rohrbacher, Jim White, Sergio Savino, Rhyleigh Sweet, John and Andy Dunn, Wendy Caserio, Joe Francis, Mike Moore, Kim Steininger, 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!
