Date: 5/8/26 5:04 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, May 8th, 2026
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * May 8, 2026 * DEST 26.05.08
*Birds mentioned BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS Brant Snow Goose Northern Pintail Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Surf Scoter Black Scoter Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Wild Turkey Eastern Whip-poor-will Chuck-Will’s-Widow Common Nighthawk Black-billed Cuckoo Virginia Rail Sora King Rail BLACK RAIL Common Gallinule American Coot Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Hudsonian Whimbrel Long-billed dowitcher Short-billed Dowitcher Wilson’s Snipe Red Knot Sanderling Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper PARASITIC JAEGER Least Tern Common Tern Caspian Tern Royal Tern Black Skimmer BLACK TERN Bonaparte’s Gull GLAUCOUS GULL Common Loon Brown Pelican Least Bittern Black-crowned Night Heron YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON Tricolored Heron Little Blue Heron Western Cattle Egret Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Peregrine Falcon Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Eastern Wood-Pewee Common Raven Cliff Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Veery Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson’s Thrush Hermit Thrush Purple Finch Grasshopper Sparrow Salt Marsh Sparrow Seaside Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Vesper Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Bobolink Eastern Meadowlark Yellow-breasted Chat Northern Waterthrush Worm-eating Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Kentucky Warbler Hooded Warbler Blue-winged Warbler BREWSTER’S WARBLER Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Northern Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Cape May Warbler Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Palm Warbler Prairie Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Wilson’s Warbler Summer Tanager
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: May 8, 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 8th 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 16 birds to 290 species this week. New additions included, BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, COMMON NIGHTHAWK, EASTERN WOOD PEWEE, WILLOW and LEAST FLYCATCHER, GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, plus TENNESSEE, CHESTNUT-SIDED, CAPE MAY, BLACKBURNIAN, BLACKPOLL, BAY-BREASTED, WILSON’S and CANADA WARBLER
Spring migration is in full throttle. Big flights on Saturday, Tuesday, and Thursday producing 29 species of warbler including NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, WORM-EATING, BLUE-WINGED, NASHVILLE, KENTUCKY, YELLOW, MAGNOLIA, BLACKBURNIAN, YELLOW-THROATED, PRAIRIE, PALM, PROTHONOTARY, plus BLACK-THROATED BLUE and BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLERS. A BREWSTER’S WARBLER, the hybrid of BLUE-WINGED x GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER was photographed at Auburn Valley State Park in Yorklyn. WILSON’S WARBLERS were seen at the Raymond Pool Overlook Trail in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, White-Clay Creek State Park, and at Holt’s Landing State Park near Ocean View. HOODED WARBLER was seen today at Brandywine Creek State Park, plus at Hopkin’s Nature Center in White Clay Creek State Park, Tybout’s Tract in Blackbird State Forest, Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area, Finis Pool in Bombay Hook, Little Creek Wildlife Area, and Assawoman. TENNESSEE WARBLER was reported from First State National Historical P! ark and White Clay Creek. The first CANADA WARBLER was also seen at First State. The first CAPE MAY WARBLER was seen in Arden in Brandywine Hundred. The first BAY-BREASTED WARBLER was seen at White Clay Creek.
In northern Delaware, RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS continue to be seen at First State National Historical Park south of Ramsey Road. Also reported was BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO along Beaver Run. A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was calling at Coverdale Farms this week. BOBOLINKS were seen at Auburn Valley State Park, Smith’s Mill Road in White Clay Creek, Price Park in Middletown, and Bombay Hook. LEAST FLYCATCHER, BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO and a female SUMMER TANAGER were seen at White Clay Creek State Park along with a lingering BROWN CREEPER. WILD TURKEY was seen at White Clay Creek and at Federal Lane in New Castle.
WHITE and GLOSSY IBIS, WESTERN CATTLE EGRET, and LITTLE BLUE HERON were seen at Veteran’s Park in Delaware City. PEREGRINE FALCON continues under the Reedy Point Bridge. A HUDSONIAN WHIBRBEL was spotted at Thousand Acre Marsh along with NORTHERN PINTAIL, WILSON’S SNIPE and PECTORAL SANDPIPER. COMMON GALLINULE was found at Greer’s Pond off Dutch Neck Road near Port Penn. SANDHILL CRANE and TRICOLORED HERON were reported at Ashton Tract in Augustine Wildlife Area. LEAST BITTERN was found at the Port Penn Impoundments. CLIFF SWALLOWS continue to be seen at the Appoquinmink Creek Bridge along Route 9. COMMON RAVEN was reported from Joy Run along the C&D Canal. EASTERN MEADOWLARK, GRASSHOPPER and SAVANNAH SPARROW continue to be found at Charles Price Park in Middletown. Another SUMMER TANAGER was seen at the Oak Hill Tract in Blackbird State Forest.
A gang of 15 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS were seen today on Wheatley’s Pond in Clayton off Route 300. CLIFF SWALLOWS were also seen at the Fleming’s Land Bridge near Smyrna. A BLACK TERN was seen at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday. Shorebirds at Bombay Hook 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, SOLITARY, STILT, and PECTORAL SANDPIPER. Also reported was BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, LITTLE BLUE HERON, plus WHITE and GLOSSY IBIS. HOODED MERGANSER was seen at Finis Pool. Other waterfowl seen included SNOW GOOSE and RUDDY DUCK. A fallout of THRUSHES at the Parson Point Trail included VEERY, SWAINSON’S and GRAY-CHEEKED.
Late ducks at Port Mahon included SURF SCOTER, BUFFLEHEAD plus GREATER and LESSER SCAUP. BONAPARTE’S GULL, RED KNOT and RUDDY TURNSTONE were also seen at Port Mahon. BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER were found along the entrance road at Little Creek Wildlife Area. RUDDY DUCK, AMERICAN COOT, AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-NECKED STILT, BLACK SKIMMER and a group of 76 roosting CASPIAN TERNS were seen from the Small’s Central Tower. BLACK SCOTER was seen at Kitts Hummock. BROWN PELICAN and LITTLE BLUE HERON were seen at Big Stone Beach. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW were found in Milford Neck Wildlife Area. The first GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH of the year was reported at the DNREC building in Dover.
The previously reported GLAUCOUS GULL along with RED KNOTS, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, and SANDERLING was seen at Mispillion Inlet. LEAST, COMMON and ROYAL TERN was seen at the Back Beach area seen from the duPont Nature Center. An adult YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON was seen at the Marvel Salt Marsh Preserve Pond. SALT MARSH and SEASIDE SPARROW were seen from the boardwalk across from Marvel Ave. NORTHERN PINTAIL and BLACK SKIMMER WERE seen at Broadkill Beach 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. VEERY and a lingering HERMIT THRUSH were seen at Turkle Pond.
A PARASITIC JAEGER flew past the Point at Cape Henlopen State Park on Saturday. Both LOONS, BROWN PELICAN, SURF and BLACK SCOTER but no GANNETS were seen flying past Herring Point. BRANT, PIPING PLOVER, AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER and WHIMBREL, plus ROYAL and LEAST TERN were reported. A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was seen at the hawkwatch. A late DARK-EYED JUNCO was seen at the Seaside Nature Center along with RED-BREASTED and BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH. WHITE and GLOSSY IBIS were seen at Gordon’s Pond but the bike path remains closed during the week for repairs.
A WHITE-FACED IBIS, with GLOSSY IBIS was seen flying past Burton’s Island in Delaware Seashore State Park on Saturday along with WHITE IBIS and TRICOLORED HERON. WHIMBREL, AMERICAN AVOCET, BROWN PELICAN and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER were seen flying past Indian River Inlet. A BROAD-WINGED HAWK and RED-HEADED WOODPER were reported at the Ponder’s Tract near Georgetown. RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was also reported at the Headquarters Tract in Redden State Forest, along with BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH, SUMMER TANAGER and a late PURPLE FINCH. SWAINSON’S THRUSH was found at the Jester Tract in Redden. VESPER SPARROW was reported at Holly Tree Road near Ellendale and a lingering Yellow-bellied sapsucker was seen at the Chapel Branch Nature Center in Seaford.
The first COMMON NIGHTHAWKS of the year were found at Oyster Rocks Road and at Ft. Miles in Cape Henlopen this week. CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW were reported downstate at Assawoman Wildlife Area, Ocean View, Dewey Beach, Cape Henlopen, Prime Hook, and Big Stone Beach Road. EASTERN WHIPPOORWILLS were found at Big Stone, Fowlers Beach and the Cape. Night birders also heard a calling BLACK RAIL in southern Delaware, but further details are unavailable. Several KING RAILS were reported from Prime Hook Beach Road, Bombay Hook, and Dragon Run near Delaware City. SORA and VIRGINIA RAILS were found at Thousand Acre Marsh, Big Stone Beach and the Dike Trail in Prime Hook. BARN OWLS were only reported at Broadkill Beach Road but BARRED OWLS were found throughout the state.
The PEREGRINE FALCONS are now feeding 3 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 Chris Hinkle, Ben Filries, Zach Baer, Ross Gallardy, Doug Batt, Steve Graff, Gerhard Wittreich, Diane Kane, Jason Horn, Chase Wilkinson, Jean-Marie Gauthier, Laureen Eick-Benson, Lana Glass, Judith Picciotto, Martin Selzer, Lynn Jackson, Bodo Stern, Rod Murray, Chris Rankin, Kent Raymond, Ed Wrzniewski, Carolyn Holland, Sue Gruver, Debbie Blair, Rob Blye, Richard Clifton, Richard Julian, Alice Mohrman, Steve McInnis, Nancy Cunningham, Chris and Karen Bennett, Anthony Gonzon, Melissa Lafferty, Kris Benarcik, Frank Rohrbacher, Jim White, Rhyleigh Sweet, John and Andy Dunn, Wendy Caserio, Will Krohn, Meredith Lewis, Jeff Buler, Cole Tiemann, Joe Francis, Mike Moore, Mike Smith, Alissa Kegelman, Sheila Smith, Carolyn D’Amico, Judy Montgomery, Larry Drexler, Kim Steininger, Ed Patten, David Thomas, Allison Kellen, Jennifer Llewelyn, 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!
