Date: 5/29/26 4:50 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, May 29th, 2026
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * May 29, 2026 * DEST 26.05.29
*Birds mentioned BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLNG DUCK Brant Snow Goose Ring-necked Duck Common Merganser Hooded Merganser Ruddy Duck Wild Turkey Northern Bobwhite Eastern Whip-poor-will Chuck-Will’s-Widow Common Nighthawk Black-billed Cuckoo Virginia Rail Sora King Rail Clapper Rail Common Gallinule Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Hudsonian Whimbrel Short-billed Dowitcher Wilson’s Snipe Ruddy Turnstone Red Knot Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Purple Sandpiper RED-NECKED PHALAROPE Black Tern Least Tern Common Tern Caspian Tern Royal Tern Black Skimmer LITTLE GULL SOOTY SHEARWATER Wilson’s Storm-Petrel Brown Pelican WOOD STORK Least Bittern American Bittern Black-crowned Night Heron Yellow-Crowned Night Heron Tricolored Heron Western Cattle Egret Little Blue Heron Glossy Ibis White Ibis MISSISSIPPI KITE Red-headed Woodpecker Peregrine Falcon Olive-sided Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Blue-headed Vireo Common Raven Cliff Swallow Brown-headed Nuthatch Grasshopper Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Salt Marsh Sparrow Nelson’s Sparrow Seaside Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Northern Waterthrush Worm-eating Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Kentucky Warbler Hooded Warbler Cape May Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Wilson’s Warbler Canada Warbler Dickcissel
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: May 29, 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 29th 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 308 species this week.
The highlight of the week was a WOOD STORK found Sunday at the Augustine Creek Causeway off Route 9 south of Port Penn. This cooperative bird continued to be seen until Thursday, but may still be in the area. Parking here is a premium, please park at the fisherman’s area by the spillway to avoid road congestion. Some other species found along the causeway were KING RAIL, SANDHILL CRANE, and LEAST BITTERN
Another new species seen this week was WILSON’S STORM-PETREL off Herring Point in Cape Henlopen State Park. Also seen at Cape Henlopen this week was a MISSISSIPPI KITE yesterday from the hawkwatch. An immature LITTLE GULL was seen during the storm on Saturday, at Cape Henlopen Point along with PIPING PLOVER, AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, and WHIMBREL. BLACK SKIMMER, LEAST, COMMON, and ROYAL TERNS were seen on the bayside beach. Late landbirds included an ALDER FLYCATCHER at the Salt Marsh Spur Nature Trail and OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER on Thursday. A lingering NELSON’S SPARROW plus BLACK-NECKED STILT, WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, GLOSSY and WHITE IBIS were seen at Gordon’s Pond SOOTY SHEARWATER and WILSON’S STORM-PETREL along with BRANT and BROWN PELICAN were seen at the outer breakwater off Lewes.
There were high counts of 600 RED KNOT, 2000 RUDDY TURNSTONES, and 500 SANDERLINGS (some in bright red plumage) at Mispillion Inlet from the duPont Nature Center this week. A breeding plumage PURPLE SANDPIPER was photographed on Saturday and a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was photographed on Sunday. AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, BLACK-NECKED STILT, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, WILLET and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER were also seen. BLACK SKIMMER, LEAST, and ROYAL TERNS were seen across the creek on the Back Beach. Adult YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS were seen at the Marvel Salt Marsh along with SEASIDE and SALT MARSH SPARROWS.
There were still some late spring migrants seen with 23 species of warbler reported. Highlights included WORM-EATING, PROTHONOTARY, HOODED, KENTUCKY, CAPE MAY, CHESTNUT-SIDED, MAGNOLIA, BLACKBURNIAN. BAY-BREASTED, BLACKPOLL, BLACK-THROATED BLUE and GREEN, WILSON’S and CANADA. The only HOODED WARBLER was reported at Cape Henlopen. A male BLACK-THROATED BLUE was seen today in Milton. BLACK-THROATED GREEN was seen at both Brandywine Creek State Park and First State National Historical Park today. A BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER was seen in Greenville. NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, CHESTNUT-SIDED, MAGNOLIA, CANADA and WILSON’S WARBLERS sere seen at multiple sites.
In northern Delaware, another MISSISSIPPI KITE was seen at Wedgewood Troad in White Clay Creek State Park. COMMON RAVEN and SPOTTED SANDPIPER were at the University of Delaware Star Campus. A lingering WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was seen at Redds Park in Newark. A RUDDY DUCK was at Newark Reservoir. COMMON MERGANSER was seen at Brandywine Park in Wilmington. An ALDER FLYCATCHER was reported in Greenville. LEAST FLYCATCHER and BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO were found at Ashland Nature Center. Evening shorebirds seen flying over Ashland this weekend included HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL, RUDDY TURNSTONE and RED KNOT
RING-NECKED DUCK and HOODED MERGANSER were seen on Dragon Run from Cox Neck Road in Delaware City. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, GLOSSY IBIS, WESTERN CATTLE EGRET, and LITTLE BLUE HERON were seen from Veteran’s Park in Delaware City. An AMERICAN BITTERN was found at Pea Patch Island. A pair of RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were reported at Thousand Acre Marsh along Reddy Point Road along with BLACK-NECKED STILTS, WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, and SORA. A PEREGRINE FALCON was photographed under the Reedy Point Bridge. CLAPPER RAILS were reported in tidal areas at Thousand Acre and Port Penn. COMMON GALLINULE and LEAST BITTERN were reported at the Port Penn impoundments.
CLIFF SWALLOWS continue at the Appoquinmink Creek Bridge and Flemming Landing Bridge along Route 9. SEASIDE SPARROW and WILLOW FLYCATCHER were reported at Stave’s Landing. Multiple singing DICKCISSELS continues at Charles Price Park in Middletown this week along with EASTERN MEADOWLARK, SAVANNAH and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. NORTHERN BOBWHITE and WILD TURKEY continue to be reported at Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area.
Breeding plumage BLACK-BELLIED and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS were last seen in the field off Raymond Neck Road on Monday. A SNOW GOOSE was reported from Shearness Tower in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Shorebirds at the refuge included BLACK-NECKED STILT, AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED, and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, WHIMBREL, WILLET, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, plus SPOTTED, SOLITARY, LEAST, and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER. BLACK SKIMMER, LEAST and CASPIAN TERNS were seen on Leatherbury Flats. SANDHILL CRANE, LEAST BITTERN, TRICOLORED HERON, plus YELLOW-CROWNED and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS were found in the refuge. RED-HEADED WOODPECKER and LEAST FLYCATCHER were also reported.
BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS continue to be seen at Wheatley’s Pond in Clayton off Route 300. A BLACK TERN was found on Wednesday at the Mahon Impoundments at Little Creek Wildlife Area, along with CASPIAN TERN and 174 BLACK SKIMMERS. BLACK-NECKED STILTS, AMERICAN AVOCET and LEAST BITTERN were also found at the impoundment. NORTHERN HARRIER was seen at Port Mahon and Bower’s Beach. TRICOLORED HERON was seen at this latter location. HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL and SALTMARSH SPARROW were seen at Bennett’s Pier. PECTORAL SANDPIPER was found at the Big Stone Beach Road along with BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH.
A lingering BLUE-HEADED VIREO was reported at the Dike Trail in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, LEAST TERN, BLACK SKIMMER and WHITE IBIS were also reported. BLACK-NECKED STILT and a lingering WILSON’S SNIPE was reported at Oyster Rocks Road. TRICOLORED HERON was found at Burton’s Island in Delaware Seashore State Park. BROWN PELICAN was seen at Indian River Inlet. KING RAIL and RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was also reported at Assawoman Wildlife Area. VESPER SPARROW was photographed along Hummingbird and Holly Tree Road near Ellendale.
COMMON NIGTHHAWKS were seen at Delaware City and Prime Hook headquarters plus their usual residence at Cape Henlopen. An EASTERN WHIPPOORWILL continues to be heard at Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area. Bombay Hook, Big Stone Beach and Fowlers Beach. CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW were found at Assawoman, Georgetown, and Milford neck Wildlife Area..
The PEREGRINE FALCONS continue to raise three 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 Wil Krohn., Meredith Lewis, Walt Blackwell, Steve Contrell, David Chernack, Lynn Kohler, Quintin Durden, Chris Machulski, Frank Lenik, Sam VanHorne, Amy O’Neil, Lindsey Morris, Ed Patten, David Thomas, Phil Misseldine, Ellie McDonald, Sheri Mcconville, Virginia Carter, Austin Johnson, Nancy Goggin, Randy Fisher, Mike Rosengarten, Bert Filemyr, Martin Selzer, Lynn Jackson, Jason Horn, Matt Felperin, Davey Wright, Jean-Marie Gauthier, Judith Picciotto, Rod Murray, Chris Rankin, Kent Raymond, Carolyn Holland, Mary Braun, Sue Gruver, Rob Blye, Richard Julian, Alice Mohrman, Steve McInnis, Chris and Karen Bennett, Rachel Yurchisin, Kevin Bronson Melissa Lafferty, Kris Benarcik, Frank Rohrbacher, Jim White, John and Andy Dunn, Wendy Cesario, 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 c! all your reports into 302-463-0113 or email <ednieap...> Until next week, this is Andy Ednie wishing you good birding!
