Date: 7/4/26 6:35 am From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, July 3rd, 2026
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * July 3, 2026 * DEST 26.07.03
*Birds mentioned Brant Black Scoter White-winged Scoter Common Merganser Northern Bobwhite Wild Turkey Chuck-Will’s-Widow Eastern Whip-poor-Will Common Nighthawk Virginia Rail Common Gallinule Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Spotted Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Short-billed Dowitcher Ruddy Turnstone Dunlin Least Sandpiper Bonaparte’s Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Black Tern GULL-BILLED TERN Least Tern Common Tern Sandwich Tern Caspian Tern Royal Tern Black Skimmer Wilson’s Storm-Petrel AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN Brown Pelican Least Bittern Black-crowned Night Heron Yellow-Crowned Night Heron Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Western Cattle Egret Green Heron Glossy Ibis White Ibis Northern Harrier Great Horned Owl Barred Owl Red-headed Woodpecker Peregrine Falcon Willow Flycatcher Common Raven Bank Swallow Brown-headed Nuthatch Grasshopper Sparrow Saltmarsh Sparrow Bobolink Eastern Meadowlark Louisiana Waterthrush Worm-eating Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Kentucky Warbler Summer Tanager Dickcissel
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: July 3, 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 the Independence Day weekend, on Friday, July 3rd 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 remains at 309 species this week.
The AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN that showed up at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge was last seen early Monday morning. Additionally, another AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN showed up later Monday morning at the Augustine Creek Causeway along Route 9 south of Port Penn. This might be the same bird but no further reports are available.
In northern Delaware, a male COMMON MERGANSER continues along the creek in Brandywine Park across from the Zoo parking lot. A BARRED OWL was seen along Salamander Run in the Tuliptree Woods in Brandywine Creek State Park. BOBOLINKS were seen feeding young at the Smith Mill Road field in White Clay Creek State Park. LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH was seen along the creek by the pumphouse in White Clay. COMMON RAVEN and BARRED OWL were found at Sunset Lake off Route 72 near Glasgow.
A pair of BLACK-NECKED STILTS were seen at Thousand Acre Marsh near Delaware City. Waders reported included LITTLE BLUE HERON, WESTERN CATTLE EGRET, and GLOSSY IBIS. GREEN HERON was seen at Greer’s Pond. LEAST BITTERN was reported at the Port Penn impoundments. SEASIDE SPARROW continues to be found at Stave’s Landing. NORTHERN BOBWHITES were photographed at Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area, along the dirt road opposite the intersection of Thoroughfare Neck and Collins Beach Road. DICKCISSEL, EASTERN MEADOWLARK and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW continue to be reported at Charles Price Park in Middletown.
Water levels were low and biting insect counts were high at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge this week. Shorebirds reported included AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-NECKED STILT, BLACK-BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, DUNLIN and SPOTTED and LEAST SANDPIPER. LEAST TERNS and BLACK SKIMMER were reported at Leatherbury Flats. WHITE IBIS continue at Shearness Pool, along with SANDHILL CRANE, LEAST BITTERN, VIRGINIA RAIL, LITTLE BLUE HERON, GLOSSY IBIS, and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON. WILD TURKEY and NORTHERN BOBWHITE were seen near the Visitor’s Center. Passerines reported included PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, BANK SWALLOW, and SUMMER TANAGER.
GULL-BILLED and CASPIAN TERNS continue to be reported at Little Creek Wildlife Area’s Main Tract, along with BLACK-NECKED STILT, COMMON GALLINULE and WILLOW FLYCATCHER. COMMON and ROYAL TERNS with a BONAPARTE’S GULL were reported at Port Mahon, plus NORTHERN HARRIER and SALTMARSH SPARROW.
A SANDWICH TERN was identified at the Back Beach of Mispillion Inlet from the duPont Nature Center on Wednesday. COMMON, LEAST and ROYAL TERNS plus BLACK SKIMMER were also seen. Shorebirds included AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER and DUNLIN, along with NORTHERN HARRIER and BROWN PELICAN. At Oyster Rocks Road in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, TRICOLORED HERON and GLOSSY IBIS were seen plus SALTMARSH and SEASIDE SPARROWS were photographed.
A flock of BLACK SCOTERS off Herring Point in Cape Henlopen State Park included a single WHITE-WINGED SCOTER. A BLACK TERN was seen migrating south along the coast with LEAST, COMMON and ROYAL TERNS plus BLACK SKIMMER. There were also flyby WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS at Herring Point this week. PIPING PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE and BONAPARTE’S GULL were seen at Cape Henlopen Point. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH was seen at the Seaside Nature Center. GULL-BILLED TERN, GLOSSY, and WHITE IBIS were seen at Gordon’s Pond.
BROWN PELICAN, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, plus COMMON and ROYAL TERN were seen Indian River Inlet. GLOSSY IBIS, plus BLACK-CROWNED and YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS were seen at Burton’s Island Causeway in Delaware Seashore State Park. There was a flyby over-summering BRANT at Bethany Beach along with BLACK TERN and BROWN PELICANS. RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were seen at Peninsula Golf Course on Long Neck and at Redden State Forest. KENTUCKY and WORM-EATING WARBLERS were also reported from this latter location.
A GREAT HORNED OWL was calling at Angola Neck Preserve this week. Goatsuckers reported included COMMON NIGHTHAWKS at Cape Henlopen and Bethany Beach. CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW was reported at Fresh Pond State Park and Raccoon Ditch Road in Redden State Forest. EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL was also found at Redden.
The PEREGRINE FALCONS have successfully raised three chicks at the nest box on the Brandywine Building in downtown Wilmington, but the young are still near the nest site. You can watch the nest box activity on the DOS Falcon cam found at: www.dosbirds.org/citizen-science/falcon-watch/.
Thanks to all the people that make the Birdline possible, including Steve Licata, John Carter, Kevin Bronson, Cole Tiemann, Greg Darone, Autumn Heil, George Davis, Carter Chambers, Ed Wrzesniewski, Chris Goldrick, Martin Selzer, Lynn Jackson, Jean-Marie Gauthier, Walt Blackwell, Judith Picciotto, Randy Fisher, Rod Murray, Chris Rankin, Carolyn Holland, Mary Braun, Natalie Weber, Andy Jenkins, Sue Gruver, Rob Blye, Richard Julian, Alice Mohrman, Greg Gough, Chris and Karen Bennett, Frank Rohrbacher, Jim and Amy White, Kim Stieninger, John and Andy Dunn, Wendy Cesario, Joe Francis, 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...> Have a happy and safe July 4th! Until next week, this is Andy Ednie wishing you good birding!
