Date: 7/17/26 5:07 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, July 17th, 2026
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * July 17, 2026 * DEST 26.07.17
*Birds mentioned Black Scoter Red-breasted Merganser Wild Turkey Northern Bobwhite Black-billed Cuckoo Chuck-Will’s-Widow Eastern Whip-poor-will Virginia Rail Clapper Rail Common Gallinule Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Hudsonian Whimbrel Spotted Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Willet Lesser Yellowlegs Short-billed Dowitcher Long-billed Dowitcher Ruddy Turnstone RUFF Red Knot Dunlin Least Sandpiper Western Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Bonaparte’s Gull GULL-BILLED TERN Least Tern Common Tern ROSEATE TERN Caspian Tern Royal Tern Black Skimmer Common Loon Brown Pelican Least Bittern Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Green Heron Glossy Ibis White Ibis Northern Harrier Barred Owl Red-headed Woodpecker Willow Flycatcher Eastern Warbling Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo Cliff Swallow White-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Grasshopper Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Saltmarsh Sparrow Bobolink Eastern Meadowlark Louisiana Waterthrush Worm-eating Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Kentucky Warbler Black and White Warbler Northern Parula Yellow-throated Warbler Summer Tanager Dickcissel
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: July 17, 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, July 17th 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 310 species this week.
The previously reported white-headed RUFF was last seen Saturday from Shearness Tower in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Some additional shorebirds reported at Bombay Hook included AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-NECKED STILT, BLACK-BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, SHORT and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, WILLET, DUNLIN, plus WESTERN, STILT and LEAST SANDPIPER. GULL-BILLED, LEAST, ROYAL, CASPIAN and COMMON TERN plus BLACK SKIMMER were reported at Leatherbury Flats. WHITE and GLOSSY IBIS were found along with SANDHILL CRANE, LEAST BITTERN, VIRGINIA RAIL, COMMON GALLINULE, LITTLE BLUE HERON, and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON. WILD TURKEY were seen near the Visitor’s Center. BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO and PROTHONOTARY WARBLER were reported at Finis Pool. NORTHERN HARRIER was seen hunting over the marsh.
In Newark, BOBOLINKS continue to be seen at the Smith Mill Road field in White Clay Creek State Park. A surprising WORM-EATING WARBLER was seen at the first pedestrian bridge in White Clay Creek State Park. GREEN HERON, AMERICAN REDSTART, NORTHERN PARULA. LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSHS and YELLOW-THROATED VIREO were seen along the creek by the pumphouse in White Clay. WILLOW FLYCATCHER was seen at Smiths Mill, Curtis Mill Park, and Middle Run Natural Area. Several GREEN HERONS were reported at Middle Run and Carousel Park. EASTERN WARBLING VIREO was reported at Ashland Nature Center. Another LOUISIANA WATERTHRUS was found at Brandywine Creek State Park near Thompson’s Bridge
LITTLE BLUE HERON were found at Lums Pond State Park. A BLACK-NECKED STILT and STILT SANDPIPER were seen at Thousand Acre Marsh. A count of 8 SANDHILL CRANES were observed, along with CLAPPER and VIRGINIA RAIL, COMMON GALLINULE, LEAST BITTERN plus WHITE and GLOSSY IBIS. CLIFF SWALLOWS were found at the Appoquinmink Bridge along Route 9 south of Port Penn. NORTHERN BOBWHITES was found at Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area. DICKCISSEL, EASTERN MEADOWLARK plus SAVANNAH and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW continues to be reported at Charles Price Park in Middletown.
CLIFF SWALLOWS were also found at the Leipsic River Bridge along Route 9. There was a remarkable high count of 105 BLACK-NECKED STILTS at the Mahon Impoundments at Little Creek Wildlife Area along with AMERICAN AVOCET, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, BLACK SKIMMER plus WHITE and GLOSSY IBIS. BONAPARTE’S GULL and ROYAL TERN were seen at Port Mahon along with WESTERN, STILT, PECTORAL and SPOTTED SANDPIPER. BARRED OWL and PROTHONOTARY WARBLER were seen at Killen’s Pond State Park. SALTMARSH SPARROWS were seen at Port Mahon, St. Jones Reserve, S. Bower’s and Broadkill Beach.
SALTMARSH and SEASIDE SPARROW were seen at the Marvel Saltmarsh Preserve in Slaughters Beach. BLACK-NECKED STILT, BLACK SKIMMER, ROYAL and LEAST TERN were seen at the Dike Tail in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. At Oyster Rocks Road in Prime Hook, HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL, AMERICAN AVOCET. BLACK-NECKED STILT, BLACK-BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, WHITE and GLOSSY IBIS plus WILLOW FLYCATCHER were reported.
Terns at Cape Henlopen State Park included ROSEATE, and GULL-BILLED TERN along with LEAST, COMMON, CASPAIN, and ROYAL TERNS. AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, PIPING PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE and RED KNOT were seen at Cape Henlopen Point. BROWN-HEADED and WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH was seen at the Seaside Nature Center. BLACK SCOTER and BROWN PELICAN were seen at Herring Point. BONAPARTE’S GULL, BLACK SKIMMER, GULL-BILLED, LEAST, and ROYAL TERN, plus LITTLE BLUE HERON, GLOSSY, and WHITE IBIS were seen at Gordon’s Pond. Shorebirds reported included AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, BLACK-NECKED STILT, WILLET and SPOTTED SANDPIPER.
A RED-BREASTED MERGANSER was found by boat in the Rehoboth Marshes south of Dewey Beach in Delaware Seashore State Park, along with AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, RUDDY TURNSTONE. WHITE IBIS and 15 TRICOLORED HERONS. Another WHIMBREL sighting was from S. Bethany Beach. COMMON LOON, was found at James Farm Eco-Preserve along with RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was also seen at Fresh Pond State Park, Peninsula Golf and Country Club on Long Neck, and Redden State Forest. SUMMER TANAGER, BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH, LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, plus KENTUCKY, BLACK AND WHITE, WORM-EATING, and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER were seen at. Redden State Forest. Holy cow, a few goatsuckers are still being reported! CHUCK WILL’ WIDOW was found at Fenwick Island. EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL was heard at Milford Neck Wildlife Area.
Thanks to all the people that make the Birdline possible, including Chris Hinkle, Ben Filries, Finn Ward, Ryleigh Sweet, David Thomas, Laura Wolf, Matt Hoffman, Christian Schiebe, Ellie McDonald, Ray McBride, Sam VanHorne, Jenna Christy, Ashley Norton, Carter Chambers, Kevin Bronson, Randy Fisher, Alex Pelllegini, Frank Rohrbacher, Jean-Marie Gauthier, Laureen Eick-Benson, Judith Picciotto, John Carter, Henry Raphael, Phil Misseldine, Carmen Honeywell, Kelly White, Liam Brewster, Richard Erilich, Rod Murray, Chris Rankin, Carolyn Holland, Mary Braun, Natalie Weber, Andy Jenkins, Walt Blackwell, Sue Gruver, Rob Blye, Richard Julian, Alice Mohrman, Greg Gough, Chris and Karen Bennett, Will Krohn, Frank Rohrbacher, Jim and Amy White, Judy Montgomery, Kim Steininger, David Brown, 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 you! r reports into 302-463-0113 or email <ednieap...> Until next week, this is Andy Ednie wishing you good birding!
