Date: 9/4/26 6:31 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, September 4th, 2026
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * September 4, 2026 * DEST 26.09.04
*Birds mentioned Black Scoter Ruby-throated Hummingbird SELASPHORUS-TYPE HUMMINGBIRD Common Nighthawk Sora Common Gallinule Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Hudsonian Whimbrel Hudsonian Godwit Willet Short-billed Dowitcher Long-billed Dowitcher American Woodcock Ruddy Turnstone Red Knot Dunlin Western Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper BAIRD’S SANDPIPER Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER Wilson’s Phalarope Red-necked Phalarope Black Tern Least Tern ROSEATE TERN Common Tern SANDWICH TERN Caspian Tern Royal Tern Black Skimmer Parasitic Jaeger LONG-TAILED JAEGER Wilson’s Storm-Petrel Brown Pelican Northern Gannet Least Bittern Black-crowned Night Heron Yellow-crowned Night heron Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron White Ibis Northern Harrier Broad-winged Hawk Barred Owl Red-headed Woodpecker OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER Least Flycatcher YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER Philadelphia Vireo Common Raven Cliff Swallow Sedge Wren Veery Swainson’s Thrush Grasshopper Sparrow Saltmarsh Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Ovenbird Louisiana Waterthrush Northern Waterthrush Worm-eating Warbler American Redstart Black and White Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Blue-winged Warbler GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER Blue-Winged X Golden-Winged Warbler Nashville Warbler Tennessee Warbler Hooded Warbler Northern Parula Northern Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler CERULEAN WARBLER Blackburnian Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Wilson’s Warbler Canada Warbler Summer Tanager PAINTED BUNTING
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: September 4, 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 beginning of the Labor Day weekend, on Friday, September 4th 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 319 species this week. Delaware received 2 extra inches of rain last month to fill the impoundments for shorebirds. Things are very wet in the state right now.
Hummingbird season is upon us. Watch for migrant hummers moving through the state right now. A high count of 40 hummers was reported from Edelen’s Bird Habitat in Harbison. A Selasphorus-type hummingbird, either RUFOUS or ALLEN’S HUMMINGBIRD made a brief visit to a feeder in Sussex County this week. Unfortunately, the bird did not stay long enough to be banded for a positive identification.
The first PHILADELPHIA VIREO of the year was seen at Ashland Nature Center. Additionally, a LAWRENCES’S WARBLER, the hybrid of BLUE-WINGED x GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER was also found in the same area along with CAPE MAY, WILSON’S, and TENNESSEE WARBLER plus a late lingering LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH. Both CERULEAN and GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER were found along the Hidden Pond Trail at Brandywine Creek State Park, along with a HOODED and BAY-BREASTED WARBLER. NASHVILLE WARBLER was reported at Middle Run Natural Area and downstate at the McCabe Nature Preserve. An early YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER was reported off Stage Road near Middle Run Natural Area in Newark. PROTHONOTARY WARBLER were still being seen at Lums Pond State Park and along the Assawoman Canal in Bethany Beach. Another CAPE MAY WARBLER was found in a yard at the Fire Truck Pond near Port Penn. A total of 29 species of warbler were reported this week including OVENBIRD, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, AMERICAN REDSTART, NORTHERN PARULA,! plus WORM-EATING, BLACK AND WHITE, BLUE-WINGED, MAGNOLIA, YELLOW, CHESTNUT-SIDED, BLACKBURNIAN, CANADA, plus BLACK-THROATED BLUE, and GREEN WARBLER
An OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER was photographed at Ashland Nature Center this week along with YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER. There was another YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER seen near Middle Run. LEAST FLYCATCHERS were reported at Middle Run, Ashland Nature Center, Fire Truck Pond, and Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. COMMON RAVEN was reported at the University of Delaware Star Campus, White Clay Creek and downstate in Smyrna. An early WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was photographed at Ashland Nature Center. VEERY were seen at Ashland Nature Center, White Clay Creek, and Middle Run. The first SWAINSON’S THRUSH of the season was seen at Lums Pond.
A high count of 46 COMMON NIGHTHAWKS was seen Saturday at Brandywine Creek State Park followed by 145 NIGHTHAWKS at Ashland Nature Center on Monday. Other NIGHTHAWKS sightings were from White Clay Creek, Middle Run, Port Penn, Cheswold, Seaford, Trap Pond State Park, and Cape Henlopen State Park. SANDHILL CRANES continue to be seen at Thousand Acre Marsh. NORTHERN HARRIER was seen at Port Penn impoundments.
A RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was photographed at Shearness Pool in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge yesterday. Other shorebirds included HUDSONIAN GODWIT and WHIMBREL, AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-NECKED STILT, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, SHORT and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, DUNLIN, plus WHITE-RUMPED, WESTERN, PECTORAL, and STILT SANDPIPER. An AMERICAN WOODCOCK was spotted walking along the auto tour near the visitor center this week. Long-legged waders included WHITE IBIS, LEAST BITTERN, TRICOLORED, YELLOW-CROWNED and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON plus SANDHILL CRANES. COMMON GALLINULE and SORA were reported at Shearness Pool. A pair of PAINTED BUNTINGS were photographed last week near the entrance to the Boardwalk Trail. These birds, including a molting juvenal may constitute the first breeding record for the state!
A pair of BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER was found in the ag fields off Tub Mill Pond Road south of Frederica. These fields are west of Delaware Route 1 off Exit 83. Also reported were American Golden Plover and Pectoral Sandpiper. SEDGE WRENS continue along the Port Mahon Road this week. ROYAL TERNS were seen along the breakwater. RUDDY TURNSTONE and SPOTTED SANDPIPER were seen along the beach. BARRED OWL were reported at Killen’s Pond Strate Park.
Oyster Rocks Road in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge continues to be a hotbed of activity, including RED-NECKED and 5 WILSON’S PHALAROPE, along with BLACK-NECKED STILT, HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL, BAIRD’S. STILT, WESTERN, WHITE-RUMPED, and PECTORAL SANDPIPER, TRICOLORED HERON and over 200 WHITE IBIS. A pair of GULL-BILLED TERNS were photographed at the boat ramp. BLACK SKIMMER, CASPIAN, ROYAL, and LEAST TERNS were seen at the Dike Trail at Prime Hook, along with WILLET and WHITE IBIS.
ROSEATE, COMMON, LEAST, CASPIAN, ROYAL and BLACK TERN was seen at Cape Henlopen Point along with BLACK SCOTER, PIPING PLOVER, AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, RUDDY TURNSTONE and WILSON’S STORM-PETREL in Cape Henlopen State Park. TRICOLORED HERON and over 200 WHITE IBIS were seen at Gordon’s Pond. WILSON’S STORM PETREL, BLACK and SANDWICH TERN, NORTHERN GANNET and a high count of 430 BROWN PELICANS were seen from the Cape May – Lewes Ferry.
A juvenal LONG-TAILED JAEGER was photographed flying up the beach at Indian River Inlet on Saturday, along with SANDWICH, BLACK, COMMON, ROYAL, and CASPIAN TERN. AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER and WILSON’S’ STORM-PETREL were seen flying offshore. WHITE IBIS, TRICOLORED and LITTLE BLUE HERON, plus BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON were seen at the south campground. GRASSHOPPER SPARROW was seen at the McCabe Nature Preserve near Milton. SUMMER TANAGER, WORM-EATING WARBLER, BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH, and RED-HEADED WOODPECKER were seen at Redden State Forest. SALTMARSH SPARROW was reported Assawoman Wildlife Area.
Delaware’s hawk watches resumed this week at Ashland Nature Center and Cape Henlopen State Park. Welcome to our two hawk counters David Brown and Emma Hovland. BROAD-WINGED HAWKS are already migrating through Ashland. A PARASITIC JAEGER was seen from the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch on Wednesday.
Thanks to all the people that make the Birdline possible, including, Milton Collins, Dave Cadogen, Ben Tebbens, Jim Austin-Cole, Lenn Jackson, Martin Selzer, Russell Rogers, Marshall Mumford, Bri Morgan, Kathy Leedom, Megan Kasprzak, Joe Sebastiani, Pam Orris, David Thomas, Ed Patten, Ellie McDonald, Greg Daromne, Warren Crabb, Jen Driscoll, Daryl Sharman, Sam VanHorne, Kevin Bronson, Frank Rohrbacher, John Carter, Phil Misseldine, Rod Murray, Chris Rankin, Kent Raymond, Carolyn Holland, Mary Braun, Sue Gruver, Rob Blye, Richard Julian, Greg Gough, Nancy Cummingham, , Chris and Karen Bennett, Will Krohn, Jim and Amy White, Barbara Jones, Kim Steininger, Judy Montgomery, Lana Glass, Ian Teaell, Ellie McDonald, John and Andy Dunn, Wendy Cesario, Joe Francis, Bruce Peterjohn, and Joe Swertinski. Special thanks to Joe Tricarico for list distribution to DOS members. Remember, Birdline needs your support. Please call your sightings to 302-792-9591. Thank you for your support. This! is Andy Ednie wishing you good birding!
