Date: 9/18/26 5:10 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, September 18th, 2026
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * September 18, 2026 * DEST 26.09.18
*Birds mentioned Snow Goose Blue-winged Teal Black Scoter Surf Scoter Common Merganser Wild Turkey Yellow-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Ruby-throated Hummingbird Virginia Rail Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Marbled Godwit Willet Short-billed Dowitcher Long-billed Dowitcher Ruddy Turnstone Western Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER Wilson’s Phalarope Black Tern Least Tern Common Tern Caspian Tern Royal Tern Black Skimmer BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE Lesser Black-backed Gull Pied-billed Grebe Brown Pelican Black-crowned Night Heron Yellow-crowned Night Heron Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Western Cattle Egret White Ibis Osprey Sharp-shinned Hawk Bald Eagle Broad-winged Hawk Barred Owl Red-headed Woodpecker American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon Least Flycatcher YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER Willow Flycatcher Blue-headed Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo Eastern Warbling Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Common Raven Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Veery Swainson’s Thrush Gray-cheeked Thrush Wood Thrush Bobolink Rusty Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Yellow-breasted Chat Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush American Redstart Black and White Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Blue-winged Warbler Nashville Warbler Tennessee Warbler CONNECTICUT WARBLER Hooded Warbler Northern Parula Northern Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Pine Warbler Prairie Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Wilson’s Warbler Canada Warbler Summer Tanager Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: September 18, 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, September 18th 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 321 species this week.
An immature BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE was found yesterday by a fishing birder and seen again today underneath the bridge at Indian River Inlet. This bird was seen along with COMMON, LEAST, CASPIAN and ROYAL TERNS plus BROWN PELICAN. TRICOLORED HERON and WILLET were seen at the south campground. TRICOLORED HERON, WHITE IBIS and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON were seen at Burton’s Island in Delaware Seashore State Park along with PEREGRINE FALCON. A MARBLED GODWIT was photographed feeding in the surf at Bethany Beach.
BLACK and SURF SCOTER, AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, and RUDDY TURNSTONE were in Cape Henlopen State Park. RED-BREASTED and BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES were seen at the Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier. LEAST, COMMON, CASPIAN and ROYAL TERNS were seen at Cape Henlopen Point. There was a peak count of 405 WHITE IBIS at Gordon’s Pond, along with TRICOLORED HERON, GLOSSY IBIS, WESTERN CATTLE EGRET, plus WILLET, PECTORAL SANDPIPER and RUDDY TURNSTONE.
A total of six species of vireo were seen in Delaware this week. The first BLUE-HEADED VIREO was seen at Gordon’s Pond today along with PALM WARBLER and LEAST FLYCATCHER. PHILADELPHIA VIREOS were seen at First State National Historical Park, Brandywine Unit, Brandywine Creek State Park, Ashland Nature Center, Middle Run Natural Area in Newark, University of Delaware Farm, Ashton Tract and Waren Tract in Augustine Wildlife Area near Port Penn, and at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge.
CONNECTICUT WARBLERS were reported this week at Brandywine Creek State Park, Middle Run, Cape Henlopen, and photographed at the McCabe Preserve near Milton. Early PALM WARBLERS were seen at Brandywine Creek, First State, Gordon’s Pond and Assawoman Wildlife Area. A female HOODED WARBLER was photographed at Brandywine Creek. WILSON’S and lingering BLUE-WINGED WARBLERS were seen at Ashton Tract and Bombay Hook. A total of 26 species of warbler were reported this week including OVENBIRD, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, AMERICAN REDSTART, NORTHERN PARULA, plus PROTHONOTARY, BLACK AND WHITE, TENNESSEE, NASHVILLE, CAPE MAY, MAGNOLIA, YELLOW, CHESTNUT-SIDED, BLACKBURNIAN, BAY-BREASTEED, BLACKPOLL, PINE, PRAIRIE, CANADA, plus BLACK-THROATED BLUE, and GREEN WARBLER
A YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER was seen at Ashland Nature Center. A WILLOW and LEAST FLYCATCHER was identified at the Ashton Tract. LEAST FLYCATCHER was also found Gordon’s Pond and Redden State Forest. BLACK-BILLED CUCKOOS were seen at White Clay Creek State Park and Port Penn. The first GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH was found at Middle Run, along with large numbers of VEERY, SWAINSON’S and WOOD THRUSH. An early RUSTY BLACKBIRD was seen today at Brandywine Creek. Some common migrants this week included YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, YELLOW-THROATED and WARBLING VIREOS, plus ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.
A BLUE-WINGED TEAL in eclipse plumage was seen at Brandywine Creek State Park. A family of COMMON MERGANSERS continues to be seen along the Red Clay Creek at Ashland Nature Center. COMMON RAVENS were reported at both sites. A SNOW GOOSE continues to be seen off Kirkwood-St. Georges Road near Lums Pond State Park. BARRED OWL continues at Lums Pond. SANDHILL CRANE was seen at the Ashton Tract. VIRGINIA RAIL was reported at the Fire Truck Pond in Port Penn impoundments. AMERICAN AVOCET, WESTERN SANDPIPER, plus CASPIAN and BLACK TERN were seen at Thousand Acre Marsh, along with a lingering LITTLE BLUE HERON.
A BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER was photographed at the Apgar Turf Farm along the Smyrna-Leipsic Road in Kent Co. The first SNOW GEESE were seen at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge this week. Shorebirds seen included 450 AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, SHORT and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, DUNLIN, plus WHITE-RUMPED, WESTERN, and PECTORAL SANDPIPER. Long-legged waders included WHITE IBIS, TRICOLORED HERON, YELLOW-CROWNED and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON plus SANDHILL CRANES. WILD TURKEY, BOBOLINK, and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT were also reported in the refuge.
ROYAL TERNS and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL continue to be seen at Port Mahon. AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, PIED-BILLED GREBE, and LITTLE BLUE HERON were seen at the Main Tract in Little Creek Wildlife Area. BARRED OWL was found at the Killens Pond State Park. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH was found in Milford Neck Wildlife Area. AMERICAN AVOCET, WHITE IBIS, RUDDY TURNSTONE, and 80 ROYAL TERNS were seen at Big Stone Beach. AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, WILLET, TURNSTONE, and 22 BROWN PELICANS were seen at Mispillion Inlet from the duPont Nature Center.
The previously reported WILSON’S PHALAROPES were seen at Oyster Rocks Road and along the Dike Trail in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Other shorebirds reported included BLACK-NECKED STILT, plus STILT, WESTERN, WHITE-RUMPED, and PECTORAL SANDPIPER at Oyster Rocks. AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK SKIMMER, WHITE IBIS and TRICOLORED HERON were seen at the Dike Trail in Prime Hook.
Lots of RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were reported this week. Individual birds were seen flying past Ashland Nature Center on Saturday, Monday, and today. An adult was seen flying over a yard off Massey’s Church Road in Townsend. In southern Delaware, RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were seen at the McCabe Preserve, Ponders Tract, Redden State Forest, Angola Neck Preserve, Assawoman Wildlife Area, and a high count of 6 RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were at the Great Cypress Swamp near Selbyville. Downstate, SUMMER TANAGERS were still being reported at Assawoman, Redden, and Trap Pond State Park. Both ORCHARD and BALTIMORE ORIOLES were seen in Sussex Co. this week. COMMON NIGHTHAWKS were seen at Brandywine Creek, Ashland Nature Center, Middletown, Hartley, Milford, and Cape Henlopen.
It was a big day at Delaware’s hawk watches today. A total of over 1900 BROAD-WINGED HAWKS were reported at Ashland Nature Center, along with 25 OSPREY, 8 BALD EAGLES, 53 SHARP-SHINED HAWKS, 15 AMERICAN KESTRELS and a PEREGRINE FALCON. Cape Henlopen reported 79 OSPREYS and 11 MERLINS. Now’s the time to get out and visit Delaware’s hawk watches!
Thanks to all the people that make the Birdline possible, including, Jeff Gordon, Jim Rapp, Kira Kaplinski, Warren Crabb, Carter Chambers, Bruce and Kelly White, Payton Stone, Bill Oyler, Karen Hardy, Steve McInnis, Debbie Blair, Ashley Norton, Lynn Jackson, Martin Selzer, Megan Kasprzak, Joe Sebastiani, David Thomas, Ed Patten, Jen Driscoll, Daryl Sharman, Sam VanHorne, Frank Rohrbacher, John Carter, Phil Misseldine, Rod Murray, Chris Rankin, Kent Raymond, Carolyn Holland, Mary Braun, Sue Gruver, Rob Blye, Richard Julian, Greg Gough, Tom Stock, Chris and Karen Bennett, Will Krohn, Jim and Amy White, Carolyn D’Amico, Paul Wilson, Kyla Snowden, Peter Schuyler, Matt Broomer, Tracy Mosebey, Kim Steininger, Lana Glass, Ian Teaell, Ellie McDonald, John and Andy Dunn, Wendy Cesario, Mike Moore, Joe Francis, Bruce Peterjohn, and Joe Swertinski. Thanks to our two hawk counters David Brown and Emma Hovland. Special thanks to Joe Tricarico for list distribution to DOS members. Reme! mber, 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!
