Date: 10/9/26 2:19 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaare, October 9th, 2026
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * October 9, 2026 * DEST 26.10.09
*Birds mentioned Lesser Scaup Black Scoter White-winged Scoter Surf Scoter Ruddy Duck Yellow-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Ruby-throated Hummingbird Sora American Coot Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Marbled Godwit HUDSONIAN GODWIT Ruddy Turnstone Solitary Sandpiper Spotted Sandpiper Willet Short-billed Dowitcher Long-billed Dowitcher Western Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Caspian Tern Royal Tern Black Skimmer Parasitic Jaeger Bonaparte’s Gull Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Brown Pelican Black-crowned Night Heron Yellow-crowned Night Heron Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron White Ibis Osprey Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper’s Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-headed Woodpecker American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon Least Flycatcher White-eyed Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo Eastern Warbling Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Common Raven Barn Swallow Brown-headed Nuthatch Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Swainson’s Thrush Gray-cheeked Thrush Veery Hermit Thrush Wood Thrush American Pipit Purple Finch Lark Sparrow Lincoln’s Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Bobolink Rusty Blackbird Yellow-breasted Chat Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush American Redstart Black and White Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Tennessee Warbler CONNECTICUT WARBLER Hooded Warbler Northern Parula Northern Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Pine Warbler Palm Warbler Prairie Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Wilson’s Warbler Rose-breasted Grosbeak PAINTED BUNTING Indigo Bunting DICKCISSEL
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: October 9, 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, October 9th 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. Many thanks to all that shared Birthday Greetings with me this week! The unofficial Delaware Annual List remains at 322 species this week.
The previously reported male PAINTED BUNTING was found again along the Boardwalk Trail at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday. This bird was seen at the entrance and just past the bridge off the right-hand fork of the trail, along with SORA and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. Some early arriving waterfowl included LESSER SCAUP and RUDDY DUCK. Both MARBLED and 5 HUDSONIAN GODWIT were seen, along with 500+ AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, SHORT and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, DUNLIN, plus WESTERN and PECTORAL SANDPIPER. Waders included TRICOLORED and LITTLE BLUE HERON, YELLOW-CROWNED and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON and SANDHILL CRANES. Both YELLOW-BILLED and BLACK-BILLED CUCKOOS were reported this week.
A late push of warblers is still being seen, including CONNECTICUT WARBLERS at the McCabe Nature Preserve near Milton and at Middle Run Natural Area near Newark. The McCabe Preserve also reported CANADA and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER. Middle Run reported TENNESSEE, CHESTNUT-SIDED and WILSON’S WARBLER. An early ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was found at the circle path behind the Ashland Nature Center Hawk Watch yesterday and a Bombay Hook today. A female HOODED WARBLER was banded at the University of Delaware’s Ag Farm. More WILSON’S WARBLER was reported at Arden Green in Brandywine Hundred and near Holts Landing State Park. A total of 26 species of warbler were reported this week including OVENBIRD, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, AMERICAN REDSTART, NORTHERN PARULA, plus BLACK AND WHITE, NASHVILLE, CAPE MAY, MAGNOLIA, CHESTNUT-SIDED, BLACKBURNIAN, BAY-BREASTED, BLACKPOLL, PINE, PRAIRIE, PALM, YELLOW-RUMPED, plus BLACK-THROATED BLUE, and GREEN WARBLER
Downstate, a LARK SPARROW was photographed at Ft. Miles in Cape Henlopen State Park and there was a flyover DICKCISSEL at Ft. Miles and Gordon’s Pond. LINCOLN’S SPARROWS were found at Coverdale Farms, Ashland Nature Center, Middle Run, Bombay Hook and the McCabe Preserve. New this week was YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, BROWN CREEPER, HERMIT THRUSH, PURPLE FINCH, RUSTY BLACKBIRD and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. There were 6 species of VIREO reported at White Clay Creek State Park this week, including PHILADELPHIA, YELLOW-THROATED, WARBLING, WHITE-EYED, RED-EYED and BLUE HEADED. There were also 7 species of THRUSH reported including VEERY, SWAINSON’S, GRAY-CHEEKED, HERMIT and WOOD THRUSH. RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH was reported near Lums Pond State Park. Some late lingering birds included COMMON NIGHTHAWK, RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, LEAST FLYCATCHER, BARN SWALLOW, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, BOBOLINK, SCARLET TANAGER, INDIGO BUNTING, and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.
RUDDY DUCK, HORNED and PIED-BILLED GREBE were seen at the Newark Reservoir. LITTLE BLUE HERON was seen at Lums Pond State Park. SANDHILL CRANE, COMMON RAVEN and CASPIAN TERN were reported at the Ashton Tract in Augustine Wildlife Area. BONAPARTE’S GULL and CASPIAN TERNS were reported at Augustine Beach. AMERICAN COOT and PIED-BILLED GREBE were reported at the Main Tract in Little Creek wildlife Area. SURF SCOTER and BROWN PELICAN were seen at Big Stone Beach.
AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, and WESTERN SANDPIPER were seen at Mispillion Inlet from the DuPont Nature Center, along with ROYAL TERN. AMERICAN AVOCETS, BLACK SKIMMER, and CASPIAN TERNS were seen at the Dike Trail in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. WILLET, PECTORAL SANDPIPER and over 200 WHITE IBIS were seen at Oyster Rocks Road.
EASTERN WARBLING VIREO, RED-BREASTED and BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH was found at the Seaside Nature Center in Cape Henlopen State Park. AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, BLACK BELLIED and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, BLACK SKIMMER, COMMON LOON, and BROWN PELICAN were seen at Cape Henlopen Point. A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was seen near the comfort state at the Point on Wednesday. A PARASITIC JAEGER was seen from the Cape May- Lewes Ferry. SOLITARY SANDPIPER was reported at the McCabe Preserve. SPOTTED SANDPIPER was found at Trap Pond State Park. A SORA was near the tower at Assawoman Wildlife Area.
It was a big week at the both Delaware Hawk Watches, despite getting rain over the weekend. Ashland Nature Center had 79 AMERICAN KESTRELS, a MERLIN and 3 PEREGRINE FALCONS with 91 SHARP-SHINNED, 27 COOPER’S and 12 BROAD-WINGED HAWKS on Saturday. This was the third highest single day total of Kestrels recorded at Ashland. There was also a total of 69 BALD EAGLES, 19 NORTHERN HARRIERS, and 19 OSPREYS for the week. Cape Henlopen was a washout over the weekend, but there was a big flight after the storm on Monday with 30 AMERICAN KESTRELS, 50 MERLIN, and 28 PEREGRINES plus 61 OSPREYS. There was a total of 48 BALD EAGLES, 88 SHARPIES and 30 COOP’S also reported for the week. Now, let’s see what the weekend storm brings in!
Thanks to all the people that make the Birdline possible, including, Ryan Weeks, Barbara Conway, Mike Lathman, Mike Bowen, Hannah Girgente, Nancy Cunningham, Melissa Powell, Rebecca Byrd, Paige Magrogan, Steve and Susan McInnis, Martin Selzer, Lynn Jackson, Sheryl Johnson, Sharon Dounce, Kevin Bronson, John Skibicki, Gary Griffith, Joe Sebastiani, David Thomas, Ed Patten, Sam VanHorne, Frank Rohrbacher, John Carter, Chris Rankin, Kent Raymond, Carolyn Holland, Mary Braun, Sue Gruver, Rob Blye, Richard Julian, Alice Mohrman, Greg Gough, Tom Stock, Chris and Karen Bennett, Anthony Gonzon, Will Krohn, Jim White, Laureen Eick-Benson, Judy Montgomery, Chase Wilkinson, Kim Steininger, Lana Glass, Ian Teaell, Laureen Eick-Benson, Chris Machulski, 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. 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!
