Date: 4/20/24 7:47 am From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, April 19th, 2024
* Delaware * Statewide * April 19, 2024 * DEST 2024.04.19
*Birds mentioned Brant Snow Goose Mute Swan Blue-winged Teal American W igeon Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Surf Scoter Black Scoter HARLEQUIN DUCK Long-tailed Duck Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Eastern Whippoorwill Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Eastern Whippoorwill Chuck-will’s-widow Sora Virginia Rail King Rail American Coot Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover WHIMBREL Ruddy Turnstone Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Willet Lesser Yellowlegs Short-billed Dowitcher Long-billed Dowitcher Least Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Wilson’s Snipe Bonaparte’s Gull Iceland Gull Parasitic Jaeger Common Tern Caspian Tern Royal Tern Black Skimmer Red-throated Loon PACIFIC LOON Northern Gannet Brown Pelican American Bittern Least Bittern Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Cattle Egret Green Heron Yellow-crowned Night Heron Black-crowned Night Heron White Ibis Broad-winged Hawk Barred Owl Short-eared Owl Red-headed Woodpecker Merlin Peregrine Falcon Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Common Raven Blue-headed Vireo White-eyed Vireo Warbling Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo Bank Swallow Cliff Swallow Brown-headed Nuthatch Marsh Wren SEDGE WREN Wood Thrush Pine Siskin Purple Finch Seaside Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow Vesper Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Fox Sparrow Rusty Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Ovenbird Louisiana Waterthrush Northern Waterthrush Orange-crowned Warbler Hooded Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Black and White Warbler Northern Parula Yellow Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Prairie Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Scarlet Tanager Indigo Bunting DICKCISSEL Blue Grosbeak
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: April 19, 2024 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, April 19th, this is Birdline Delaware from the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science in Greenville. The Birdline is the rare bird alert for The First State sponsored by the Delaware Ornithological Society. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. The unofficial Delaware State Year List increased to 256 species this week with 20 new additions. New birds this week included CHIMNEY SWIFT, CHUCK-WILLS-WIDOW, WHIMBREL, COMMON TERN, PARASITIC JAEGER, LEAST BITTERN, GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, RED-EYED, YELLOW-THROATED, and WARBLING VIREO, BANK and CLIFF SWALLOW, WOOD THRUSH, VESPER and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW, ORCHARD ORIOLE, SCARLET TANAGER, and BLUE GROSBEAK. Additionally, OVENBIRD, LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, plus BLACK AND WHITE, PRAIRIE, PALM, PINE and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS were seen in several locations. Please be aware at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, the Bear Swamp auto-tour loop is now temporarily closed to protect the wildlife.
A total of 17 species of WARBLER were reported. The first NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH of the year was found at the North Gordon’s Pond Trail at Cape Henlopen State Park. A HOODED WARBLER was heard calling along Raymond Neck Road in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge near Smyrna. The first NORTHERN PARULA was found along White Clay Creek in Newark. YELLOW WARBLER was reported at Sherwood Park, Augustine Wildlife Area in Port Penn and Bombay Hook. PROTHONOTARY WARBLERS are being seen all over Sussex Co. including Turkle’s Pond in Prime Hook, Redden State Forrest, and Trap Pond State Park, plus as far north at the Naudain Tract off Saw Mill Road in Blackbird State Forrest.
A breeding plumage PACIFIC LOON was seen at the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch yesterday. This is the third consecutive year suggesting this might be the same returning bird. The offshore flight at Cape Henlopen State Park included 2 PARASITIC JAEGERS, immature ICELAND GULL, and 3 WHIMBRELS, plus a high count of 466 RED-THROATED LOONS and 1000+ NORTHERN GANNETS. COMMON, FORSTER’S, and ROYAL TERN were seen at Cape Henlopen Point, along with AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, PIPING and SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, BROWN PELICAN, LESSER SCAUP, SURF and BLACK SCOTER, BUFFLEHEAD and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. WILSON’S SNIPE, EASTERN KINGBIRD, GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, and PURPLE FINCH were seen along the Walking Dunes Nature Trail. A flight of 35 WHITE IBIS was seen from the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch. LITTLE BLUE HERON and an early SOLITARY SANDPIPER were seen at Gordon’s Pond. BRANT was seen from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. In Delaware Seashore State Park, WHITE IBIS, TRICOLORED HERON and BLACK-CROWNED! NIGHT HERON were seen at Burton’s Island causeway. BLUE-WINGED TEAL and BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH were reported at Assawoman Wildlife Area.
Good numbers of shorebirds were seen at Oyster Rocks Road in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge near Milton, including STILT and PECTORAL SANDPIPER, BLACK-NECKED STILT, WILLET, AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, along with GLOSSY and WHITE IBIS plus CATTLE EGRET. MERLIN and a surprising SHORT-EARED OWL was reported on Monday. HOODED MERGANSER was seen at Turkle’s Pond.
A female HARLEQUIN DUCK, plus SNOW GOOSE, SURF SCOTER, and LONG-TAILED DUCK were seen at Mispillion Inlet from the duPont Nature Center. A pair OF BLACK SKIMMERS and CASPIAN TERN were seen there on Tuesday, Shorebirds reported included PURPLE SANDPIPER on Wednesday, along with AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, WILLET, and BONEPARTE’S GULL. A YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON with several BLACK-CROWN’S was seen at the North Slaughter Beach Pond opposite the Marvel Salt Marsh Preserve.
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW was reported at the McCabe Preserve near Milton. A VESPER SPARROW was seen a Rementer–Rum Bridge Road near Georgetown. Both VESPER and GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS were seen at Ponder Road near Ellendale today. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH and PINE SISKIN were found at Redden State Forest. SISKINS were also reported at Angola Neck along with SCARLET TANAGER. PINE SISKIN, BALTIMORE ORIOLE and the first BLUE GROSBEAK of the year was seen at a feeder in Lincoln. The previously reported DICKCISSEL continues to visit a feeder off Bryant’s Corner Road in Camden-Wyoming. Numbers of RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS are now being seen throughout the state.
The first CHUCK-WILLS-WIDOWS were reported at Bay Forest in Bethany Beach, Assawoman Wildlife Area, and Milford Neck Wildlife Area, along with AMERICAN BITTERN at this latter location. EASTERN WHIPPOORWILL was found at Big Stone Beach and Prime Hook. One WHIPPOORWILL was heard calling as far north as the Ashton Tract in Augustine Wildlife Area near Port Penn, a rare bird in New Castle Co. SORA, KING and VIRGINIA RAIL were found at Assawoman. SORA and VIRGINIA RAIL were heard calling at Big Stone Beach. KING RAIL continues to be calling at Dragon Run in Delaware City along Cox Neck Road. LEAST BITTERN, CATTLE EGRET, and LITTLE BLUE HERON were found at Greer’s Pond off Dutch Neck Road.
A SEDGE WREN was found today at the wooden bridge along the Big Stone Beach Road. RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH, and BLUE-HEADED VIREO were seen at Milford Neck Wildlife Area. A lingering FOX SPARROW was reported at Killen’s Pond State Park near Frederica. An INDIGO BUNTING was reported at Little Creek Wildlife Area, along with BLUE-WINGED TEAL, LESSER SCAUP and HOODED MERGANSER. A CATTLE EGRET was seen along the S. Little Creek Road. A COMMON RAVEN was seen at Wheatley’s Pond in Clayton.
A WHIMBREL was seen today flying over Leatherbury Flats in Bombay Hook. Other shorebirds seen included BLACK-NECKED STILT, AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, WILLET, GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, LEAST and STILT SANDPIPER, WILSON’S SNIPE and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER plus CASPIAN TERN. Waterfowl reported included SNOW GOOSE, MUTE SWAN, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN WIGEON, RING-NECKED DUCK, COMMON MERGANSER, RUDDY DUCK, PIED-BILLED GREBE, and AMERICAN COOT. The first RED-EYED VIREO of the year was seen at the Parson Point Trail. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON and GREEN HERON were seen at the Swimming Hole. A BROAD-WINGED HAWK was seen flying over the refuge on Wednesday.
RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were reported at Naudain Tract off Saw Mill Road in Blackbird State Forest and at a feeder in Newark. BROWN CREEPER was also reported in Blackbird. CLIFF SWALLOWS have returned to the Appoquinmink Bridge off Route 9 near Odessa. SANDHILL CRANES were reported at Augustine Creek, the Ashton Tract at Port Penn, and Dragon Run. LESSER SCAUP and breeding plumage HORNED GREBE were seen at Augustine Beach.
An early WOOD THRUSH was heard calling at Middle Run Natural Area in Newark. COMMON RAVEN continues to be reported at Phillips Park. BLUE-HEADED VIREO, PURPLE FINCH and 5 species of WARBLER were reported at White Clay Creek State Park. INDIGO BUNTING was seen at Sherwood Park off Kirkwood Hwy. WARBLING VIREO and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW were seen at Cokesbury Village near Hockessin. CHIMNEY SWIFT was seen at Mt. Cuba. BARRED OWL was calling at Valley Garden Park near Greenville. RUSTY BLACKBIRD was seen at the Hermitage Natural Area in New Castle.
The PEREGRINE FALCONS continue to incubate clutch of 5 eggs at the nest box on the Brandywine Building, but there has been an intruder at the nest site. The original unbanded male seems to have left the area, replaced by a second banded male. While the female is still incubating, the second male currently has not sat on the eggs. There is still hope that the PEREGRINES will still successfully hatch their eggs.
Thanks to the many people that make the Birdline possible including Cole Tiemann, Lew Scharpf, Michael Lombardo, Jacque Williamson, Matthew Bell, Sally O’byrne, Jeff Gordon, Jean-Marie Gauthier, Barabra Jones, Michael McCloy, Dave Burgevin, Tracy Paxson, Brian Moyer, Ed Wrzesniewski, Ellen and Jake Jacobson, Ann Dinkel, David Fees, Ben Filries, Greg Gough, Wendy Cesario, Sue Gruver, Nancy Cunningham, Richard Jullian, Alice Mohrman, Rob Blye, Rachel Riberio, Lynn Gulla, Ryan Johnson, Blake Eric Adams, Brian McCraffrey, Ken Bass, Amy White, Karen and Chris Bennett, Frank Rohrbacher, Carolyn Holland, Rod Murray, Chris Rowe, John and Andy Dunn, Judy Montgomery, Joe Francis, Melissa Lafferty, Amy and Declan O’Neil, Mike Moore, Megan Kasprzak, Curt Davis, Mike Moore, Bruce Peterjohn, and Joe Swertinski. Special thanks to Joe Tricarico for distributing the Birdline to DOS members. Birdline needs your sightings. Please call your reports into 302-792-9591 or email ednieap@verizon! .net. Until next week, this is Andy Ednie wishing you good birding!
