Date: 4/25/25 12:51 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, April 24th, 2025
* Delaware * Statewide * April 25, 2025 * DEST 2025.04.25
*Birds mentioned Snow Goose Brant Mute Swan Black Swan Blue-winged Teal Northern Pintail Ring-necked Duck Long-tailed Duck Black Scoter Surf Scoter Common Merganser Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Northern Bobwhite Yellow-billed Cuckoo Chuck-will’s-widow Eastern Whippoorwill Sora Virginia Rail King Rail Sandhill Crane American Coot American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Whimbrel Ruddy Turnstone Solitary Sandpiper Spotted Sandpiper Willet Wilson’s Snipe RUFF/REEVE Stilt Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Parasitic Jaeger POMARINE JAEGER Black Skimmer Least Tern Caspian Tern Common Tern Royal Tern SANWICH TERN Bonaparte’s Gull SOOTY SHEARWATER Brown Pelican AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN Northern Gannet ANHINGA American Bittern Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Green Heron White Ibis Broad-winged Hawk Red-headed Woodpecker Acadian Flycatcher Blue-headed Vireo White-eyed Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo Warbling Vireo Cliff Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Sedge Wren Veery Wood Thrush Purple Finch Grasshopper Sparrow LARK SPARROW White-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Juco Orchard Oriole Rusty Blackbird Yellow-breasted Chat Scarlet Tanager Summer Tanager Northern Waterthrush Worm-eating Warbler American Redstart Prothonotary Warbler Kentucky Warbler Hooded Warbler Blue-winged Warbler Yellow Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Indigo Bunting Rose-breasted Grosbeak Blue Grosbeak Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: April 25, 2025 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 25th, this is an early addition of Birdline Delaware from the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science in Greenville. The Birdline is the rare bird alert (RBA) 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 272 species, with 25 new additions including 22 species of warbler! New species this week included YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, ACADIAN FLYCATCHER, WOOD THRUSH, VEERY, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, SUMMER and SCARLET TANAGER, plus YELLOW WARBLER.
New this week was a flight of 5 ANHINGA flying over Delaware Route 1 near Dover on Saturday after a night of strong Southwest winds. ANHINGA have been moving north with nesting around the Norfolk, Virginia area. There have been 13 records of ANHINGA in Delaware, so far none have been documented with photographs. Nearby, there were two ANHINGA records last week from around Philadelphia, one with a nice diagnostic picture. An AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN was seen today at the Thousand Arce Marsh but unfortunately took off heading east.
Some interesting sightings from Cape Henlopen included both PARASITIC and POMARINE JAEGER from the Hawkwatch along with SANDWICH and LEAST TERNS. Another LEAST TERN was reported in western Sussex Co. along the Nanticoke River at Woodland Ferry. A SOOTY SHEARWATER was seen flying in the Harbor of Refuge from The Point parking lot. A LARK SPARROW was reported at the south parking lot of Gordon’s Pond State Park near Rehoboth Beach. GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS arrived Dover Air Force Base along Route 9 and at Prices Park in Middletown this week. There are still a few DARK-EYED JUNCOS around at feeders, but numbers are dwindling.
SORA, KING, and VIRGINIA RAILS were also reported at Thousand Acre Marsh near Delaware City. SORA was also heard calling at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge near Smyrna. SORA and VIRGINIA RAIL were heard calling along Big Stone Beach Road along with CHUCK-WILL’S WIDOW and EASTERN WHIPPOORWILL. SORA was also found along the Broadwalk Trail at Prime Hook headquarters. EASTERN WHIPPOORWILL was also reported at Oyster Rocks Road. CHUCK-WILL’S WIDOW was reported at Angola Neck this week
Ther was a big push of migrants into Delaware last weekend. BLUE-WINGED WARBLERS were reported at Brandywine Creek and White-Clay Creek State Park. HOODED WARBLERS were found at Blackiston State Wildlife Area near Smyrna and near Thompson’s Bridge in Brandywine Creek State Park. The first AMERICAN REDSTART was found at Middle Run Natural Area near Newark. KENTUCKY WARBLERS were found at Redden State Foret. The first BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, a male was found at Auburn Valley State Park on Tuesday. BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER was found at Bombay Hook. WORM-EATING WARBLERS were seen at several locations downstate and as far north as the Oak Hill Tract in Blackbird State Forest. PROTHONOTARY WARBLER was also seen in Blackbird at the Naudain Tract along with RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.
The previously reported COMMON RAVEN nest at the University of Delaware water tower at STAR Campus has now successfully fledged 1 bird! YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, SPOTTED and SOLITARY SANDPIPER were photographed at Curtis Mill Park in Newark. A LITTLE BLUE HERON was seen at the Middle Run Pond Complex off Paper Mill Road. Four species of VIREO, WHITE-EYED, BLUE-HEADED, YELLOW-THROATED and WARBLING were found at White Clay Creek State Park along Creek Road. ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS were seen coming to feeders near Newark. RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were found at Phillips Park in Newark. COMMON MERGANSER was seen on Red Clay Creek atts land Nature Center. BROAD-WINGED HAWK was seen at the hawkwatch. AMERICAN WOODCOCK was seen at Brandywine Creek State Park.
RING-NECKED DUCKS continue to be seen off Cox Neck Road. A pair of BLACK-NECKED STLITS, SANDHILL CRANES, CASPIAN TERNS, and the previously reported BLACK SWAN were seen on Thousand Arce Marsh. Other waterfowl seen included SNOW GOOSE, BLUE-WINGED TEAL and NORTHERN PINTAIL along Dutch Neck Road. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS and NORTHERN BOBWHITE were found at Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area off Collins Beach Road. CLIFF SWALLOWS were seen along Route 9 at the Appoquinmink Creek and at Flemings Landing.
The previously reported SEDGE WREN continues to be found at the north end of Raymond Pool in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Shorebirds in Bombay Hook including BLACK-NECKED STILT, AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED, and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, WILLET, LONG-BILLED and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, and WILSON’S SNIPE. Waterfowl reported MUTE and BLACK SWAN, SNOW GOOSE, HOODED MERGANSER, plus PIED-BILLED GREBE. An AMERICAN BITTERN was seen by the Bear Swamp tower parking lot. Landbirds seen included ORCHARD ORIOLE, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, and BLUE GROSBEAK.
AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-NECKED STILT, WILLET and WILSON’ SNIPE was seen from the main tower in Little Creek Wildlife Area. YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was seen in the pines along the entrance road. LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, YELLOW-THROATED and PROTHONOTARY WARBLER were reported from Killen’s Pond State Park. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH and SEDGE WREN were found along Big Stone Beach Road in Milford Neck Wildlife Area.
AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, BLACK-BELIED PLOVER and WILLET plus GREEN HERON were seen at Mispillion Inlet from the Dupont Nature Center. An AMERICAN BITTERN was seen along the Dike Trail at Prime Hook headquarters. Terns seen along the Dike Trail included BLACK SKIMMER, plus LEAST, ROYAL and CASPIAN TERN. The previously reported RUFF/REEVE at Oyster Rocks was last seen on Tuesday but may still be in the area. Also reported at Oyster Rocks were WHIMBREL, RUDDY TURNSTONE, STILT and PECTORAL SANDPIPER, plus TRICOLORED HERON and WHITE IBIS.
At Cape Henlopen State Park, the SPOTTED TOWHEE was seen again at Cape Henlopen Point parking lot after not being seen last week. BRANT, AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, PIPING PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, and ROYAL TERN were seen at Cape Henlopen Point along with BRANT, LONG-TAILED DUCK and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. WHIMBREL, NORTHERN GANNET and BROWN PELICAN were seen from the hawk watch. RED-BREASTED, WHITE-BREASTED, and BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES were seen at the Seaside Nature Center. SEDGE WREN continues to be seen at Gordon’s Pond at the mile marker #4 sign. WHITE IBIS, TRICOLORED HERON, AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-NECKED STILT, and RUDDY TURNSTONE were seen from the bike trail. A COMMON TERN was seen among the FORSTER’S TERNS. INDIGO BUNTING was reported from the Junction and Breakwater Trail near Lewes. SURF and BLACK SCOTERS were seen at Indian River Inlet, plus BONAPARTE’S GULL, NORTHERN GANNET and BROWN PELICAN. RUDDY TURNSTONE was found on the jetty.
Thanks to the many people that make the Birdline possible Larry Balch, Carol Ralph, Natalie Donofrio, Sean Blackford, Craig Wilson, Don Holcomb. Zack Baer, Kevin Benson, Cater Chambers, Ian Teaell, Ryan Johnson, Chris Hinkle, Ben Filreis, Bert Filemyr, Mike Rosengarten, Frank Rohrbacher, Ed Wrzesniewski, Sheilia Smith, Tracey Paxson, Chris and Karen Bennett, Greg Gough, Sue Gruver, Tom Stock, Lynn Gulla, Richard Jullian, Rob and Carol Blye, Phil Misseldine, Randy Fisher, Aaron Reb, Carolyn Holland, Jim and Amy White, Rod Murray, Wendy Cesario, Scott Northey, Melissa Lafferty, Kris Benarcik, Ryleigh Sweet, Chase Wilkerson, John and Andy Dunn, Will Krohn, Megan Kasprzak, Barbara Jones, Joe Francis, Mike Moore, Joe Russell, Bruce Peterjohn, and Joe Swertinski. The Birdline needs your help. Please call your sightings into 302-792-9591 or email <ednieap...> Until next week, this is Andy Ednie wishing you good birding.
