Date: 5/9/25 3:51 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, May 9th, 2025
Delaware * Statewide * May 9, 2025 * DEST 2025.05.09
*Birds mentioned BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK Snow Goose Brant Mute Swan Black Swan Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Black Scoter Surf Scoter Hooded Merganser Northern Bobwhite Yellow-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Chuck-will’s-widow Eastern Whippoorwill Sora Virginia Rail King Rail Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Whimbrel Ruddy Turnstone Willet Red Knot Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper RUFF/REEVE Wilson’s Phalarope Black Skimmer GULL-BILLED TERN Least Tern Caspian Tern Common Tern Royal Tern Bonaparte’s Gull Pied-billed Grebe Brown Pelican Northern Gannet Least Bittern American Bitten Tricolored Heron Western Cattle Egret Black-crowned Night Heron Yellow-crowned night heron White Ibis MISSISSIPPI KITE Northern Harrier Broad-winged Hawk Red-headed Woodpecker American Kestrel Least Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Blue-headed Vireo Cliff Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Sedge Wren Veery Swainson’s Thrush Hermit Thrush Purple Finch Pine Siskin Saltmarsh Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow LINCOLN’S SPARROW Dark-eyed Junco Bobolink Eastern Meadowlark Summer Tanager Prothonotary Warbler Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Kentucky Warbler Hooded Warbler Cape May Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Palm Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Canada Warbler Wilson’s Warbler Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: May 9, 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, May 9th, this is 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 hit the 300 species mark, with 11 new additions. There were 29 species of warbler reported! New migrants this week included WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, WILLOW FLYCATCHER, plus TENNESSEE, CAPE MAY, BLACKBURNIAN, and CANADA WARBLER.
New this week were 3 MISSISSIPPI KITES over the White Clay Creek valley near Newark on Wednesday. BROAD-WINGED HAWK was also reported at White Clay from the Hopkin’s Nature Center. A female WILSON’S PHALAROPE in breeding plumage was found a Thousand Acre Marsh. The bird was originally seen on the mudflats opposite Thousand Acre Farm from Dutch Neck Road, but was also seen in the marsh from Reedy Point Road. The first GULL-BILLED TERN of the year was seen from Herring Point in Cape Henlopen State Park.
The first TENNESSEE WARBLER was found in a yard near Milford. NASHVILLE WARBLERS were reported at Bombay Hook, Arden, and a yard in Greenville. The only WILSON’S WARBLER report received this week was from Bombay Hook. CANADA WARBLER was found at Ashland Nature Center, Brandywine Creek and White Clay Creek State Park. KENTUCKY WARBLER were at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge and Redden State Forest. Both KENTUCKY and HOODED WARBLERS were found at Norman G. Wilder Wildlife Are off Berrytown Road near Felton, Tybout’s Tract in Blackbird State Forest, and at Brandywine Creek State Park. The first BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER of the year was found at Finis Pool in Bombay Hook on Saturday. CAPE MAY WARBLERS were seen at the Ashton Tract, White Clay Creek, Mt. Cuba Center, Arden and using a bird bath in Pike Creek. There were no reports of the "Springtime Big Three": GOLDEN-WINGED, CERULEAN, or MOURNING WARBLERS.
All three goatsuckers, COMMON NIGHTHAWK, CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW, and EASTERN WHIPPOORWILL were reported at Milford Neck Wildlife Area along with SEDGE WREN, AMERICAN BITTERN, SORA, KING and VIRGINIA RAIL. A COMMON NIGHTHAWK was seen flying over Bear. A CHUCK-WILL’S WIDOW was heard calling at the entrance to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge along Whitehall Neck Road. Both COMMON NIGHTHAWK and CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW were also reported from Cape Henlopen State Park.
LINCOLN’S SPARROWS were seen at two locations in White Clay Creek State Park, at the Hopkins Nature Center and a the old Krapf’s property. SWAINSON’S THRUSH, VEERY, PURPLE FINCH and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER were reported along White Clay Creek. BOBOLINKS were seen at Smith Mill Road. BOBOLINK and WILLOW FLYCATCHER were reported at Coverdale Farms near Ashland Nature Center. A late HERMIT THRUSH was seen at the Mt. Cuba Center. The previously reported BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO continues to be found at the Ransey Road parking lot in First State National Historical Park, Brandywine Unit. A PROTHONOTARY WARBLER was seen along the Brandywine Creek in downtown Wilmington. A LEAST FLYCATCHER and BAY-BREASTED WARBLER were seen in Arden. A BONAPARTE’S GULL was along the Delaware River at Battery Park in New Castle.
SANDHILL CRANE, NORTHERN HARRIER, BLUE-WINGED TEAL and NORTHERN SHOVELER were seen at Thousand Arce Marsh. A late DARK-EYED JUNCO was seen Saturday at the Ashton Tract. A late PINE SISKIN was found in Middletown. BOBOLINK, GRASSHOPPER SPARROW and EASTERN MEADOWLARK were reported at Prices Park in Middletown. NORTHERN BOBWHITE was found at Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area off Collins Beach Road. CLIFF SWALLOWS were seen along Route 9 at the Appoquinmink Creek. There were RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS at the Naudain Tract off Saw Mill Road in Blackbird State Forest along with PROTHONOTARY WARBLER.
BLACK-BILLED and YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO were found at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Shorebirds seen included WHITE-RUMPED, PECTORAL, and STILT SANDPIPERS along with BLACK-NECKED STILT, AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED, and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, WILLET, LONG-BILLED and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, and RUDDY TURNSTONE. Waterfowl reported included MUTE and BLACK SWAN, SNOW GOOSE, HOODED MERGANSER, and PIED-BILLED GREBE. Waders seen were LEAST BITTERN, SANDHILL CRANE, TRICOLORED HERON, WESTERN CATTLE EGRET, and GLOSSY IBIS.
BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS were seen at Wheatley’s Pond in Clayton off Route 300 out of Smyrna. SEDGE WREN was heard calling at Pickering Beach Road. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH and RED-HEADED WOODPECKER were found along Big Stone Beach Road in Milford Neck Wildlife Area. A late BLUE-HEADED VIREO was seen at the Norman G. Wilder Wildlife Area. SUMMER TANAGER, PROTHONOTARY WARBLER and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH were seen at Kellen’s Pond State Park.
RED KNOT was seen at Mispillion Inlet from the Dupont Nature Center, along with AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, BLACK-BELIED PLOVER, WHIMBREL, RUDDY TURNSTONE, SANDERLING, and WILLET. CASPIAN, ROYAL, and LEAST TERNS were seen on the Back Beach at Mispillion. Both YELLOW-CROWNED and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS were seen at the Beach Plum Drive Pond at the Marvel Salt Marsh Preserve. SALTMARSH SPARROW was seen from the observation platform at Marvel Drive.
WILLOW FLYCATCHER was found along Fowlers Beach Road in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. BLACK SKIMMERS and LEAST TERN were also seen along the Dike Trail at Prime Hook. All three nuthatches, WHITE-BREASTED, BROWN-HEADED and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH were seen at Turkle’s Pond. The previously reported REEVE (aka female RUFF) was found at Oyster Rocks along with BLACK-NECKED STILT and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER. AMERICAN KESTREL and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW were seen along Oyster Rocks Road.
A PARASITIC JAEGER, BONAPARTE’S GULL, BLACK and SURF SCOTER were reported at Cape Henlopen. AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, PIPING PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, plus BLACK SKIMMER, ROYAL, COMMON, CASPIAN and LEAST TERN were seen at Cape Henlopen Point. A high count of 43 WHITE IBIS, plus BLACK-NECKED STILT, PIPING PLOVE, RUDDY TURNSTONE, PECTORAL and STILT SANDPIPER were seen from the Gordon’s Pond.
ROYAL and COMMON TERN plus NORTHERN GANNET and BROWN PELICAN were seen at Indian River Inlet. BRANT and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON were seen at Burton’s Island. RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was reported at Angola Neck. Purple Finch was reported at Redden State Forest along with SUMMER TANAGER. TENNESSEE, CAPE MAY, and CANADA WARBLER plus 6 ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS were seen at the McCabe Preserve near Milton.
Thanks to the many people that make the Birdline possible Gary Griffith, Jake Hall, Dean Coffin, Ian Stewart, Maureen Markow, Judy Montgomery, Kim Steininger, Holly Merker, Curt Davis, John Skibicki, Andrea Martin, Eric Pearchot, Jeremy Bird, Hannah Redmond, Jeff Climie, Kevin Bronson, Aaron Reb, Ashley Norton, Andrew Albright, Ryan Johnson, Ed Wrzesniewski, Chris and Karen Bennett, Greg Gough, Sue Gruver, Tom Stock, Richard Jullian, Rob and Carol Blye, Sharon Lynn, Phil Misseldine, Carolyn Holland, Jim and Amy White, Wendy Cesario, Rod Murray, Scott Northey, Melissa Lafferty, Kris Benarcik, Ryleigh Sweet, John and Andy Dunn, Cameron Tescher, Will Krohn, Megan Kasprzak, Declan and Amy O’Neil, 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.
