Date: 12/27/25 8:34 am From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, December 26th. 2025
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * December 26, 2025 * DEST 25.12.26
*Birds mentioned BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK Ross’s Goose Brant BARNACLE GOOSE Cackling Goose GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE Tundra Swan Mute Swan Wood Duck American Wigeon EURASIAN WIGEON Canvasback Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup HARLEQUIN DUCK Black Scoter Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter COMMON EIDER Long-tailed Duck Common Merganser Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Wild Turkey American Coot Sandhill Crane American Oystercatcher American Avocet Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Ruddy Turnstone Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Wilson’s Snipe American Woodcock Dunlin Least Sandpiper Purple Sandpiper Forester’s Tern Bonaparte’s Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Iceland Gull Glaucous Gull Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Great Cormorant Northern Gannet Brown Pelican Black-crowned Night Heron Great Egret Osprey Barred Owl Short-eared Owl Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-headed Woodpecker Merlin Peregrine Falcon Eastern Phoebe Common Raven Horned Lark Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Northern House Wren Marsh Wren American Pipit Purple Finch American Tree Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Fox Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Rusty Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orange-crowned Warbler Palm Warbler WESTERN TANAGER PAINTED BUMTING
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: December 26, 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, December 26th 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 remains at 339 species this week. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everybody out there. Remember, this is Christmas Count season!
New this week is a WESTERN TANAGER seen at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. This bird was found on Monday along the Black Farm Trail and seen again today. The TANAGER has been very elusive in the area where the trail bends toward the marsh. Also reported was NORTHERN HOUSE WREN and EASTERN PHEOBE by the Prime Hook Headquarters. SEMIPALMATED and BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS were seen along the Dike Trail. MARSH WREN, SNOW BUNTINGS, and SHORT-EARED OWL were found at Fowler’s Beach. SURF, BLACK and WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS were seen offshore on the Delaware Bay at Prime Hook Beach.
A female HARLEQUIN DUCK with COMMON EIDERS continues to be seen at Indian River Inlet along with BRANT, LONG-TAILED DUCK, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, HORNED GREBE and GREAT CORMORANT. A flock of AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS were seen flying past the inlet this week. FORESTER’S TERN, BONAPARTE’S and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, plus PURPLE SANDPIPER were seen on the jetty. BROWN PELICAN and NORTHERN GANNET were seen flying up the coast. A lingering PALM WARBLER was seen at the inlet this week. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON was seen at Burton’s Island in Delaware Seashore State Park. A flock of 130 CANVASBACKS along with HOODED MERGANSER were seen on Silver Lake in Rehoboth Beach. An OSPREY was photographed flying over a lake near Millville and a BALTIMORE ORIOLE was reported coming to a feeder in Ocean View.
There was a triple play of WHITE-BREASTED, BROWN-HEADED and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH at Cape Henlopen State Park. SNOW BUNTING, RUDDY TURNSTONE, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, BRANT, and HORNED GREBE were seen at Cape Henlopen Point. LONG-TAILED DUCK and a MERLIN were seen at the hawk watch.
A female PAINTED BUNTING continues at Bear Swamp in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday. This bird was seen just past the parking area to the Bear Swamp tower at the edge of the marsh. Waterfowl reported were CACKLING GOOSE, TUNDRA and MUTE SWAN, LESSER SCAUP, plus COMMON and HOODED MERGANSER. A single COMMON LOON was seen flying over Raymond Pool. Shorebirds seen included AMERICAN AVOCET, GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, DUNLIN, and WILSON’S SNIPE. SANDHILL CRANES were found at Shearness Pool. ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and AMERICAN TREE SPARROW were found along the Auto Tour.
The flock of BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS were re-found on Wheatley’s Pond off Route 300 in Clayton. The previously reported BARNACLE GOOSE was seen with a ROSS’S GOOSE at Massey’s Church Road north of Duck Creek in Smyrna. The previously reported adult drake CINNAMON TEAL has not been re-seen but the drake EURASIAN WIGEON was found off Pickering Beach along with NORTHERN GANNET. Lots of waterfowl are in the Mahon impoundment at Little Creek Wildlife Area including LESSER SCAUP, RING-NECKED DUCK, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON and HOODED MERGANSER, plus over 1000 AMERICAN COOTS. SHORT-EARED OWLS were seen this week from the Port Mahon Road. BARRED OWL was reported along the Big Stoen Beach Road. RING-NECKED DUCKS were seen on Tub Mill Pond near Milford.
A flock of 17 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were discovered on Canal Pond off Cox Neck Road near Delaware City with MUTE SWAN and PIED-BILLED GREBE. An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was found along the dike at Canal Pond. In Delaware City, a MERLIN was seen at the beginning of the Mike Castle Trail, WILD TURKEY was seen in Ft. Dupont. An AMERICAN WOODCOCK was flushed along Clark’s-Corner Road and WOOD DUCKS were seen on Dragon Run at the canoe ramp. A PEREGRINE FALCON was seen on the St. George’s Bridge. GREAT EGRET was found on at Thousand Acre March from the Shilling Tract. A total of 31 SANDHILL CRANES were seen on the Augustine Creek south of Port Penn. CACKLING GOOSE, EASTERN MEADOWLARK and HORNED LARK were seen Charles Price Park near Middletown.
ICELAND, GLAUCOUS and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL plus a SHORT-EARED OWL were seen at Cherry Island in the Wilmington Landfill on Saturday. Another ICELAND GULL, along with LEAST SANDPIPER and PALM WARBLER was reported at the Veolia Water Treatment Plant. Waterfowl at the water treatment plant included a female COMMON GOLDENEYE, AMERICAN WIGEON, WOOD, RUDDY and RING-NECKED DUCK, LESSER SCAUP and COOT. Unfortunately, these two areas are private access. AMERICAN TREE SPARROW and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER were found along Hay Road in Edgemoor near the bridge over Shellpot Creek. Another ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was seen at Luken’s Industrial Park in New Castle. AMERICAN PIPITS were seen at the New Castle Elementary Schook baseball field. GREAT CORMORANT, LESSER SCAUP, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER and RUDDY DUCK were seen at the wharf in Battery Park.
The previously reported RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS continue to be seen at the First State Historical Park, Brandywine Unit south of Ramsey Road. RING-NECKED DUCK, HOODED MERGANSER, and COMMON RAVEN were found at Harry’s Pond at the Brandywine Town Center. FOX SPARROW was coming to a feeder in Brandywine Hundred. COMMON RAVEN, CHIPPING SPARROW, PURPLE FINCH and YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER were seen at Ashland Nature Center. HOODED MERGANSER was seen at Auburn Heights State Park. An AMERICAN WOODCOCK was found at Banning Park in Newport. A pair of COMMON MERGANSERS were seen on Newark Reservoir. RUSTY BLACKBIRD was seen at Phillips Park in Newark. BARRED OWL was reported at Christiana Manor. An EASTERN PHOEBE and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH were reported at Hopkins Bridge in White Clay Creek State Park. A third ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was visiting a yard near Glasgow.
Thanks to all the people that make the Birdline possible, including Sharon Dounce, Kate Tullis, Phillip Liu, Martha Frost, Don Holcomb, Jonah Schwarz, Ian Teall, Greg Darone, Carolyn Holland, Mary Braun, Rob Blye, Sue Gruver, Greg Gough, Phil Misseldine, Debbie Blair, Nancy Cunningham, Anthony Gonzon, Will Krohn, Jim and Amy White, Sally O’Byrne, Joe Sebastiani, David Thomas, Clay Chianese, Gary Griffith, Frank Lenik, Christian Scheibe, Wayne Longbottom, Ryleigh Sweet, Jessica Shahan, Melissa Lafferty, Jean-Marie Gauthier, Alison Ellicott, Laureen Eick-Benson, Walt Blackwell, Andy Jenkins, Sheila Smith, Amy and Declan O’Neil, John and Andy Dunn, Sam VanHorne, Joe Francis, Andrea Martin, Mike Moore, Bruce Peterjohn, and Joe Swertinski. Special thanks to Joe Tricarico who recently completed his 200th list distribution to DOS members. Birdline needs your sightings. Please call your reports into 302-463-0113 or email <ednieap...> Until next week, this is Andy Ednie ! wishing you good birding!
