Date: 1/2/26 4:19 pm From: Andrew Ednie <000006be14ba5998-dmarc-request...> Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, January 2nd, 2026
RBA * Delaware * Statewide * January 2, 2026 * DEST 26.01.02
*Birds mentioned BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK Ross’s Goose Brant BARNACLE GOOSE Cackling Goose GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE Tundra Swan Mute Swan Gadwall American Wigeon EURASIAN WIGEON Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup HARLEQUIN DUCK Black Scoter Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter COMMON EIDER Long-tailed Duck Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Sandhill Crane Black-bellied Plover Ruddy Turnstone Greater Yellowlegs Willet American Woodcock Purple Sandpiper Forester’s Tern Bonaparte’s Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Iceland Gull Glaucous Gull Horned Grebe Great Cormorant Northern Gannet Brown Pelican Black-crowned Night Heron Short-eared Owl Red-headed Woodpecker Eastern Phoebe Blue-headed Vireo Tree Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Northern House Wren Evening Grosbeak Purple Finch American Tree Sparrow Fox Sparrow Rusty Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orange-crowned Warbler Pine Warbler WESTERN TANAGER PAINTED BUNTING
Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: January 2, 2026 To Report: Andy Ednie 302-792-9591 (VOICE) Compiler: Andy Ednie (<ednieap...>) Coverage: Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, nearby Delaware Valley, Southern New Jersey, Maryland
Welcome to 2026! For Friday, January 2nd 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 is already at 143 species.
Today, a drake REDHEAD was found at Brandywine Creek State Park. This bird was seen on the river north of Thompson’s Bridge hanging out with the MALLARDS. You can see this bird from the Thompson’s Bridge parking lot if you look upriver under the bridge. The previously reported RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS continue to be seen at the First State National Historical Park, Brandywine Unit south of Ramsey Road. A BALTIMORE ORIOLE was seen New Years Eve at Harry’s Pond at the Brandywine Town Center, along with RING-NECKED DUCK, HOODED MERGANSER, and GADWALL A flock of 25 PURPLE FINCHES were seen visiting the feeders at Ashland Nature Center, An EASTERN PHOEBE was found today at the pump house between Wedgewood and Hopkins Bridge Roads in White Clay Creek State Park. RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were reported at Phillips Park in Newark.
Lots of YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS and HERMIT THRUSH are being seen this year and there are good numbers of FOX SPARROWS around, especially downstate. There were five reports of ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS this week, as birds visited feeders throughout the state after the snow. ORANGE-CROWNS were seen in Newport, Port Penn, Milford and two in Lewes. There was a scattering of PINE WARBLERS reported in Sussex Co. but the furthest north was a PINE WARBLER coming to a feeder near Port Penn.
It was a wild goose chase to start the new year. The previously reported BARNACLE GOOSE continues to be seen in the north Smyrna area, off Clark Farm or Massey’s Church Road. ROSS’S, CACKLING, and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED were seen at Charles Price Park in Middletown. A female COMMON GOLDENEYE was seen with COMMON MERGANSERS on Noxontown Pond near Middletown. An AMERICAN WOODCOCK was flushed in Blackbird State Forest near Townsend. The flock of BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS were re-found on Wheatley’s Pond off Route 300 in Clayton, along with CACKLING GOOSE and the previously reported escape RINGED TEAL.
The previously reported female PAINTED BUNTING was photographed at Bear Swamp in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge yesterday. This bird was seen just past the parking area to the Bear Swamp tower at the edge of the marsh. A SORA was found at the bridge near the Bear Swamp tower along with AMERICAN TREE SPARROW. Waterfowl reported were CACKLING GOOSE, TUNDRA and MUTE SWAN, plus COMMON and HOODED MERGANSER. Seven SANDHILL CRANES were found along Whitehall Neck Road. A single WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW was seen at the Aquatic Center along Route 9 at Woodland Beach.
SHORT-EARED OWLS were reported at Port Mahon and at Dover Air Force Base. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES were seen along the Big Stone Beach Road in Milford Neck Wildlife Area. BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER was seen at Bennett’s Pier. GREATER SCAUP, LONG-TAILED DUCK, and RED-THROATED LOON was found at Big Stone Beach. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON was seen at the Marvel Salt Marsh Preserve in north Slaughters Beach.
The previously reported WESTERN TANAGER continues at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. The bird was seen behind the maintenance sheds at the headquarters building along the Black Farm Trail. WOODCOCK was reported at Foord’s Landing. An EASTERN PHOEBE was seen along Prime Hook Beach Road prior to the intersection with Cods Road. WILLET, SNOW BUNTINGS, and SHORT-EARED OWL were found at Fowler’s Beach.
An ICELAND GULL was seen from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. GLAUCOUS GULL along with RUDDY TURNSTONE and BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER was seen on the bayshore at Cape Henlopen State Park. SNOW BUNTING, BRANT, BROWN PELICAN and NORTHERN GANNET were seen at Cape Henlopen Point. RED-BREASTED and BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES were seen at the Seaside Nature Center. There was a flock of 130 CANVASBACK on Silver Lake in Rehoboth Beach.
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. FORSTER’S TERN, BONAPARTE’S and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, RUDDY TURNSTONE and PURPLE SANDPIPER were seen on the jetty. A single TREE SWALLOW was seen at the inlet yesterday. EURASIAN WIGEON with about 500 AMERICAN WIGEON was found at Assawoman Wildlife Area.
A flock of EVENING GROSBEAKS was discovered at Trap Pond State Park. These birds were seen along the Bob Trail about a half mile south of the nature center along the western side of the pond. There is an interpretive sign for “Hidden Forest” in the vicinity where the GROSBEAKS were found. Also seen in that area was BLUE-HEADED VIREO, PURPLE FINCH, and all three species of NUTHATCH, RED-BREASTED, BROWN-HEADED and WHITE-BREASTED. RED-HEADED WOODPECKER continues to be seen at the Peninsula Nature Center in Millsboro, along with a NORTHERN HOUSE WREN was in a yard nearby. A big flock of RUSTY BLACKBIRDS was seen at Abbott’s Mill Nature Center.
Thanks to all the people that make the Birdline possible, including David Bridge, Chris Rankin, Megan Kasprazak, Glen Lovelace, Terry Villaneauva, Wendy Cesario, Rod Murray, Kent Raymond, Alan Belford, Michael O’Brien, Brian Henderson, Kerry FitzPatrick, Cole Tiamman, Ken Rosenthal, Andrew Albright, Martha Eisenhour, Natalie Cavallieri, Peter DeGennero, Teddy Burke, Martha Frost, Don Holcomb, Ian Teall, Greg Darone, Carolyn Holland, Mary Braun, Rob Blye, Sue Gruver, Greg Gough, Phil Misseldine, Steve McInnis, Richard Julian, Alice Mohrman, Nancy Cunningham, Anthony Gonzon, Chirs and Karen Bennett, Sean O’Conner, Hannah Small, Jim and Amy White, Ryleigh Sweet, Melissa Lafferty, Jean-Marie Gauthier, Alison Ellicott, Walt Blackwell, Andy Jenkins, Frank Rohrbacher, Jennifer Christy, Sheila Smith, Amy and Declan O’Neil, John and Andy Dunn, Joe Francis, Mike Moore, Bruce Peterjohn, and Joe Swertinski. Special thanks to Joe Tricarico for list distribution to DOS members. Bir! dline 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 and Happy New Year!
