RBA
* Delaware
* Statewide
* April 13, 2006
* DEST0604.13
* Birds mentioned:
Common Loon
Red-throated Loon
Northern Gannet
Great Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Cattle Egret
Little Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Glossy Ibis
Tundra Swan
Brant
Ring-necked Duck
Bufflehead
Surf Scoter
Black Scoter
Wood Duck
Black Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Northern Bobwhite (nj)
Chukar (nj)
Clapper Rail
King Rail
Virginia Rail
Sora
American Golden Plover
Piping Plover
Greater Yellowlegs
Purple Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Bonaparte's Gull
Laughing Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Caspian Tern
Barred Owl
Whip-poor-will
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Horned Lark
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Hermit Thrush
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Purple Martin
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-and-white Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Louisiana Waterthrush
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Swamp Parrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Brewer's Blackbird (nj)
Eastern Meadowlark (nj)
Pine Siskin
Meadow Fritillary
Red Admiral
Birdline Delaware
Date: March 31, 2006
Number: 302/658-2747
To Report: Armas Hill, 302/529-1876 (VOICE)
302/529-1085 (FAX)
Compiler: Armas Hill
Coverage: Delaware, and southern New Jersey
Transcriber: Risë Hill
For Thursday, April 13th, this is Birdline
Delaware - from the Delaware Museum of Natural
History, and supported by a number of regional
birders. I'm Armas Hill, glad to be with you again.
With a summary of recent bird reports from
various places throughout Delaware, and nearby:
In a yard in New Castle, during recent days,
there have been as many as 5 TOWHEES.
On a bridge, the Reedy Point Bridge over the C&D
Canal south of Delaware City, there have been a pair of PEREGRINE FALCONS.
In an area of marsh, just south of the C&D Canal,
specifically at Grier's Pond, there's been KING
RAIL, VIRGINIA RAIL, and SORA. Also in that area
there have been numbers of LITTLE BLUE HERONS and
GLOSSY IBIS. All 3 RAILS just mentioned were
heard yesterday, April 12th, before dawn.
More than 75 GLOSSY IBIS flushed from the Dragon
Run marsh, near Delaware City, on Sunday, April 9th, at about 6:30pm.
33 CATTLE EGRETS were tallied on a lawn in
Augustine Beach on Wednesday, April 12th.
A few miles to the south, that morning, along
Staves Landing Road, there were 6 KESTRELS
perched along about 150 yards of a wire; they
were actively hunting, catching insects. HORNED
LARKS were singing in fields nearby.
Further south, along Route 9, BARN SWALLOWS are
now present at bridges, such as the one over the
Appoquinimink (where the last few springs &
summers there have also been CLIFF SWALLOWS).
A COMMON YELLOWTHROAT was singing at Taylors Gut,
along Route 9, yesterday morning, April 9th.
Among the SHOREBIRDS in that area, there were PECTORALS and LEASTS.
At Bombay Hook Refuge in central Delaware, on
Sunday, April 9th, a GOLDEN PLOVER was seen from
the Shearness Tower. It was on the little island
by the tower. It may have been the same bird that
was previously noted near Bombay Hook.
Other SHOREBIRDS there included again PECTORAL
SANDPIPERS, a nice number, and LEAST SANDPIPERS, a few.
Among landbirds noted at Bombay Hook on April 9th
were RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET and PALM WARBLER at Finis Pool.
Late in the day at Bombay Hook, on April 12th,
there were 9 BALD EAGLES together, 8 juveniles
and 1 adult, on the Leatherberry mudflat.
Also that afternoon at Bombay Hook there were
both BLACK-CROWNED and YELLOW-CROWNED
NIGHT-HERONS at Bear Swamp (about a dozen of the
former, and 1 of the latter). Other species at
Bombay Hook that afternoon included CLAPPER RAIL and a lingering TUNDRA SWAN.
South of Bombay Hook, at the Logan Tract of the
Ted Harvey Wildlife Area on April 12th, there
were CASPIAN TERNS and BONAPARTE'S GULL.
Apparently 3 pairs of RING-NECKED DUCKS were
still at Abbotts Mill Pond, this week, on Monday, April 10th.
Along the Delaware Bayshore, from Mispillion
Light, that day, several GANNETS were seen
flying. A GLAUCOUS GULL (2nd year) was also seen
April 10th at Mispillion Light and nearby Slaughter Beach.
GREATER YELLOWLEGS were noted as being common
along the Delaware Bayshore that day.
GULLS were very common at Port Mahon, with an
estimated several thousand there, mostly HERRING,
also RING-BILLED, GREAT BLACK-BACKED, and some
LAUGHING. They were observed floating in a loose
raft on the Bay, as far as could be seen up and down the coast.
Along the Delaware Seacoast, yesterday, April
12th, both COMMON and RED-THROATED LOONS were
seen at the Indian River Inlet, as were both
DOUBLE-CRESTED and GREAT CORMORANTS (1 of the
latter). Both SURF and BLACK SCOTERS were flying by in small flocks.
At Cape Henlopen on April 12th, about 15 PURPLE
SANDPIPERS were on the southern jetty at Herring
Point. 4 PIPING PLOVERS were at Lighthouse Point,
as were about a hundred BRANT.
Near the fishing pier at Cape Henlopen last
weekend, there were some SURF SCOTERS and BUFFLEHEAD.
Elsewhere in southern Delaware, on Monday, April
10th, in the area of Trap Pond, there were:
10 to 15 pairs of WOOD DUCKS,
a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK calling from the forest
between Trap Pond and Raccoon Pond,
a BARRED OWL calling in the swamp upstream from Ellis Pond,
ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS at Ellis Pond,
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS,
LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, along a stream between Trap and Raccoon Ponds,
and PROTHONOTARY WARBLERS at Ellis Pond and Trussum Pond.
In the Redden State Forest on Sunday, April 9th,
there were singing PINE, PALM, and
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS. Also: BLUE-HEADED
VIREO, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS, and RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCH. By the forest headquarters, there were
BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS and WHITE-EYED VIREO.
At Thompson's Island, near Rehoboth, on April
9th, there were many HERMIT THRUSHES, and a nice
number of SAPSUCKERS. A WHIP-POOR-WILL was flushed there that day.
At the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, PINE
and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS are by Turkle Pond.
PURPLE MARTINS are by the refuge office.
This past weekend, SPARROWS noted at Prime Hook
were: FIELD, WHITE-THROATED, SONG, and SWAMP.
Also: RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS and BLUE-GRAY
GNATCATCHERS. At one field, before the office,
there were 5 KESTRELS (a report similar to that
related here earlier from northern Delaware along Staves Landing Road).
Back in northern Delaware, over a residential
area between Route 40 and the Old Baltimore Pike,
on Tuesday, April 11th, 2 birds in the sky
included an adult BALD EAGLE (seen closely) and a lone BLACK VULTURE.
Birds seen at the Brandywine Creek State Park on
Sunday, April 9th, included: numerous WOOD DUCK,
OSPREY, TOWHEES, and PALM WARBLERS. In the
interesting, and odd, department was a
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW on the ground, at an
observer's feet - the SPARROW on its back! The
observer bent over to pick up the bird seemingly
in distress, only to have it turn over & run
away, but only a short distance. It then went
back on its back on the ground, again staring up
at the observer, who, after a moment or so, bent
over again. The bird then scurried away again,
before jumping up onto a branch, and then flying
away! As Bill said, the "darnedest thing he ever saw"!
In the area of the Red Clay Creek, north of
Wilmington, on April 10th, in the vicinity of the
Ashland Nature Center, birds included: both BARN
and ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, and WOOD DUCKS.
Not far away, also on April 10th, 2 PINE SISKINS were still coming to a feeder.
BUTTERFLIES observed lately in the area of the
Red Clay Creek were, on April 10th, a MEADOW
FRITILLARY and a couple RED ADMIRALS.
Across the Delaware River from Delaware,
yesterday, April 12th, BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS
previously noted (on the Philadelphia Birdline
and elsewhere) continued to be seen in Salem
County. 2 were seen on a plowed field by Freas Road.
From along another Salem County road, Featherbed
Lane, north of Sharptown, a BOBWHITE was calling,
and a dozen or so MEADOWLARKS were singing.
But unexpected there, along Featherbed Lane, on
the road, was a CHUKAR. A nice sight. Presumably
locally raised, released or escaped, but still unexpected!
Who know's what's to be expected during a PELAGIC
TRIP next month for SEABIRDS and other
MARINE-LIFE at the Hudson Canyon, off New Jersey.
As it's now Spring, it'll soon be time for that
upcoming annual pelagic trip from Barnegat Light,
New Jersey, to the Hudson Canyon, Saturday/Sunday
May 20/21. Again this year, it'll be an overnight
pelagic trip to be at the canyon at dawn, with
chum on the water, and seabirds in close to the
boat, which will be again the 100-foot "Doris
Mae", a nice fast boat that's good for birding.
Birds during this trip in the past have included
a number of SHEARWATERS, STORM-PETRELS, JAEGERS,
SKUA, FULMAR, TERNS, GULLS, and ALCIDS.
This trip is now about half-filled. If you'd like
to join, please contact FONT (Focus On Nature
Tours) either by phone at 1-800-721-9986, or
e-mail at: font@focusonnature.com
Info is in the website: www.focusonnature.com
Looking ahead to some good birding at sea!
Looking ahead to the Birdline next time, our
Birdline Feature of the Week will be back.
That's it this time. Until next time, good
birding and thank you for tuning in to the Birdline, wherever you may be.
- end transcript
* Delaware
* Statewide
* April 13, 2006
* DEST0604.13
* Birds mentioned:
Common Loon
Red-throated Loon
Northern Gannet
Great Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Cattle Egret
Little Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Glossy Ibis
Tundra Swan
Brant
Ring-necked Duck
Bufflehead
Surf Scoter
Black Scoter
Wood Duck
Black Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Northern Bobwhite (nj)
Chukar (nj)
Clapper Rail
King Rail
Virginia Rail
Sora
American Golden Plover
Piping Plover
Greater Yellowlegs
Purple Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Bonaparte's Gull
Laughing Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Caspian Tern
Barred Owl
Whip-poor-will
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Horned Lark
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Hermit Thrush
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Purple Martin
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-and-white Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Louisiana Waterthrush
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Swamp Parrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Brewer's Blackbird (nj)
Eastern Meadowlark (nj)
Pine Siskin
Meadow Fritillary
Red Admiral
Birdline Delaware
Date: March 31, 2006
Number: 302/658-2747
To Report: Armas Hill, 302/529-1876 (VOICE)
302/529-1085 (FAX)
Compiler: Armas Hill
Coverage: Delaware, and southern New Jersey
Transcriber: Risë Hill
For Thursday, April 13th, this is Birdline
Delaware - from the Delaware Museum of Natural
History, and supported by a number of regional
birders. I'm Armas Hill, glad to be with you again.
With a summary of recent bird reports from
various places throughout Delaware, and nearby:
In a yard in New Castle, during recent days,
there have been as many as 5 TOWHEES.
On a bridge, the Reedy Point Bridge over the C&D
Canal south of Delaware City, there have been a pair of PEREGRINE FALCONS.
In an area of marsh, just south of the C&D Canal,
specifically at Grier's Pond, there's been KING
RAIL, VIRGINIA RAIL, and SORA. Also in that area
there have been numbers of LITTLE BLUE HERONS and
GLOSSY IBIS. All 3 RAILS just mentioned were
heard yesterday, April 12th, before dawn.
More than 75 GLOSSY IBIS flushed from the Dragon
Run marsh, near Delaware City, on Sunday, April 9th, at about 6:30pm.
33 CATTLE EGRETS were tallied on a lawn in
Augustine Beach on Wednesday, April 12th.
A few miles to the south, that morning, along
Staves Landing Road, there were 6 KESTRELS
perched along about 150 yards of a wire; they
were actively hunting, catching insects. HORNED
LARKS were singing in fields nearby.
Further south, along Route 9, BARN SWALLOWS are
now present at bridges, such as the one over the
Appoquinimink (where the last few springs &
summers there have also been CLIFF SWALLOWS).
A COMMON YELLOWTHROAT was singing at Taylors Gut,
along Route 9, yesterday morning, April 9th.
Among the SHOREBIRDS in that area, there were PECTORALS and LEASTS.
At Bombay Hook Refuge in central Delaware, on
Sunday, April 9th, a GOLDEN PLOVER was seen from
the Shearness Tower. It was on the little island
by the tower. It may have been the same bird that
was previously noted near Bombay Hook.
Other SHOREBIRDS there included again PECTORAL
SANDPIPERS, a nice number, and LEAST SANDPIPERS, a few.
Among landbirds noted at Bombay Hook on April 9th
were RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET and PALM WARBLER at Finis Pool.
Late in the day at Bombay Hook, on April 12th,
there were 9 BALD EAGLES together, 8 juveniles
and 1 adult, on the Leatherberry mudflat.
Also that afternoon at Bombay Hook there were
both BLACK-CROWNED and YELLOW-CROWNED
NIGHT-HERONS at Bear Swamp (about a dozen of the
former, and 1 of the latter). Other species at
Bombay Hook that afternoon included CLAPPER RAIL and a lingering TUNDRA SWAN.
South of Bombay Hook, at the Logan Tract of the
Ted Harvey Wildlife Area on April 12th, there
were CASPIAN TERNS and BONAPARTE'S GULL.
Apparently 3 pairs of RING-NECKED DUCKS were
still at Abbotts Mill Pond, this week, on Monday, April 10th.
Along the Delaware Bayshore, from Mispillion
Light, that day, several GANNETS were seen
flying. A GLAUCOUS GULL (2nd year) was also seen
April 10th at Mispillion Light and nearby Slaughter Beach.
GREATER YELLOWLEGS were noted as being common
along the Delaware Bayshore that day.
GULLS were very common at Port Mahon, with an
estimated several thousand there, mostly HERRING,
also RING-BILLED, GREAT BLACK-BACKED, and some
LAUGHING. They were observed floating in a loose
raft on the Bay, as far as could be seen up and down the coast.
Along the Delaware Seacoast, yesterday, April
12th, both COMMON and RED-THROATED LOONS were
seen at the Indian River Inlet, as were both
DOUBLE-CRESTED and GREAT CORMORANTS (1 of the
latter). Both SURF and BLACK SCOTERS were flying by in small flocks.
At Cape Henlopen on April 12th, about 15 PURPLE
SANDPIPERS were on the southern jetty at Herring
Point. 4 PIPING PLOVERS were at Lighthouse Point,
as were about a hundred BRANT.
Near the fishing pier at Cape Henlopen last
weekend, there were some SURF SCOTERS and BUFFLEHEAD.
Elsewhere in southern Delaware, on Monday, April
10th, in the area of Trap Pond, there were:
10 to 15 pairs of WOOD DUCKS,
a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK calling from the forest
between Trap Pond and Raccoon Pond,
a BARRED OWL calling in the swamp upstream from Ellis Pond,
ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS at Ellis Pond,
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS,
LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, along a stream between Trap and Raccoon Ponds,
and PROTHONOTARY WARBLERS at Ellis Pond and Trussum Pond.
In the Redden State Forest on Sunday, April 9th,
there were singing PINE, PALM, and
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS. Also: BLUE-HEADED
VIREO, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS, and RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCH. By the forest headquarters, there were
BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS and WHITE-EYED VIREO.
At Thompson's Island, near Rehoboth, on April
9th, there were many HERMIT THRUSHES, and a nice
number of SAPSUCKERS. A WHIP-POOR-WILL was flushed there that day.
At the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, PINE
and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS are by Turkle Pond.
PURPLE MARTINS are by the refuge office.
This past weekend, SPARROWS noted at Prime Hook
were: FIELD, WHITE-THROATED, SONG, and SWAMP.
Also: RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS and BLUE-GRAY
GNATCATCHERS. At one field, before the office,
there were 5 KESTRELS (a report similar to that
related here earlier from northern Delaware along Staves Landing Road).
Back in northern Delaware, over a residential
area between Route 40 and the Old Baltimore Pike,
on Tuesday, April 11th, 2 birds in the sky
included an adult BALD EAGLE (seen closely) and a lone BLACK VULTURE.
Birds seen at the Brandywine Creek State Park on
Sunday, April 9th, included: numerous WOOD DUCK,
OSPREY, TOWHEES, and PALM WARBLERS. In the
interesting, and odd, department was a
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW on the ground, at an
observer's feet - the SPARROW on its back! The
observer bent over to pick up the bird seemingly
in distress, only to have it turn over & run
away, but only a short distance. It then went
back on its back on the ground, again staring up
at the observer, who, after a moment or so, bent
over again. The bird then scurried away again,
before jumping up onto a branch, and then flying
away! As Bill said, the "darnedest thing he ever saw"!
In the area of the Red Clay Creek, north of
Wilmington, on April 10th, in the vicinity of the
Ashland Nature Center, birds included: both BARN
and ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, and WOOD DUCKS.
Not far away, also on April 10th, 2 PINE SISKINS were still coming to a feeder.
BUTTERFLIES observed lately in the area of the
Red Clay Creek were, on April 10th, a MEADOW
FRITILLARY and a couple RED ADMIRALS.
Across the Delaware River from Delaware,
yesterday, April 12th, BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS
previously noted (on the Philadelphia Birdline
and elsewhere) continued to be seen in Salem
County. 2 were seen on a plowed field by Freas Road.
From along another Salem County road, Featherbed
Lane, north of Sharptown, a BOBWHITE was calling,
and a dozen or so MEADOWLARKS were singing.
But unexpected there, along Featherbed Lane, on
the road, was a CHUKAR. A nice sight. Presumably
locally raised, released or escaped, but still unexpected!
Who know's what's to be expected during a PELAGIC
TRIP next month for SEABIRDS and other
MARINE-LIFE at the Hudson Canyon, off New Jersey.
As it's now Spring, it'll soon be time for that
upcoming annual pelagic trip from Barnegat Light,
New Jersey, to the Hudson Canyon, Saturday/Sunday
May 20/21. Again this year, it'll be an overnight
pelagic trip to be at the canyon at dawn, with
chum on the water, and seabirds in close to the
boat, which will be again the 100-foot "Doris
Mae", a nice fast boat that's good for birding.
Birds during this trip in the past have included
a number of SHEARWATERS, STORM-PETRELS, JAEGERS,
SKUA, FULMAR, TERNS, GULLS, and ALCIDS.
This trip is now about half-filled. If you'd like
to join, please contact FONT (Focus On Nature
Tours) either by phone at 1-800-721-9986, or
e-mail at: font@focusonnature.com
Info is in the website: www.focusonnature.com
Looking ahead to some good birding at sea!
Looking ahead to the Birdline next time, our
Birdline Feature of the Week will be back.
That's it this time. Until next time, good
birding and thank you for tuning in to the Birdline, wherever you may be.
- end transcript