RBA
* Delaware
* Statewide
* March 29, 2007
* DEST0703.29
*Birds mentioned
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Green-winged Teal
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Canvasback
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Long-tailed Duck
Surf Scoter
Common Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Merganser
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Common Loon
Red-throated Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Great cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Northern Gannet
Great Egret
Little Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Glossy Ibis
Black Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Black-bellied Plover
Piping Plover
American Avocet
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Wilson's Snipe
Bonaparte's Gull
Forster's Tern
Pileated Woodpecker
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin
Eastern Phoebe
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
House Wren
Brown Thrasher
American Pipit
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
American Tree Sparrow
"Ipswich" Savannah Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Rusty Blackbird
- Transcript
Hotline: Birdline Delaware
Date: March 29, 2007
Number: 302/658-2747
To Report: Armas Hill, 302/529-1876 (VOICE)
302/529-1085 (FAX)
Compiler: Andy Ednie (ednieap@fcc.net)
Coverage: Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, nearby Delaware Valley, Southern
New Jersey, Maryland
Transcriber: Andy Ednie (ednieap@fcc.net)
This is Birdline Delaware, for Thursday, March 29, 2007, from the Delaware
Museum of Natural History in Greenville. Hello. I'm Andy Ednie, substituting
for Armas Hill.
This week, four species of warbler were found in the state. A
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was found with several PINE and YELLOW-RUMPED
WARBLERS at the powerline cut along the Pickering Beach Road on Tuesday.
BROWN THRASHER was also seen there.
Two PALM WARBLERS were seen by Bear Swamp in Bombay Hook on Tuesday. Also, a
HOUSE WREN was found at Finis Pool last weekend. These are either early
arrivals or late lingerers that survived the winter. Also seen were
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS.
There has been a disputed GREBE reported over the weekend on the pond going
to the Alle House. That bird has been reported as either a RED-NECKED GREBE
or a molting HORNED GREBE, but it has not been seen since.
The previously reported RED-NECKED GREBE at Newark Reservoir was not there
on Sunday, although 3 HORNED GREBES and a PIED-BILLED GREBE was present.
LESSER SCAUP, RING-NECKED DUCK, BUFFLEHEAD, and RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS were
also found.
A HORNED GREBE, changing into breeding plumage, has been in Harry's Pond,
behind the Brandywine Town Center near the Regal Cinema all week.
PIED-BILLED GREBE, AMERICAN WIGEON and RING-NECKED DUCKS have also been on
that pond.
Over 100+ GREAT EGRETS were reported at Pea Patch Island, flying into the
heronry there, along with 14 LITTLE BLUE HERONS. A LITTLE BLUE HERON was
also reported at the tower in Little Creek. GLOSSY IBIS were reported there
and at Woodland Beach Wildlife Area. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS have also
returned to their haunts at Bear Swamp in Bombay Hook.
50 AMERICAN AVOCETS were found at the Logan tract section of Ted Harvey
Conservation Area near Kitts Hummock on Sunday. 2 PIPING PLOVERS were seen
at the point at Cape Henlopen. About 20 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS along with a
FORSTER'S TERN were seen at the Shearness mud flats with both GREATER and
LESSER YELLOWLEGS.
TREE SWALLOWS are now being seen everywhere. A single PURPLE MARTIN was
reported at the Logan Tract. A very early NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW was
reported at Hangman's Run, along Rt 9 below Odessa on Tuesday. PHOEBE,
WILSON'S SNIPE, and a large number of puddle ducks were also seen there.
Waterfowl numbers have been dropping, but there are still plenty to be seen.
A peak count of 120 WOOD Ducks was recorded at the Broad Dyke Marsh on the
north side of New Castle this week. 4 COMMON GOLDENEYE and a flock of
BONAPARTE'S GULLS were also reported at New Castle.
The first report of BLUE-WINGED TEAL was reported at Dragon Run in Delaware
City on Saturday. SURF SCOTER, GREATER and LESSER SCAUP were seen off
Broadkill Beach. A few TUNDRA SWANS continue to be seen, including a pair at
Bear Swamp, one at Cedar Creek Mill Pond, and several flyovers at Delaware
City. A drake CANVASBACK was also reported at Cedar Creek Mill Pond.
CANVASBACK numbers were way down at Silver Lake in Rehoboth Beach this week,
only about 75 remain there. There are still over 300 RUDDY DUCKS there and a
single AMERICAN COOT.
One of the best areas for waterfowl continues to be the north pond at the
Logan Tract. Puddle ducks there include NORTHERN SHOVELER, GADWALL, and
AMERICAN WIGEON. Divers include LESSER SCAUP, RING-NECKED DUCK, RED-BREASTED
MERGANSER, and RUDDY DUCK. Several hundred COOTS are also present.
There are still about 30 LONG-TAILED DUCKS at Indian River Inlet this week.
Some of those are going into spectacular breeding plumage. COMMON and
RED-THROATED LOONS are also there, along with both GREAT and DOUBLE-CRESTED
CORMORANT. A big flight of NORTHERN GANNET was observed on Wednesday along
the coast, with over 100 birds an hour heading north.
A COMMON LOON in breeding plumage was also seen this week on Hoopes'
Reservoir. That bird was seen for the Hillside Mill Road cove. GREAT
CORMORANTS, with their big white flank patch, can be seen on the green
channel marker on the Delaware River, from I-495 between Edgemoor and
Claymont.
Raptors are also on the move. A nice flight of 20 SHARP-SHINED and a COOPER'S
HAWK was reported on Tuesday at the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch. AMERICAN
KESTRELS were also seen at several locations the same day. BLACK VULTURES
were reported from several locations, including 10 at Dragon Run, 4 over
Henlopen Acres, 7 in Dover, and several near Odessa. A RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS
was found at White Clay Creek State Park, Ashland Nature Center and another
has been eating frogs out of a pond near Glasgow. That pond also had a pair
of HOODED MERGANSERS there last week.
BALD EAGLE nests were reported at Bombay Hook; between Woodland Beach and
the marsh, at Little Creek; south of the tower but also visible from the
Pickering Beach Road, and along the South Little Creek Road near Dover.
OSPREYS were seen at Wilmington Marsh and on the Reedy Point Bridge.
FOX and CHIPPING SPARROWS were reported coming to several feeders this week.
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS were still present at the Prime Hook Headquarters and
at Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area. AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS were seen at Cedar
Swamp and along the C&D Canal at Reedy Point. A wayward "IPSWICH" SAVANNAH
SPARROW was found on the jetty along the beach at the Henlopen Acres Beach
Club last week.
AMERICAN PIPITS were reported last week at the field by Cottman Pool near
the parking lot to Raymond tower at Bombay Hook. A single PIPIT was found in
a field near New Castle. RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were reported this week at Bombay
Hook and in the marsh at Ashland Nature Center.
Today, a PALM WARBLER was seen at Brandywine Creek State Park. PILEATED
WOODPECKER, EASTERN PHOEBE, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (singing its spring song),
and FOX SPARROW were also reported. EASTERN MEADOWLARKS have returned to the
fields in front of the nature center. 6 species of waterfowl were found on
the Brandywine, including WOOD DUCK, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, BLACK DUCK, and
COMMON MERGANSER.
Now for this week's special feature on the Birdline, from WILM News Radio.
You can hear the special feature on Wednesday's at 5:55 and 8:55 am and at
6:55 pm.
A large shadow passes over flying up the Brandywine valley. With long
crooked wings and black and white pattern, it is the return to of the OSPREY
to Delaware. A bird that was once nearly extinct is re-colonizing its former
haunts. OSPREYS are fish hawks, their long talons and hooked beak are
specially adapted for fishing. They are one of the few species found
globally, on every continent except Antarctica.
Our OSPREY returns each spring to nest. The male performs an elaborate
courtship dance. He will pirouette high into the sky, calling (Osprey SFx)
to attract a mate. The parents lay 3-4 oval eggs, white with rusty brown
splotches. The young leave the nest and spend the next two years in the
Caribbean, before returning themselves to breed.
The OSPREY is a conservation success story. Worldwide, they have been a
threatened species. In England, Victorian egg collectors raided their nests.
They were persecuted and shot for taking game fish like trout and salmon. In
1916, the population dropped to 16 pairs in all of Great Britain. DDT caused
the same thinning of the egg shell that decimated the BALD EAGLE, it almost
causing the extinction of the species.
Luckily, while other populations of OSPREY in England and Long Island Sound
were devastated, a small breeding colony of 30 pairs persisted at Rehoboth
Bay. That population grew and expanded up the Delaware River. Last year,
there were 4 active nests right here, in Wilmington. Their large nest can be
seen on channel markers, telephone poles or nest platforms specially placed
in the marsh behind Frawley Stadium.
So, as you walk along the Christiana at Riverfront Park, keep an eye out
overhead, for a large bird hovering to take a fish. You might just see a
bird saved from the brink of extinction.
Please call your reports into 302-792-9591 or email me at ednieap@fcc.net.
My thanks to Eric Braun, Maury Barnhill, Gary Charles, and Bill Stewart for
their reports. Until next time, good birding.
-end transcript
* Delaware
* Statewide
* March 29, 2007
* DEST0703.29
*Birds mentioned
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Green-winged Teal
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Canvasback
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Long-tailed Duck
Surf Scoter
Common Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Merganser
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Common Loon
Red-throated Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Great cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Northern Gannet
Great Egret
Little Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Glossy Ibis
Black Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Black-bellied Plover
Piping Plover
American Avocet
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Wilson's Snipe
Bonaparte's Gull
Forster's Tern
Pileated Woodpecker
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin
Eastern Phoebe
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
House Wren
Brown Thrasher
American Pipit
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
American Tree Sparrow
"Ipswich" Savannah Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Rusty Blackbird
- Transcript
Hotline: Birdline Delaware
Date: March 29, 2007
Number: 302/658-2747
To Report: Armas Hill, 302/529-1876 (VOICE)
302/529-1085 (FAX)
Compiler: Andy Ednie (ednieap@fcc.net)
Coverage: Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, nearby Delaware Valley, Southern
New Jersey, Maryland
Transcriber: Andy Ednie (ednieap@fcc.net)
This is Birdline Delaware, for Thursday, March 29, 2007, from the Delaware
Museum of Natural History in Greenville. Hello. I'm Andy Ednie, substituting
for Armas Hill.
This week, four species of warbler were found in the state. A
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was found with several PINE and YELLOW-RUMPED
WARBLERS at the powerline cut along the Pickering Beach Road on Tuesday.
BROWN THRASHER was also seen there.
Two PALM WARBLERS were seen by Bear Swamp in Bombay Hook on Tuesday. Also, a
HOUSE WREN was found at Finis Pool last weekend. These are either early
arrivals or late lingerers that survived the winter. Also seen were
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS.
There has been a disputed GREBE reported over the weekend on the pond going
to the Alle House. That bird has been reported as either a RED-NECKED GREBE
or a molting HORNED GREBE, but it has not been seen since.
The previously reported RED-NECKED GREBE at Newark Reservoir was not there
on Sunday, although 3 HORNED GREBES and a PIED-BILLED GREBE was present.
LESSER SCAUP, RING-NECKED DUCK, BUFFLEHEAD, and RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS were
also found.
A HORNED GREBE, changing into breeding plumage, has been in Harry's Pond,
behind the Brandywine Town Center near the Regal Cinema all week.
PIED-BILLED GREBE, AMERICAN WIGEON and RING-NECKED DUCKS have also been on
that pond.
Over 100+ GREAT EGRETS were reported at Pea Patch Island, flying into the
heronry there, along with 14 LITTLE BLUE HERONS. A LITTLE BLUE HERON was
also reported at the tower in Little Creek. GLOSSY IBIS were reported there
and at Woodland Beach Wildlife Area. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS have also
returned to their haunts at Bear Swamp in Bombay Hook.
50 AMERICAN AVOCETS were found at the Logan tract section of Ted Harvey
Conservation Area near Kitts Hummock on Sunday. 2 PIPING PLOVERS were seen
at the point at Cape Henlopen. About 20 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS along with a
FORSTER'S TERN were seen at the Shearness mud flats with both GREATER and
LESSER YELLOWLEGS.
TREE SWALLOWS are now being seen everywhere. A single PURPLE MARTIN was
reported at the Logan Tract. A very early NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW was
reported at Hangman's Run, along Rt 9 below Odessa on Tuesday. PHOEBE,
WILSON'S SNIPE, and a large number of puddle ducks were also seen there.
Waterfowl numbers have been dropping, but there are still plenty to be seen.
A peak count of 120 WOOD Ducks was recorded at the Broad Dyke Marsh on the
north side of New Castle this week. 4 COMMON GOLDENEYE and a flock of
BONAPARTE'S GULLS were also reported at New Castle.
The first report of BLUE-WINGED TEAL was reported at Dragon Run in Delaware
City on Saturday. SURF SCOTER, GREATER and LESSER SCAUP were seen off
Broadkill Beach. A few TUNDRA SWANS continue to be seen, including a pair at
Bear Swamp, one at Cedar Creek Mill Pond, and several flyovers at Delaware
City. A drake CANVASBACK was also reported at Cedar Creek Mill Pond.
CANVASBACK numbers were way down at Silver Lake in Rehoboth Beach this week,
only about 75 remain there. There are still over 300 RUDDY DUCKS there and a
single AMERICAN COOT.
One of the best areas for waterfowl continues to be the north pond at the
Logan Tract. Puddle ducks there include NORTHERN SHOVELER, GADWALL, and
AMERICAN WIGEON. Divers include LESSER SCAUP, RING-NECKED DUCK, RED-BREASTED
MERGANSER, and RUDDY DUCK. Several hundred COOTS are also present.
There are still about 30 LONG-TAILED DUCKS at Indian River Inlet this week.
Some of those are going into spectacular breeding plumage. COMMON and
RED-THROATED LOONS are also there, along with both GREAT and DOUBLE-CRESTED
CORMORANT. A big flight of NORTHERN GANNET was observed on Wednesday along
the coast, with over 100 birds an hour heading north.
A COMMON LOON in breeding plumage was also seen this week on Hoopes'
Reservoir. That bird was seen for the Hillside Mill Road cove. GREAT
CORMORANTS, with their big white flank patch, can be seen on the green
channel marker on the Delaware River, from I-495 between Edgemoor and
Claymont.
Raptors are also on the move. A nice flight of 20 SHARP-SHINED and a COOPER'S
HAWK was reported on Tuesday at the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch. AMERICAN
KESTRELS were also seen at several locations the same day. BLACK VULTURES
were reported from several locations, including 10 at Dragon Run, 4 over
Henlopen Acres, 7 in Dover, and several near Odessa. A RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS
was found at White Clay Creek State Park, Ashland Nature Center and another
has been eating frogs out of a pond near Glasgow. That pond also had a pair
of HOODED MERGANSERS there last week.
BALD EAGLE nests were reported at Bombay Hook; between Woodland Beach and
the marsh, at Little Creek; south of the tower but also visible from the
Pickering Beach Road, and along the South Little Creek Road near Dover.
OSPREYS were seen at Wilmington Marsh and on the Reedy Point Bridge.
FOX and CHIPPING SPARROWS were reported coming to several feeders this week.
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS were still present at the Prime Hook Headquarters and
at Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area. AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS were seen at Cedar
Swamp and along the C&D Canal at Reedy Point. A wayward "IPSWICH" SAVANNAH
SPARROW was found on the jetty along the beach at the Henlopen Acres Beach
Club last week.
AMERICAN PIPITS were reported last week at the field by Cottman Pool near
the parking lot to Raymond tower at Bombay Hook. A single PIPIT was found in
a field near New Castle. RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were reported this week at Bombay
Hook and in the marsh at Ashland Nature Center.
Today, a PALM WARBLER was seen at Brandywine Creek State Park. PILEATED
WOODPECKER, EASTERN PHOEBE, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (singing its spring song),
and FOX SPARROW were also reported. EASTERN MEADOWLARKS have returned to the
fields in front of the nature center. 6 species of waterfowl were found on
the Brandywine, including WOOD DUCK, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, BLACK DUCK, and
COMMON MERGANSER.
Now for this week's special feature on the Birdline, from WILM News Radio.
You can hear the special feature on Wednesday's at 5:55 and 8:55 am and at
6:55 pm.
A large shadow passes over flying up the Brandywine valley. With long
crooked wings and black and white pattern, it is the return to of the OSPREY
to Delaware. A bird that was once nearly extinct is re-colonizing its former
haunts. OSPREYS are fish hawks, their long talons and hooked beak are
specially adapted for fishing. They are one of the few species found
globally, on every continent except Antarctica.
Our OSPREY returns each spring to nest. The male performs an elaborate
courtship dance. He will pirouette high into the sky, calling (Osprey SFx)
to attract a mate. The parents lay 3-4 oval eggs, white with rusty brown
splotches. The young leave the nest and spend the next two years in the
Caribbean, before returning themselves to breed.
The OSPREY is a conservation success story. Worldwide, they have been a
threatened species. In England, Victorian egg collectors raided their nests.
They were persecuted and shot for taking game fish like trout and salmon. In
1916, the population dropped to 16 pairs in all of Great Britain. DDT caused
the same thinning of the egg shell that decimated the BALD EAGLE, it almost
causing the extinction of the species.
Luckily, while other populations of OSPREY in England and Long Island Sound
were devastated, a small breeding colony of 30 pairs persisted at Rehoboth
Bay. That population grew and expanded up the Delaware River. Last year,
there were 4 active nests right here, in Wilmington. Their large nest can be
seen on channel markers, telephone poles or nest platforms specially placed
in the marsh behind Frawley Stadium.
So, as you walk along the Christiana at Riverfront Park, keep an eye out
overhead, for a large bird hovering to take a fish. You might just see a
bird saved from the brink of extinction.
Please call your reports into 302-792-9591 or email me at ednieap@fcc.net.
My thanks to Eric Braun, Maury Barnhill, Gary Charles, and Bill Stewart for
their reports. Until next time, good birding.
-end transcript