[de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, July 19th, 2009
Subject: [de-birds] RBA: Birdline Delaware, July 19th, 2009
From: Andy Ednie
Date: Fri, Jul 10, 2009, 8:59 PM
RBA
* Delaware
* Statewide
* July 10, 2009
* DEST0907.10
*Birds mentioned
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Red-breasted Merganser
Brown Pelican
Tricolored Heron
Little Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Roseate Spoonbill
Black Vulture
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Wild Turkey
Northern Bobwhite
Clapper Rail
American Oystercatcher
Black-necked Stilt
Whimbrel
Spotted Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Royal Tern
Black Skimmer
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Re-headed Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Purple Martin
Warbling Vireo
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Veery
Prairie Warbler
Black and White Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Kentucky Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Summer Tanager
Dickcissel
Grasshopper Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Baltimore Oriole
Orchard Oriole
Hotline: Birdline Delaware
Date: Hotline: Birdline Delaware
Date: July 10, 2009
Number: 302-658-2747
To Report: Andy Ednie 302-792-9591 (VOICE)
Compiler: Andy Ednie ((email address filtered))
Coverage: Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, nearby Delaware Valley, Southern
New Jersey, Maryland
Transcriber: Andy Ednie ((email address filtered))
For Friday, July 10th, this is Birdline Delaware from the Delaware Museum of
Natural History in Greenville. The 2009 Unofficial Delaware State Year List
increased to 293 species this week.
There are now two ROSEATE SPOONBILLS in Delaware!
One SPOONBILL is still being seen at the Catch 54 Restaurant in Fenwick
Island. This location is west of the intersection of Delaware Rt 1 and Rt
54, just north of the Maryland line. The Catch 54 Restaurant is just west of
the canal between the Big and Little Assawoman Bays, turn onto Bennett Rd.
to look for the bird.
A new SPOONBILL showed up this week at Fowler's Beach, on the north side of
Prime Hook NWR. That bird was first seen on Tuesday and was confirmed to be
a second bird yesterday when both birds were reported simultaneously over 15
miles apart. This second bird was seen along the Fowler's Beach Road, about
150 yard from the beach. It has also been seen flying north, headed towards
Slaughter's Beach.
A new bird at the Catch 54 Restaurant this week was WHIMBREL. Also seen were
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, ROYAL TERN, BLACK SKIMMER, CLAPPER RAIL, and
BROWN PELICAN at the Catch 54 Restaurant. Several AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS
were seen with both birds, an exceptional year for this rare Delaware
nester.
For those venturing down to Sussex Co., there were some good birds along Rt
54 east of Selbyville included RED-HEADED WOODPECKER along Hudson Rd. Look
for the trashed sofa by the side of the road. PROTHONOTARY and WORM-EATING
WARBLER were also there. ORCHARD ORIOLE, KENTUCKY and BLACK AND WHITE
WARBLER were also reported.
Another DICKCISSEL was found this week in Sussex Co, the fourth singing male
this summer. This bird was in the field approaching the headquarters at
Prime Hook NWR off the Broadkill Beach Rd. GRASSHOPPER SPARROW was also
reported there, along with WILD TURKEY and BOBWHITE.
The DICKCISSEL at Fleatown Rd and Clendaniel Pond Rd near Milford was again
reported this weekend. GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS were also seen there, along with
PURPLE MARTIN and BLACK VULTURE.
BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH was reported at Redden State Forest, along the
Education Trail at the headquarters. Also found were KENTUCKY WARBLER and
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. In Georgetown, a female SUMMER TANAGER was reported,
along with BLUE GROSBEAK and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW.
The BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK continues to be seen at Silver Lake in
Rehoboth Beach. 4 BROWN PELICANS were seen flying over Rt 1 by Indian River
Inlet this weekend. At least a dozen BROWN PELICANS were seen on Rehoboth
Bay at Delaware Seashore State Park, along with 2 drake RED-BREASTED
MERGANSERS and 5 TRICOLORED HERONS. 8 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS were also
seen.
A SPOTTED SANDPIPER was seen at Mispillion Inlet along with 2 AMERICAN
OYSTERCATCHERS. A BLACK-NECKED STILT with downy chick was seen at Big Stone
Beach, in the marsh along the north side of the road.
2 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS were seen at Harry's Pond at the Brandywine
Town Center off Rt 202 in north Wilmington. LITTLE BLUE HERONS were seen at
the JP Morgan/AAA ponds along Rt 7 in Stanton this week as post breeding
dispersal is starting to heat up.
A PILEATED WOODPECKER was seen flying into the Lenden Green Park off Rt 1
south of the Christiana Mall this week. BLUE GROSBEAK was seen feeding young
at Middle Run Nature Preserve near Newark.
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and PRAIRIE WARBLER were reported at Brandywine Creek
State Park, by the entrance booth. EASTERN MEADOWLARKS have young out of the
nest along the entrance road to the nature center.
Delaware's only breeding SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS at Ashland Nature Center were
feature in the newspaper last week WARBLING VIREO, BALTIMORE ORIOLE,
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, BLUE GROSBEAK, and VEERY were also seen last week at
Ashland.
Now for this week's special feature from WILM News Radio.
It is not often when an entirely pink bird shows up in your yard. This is no
lawn flamingo, but is closely related. Fenwick Island is hosting Delaware's
first record of ROSEATE SPOONBILL, and it roost in a yard near Bennett Rd.
SPOONBILLS are long-legged waders, related to storks and egrets. Their bill
is long and spatula shaped, like a heron eating a Big Mac. There are six
different species of spoonbill worldwide. The EURASIAN SPOONBILL has a wide
distribution from southern Europe to Japan. It has a crest of long plumes
atop its head and yellowish throat and crest feathers during breeding
season, the same color as a CATTLE EGRET.
The ROSEATE SPOONBILL of the American tropics has a really cool scientific
name: Ajaia ajaja. It ranges across the Caribbean and north to southern
Florida, Louisiana, and Texas and is unique because if its pink color. It
gets that color the same way as a Flamingo, from extracting proteins from
crustaceans. Two years ago, a SPOONBILL was at Forsytle NWR near Atlantic
City. That bird stayed for almost two months before disappearing. Maybe that
bird got to New Jersey by first crossing through Delaware.
Delaware's SPOONBILL was discovered in Fenwick Island, along the canal to
Little Assawoman Bay. The best view is at the Catch 54 Restaurant, the bar
looks out over the marsh. The general manager, Sarah Narbat says the
restaurant has enjoyed the birders coming into see the spoonbill, and it's
good for business. You can sit there enjoying good food and see a rare pink
bird. The wait staff and bar tenders have taken a keen interest in the local
ornithology. Once again, birding is helping the local economy.
Marylanders are fickle with only two previous SPOONBILL records from the
Free State, both from Smith Island, the last in 1996. This SPOONBILL is only
a half mile from the Mason-Dixon Line so birders are lined up waiting for
Delaware's SPOONBILL to crosses over Big Assawoman Bay just to add it to
their state list. In basketball, this would be called cherry picking!
Special thanks this week to Bill Fintel, Andrew Albright, Alex Zorach, Bill
Stewart, Kim Steininger, and Chris Bennett for their updates. You can report
your sightings or add to the Delaware state year list by calling
302-792-9591, or email (email address filtered). Thanks for calling and good
birding!
-end transcript
Andy Ednie
Claymont, Delaware
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