Delaware (Statewide) RBA
July 3, 2009
Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 21:15:01 -0400
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From: Andy Ednie <ednieap@verizon.net>
Subject: [BIRDEAST] RBA: Birdline Delaware, July 3rd, 2009
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RBA
* Delaware
* Statewide
* July 3, 2009
* DEST0907.03
*Birds mentioned
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Snow Goose
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
Double-crested Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Green Heron
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Glossy Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Peregrine Falcon
American Kestrel
American Oystercatcher
Black-necked Stilt
Lesser Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Sandwich Tern
Royal Tern
Black Skimmer
Eurasian Collared Dove
White-winged Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Pileated Woodpecker
Warbling Vireo
Cliff Swallow
Marsh Wren
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Prairie Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Yellow-breasted Chat
Scarlet Tanager
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Dickcissel
Grasshopper Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Hotline: Birdline Delaware
Date: Hotline: Birdline Delaware
Date: July 3, 2009
Number: 302-658-2747
To Report: Andy Ednie 302-792-9591 (VOICE)
Compiler: Andy Ednie (ednieap@verizon.net)
Coverage: Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, nearby Delaware Valley, Southern
New Jersey, Maryland
Transcriber: Andy Ednie (ednieap@verizon.net)
On the day before Independence Day, for Friday, July 3rd, this is Birdline
Delaware from the Delaware Museum of Natural History in Greenville. The 2009
Unofficial Delaware State Year List is now at 292 species, with two new
additions this week.
The ROSEATE 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. . The SPOONBILL has also been seen to the west in the marshes
off Rt 54 opposite the Cape Windsor trailer park and to the east from behind
the Happy Harry's pharmacy. The SPOONBILL has also flown south into Maryland
territory 2-3 times now for those lucky enough to be there.
Other birds in the area include GREEN HERON, GLOSSY IBIS, BROWN PELICAN,
AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, ROYAL TERN, and BLACK SKIMMER. Further west,
EURASIAN COLLARED DOVES continue to be seen in Selbyville off Rt 54 at the
Sussex Eye Care Center. To the north, the BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK
continues to be seen and heard calling at Silver Lake in Rehoboth Beach.
A WHITE-WINGED DOVE was reported this past week at the intersection of Rt 6
and Rt 9 near Woodland Beach. That bird flew off the wire not to be seen
again.
At Cape Henlopen, a SANDWICH TERN was found along the bayside at the point
amongst the COMMON, FORSTER'S and ROYAL TERNS. There were also 24 BROWN
PELICANS on the point, along with AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER.
The DICKCISSELS continues to be seen near Milford off Fleatown Rd and
Clendaniel Pond Rd. GRASSHOPPER SPARROW and EASTERN MEADOWLARK were also
reported. YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO was reported at Milford Neck Wildlife Area on
Wednesday. Also reported were BLUE GROSBEAK, MARSH WREN, and YELLOW-BREASTED
CHAT.
4 YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS were counted on the monthly heron census at
Veteran's Park in Delaware City. A little less then 200 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT
HERONS were also seen, with the usual good numbers of GREAT and SNOWY EGRET,
LITTLE BLUE HERON, and GLOSSY IBIS. Several "CALICO" HERONS were seen along
with nesting DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS. A pair of BALD EAGLES flew over Ft.
DuPont State Park.
Very few shorebirds are back yet, 4 LESSER YELLOWLEGS seen at Shearness
Pool, Bombay Hook NWR today. BLACK SKIMMERS and FORSTER'S TERNS were seen
over Leatherbury Flats. With water levels up, a peak count of 142 GREAT
EGRETS were seen at Shearness today. A dozen BLACK-NECKED STILTS were seen
out on the sand bars there. YELLOW and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS continue
to be reported at Bear Swamp in the refuge. PROTHONOTARY WARBLER continues
to be reported at Finis Pool. SNOW GOOSE, NORTHERN HARRIER, and AMERICAN
KESTREL were also at the refuge.
Birds at Brandywine Creek State Park this week included BLUE GROSBEAK,
BLUEBIRD and INDIGO BUNTING along the disc golf course, LOUISIANA
WATERTHRUSH, ORCHARD ORIOLE, and WARBLING VIREO. AMERICAN KESTRELS and
EASTERN MEADOWLARKS were reported in the fields approaching the
headquarters. KESTRELS nesting in the watertower at Granogue were feeding
their fledgling today.
A MUTE SWAN and WOOD DUCK were seen at Hoopes' Reservoir this week, along
with BALD EAGLE. A WARBLING VIREO continues to sing in the sycamores by the
Walnut Green School. VEERY and SCARLET TANAGER were singing by the Hillside
Mill Rd cove.
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO was reported at Ashland Nature Center. The AMERICAN
REDSTARTS nesting at Mt. Cuba have young this week. BLUE GROSBEAK was found
at Middle Run off Possum Hollow, along with PRAIRIE WARBLER, YELLOW-BREASTED
CHAT, and OVENBIRD
Other rare nesters found on the Breeding Bird Atlas this year included
SPOTTED SANDPIPER in downtown Wilmington, and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK in
Alapocos Woods. PILEATED WOODPECKERS are nesting in Arden along Namann's
Creek, a new bird for that that urban block. There are still a couple of
CLIFF SWALLOWS nesting along Rt 9 near Odessa at the Appoquinmink Creek
Bridge.
Despite nest failure, the PEREGRINE FALCONS are still putting on a good show
over downtown Wilmington. The male PEREGRINE buzzed the parking garage
opposite the Brandywine Building during the field trip there last week.
Now for this week's special feature from WILM News Radio. This is a repeat
from last year's July 4th show
Look on the back of a dollar bill, or the Great Seal of the United States.
There, you'll see the national symbol the AMERICAN EAGLE, a solitary statue
that represents the grandeur and freedom of nature.
The American Eagle is actually the BALD EAGLE, a uniquely North American
bird, ranging from Alaska to northern Mexico. It main food is fish, and
belongs to the family of Fish-Eagles. The immature have black heads and
tails, take five years to gain adult plumage with the distinctive white head
and tail. Audubon called it the White-headed Eagle.
Our founding fathers decided the nation needed a symbol of strength and
grandeur. In 1782 the BALD EAGLE was made the national symbol, much to the
objections of Benjamin Franklin. He felt that the EAGLE was of bad
character. It practices kleptoparatism on its cousin, the OSPREY, chasing
them to steal their fish. It would fly away when smaller birds harassed it.
Franklin thought the WILD TURKEY was a better nation emblem, pugnacious
enough to chase any Redcoat from farm or field.
The BALD EAGLE almost became extinct in the Lower 48. A bounty was placed
upon each bird. The effects of DDT caused the egg shells to become weak and
crack, warned about in Rachel Carlson's "Silent Spring". In the 1960's,
there were only 412 active nests in the lower 48. Delaware was down to 4
nesting EAGLE pairs. Now, through protection, there are over 40.
Some people want to continue to persecute the BALD EAGLE. They feel the ban
on DDT is unwarranted. Contractors want to build where eagles are already
nesting. As Franklin said; "if we don't learn from our past we apt to repeat
it".
Very special thanks to Joe Russell, Chris Bennett, Chuck Fuller, Roger
Masse, and Sandy Spence for their updates. Please call your reports to
302-792-9591 or email to ednieap@verizon.net. Until next week, have a Happy
4th and good birding.
-end transcript
Andy Ednie
Claymont, Delaware
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