Tomorrow's Field Trip is a GO....regardless of the weather

Hi All,

Weather looks iffy for field birding tomorrow, but it will be fine for backyard birding from our screened-in porch, and also from our kitchen. If you want a fried egg sandwich, just bring the eggs. I am a pretty good cook

Warbler migration is at its peak. Today, we had conservatively 8 to 10 Parula Warblers, both  m & f Black-throated Blue, a Chestnut-sided with some chestnut still showing, 2 Black and Whites, a Redstart, and whatever warblers I nay have forgotten .
We also had at least 2 hummingbirds today, and a REV  (= Red-Eyed Vireo)

Whether we go on to Oyster Rocks Road will be decided after our backyard birding and fried egg sandwiches, plus weather considerations.

Bill

Wed, Sep 19, OLLI Field Trip to Prime Hook

Mosquitoes, mosquitoes....and more mosquitoes along the Boardwalk Trail. So we retreated to the breezes along Broadkill Beach Road and Prime Hook Road, and were rewarded with many nice birds. 38 species per my count:

Canada Goose
American Black Duck 
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle 
American Avocet 
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Ruddy Turnstone
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull 
Great Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern 
Forster's Tern
Royal Tern 
Black Skimmer 
Mourning Dove 
Belted Kingfisher 
Eastern Wood-Pewee 
Blue Jay 
American Crow 
Carolina Chickadee 
Carolina Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Northern Cardinal
Blue Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird            

Our backyard bird creeks and misters have been attracting some good warblers, that we watch from our screened-in porch!!! A few notables have been Nashville, Chestnut-sided, Parula, Redstart, Black-throated Green and Mourning Warbler.....so hopefully this coming Wed will still be good in our backyard. 

Field Trip Sept 12, 2018

Today's Field Trip is CANCELLED due to inclement weather.

Dense Fog has entered the picture, in addition to drizzle and potential thunderstorms. It was a tough decision, but birding in the fog is very difficult, and fog also makes getting to Gordon's Pond potentially hazardous. Next week we meet at Prime Hook NWR at 8 am.

Birds observed on 9/5/18 OLLI field trip to Prime Hook NWR

It was a hot and humid morning, with lots of mosquitoes early, but we did observe 35 species of birds, the best ones being along Prime Hook Rd. Following is our list from this morning. The (h) means the bird was only heard, but that is still a valid id. Of course we want everyone in the class to also get a good look at every bird species we encounter. The list sequence is in order of a recent American Ornithological Union's listing of North American Birds.

Canada Goose, American Black Duck, Mallard, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Greater Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Caspian Tern,  Forster's Tern,  Royal Tern,  Black Skimmer, Mourning Dove, Downy Woodpecker (h), Northern Flicker,  Pileated Woodpecker (h), Eastern Wood-Pewee (h), Great Crested Flycatcher,  White-eyed Vireo (h),  Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren,  Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling,  Eastern Towhee (h), Northern Cardinal,  Red-winged Blackbird.

Next week we meet at the Gordon's Pond parking lot north of Rehoboth Beach. Drive to the beach north of the Henlopen Hotel and drive north along the beach until the road ends at the Gordon's Pond parking lot. A DE State park pass is required.

OLLI Fall 2018 Field Birding Class Scgedule

We will spend as much time as possible birding in the field. On any day when the weather does not permit a field trip, the class will be cancelled. For the latest information on class status see Bill’s blog at http://billfintel.blogspot.com/ . This will be updated by 6 am on any field trip day with questionable weather. Also more detailed directions will be added as needed.

All classes are on Wednesday, and begin at 8:00 am at the meeting locations noted below. Be sure to bring binoculars. Also check the weather forecast and dress appropriately with a rain resistant windbreaker and footwear suitable for walking about one mile. Insect repellent, sunscreen, water and a snack are recommended. Classes will end by 11 am at the meeting location.

Sep 5 - Prime Hook NWR. Meet at the Refuge Headquarters at 8:00 am. We will bird all types of habitats, such as woodlands, fields, marshes, impoundments and bay beaches. Some of our target birds will be shorebirds, and early woodland migrants. (Low tide 10:50 am)

Sep 12 – Gordon’s Pond -  Meet at 8 am at the Gordon’s Pond parking lot just north of Rehoboth Beach. We will walk the trail to the pond observation platform and hopefully see many good fall migrants along the way. (High tide 11:20 am)

Sep 19 – Prime Hook NWR. Meet at the Refuge Headquarters at 8:00 am. We will search the woodlands for migrant warblers, tanagers and thrushes. We will also check the impoundments for shorebirds. (Low tide 11:04 am)

Sep 26 – Fintel’s Yard and Oyster Rocks Road. Meet at the Fintel’s home at 8 am for a guided tour of their birding habitats, feeders and water features. Oyster Rocks Road is an excellent road that goes through marshland habitat to the Broadkill River. (High tide 10:07 am)

Oct 3 - Cape Henlopen State Park Nature Center  (sticker required). South bound raptor migration will be underway, some shorebirds will still be present, and we will of course search for three resident specialties, the Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher and Brown-headed Nuthatch. (Low tide 9:30 am)

Tommorow's OLLI Field Trip to Mispillion

Wed, 5:45 am: The Field Trip is a GO. Fog looks to be the only weather issue. Dress warmly, as we will have a cool east wind.

Chance of rain looks limited, so I feel confident we have a GO. Check this blog just after 6 am in case NOAA is totally wrong with this evening's forecast for Mispillion Inlet:

Wednesday

A slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 75. East wind 10 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

We will meet at Prime Hook NWR Headquarters at 8am to car pool to Mispillion. If you wish to go directly to Mispillion on you own, please email me or Sally.

Do bring a rain repellent jacket, and be assured that at Mispillion we have some shelter outdoors, and and an indoor retreat with good Horseshoe Crab/Red Knot videos. Now per their web site, they do not open the Nature Center until 10 am, but they like me and Sally, so maybe earlier for our group. With all the recent heavy rains, mosquitoes are out in "swarms" so long pants and long sleeves are also recommended.

This is a highlight trip for us every year. Horseshoe Crabs date back to well before the age of dinosaurs, and Red Knots typically migrate over 9,000 miles a year from southern South America to the Arctic, stopping in the Delaware Bay to refuel on Horseshoe Crab eggs.

Links:
http://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/crustaceans/horseshoe-crabs/facts/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_knot

Cape Henlopen about 1985

A summary of our last OLLI field trip on May 27, 2018

We had a great morning birding with so many special local birds cooperating and being viewed very well. Some immediate highlights that come to my mind are Grasshopper Sparrow and Eastern Meadowlark. I think most in the class got to see both birds through the scope. Both are declining due to habitat loss....grasslands....and Prime Hook NWR is doing a great job to maintain grassland habitat in the fields just before the Refuge Headquarters where we saw these two species.

Other highlights that pop into my mind were excellent views of Blue Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting. Both these birds favor edge habitat, which equals grasslands bordered by secondary growth and wooded areas.

In the shorebird category, we had our first views of Dunlin, now in breeding plumage with the reddish back and black bellies, along with Semi-palmated Sandpipers and Lesser Yellowlegs. Our best location for these was a flooded field just off Fowler Beach Rd. Other waterbird highlights were about 50 Black Skimmers and about a dozen Least Terns along Prime Hook Road just before Prime Hook Beach.

Among the woodland bird highlights were excellent views of Prothonotary Warbler and Ovenbird. Both of these were seen very well along Deep Branch Rd. Many also had good views of Scarlet Tanager and Eastern Towhee.

I plan to publish a cumulative class list after our last class, which is May 30, meeting at Prime Hook NWR at 8 am and then car pooling to the DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion River. If you wish to go directly to Mispillion, just send me an email. Our target birds are shorebirds feeding on Horseshoe Crab eggs, and of course our main target bird is the Red Knot........Best, Bill

Weather is looking OK for tomorrow's OLLI class

Weather looks even a bit better, so we have a GO for this morning's OLLI class.

Here is the 4:54 am forecast:

Wednesday

Areas of fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 79. West wind around 9 mph becoming north in the afternoon.

From Tuesday, here is this afternoon's 3:54 pm NOAA forecast:
Wednesday

A chance of showers, mainly before 8am. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. West wind around 9 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. 

I will of course check before 6 am in case NOAA is "off-track"....as they were last week. I think we have a GO even with some rain after 8 am, as we can bird from the cars for a bit until any rain moves on.

Looking forward to birding with our OLLI class tomorrow......Bill and Sally 

PS - Reminder....We meet at Prime Hook NWR Headquarters at 8 am. Our focus tomorrow will be woodland migrants early, then shorebirds.....which are moving through in great numbers.

Today's Class is CANCELLED

Here is the latest NOAA Forecast:

Last update 16 May 4:54 am EDT 

Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Patchy fog before 10am. High near 71. South wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. 

 

Birding in the rain and fog is at best difficult. There is also the possibility that some areas we were planning to visit could be flooded by the heavy rains last night. 

Here's hoping for good weather next week when we visit Prime Hook NWR.

No Melt Peanut Butter Suet and Woodbark Suet Sandwich

Hi All - The below link will take you to past posts about the 2 above topics, including details for making the suet. And in case you are worried about off-smells as you make it, our son came home when I was making some and said, "Hey Dad, whatever you are making it smells great"......I will say that after I told him what I was making, he decided it really was for the birds.

SUET

Best Birds from our OLLI class at Prime Hook on 5/2/2018....and tomorrow's plans

In summary we saw 44 species, and heard another 13, for a very respectable total of 57 species in 3 hrs. I am just going to list the highlight birds (which are all new birds for our class):

Osprey
Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs
Semipalmated and Least Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Forester's Tern
Pileated Woodpecker
Great-crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - building a nest
Hermit Thrush - seen by all through scope on road to Fleetwood Pond
Wood Thrush heard very well - and our musicians recognized the flute-like quality of its song
Warblers heard - Northern Parula, Yellow, Yellow-throated, Prothonotory, and Ovenbird
Warblers seen - Yellow-rumped, Pine, Black-and-White, and Common Yellowthroat.
Scarlet Tanager was heard....and is high on our want-to-see list
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow

Weather for tomorrow's class looks excellent. Remember we meet at Bill and Sally's yard in Mill Pond Acres and will bird it plus we will analyze some of the special bird feeders, water features, and plantings. Then we will travel to the nearby Nature Conservancy McCabe Preserve. We will be back at Bill and Sally's by 10:45 am as several of us have an 11:30 commitment.

Best birds we observed at Cape Henlopen on 4/25/18

If you were on this field trip, you no doubt recall the cool, foggy and windy weather. My notes say a high of 55 degrees, and SE winds of 20+ mph. But we still saw some excellent birds:
Piping Plover
Black-bellied Plover
Willet
Sanderling
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Field Sparrow

Tomorrow's weather looks excellent and migrants are moving. We had 3 Baltimore Orioles in our yard on Sunday, and today had a Parula and a Yellow Warbler. As a reminder, tomorrow we meet at Prime Hook NWR headquarters just off Route 16, east of Route 1 at 8 am.
Best, Bill and Sally

Field Trip Wed, April 25, 2018

Our field trip today is a GO. Heavy rain has passed, although a few showers are still about, so do bring a water repellent jack and foot ware. In the event of a significant shower we will seek out temporary shelter. Meet at the Cape Henlopen Nature Center at 8 am. Remember a park pass is required.

OLLI Spring 2018 Birding Field Trip Schedule

Following is our schedule for Spring 2018. As mentioned in your course description, in case of possible inclement weather, be sure to check this blog anytime after 6 am on the day of the field trip. And yes tomorrow's weather does look iffy right now, but we will have a GO at it unless the 6am forecast is for torrential rain after 8 am. Cape Henlopen has easy to access several large pavilions where we can wait out a short cloud burst while we listen to bird songs.

OLLI Spring 2018 Birding Class

We will spend as much time as possible birding in the field. On any day when the weather does not permit a field trip, the class will be cancelled. For the latest information on class status see Bill’s blog at http://billfintel.blogspot.com/. This will be updated by 6 am on any field trip day with questionable weather. Also more detailed directions will be added as needed. 

All classes are on Wednesday, and begin at 8:00 am at the meeting locations noted below. Be sure to bring binoculars. Also check the weather forecast and dress appropriately with a rain resistant windbreaker and footwear suitable for walking about one mile. Insect repellent, sunscreen, water and a snack are recommended. Classes will end by 11 am at the meeting location.

Apr 25 - Cape Henlopen State Park Nature Center  (sticker required). Northbound raptor migration will be underway, some sea ducks should still be present along with Northern Gannets, and we will of course search for three resident specialties, the Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher and Brown-headed Nuthatch. (Low tide 11:52 am)

May 2 - Prime Hook NWR Headquarters. We will bird all types of habitats, such as woodlands, fields, marshes, impoundments and bay beaches. Some of our target birds will be early shorebirds, and early woodland migrants. (Hi tide 11:05 am)

May 9 – Fintel’s Yard plus the McCabe Nature Preserve. Meet at the Fintel’s home at 8 am for a guided tour of their birding habitats, feeders and water features. The McCabe Preserve is a Nature Conservancy property with an extensive mature forest that is usually excellent for woodland migrants, like vireos, tanagers and warblers.

May 16 – Thompson Island Nature Preserve.  Meet at 8 am at Gerri Stephenson’s home. Her backyard borders on the Thompson Island nature preserve, and she has plenty of parking along her long driveway. Thompson Island is often an excellent woodland migrant fallout location.

May 23 – Prime Hook NWR. Meet at Prime Hook HQ at 8 am. We will search the woodlands for species like Scarlet Tanager, Acadian Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Warbler, and several species of thrushes, all of which should be in full song.

May 30 - DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Inlet. Meet at Prime Hook Headquarters at 8:00 am for carpooling. High tide is 10:02 am at Mispillion, and the best  birding is about 2 hrs either side of high tide, so we will proceed directly to the Dupont Nature Center, arriving about 8:30 am. This is our annual spring pilgrimage to witness Horseshoe Crabs spawning and the thousands of shorebirds that feed on their eggs. It is also the best time and place to see the endangered Red Knot. We will bird our way south, stopping along Slaughter Beach and at Fowler Beach, and arriving back at Prime Hook Headquarters by 11 am.

Panama Birding Links

This post is to provide links to web sites offering good birding opportunities in Panama. Sally and I have visited these locations (like Canopy Tower, above), or used the services of these providers (like Victor Emanuel Nature Tours), and have been very pleased with them.

Canopy Tower (Gamboa), Canopy Lodge (El Valle), Canopy Camp (the Darien)
http://www.canopytower.com/

Los Quetzales Ecolodge (Chirqui Highlands)   http://www.losquetzales.com/ 

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (aka VENT)  http://www.ventbird.com/