OLLI class participants at Cape Henlopen Yesterday

 

Joan, Maureen, Bill, Pam, and Diana....

with a lot of happy songbirds singing in the background.

 

Photo by Sally Fintel

Class Field Trip to Cape Henlopen State Park 4/20/22

 

We had a beautiful sunny morning, with very good views of several bird species, including:  White-throated Sparrow, House Finch, American Goldfinch, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Red-winged Blackbird, Purple Martin and Turkey Vulture.  All except for the Turkey Vulture were singing their spring songs.

We all got some more experience uploading pics from a cell phone to iNaturalist, although with poor internet connection, that was a major challenge which I did not complete until I got home.  The pics I took, including 3 plant species have now all been uploaded to bill6711 on iNaturalist.  In our next class we will review possible ways to make the cell phone process easier.  Until then, just soar like a "Buzzard" 😀.

OLLI Plans for Class on 4/20/22

 Hi Class,

This coming Wed, 4/20/22, we will have a field trip to the Nature Center at Cape Henlopen State Park.  We will still meet at 9 am at the Trinity Faith Education Building in Lewes, and several class members have offered to help car pool others to the Nature Center.  Note that park fees or pass requirements are in effect.  The weather forecast is for sun and 60°, but do remember it can feel chillier near the water.

Hopefully everyone has a cell phone loaded with iNaturalist and/or Seeker by iNaturalist.  If you have a good camera with which to take nature pics, you are encouraged to bring it.  Then at home you can download pics, edit them if you wish, and upload some to iNaturalist.

If you have any questions beforehand, just email me at billfintel@gmail.com.

Bill

Summary for the OLLI Nov 18 Field Trip to Cape Henlopen State Park

 It was another gorgeous day with temps close to 70 deg F by 11 am.  As pointed out, this meant some migration aspects would be greatly diminished, such as very few scoter flocks and they were far out, plus very few migrating raptors.  We still had many good birds, like lots of Red-throated Loons and Northern Gannets, and a good flock of about 6 Brown-headed Nuthatches seen well by all.  Following is our bird list of 29 species for this field trip:

Red-throated Loon
Horned Grebe
Northern Gannet
Double-crested Cormorant
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Scoter species
Red-tailed Hawk
Sanderling
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Royal Tern
Mourning Dove
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird (heard)
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch

Our cumulative species total for all 5 field trips this fall was 58 species, which is very respectable for our limited area and time of year covered.  

If you feel inspired to keep improving your birding skills and knowledge, please keep checking back to this blog site.  I plan to keep it updated on a regular basis.  And don't forget the great Gannet views you can get from the Cape May-Lewes ferry from about now until March.

 

 

Plans for Nov 18 Field Trip and Bird List from Indian River Field Trip

On November 18 we will meet at the Cape Henlopen State Park Nature Center at 9 am.  From there we will bird the Park until about 11 am.  Weather at this point looks good.

On our Nov 11 field trip to Indian River Inlet we collectively observed the following 24 species:

Common Loon
Northern Gannet
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
American Black Duck
Scoter species
Bald Eagle (3 adults)
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Royal Tern
Rock Pigeon
Fish Crow
Carolina Wren
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Song Sparrow
Boat-tailed Grackle
House Finch

Of local bird note, on Nov 13 we had an adult male Ruby-throated Hummingbird show up at our feeders.  We had one over-winter last winter, and suspect this may be the same individual returning. Below is a picture of him taken on Nov 14.

Check List of Birds for the May 1 Olli field trip to Cape Henlopen

This is actually a series of eBird check lists compiled by Rob Blye. Each check list is for a different but identifiable area at Cape Henlopen. Rob has even included the observed numbers for each species. Thanks very much to Rob and Carol for helping out on the May 1 field trip. To view each list, just click on the below links:

https://ebird.org/colombia/view/checklist/S55969886

https://ebird.org/colombia/view/checklist/S55969928

https://ebird.org/colombia/view/checklist/S55636137

RE tomorrow's field trip, there is a chance of showers in the morning, but as I see it right now, it should not be a problem to do what we have planned. I will definitely update this blog with the latest weather info and any plan changes at 6 am tomorrow.

Field Trip May 1, 2019

The field trip today is a GO. We may have some showers, but nothing major is forecast. Do wear a water repellent jacket.

OLLI 2019 Spring 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 we will cancel the class. 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.

All classes begin at 8 am and are on Wednesday EXCEPT FOR MAY 14 which is on Tuesday.  The meeting locations are 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 no more than one mile. Insect repellent, sunscreen, water and a snack are recommended. Classes will end at the latest by 11 am.

Wed, April 24 - Prime Hook NWR Headquarters. We will bird all types of habitats, such as woodlands, fields, marshes, impoundments and bay beaches. Our target birds will be early shorebirds, and early woodland migrants. (Low tide 7:10 am)

Wed, May 1 - Cape Henlopen State Park Nature Center  (sticker required). Northbound raptor migration will be underway, some sea ducks should still be present and we will of course search for three resident specialties, the Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher and Brown-headed Nuthatch. (High tide 7:06 am)

Wed, May 8 – Fintel’s Yard plus Roosevelt Inlet. Meet at the Fintel’s home, 31395 Point Cir, Lewes, at 8 am for a guided tour of their birding habitats, feeders and water features. Roosevelt Inlet is about ½ mile from the Fred Thomas building in Lewes, and many good birds are usually present in the inlet, plus Canary Creek and adjacent marshes and scrub habitat. (Low tide 5:49 am). We are all invited to have lunch with Janice Erich and Rob Morgan at their home in Cape Shores after the class.

TUESDAY, May 14 – Prime Hook NWR. Meet at Prime Hook HQ at 8 am. This date is usually about the peak of spring migration. We will search the woodlands for tanagers, vireos, warblers and thrushes, all of which should be in good song. Our favorites include Scarlet Tanager, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blackburnian Warbler (beautiful but a difficult find) and our favorite local songster, the Wood Thrush.  (Hi tide 6:25 am)

Wed, May 22 - DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Inlet. Meet at Prime Hook at 8:00 am for carpooling. 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 the way at good birding spots, such as the new DE Nature Society Marvel Saltmarsh Preserve. We will arrive back at Prime Hook Headquarters before 11 am. (Low tide 5:56 am)

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)

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

Summary of Oct 18 field trip to Fintel's yard, Oster Rocks Rd, and the Cape Henlopen Hawk watch

On this field trip we observed 45 species, including a few notables such as a Rufous/Allen's type Hummingbird, and a Golden Eagle. The eagle came by the hawk watch late, so most class members had already left. Two other lesser highlights were a Red-breasted Nuthatch at the hawk watch, and a very close and cooperative Ruby-crowned Kinglet on Oyster Rocks Rd.

In the Fintel's yard we had several questions about feeders, so following are a few links:

The Wood Bark Suet Sandwich Woodpecker Feeder is available through Amazon. (click for link)

The Droll Yankee Domed Cage Feeder is also available through Amazon. Remember that the dome on this feeder is not squirrel proof, so it should be protected by a squirrel baffle. Good squirrel baffles are available locally at Ace hardware, etc.

The Humzinger Hummingbird Feeder is also available through Amazon, as is the Ant Trap.

Our favorite suet recipe is:

No Melt Bird Suet –

Sally Fintel and  WildBird Magazine,  Dec. 1994

18 oz. crunchy peanut butter

2 cups (1 lb.) lard – no substitutions

4 cups quick oats

4 cups yellow corn meal

2 cups white flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

Melt lard and peanut butter together over low heat. Remove from heat and thoroughly mix in remaining ingredients. Transfer to shallow Styrofoam veggie or meat containers. Cover & store in refridge or freeze. Slice and use to fill suet stick, as needed. Birds love this all year round.

Summary, Oct 11, 2017 Field Trip to Cape Henlopen State Park

In spite of the forecast of showers, we had 12 hardy birders meet us at 8 am at the Nature Center. It did rain some, but everyone was prepared....or hardy. Following are the highlight birds from today:
American Oystercatcher
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
Great Blue Heron 
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Eastern Towhee
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Peregrine Falcon
Merlin
Our total species count was 23 species, which is low, but okay for the weather we had. I will compile a combined checklist for our 5 field trips, and we will review it in our last class.

The major highlight today was a second Peregrine Falcon flying by us at Herring Point with a bird in its talons. Incredibly, this bird escaped letting out a shriek, and it turned out to be a Merlin. The Merlin was VERY mad, and started attacking the Peregrine. Both birds eventually departed looking healthy, although with a few ruffled feathers. The Peregrine was an immature. Below is a picture of an adult Peregrine taken by John Long on a Sussex Bird Club field trip at Cape Henlopen in 2015.

As promised, the link to Delaware Birds
You can access the postings without becoming a member. If you join, the postings arrive in the email address you provide. I have set up a separate email address to receive these, as they are quite numerous.

This is the link to the Wedge-tailed Eagle attacking drones in Australia

6 am - Status of this mornings OLLI Birding Field Trip

Showers are definite. Heavy rain will likely hold off until after noon. So Sally and I will be at Cape Henlopen with rain resistant clothing at 8 am. Class participants are welcome to join us, or to sleep in at home. Bill

NOAA F'cast
Radar Loop

OLLI Fall 2017 Birding Class Schedule

OLLI Fall 2017 Birding Class Schedule

General – Wear comfortable walking shoes as we may walk on level ground up to 1 mile. Bring binoculars, a scope if you have one, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, a snack and something to drink. Also come prepared for windy cool weather and a shower. If significant rain is forecast the class will be cancelled. See http://billfintel.blogspot.com/ for any last minute notices. If the weather looks iffy, Bill will post the class status at the latest by 6 am on the day of the class.

All classes begin at 8 am at the location specified below. A State park sticker or entry fee is required for Cape Henlopen, Gordon’s Pond and Indian River Inlet.

Climate Change as it affects birds will be covered on our walks, plus Bill’s blog.

Oct 11 – Cape Henlopen State Park Seaside Nature Center

We will bird the feeders and trail at the Nature Center, then go to the Point parking lot, then the Hawk Watch, and if time permits, Herring Point.

Oct 18 – Fintel’s Home, Mill Pond Acres, Lewes

At the Fintel’s home we will review plantings for birds, water features for birds, and bird feeder designs, plus choosing birdseed and suet. Next we will go to Oyster Rocks Road, and perhaps one or more other seldom travelled back roads.

Oct 25 – Prime Hook NWR Headquarters

This is a prime time for early waterfowl, late shorebirds, and sparrows.  All can be challenging, but also lots of fun, and a great beginning to winter.

Nov 1 – NO CLASS

Nov 8 – Gordon’s Pond

Meet at the Gordon’s Pond Pavilion. This is accessed by going north through the town of Rehoboth Beach at the end of Ocean Drive. There is about a one-mile long trail that borders the pond and ends at an elevated observation platform. The trail also passes through some unique maritime forest.

Dec 13 – Indian River Inlet, Main parking lot just south of the inlet.

Park as close to the inlet and the ocean as you can. This is one of our favorite destinations for winter birding, BUT it can be cold and windy so come dressed warmly. We will be looking for sea-ducks, loons, Gannets, Bonaparte’s Gulls, Purple Sandpipers, and others.

Osher Field Trip Summary for May 10 at Cape Henlopen

Today we had a very fortunate good sighting of a Piping Plover at the inside of Cape Henlopen Point. The bird was seen well by all through our 20-60x telescope. No doubt even more amazing was a Red-throated Loon feeding right along the beach just in front of us....no more than 20 ft away. We could see the speed with which its well adapted webbed feet propelled it, and it caught a tasty fish right in front of us. A rare birding super-treat I have never seen this well before.

After the Point, we walked the Point road, and the visited the Hawk Watch. Highlight birds were super looks at Pine Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Field Sparrow. We then went to Herring Point and had good looks at an immature Lesser Black-backed Gull. In the woods at Herring Point we had great looks at an Eastern Towhee, and for some a female American Redstart.

Next week we will bird Gordon's Pond.  Shorebirds, Brown-headed Nuthatches and neotropical migrants are our target birds. Hope you all enjoyed today. Bill and Sally

Osher Spring Birding in the Field and Classroom

All classes will begin at 8 am and end by 11 am. The meeting locations are shown below. We are trying to arrange for a suitable meeting room at the locations, but in some instances we may have the classroom session outdoors, and on some days we may not have a classroom session. Be sure to check Bill’s blog for any last minute instructions or change in plans. He will update it by 6 am on the day of a class.   https://billfintel.blogspot.com/

April 12 – Cape Henlopen Nature Center (park tag req’d)

April 19 and 26 – NO CLASS

May 3 – Prime Hook NWR Headquarters

May 10 – Cape Henlopen Nature Center (park tag req’d)

May 17 – Gordon’s Pond Parking Lot (park tag req’d)

May 24 – Prime Hook NWR Headquarters. From there we will carpool to the DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion . If you wish to join the group at Mispillion, please make prior arrangements with Sally.

Be sure to bring binoculars, a hat and rain repellent jacket. Water, a snack, insect repellent and long pants are all recommended.

If you are unable to attend a class, please contact Sally or Bill so we can contact someone on the Wait List.

Harbingers of Spring....or Holdovers from Winter

All I can say is that at least 4 people showed up for this morning's Sussex Bird Club field trip with NE winds of 15+ mph and light to moderate rain. We all looked at each other trying to figure out who was the most crazy. I finally accepted the "most crazy" award for naming the field trip "Harbingers of Spring".

In a nutshell, no harbingers of spring were found, meaning no Piping Plover, no Osprey, and no Laughing Gulls.

We did have great looks at many Northern Gannets close inside the point at Cape Henlopen, a single adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, many Brant, several male Red-breasted Mergansers with their crests blown backwards over their heads, and some gorgeous close Buffleheads from the bridge over Canary Creek at the Coast Guard station.

So spring has yet to spring here in the Lewes area.

Please see the Sussex Bird Club website Calendar page for future field trips.

Osher Spring 2016 Field Birding Schedule

Our first class will meet at Cape Henlopen at the Point parking lot. Our target species for this class is the endangered Piping Plover. Checking the Point out this morning, Sally and I had 4 Piping Plovers. The below pic is from a couple years ago at Cape Henlopen.

Osher 2016 Spring Field Birding

Meeting time for all Classes is 8 am at the designated location. We will not have a class if major bad weather, like heavy rain, is forecast. If the weather looks questionable, check Bill’s blog, http://billfintel.blogspot.com/ for last minute go-no go decisions. He will post a decision at the latest by 6 am on the day of a class. Also be sure to dress appropriately, as it can be windy and cool along the coast, plus a few showers will not deter us.

April 13 -  Meet at Cape Henlopen Point parking lot. This is the lot farthest north on the ocean and Bay. Our goal will be to find and observe Piping Plover, N. Gannets, Scoters, Loons, and migrating raptors. Inland we will search for Brown-headed Nuthatch, Pine Warbler and other woodland birds. Park entrance fee required. Low tide 8:29 am.

April 20 –   Location TBD - Check Bill’s Blog, http://billfintel.blogspot.com/  by noon April 19 to see where we are meeting, where we will bird, and what we hope to see. The locations we visit will be based on our scouting, plus the most recent birding reports from Delaware Birds and other local sources. Hi tide 8:29 am.

April 27 – Meet at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters just off of Route 16. We will spend the morning exploring the Refuge for both woodland migrants and shorebirds. Low tide 6:44 am

May 4 – No Class

May 11 - Meet at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters. Today we will bird some on the Refuge, and some on little used back roads. This will probably include exploring the Nature Conservancy’s McCabe Preserve near Milton. Our primary targets will be woodland migrants, such as Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, Prothonotary Warbler, etc. Low tide 7:07 am.

May 18 – Meet at Prime Hook NWR Headquarters. From there we will car pool directly to the DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion. Our primary target bird will be the Red Knot, but many other shorebirds should be evident, such as the colorful American Oystercatchers and Ruddy Turnstones. From Mispillion we will slowly bird our way south to arrive back at Prime Hook Headquarters by 11 am. Hi tide 7:12 am.

Osher Nov 4 Field Trip meets at Herring Point parking lot at Cape Henlopen

If you are not familiar with Herring Point, just after you pass through the entry pay booths at Cape Henlopen, you make a gradual left turn, and then make a right with signage to Herring Point and Fort Miles. Drive as far as you can and then park in the large parking lot on the right. The weather tomorrow looks like another Indian Summer day, so come out and enjoy, before the arctic vortex takes yet another southward swing this winter.

And as a reminder, Janice Erich has invited us ALL to lunch at her and Rob's home in Cape Shores. She is prepared to serve carnivores, omnivores and herbivores. Hope you can attend.

And above, just a fun add-on pic of the Kalmar Nyckel at the Lewes Ferry Terminal Aug 2, 2015. Much to our surprise, Sally and I again saw the Kalmar Nyckel in Chestertown MD this past Friday, Oct 30. For details about this historic ship, click Captain Lauren Morgens. She and her husband Matt Sarver are both very active Delaware birders, so you may meet them while birding our great birding state...Delaware.

WEATHER PLANNING, for Osher Field Trip Birding Wed, Sept 30...5:30 am WED UPDATE

We will have our birding class this morning, as the main area of rain moved north of us last night. But do be prepared for some showers. At Cape Henlopen, we have the pavilion to seek temporary shelter under.

From NOAA at 4:54 am Wed: "Showers likely, mainly after 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 81. Southwest wind around 9 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible."

Radar currently shows some showers southwest of us in tidewater VA.

Bill
5:20 am, Wed

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Bill is on-line early to let you know he is staying tuned to the weather. Click North-east Radar for my main input...... and when you get there, click on the Northeast Loop option for a visualization on how fast the rain is moving toward us....or away from us :)

I will be back on-line this evening with an update....which may include a decision on tomorrow. So stay tuned. If I can not make a decision tonight, I will make one before 6 am tomorrow.