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.

Class Wed, Dec 13, is CANCELLED due extreme wind and cold

Winds Wed are forecast to be WNW 21 to 25 kt, with gusts as high as 40 kt. The High temp is forecast to be 33 deg F. As you probably know, Indian River Inlet is exposed, and usually feels much colder than anywhere else nearby. We wish all a Happy and Safe Holiday. Bill and Sally

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.

Nov 16, 2016 Fall Birding OLLI Field Trip to Indian River and more

This trip is a GO....and it should be good. Just today I was out on the Chesapeake Bay fishing and saw lots of good winter waterfowl and seabirds. A few nice examples were Long-tailed Duck, Horned Grebe, N. Gannet, and Common Loon.

So I look forward to seeing all who can make tomorrow's trip. The weather looks great, and I expect many good birds.

Bill & Sally

And my apologies to those who missed my last weeks blog post that that trip was cancelled due to a forecast of all morning rain and drizzle.....which did happen, but not as severe as forecast.

OLLI Fall 2016 Birding Schedule, Revised 11/4/16 to include Delaware Botannic Gardens

OLLI Fall 2016 Birding Schedule – Revised 10/21/16 and 11/4/16

Bill Fintel, cell 302-727-3273

Sally Fintel, cell 302-682-0300

Their home 302-645-5561

General – Wear comfortable walking shoes as we may walk on level ground up to 1.5 miles. Bring sun screen, 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.

Oct 19 – Assawoman Wildlife Management Area (completed class)

We met at 8 am at the Ocean View Town Hall and Community Center and decided to go to Assawoman because of the favorable weather. We observed 34 species. The check list is available on Bill’s Blog (link above).

Oct 26 – James Farm and Assawoman Canal Trail

Meet at 8 am at the Ocean View Town Hall and Community Center. See the map on the back of an OLLI Catalog, or visit lifelonglearning.udel.edu/lewes/locations. From this location we will walk to the Assawoman Canal Trail and spend about an hour walking the trail. We will then drive to the James Farm. The James Farm has several trails through a mix of woods and fields, plus several overlooks on Indian River Bay.

Nov 2 – Gordon’s Pond (a part of Cape Henlopen State Park)

Meet at the main parking lot for Gordon’s Pond. This is accessed by going north through the town of Rehoboth Beach at the end of Ocean Drive.  See this link from Google maps  https://goo.gl/maps/y38z8QYaDEq  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.

Nov 9 – Holt’s Landing and the Delaware Botanic Gardens

Meet at Holt’s Landing at 8 am. See this link to Google Maps for directions 

https://goo.gl/maps/iqtX1XEfomk   We will bird Indian River Bay and adjacent woods for about 45 minutes and then depart for the Delaware Botanic Gardens (DBG),  which is about 15 minutes away just east of Dagsboro on Piney Neck Road.  At DBG, Gregg Tepper and Janet Point will give us a short presentation of what is planned, then we will bird the woods, fields and waterfront of this outstanding 37 acre property on Pepper Creek.

Nov 16 – Indian River Inlet, Burton’s Island and Silver Lake in Rehoboth

Meet at Indian River Inlet parking lot just southeast of the inlet. Park as close to the inlet and the ocean as you can. This is one of my favorite destinations for winter birding, BUT it can be cold and windy so come dressed warmly. We will be looking for seaducks, loons and Gannets.

Indian River Inlet Directions for Nov 18 Osher Birding Class

We will meet in the parking lot on the SOUTH side of the inlet closest to the ocean. This is a change from the initial class description which says the north side. However, in the last class, I believe the south side was described verbally, and that is where we usually meet.

To get to the south side meeting parking lot if you are coming from Rehoboth-Dewey, cross the IR bridge going south, take the first exit to the right, proceed back north and go under the bridge, then enter the first parking lot and go northeast toward the inlet and ocean corner of it

Coming from Bethany, exit just before the bridge and proceed to the northeast corner of the parking lot adjacent to the inlet and ocean. We will be parked there, and will begin birding from the south jetty that runs out into the ocean. Meeting time 8 am

OLLI Fall 2015 Birding Class Schedule

We will spend all our class time 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 and trip info will be added as needed.

All classes will begin at 8:00 am at the meeting locations noted below. Also note that while some meeting locations are the same, the routes we take from them will be different, and will be based on what good birds are being found nearby. 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 9 - Prime Hook NWR Headquarters (HQ).  Woodland migrants, wading birds and shorebirds. High tide 6:44 am.

Sep 16 - Cape Henlopen Nature Center (park sticker required). Shorebirds and early raptors.

High tide 11:12 am.

Sep 23 – Prime Hook NWR HQ. This is about the peak of fall migration, so today we will try to observe as many species as possible and give you a feel for what doing a “Big Day” is like.

Low tide 10:31 am.

Sep 30 - Cape Henlopen Nature Center. This is prime time for migrating falcons, and also excellent for shorebirds. We will look for shorebirds first, and falcons plus other raptors later.

High tide 10:54 am.

Oct 7 & 14 – NO CLASS

Oct 21 - Prime Hook NWR HQ. Today we have low tide at 9:03 am, so we will focus on shorebirds, terns and waders.

Oct 28 - Prime Hook HQ. This is a prime time for early waterfowl and migrant sparrows. High tide 9:43 am.

Nov 4 - Cape Henlopen Herring Point parking lot. We will bird the new trail to Rehoboth. This will involve the most walking of any field trip. Low tide 8:40 am.

Nov 11 – Veteran’s Day, OLLI Closed

Nov 18 – Indian River Inlet Marina on north side of Inlet (park sticker required). Our targets will be Gannets, scoters, loons and marsh birds. Note that it can be cold and windy at the inlet, so dress warmly with a good windbreaker. Low tide 6:40 am

Nov 5 Osher Birding Class at Indian River Inlet

Weather Update, 6 am Wed: West winds, 10 to 15, partly sunny, high 68 deg F.
Birds observed in our area recently include: Horned Grebes, N. Gannets, Common and Red-throated Loons, Bonaparte's Gulls, Black and Surf Scoters, Red-breasted Nuthatches and Pine Siskens.

DIRECTIONS:
As a reminder from the schedule, we will meet at the south side ocean front parking lot at 8 am.

Weather looks great right now, so hope you can make the field trip. I will make a Nov 5, 6 am update just in case there are any last minute adjustments or recommendations. The ocean front is usually cool, so bring wind-breaker jackets and a few more layers underneath.

Indian River Inlet is one of my favorite places in Sussex County DE to bird from November through March. We are on the early side of the best birds, but I will take time to describe some of the specialties you can see in the-dead-of-winter, and how and where to search for them.

Below is a Black-legged Kittiwake (im) which can on occassion be seen in winter at Indian River Inlet.