Birding Prime Hook on New Years Eve

 Lots of good birds with a good friend we had not seen in about 4 years, Curt Davis.  We started at Fowler Beach and watched about 10,000 Snow Geese lift off between 8 and 9 am.  In part of that was an incoming flock of 10 Tundra Swans,  and 2 im. Bald Eagles. Then we moved on south for several great American Kestrel views.  Our final highlight was Prime Hook Beach Road where we max'd out our Bald Eagle count at 8, and had many waterfowl, mostly Black Ducks, Mallards and Pintails.  We concluded on the DE Bay seashore for some delightful close and trusting Sanderlings.  Pics are below.

May 14, 2019 Prime Hook Field Trip Highlights

Links to eBird check lists compiled by Rob Blye can be found below (in English):
https://ebird.org/pa/view/checklist/S56266009
https://ebird.org/pa/view/checklist/S56485175

We were very fortunate to get awesome views of a male Prothonotary Warbler from the Fleetwood Pond dock. Below are two pictures of it taken by class member Steve Walker.

The nickname for this bird is the Golden Swamp Warbler, because they are found almost exclusively in wooded swamps. Other warblers seen well were Northern Parula, Yellow, Blackpoll and Common Yellowthroat.

Our next and last field trip will be to Slaughter Beach and Mispillion Inlet, with target birds being shorebirds, including the endangered Red Knot. Meet at Prime Hook Visitor Center at 8:00 am to car pool up there. (Or meet at the DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion about 8:30 am.)

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)

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. 

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)

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.

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

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 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.

Prime Hook NWR Birding Field Trip Sun, 2/26/17

We had a good, but COLD field trip with 12 participants. Winds were out of the NW at 20+ mph and temps were in the 30's when we began. Highlights were 110 American Avocets in the impoundment on the right of Broadkill Beach Rd, a drop dead view of a male American Wigeon just off the Boardwalk Trail, an adult Bald Eagle chasing a Snow Goose, 24 E. Meadowlarks with most being along Cods Rd., and amazing views of 2,500+ Snow Geese NW of Cods Rd. Come to find out later, in among them was a lone Pink-footed Goose...a vagrant from Europe.

Many thanks to Sue Gruver for compiling our below list for 2/26/17:

From: ebird-checklist@cornell.edu
To: srgruver@aol.com
Sent: 2/26/2017 12:33:02 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
Subj: eBird Report - Prime Hook NWR, Feb 26, 2017

 

Prime Hook NWR, Sussex, Delaware, US
Feb 26, 2017 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
12.0 mile(s)
Comments:     walk for the Refuge, at HQ's, Broadkill Beach Rd., Prime Hook Beach Rd. Fowler Beach Rd.
52 species (+1 other taxa)

Snow Goose  2500
Canada Goose  20
Gadwall  6
American Wigeon  3
American Black Duck  95
Mallard  2
Northern Shoveler  1000
Northern Pintail  112
Green-winged Teal  85
Greater Scaup  30
Surf Scoter  9
Bufflehead  14
Red-breasted Merganser  6
Great Blue Heron  5
Turkey Vulture  10
Osprey  1     flew over our heads on the Boardwalk trail
Northern Harrier  1
Sharp-shinned Hawk  1
Bald Eagle  10
American Avocet  110
Killdeer  2
Sanderling  1
Dunlin  45
Greater Yellowlegs  20
Lesser Yellowlegs  1
Ring-billed Gull  30
Herring Gull  25
Lesser Black-backed Gull  1
Great Black-backed Gull  4
gull sp.  75
Mourning Dove  2
Northern Flicker  1
American Kestrel  1
Peregrine Falcon  1
American Crow  5
Carolina Chickadee  4
Tufted Titmouse  3
Carolina Wren  2
Eastern Bluebird  2
American Robin  35
Brown Thrasher  1
Northern Mockingbird  2
European Starling  65
Yellow-rumped Warbler  2
Dark-eyed Junco  16
White-throated Sparrow  12
Song Sparrow  3
Eastern Towhee  2
Northern Cardinal  14
Red-winged Blackbird  85
Eastern Meadowlark  24
Common Grackle  12
American Goldfinch  2

Susex Bird Club Check List for Prime Hook, Oct 30, 2016

About 20 members of the Sussex Bird Club visited Prime Hook NWR on Oct 30, 2016. Leaders were Bill Fintel and Rob Blye. The group observed 57 species, with some highlights being White-crowned and Saltmarsh Sparrow, Winter Wren, Tree Swallows, 9 species of shorebirds, several Bald Eagles, a late Osprey, and a Peregrine Falcon. The complete list can be accessed HERE.

Road Scholar Bird Checklist, Sep 27-30, 2016

The checklist can be accessed by clicking HERE. Note that there is a Magnifier button to enlarge the text located in the lower right hand corner. This check list also includes birds seen Friday with the group of 11 at Gordon's Pond.

Field trip locations and highlights are below:

Tuesday, 9/27 - Cape Henlopen State Park in the morning, a cruise south for about 3 miles on the Lewes Rehoboth Canal on the Cape Water Taxi in the afternoon. Weather cloudy with occasional drizzle. Highlights were both Yellow and Black-crowned Night Herons, and on the cruise, 10 Belted Kingfishers and many raptors, including 2 Adult Bald Eagles, a Merlin and a Kestrel.

Wednesday, 9/28 - Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge until after lunch, then Mispillion Inlet and Prime Hook Road in the afternoon. Windy, with one period of heavy rain. Highlights were 18 species of shorebirds including 3 Marbled Godwits and 1 American Golden Plover. Also several Bald Eagles and at least 2 Peregrines were seen.

Thursday, 9/29 - Indian River Inlet, Ocean off Rehoboth Beach, and the Ferry Terminal. Gale force winds all day with light to moderate rain in the morning, and heavy afternoon rain in the afternoon. We stayed indoors for programs during the afternoon. The only bird of note was an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull seen very well mixed in with a flock of Great Black-backed gulls for comparison.

Friday, 9/30 - Gordon's Pond Trail by foot. Windy but only a light drizzle in the first hour. New birds on Friday included Sanderling, Northern Bobwhite, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Indigo Bunting.

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.

Oct 28 Osher Birding Field Trip - CANCELLED

Per the latest NOAA forecast, the probability of heavy rain tomorrow is 100%, accompanied by 18-20 mph winds, with gusts up to 30 mph, so our Osher birding field trip tomorrow is cancelled.

But do not despair, I will be helping lead a field trip at Prime Hook NWR on Thur, Oct 29 beginning at 8 am at the Refuge Headquarters (where we usually meet). This field trip is part of the Refuge's monthly birding field trip program, and so you are most welcome to participate, and I hope to see you there.

New birds this past week since returning from Utah have been a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in our yard (listen for cat-like meows), plus Northern Gannets and many large scoter flocks headed south around Cape Henlopen point.

Below is the closest we came to Condors out west :)

Bill and Sally at Canyonlands National Park

OLLI Birding Class Oct 21 at Prime Hook

Our class is a GO for tomorrow. Sally and I are back from an awesome experience in the US Southwest, plus weather tomorrow looks good and birding should be excellent.

Below are 2 pics from Bryce National Park where we concluded our SW tour.

OLLI Birding Field Trip Report for 9/9/15 at Prime Hook NWR

Some really good birds today, but boy was it hot and humid!!! My favorites today were the group of about 8 Wild Turkeys as we left the Headquarters area, the very close 10 or so Glossy Ibis along Prime Hook Road, and the distant 10 White Pelicans along the same stretch of road. We also saw as many Snowy and Great Egrets as I have seen recently. My estimate viewed from the Boardwalk trail was 1,200+ of the two combined.

Our shorebird count was good with Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs (the last being very distant), Spotted Sandpiper, Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover and Black-bellied Plover.

Also excellent views of Caspian and Forster's Terns very successfully catching fish. My total species count was 36 species. And please remember that our goal is learning about the birds we encounter, and not recording a big list.

As I said, next week will be different. We will have a greater variety of terns and gulls, so if you are inclined to do homework, study Forster's vs. Common Terns, Caspian vs. Royal Terns, and Ring-billed vs. Herring vs. Great Black-backed Gulls.

Looking forward to seeing most of you next Wed at Cape Henlopen.

PS - To photographers in the class: If you get some good photos on our field trips, I am happy to post them on this blog site with credit to you. Scroll down to July 23, 2015 for some in-flight photos of the same White Pelicans we saw today.

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

American White Pelicans at Prime Hook

On today's Prime Hook field trip we had a rare treat of 9 White Pelicans. Noreen first spotted them at some distance, we all got on them, and then slowly but surely they came closer and closer, almost passing directly overhead as we stood on the east end of Prime Hook Road. A super treat for all.