Snowy Owls in DE, and one north of IR Inlet

Sally and I got to see one of 2 or more near Indian River Inlet this past Monday, 12/2/13. Directions, thanks to Anthony Gonzon, are to park at the Savages Ditch parking lot on the west side of Rt 1 about 2 miles before the Indian River Inlet bridge. Then carefully cross Rt 1 to the surf fishing access road, and walk it to the beach. One owl has been just north of there, and we saw it very well this past Monday. A really neat bird that only gets this far south every 5 years or more.

For the Molly Murray's article in DE online.

Fall Class Check List and Pileated WP Pics

The following pics are from Bob Edelen, whose yard we visited in Harbeson, and who had the the magnificent Black Gum tree with lots of birds feeding on its berries. Later in the fall, he had this pair of Pileated Woodpeckers feeding on the last of the berries. Note the different amount of red on the head (less on the female). Click on pic to view full size.

Our cumulative total birds observed this fall was 105 species, plus we did hear a Pileated Woodpecker while in the Fintel's backyard. We could not find it, but Bill later saw it after the class was over.

To view our check list on Google Drive, click OLLI Fall 2013 Bird Check List.

Fall 2013 Birding Class Summary

This is just a short note to let you know I am working on our overall trip list and highlights. Our tentative class total number of species observed is 101. I will publish a complete list soon, so keep checking this blog. Thanks to all of you for your enthusiasm, good observations, and pleasant company. Best, Bill

6 am Update for Oct 9 OLLI Field Trip

Current conditions in Lewes: Winds NNE at 24 mph, gusting to 28. Air T 64 deg F.

Radar: Rain is to the south moving this direction, but probably not arriving until 3 pm.

Our field trip is still a GO.

Dress warmly, as wind chill will be in the lower 50's.

Bill

Strong NE winds tomorrow...could bring in some good birds

Yup, it is forecast to be a blustery day Wed, Oct 9, but our class is still a GO! Why? Because Bill loves this kind of weather, and expects some unusual birds, like Parasitic Jaeger, so he will be out at Cape Henlopen whether you are there or not.

Bill hopes you feel courageous enough to join him, but if you feel less adventuresome and want to stay in the comfort of your own home, please feel free to do so. Also no need to call if you think the weather is too much and want to drop out at the last minute.

RE the OLLI picnic, the pavilion is covered and pretty well protected from winds, so it should be fine, although your loose napkin will quickly blow away. If we get any more details on picnic plans, I will post them.

I will also do another update here before 6 am on Wednesday, Oct 9.

Bill

PS - for a Pavilion forecast from NOAA:
As of 3:38 pm today, NOAA forecast was:
Wednesday: NE wind around 27 kt, with gusts as high as 35 kt. A chance of rain, mainly after 3pm.

The OLLI Picnic .....and the Government Shutdown

No worries re the picnic next Wed. It is still a go, and our class is still a go, as we said this morning. I am posting this short note because NO OTHER classes are being held next Wed, so I just wanted to be sure that we confirmed our exception, because we are at the picnic location.

Re the US Government shutdown: From your comments, our class today really enjoyed ignoring the shutdown, which included Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. How were we able to ignore it? Because we could still bird Prime Hook using public roads. Just another example that us older folks are oftentimes still quite capable and resourceful!!!

And we saw many great birds today, like Wild turkeys, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Northern Harriers, many Greater Yellowlegs, plus LOTS of ducks in eclipse cryptic plumage, including N. Shovelar, N. Pintail, Black Duck, Green and Blue-winged Teal, Gadwall, and others.

OLLI Birding Class Oct 2, 2013

In spite of the Government shutdown, we will have class tomorrow, BUT we will meet outside the Prime Hook main entrance gate, and we will only bird the public roads that go through the Refuge.