Shorebirds and Horseshoe Crab Connection on DE Bay Beaches

This is a great video

Soon we will be able to experience this special event in 2017.

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

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.

Tomorrows OLLI Field trip to Holt's Landing and the Delaware Botanic Gardens

6 am Wed: The forecast has deteriorated, so we are CANCELLING today's field trip. 
From NOAA: Showers, mainly after 8am. High near 59. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. 

This decision is reinforced by the current radar image showing a large band of steady rain currently just west of the Chesapeake Bay and headed this way arriving between 8 and 9 am. Click Northeast Loop to see movement over the past hour.  http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/northeast.php

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From 5 pm Tue:
The weather does look a bit questionable, so please check back here after 6:00 am tomorrow to see if the class/field trip is still a go. If we just have to endure a few showers, we will do the class, BUT be sure to bring some water repellent clothing.

The NOAA forecast for Wed where we are going is:  
Showers, mainly after 11am. High near 60. Light west wind becoming northwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

With temps forecast to be warm, and winds light, a few showers should be no problem, BUT do check here just after 6 am in case there are any changes overnight.

Bill

Delaware Botanic Gardens, Nov 9, 2016

We have just recently worked out a plan to include birding at the Delaware Botanic Gardens, located just east of Dagsboro. Our visit will take place this coming Wed, Nov 9, AFTER we fist meet at Holt's Landing. The revised class description is:

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.

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.

OLLI Fall 2016 Birding Checklist - Update after 11/2/16 Class

The 11/2 class went to Gordon's Pond. We added 12 species to our cumulative class list for a current total of 51 species. Highlights were 4 juvenile White Ibis, Northern Shoveler, Royal Tern, Eastern Phoebe, Tree Swallow, and Swamp Sparrow. We also had distant views of a Northern Gannet, and a quick look at a Northern Harrier at the very end of the trip. Our next class begins at Holt's Landing State Park and then goes to the Delaware Botanic Gardens. See the 11/4/16 posting for details.

HERE is the link to the updated check list.