Pelagic Birding in the Wilmington Canyon

On June 16, 2015, five of us went offshore fishing, and three of us being birders, enjoyed the pelagic birds,  most of which were attracted by the chum we put out. I began the trip taking the Cape May-Lewes ferry to NJ the evening before we left (first pic), and ended it taking the ferry back to Lewes (last 2 pics). And yes, we did catch some fish...10 Yellowfin Tuna.

If you have the desire to go pelagic birding, but do not care to fish, there are offshore trips dedicated to just birding. One experienced company that has trips going out of Lewes, is See Life Paulagics, run by Paul and Anita Guris.

 Lighthouse on outer breakwater at Lewes

 Long-tailed Jaeger

 Pomerine Jaeger

 Cory's Shearwater

 Great Shearwater

 Mike Fritz taking underwater video of Great Shearwaters diving for our chum

 Osprey on nest at Lewes ferry terminal

Baby Osprey in nest

Spring 2015 Osher Birding Class Check List

Our cumulative check list for all 6 class field trips was 116 species observed, and 2 more heard. Birds are only counted if at least one student observed the bird.

To view the check list as a pdf, click CLASS LIST.

Pelagic Birds Out of Lewes, DE, May 29, 2015

On an offshore fishing trip today, we* observed many pelagic birds rarely seen from land in Delaware. More or less in order of appearance they were:
Manx Shearwater, Cory's Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Great Shearwater, Wilson's Storm-Petrel, Pomarine Jaeger, and Arctic Tern.

We also had delightful views of the following marine mammals: Pilot Whales, Common Dolphin, Rizzo's Dolphin, as well as good views of Mako and Hammerhead Sharks, Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish), and over 50 Portuguese Man-of-War Jellyfish.

And yes we also caught some tasty fish, but as this is a bird blog........I will limit my comments to saying the sushi will be great :)

* Our fishing/birding team was Ed Sigda (boat owner), Mike Fritz (from Cape May) and me.

Field trip 5/20/15 to the DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion

Yes we were racing the incoming tide today, and I feel most did see our target bird, the Red Knot. Plus for sure, all saw the shorebird migration spectacle, where the shorebirds are feeding heavily on the Horseshoe crab eggs to make their final journey to their Arctic breeding grounds.

My rough estimate of the total numbers of shorebirds we saw, including distant and in flight is 20,000+ . Numbers of Red Knots??? An impossible question from our vantage point. What did I see and was confident they were Red Knots? Maybe 50. But based on extrapolating that up to a % of 20,000 shorebirds, I would estimate there were well over 1,000 Red Knots there. Your homework assignment is to research this years Red Knot migration, and see what the dedicated professionals (mostly volunteers) are seeing.

Now a final exam question: Is the best quote: "thin as a rail", or "clean as a rail"...???

Thanks to John Long for a great photo of a Clapper Rail today.

Misting for Warblers and Hummingbirds

Misters are one of the first water products developed by Avian Aquatics back in the early 1990's. Avian Aquatics was sold to Backyard Nature Products in 2003 and they still offer the original Avian Aquatics designs of misters and drippers. My favorite is the Leaf Mister, which is designed to go in a low tree or shrub and wet the foliage, as well as provide a gentle rain shower. This is especially attractive to small songbirds, such as warblers and hummingbirds. Below are two pictures taken yesterday of a Blackpoll Warbler bathing in the mist from a Leaf Mister.

 Beginning to bathe

Dripping wet after 15 minutes of bathing

Class 4 Field Trip to PH State Wildlife Mgt Area

On this May 6, 2015 field trip, I recorded 68 species, so it was our most productive field trip so far, and not unexpected, since we have entered peak migration time. This coming Wednesday's trip to Milford Neck should also produce migrants seen only briefly in spring and fall.

Highlights from our May 6 field trip include: Glossy Ibis - a flock flying over the Grasshopper Sparrow field, 3 Flycatchers: E. Wood Pewee, Acadian and Great Crested........Horned Lark, and best of all, a good variety of "wood warblers": N. Parula, Black-throated Blue, Yel-rumped, Yel-throated, Pine, Blackpoll, B&W, Prothonotary, Ovenbird, and Com Yelthroat.

Probably our best highlights were excellent views of the drop dead gorgeous Scarlet Tanager, and the super elusive Grasshopper Sparrow. We also had many fantastic views of the "Blue guys"....Blue Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting.

Looking forward to this upcoming field trip to Milford Neck.....It is back woods Sussex at its best, and warbler plus shorebird migrations should still be near peak.......

Hope to see you Wed,
Bill

Piping Plover and Sage Grouse... Saving their habitat is essential for their survival

Saving Piping Plover habitat in Delaware has been instrumental in halting their decline here, and even in helping them re-establish a healthy local population. Sage Grouse in the western states have faced the same loss-of-habitat problems. So on this LINK to my Finbliz climate blog, I think you will appreciate what Secretary Jewell and the Department of the Interior are doing to correct the loss of Sage Grouse habitat .....and also to help define and protect the rights of Native Americans to resources on their lands.