Delaware Dunlins |

By Derek Stoner

A great morning for birding greeted the Delaware Dunlins youth birders, parents, and grandparents at Bombay Hook NWR as we headed out in search of mid-summer birds.

Raymond Pool held good numbers of shorebirds and waders, with Black-necked Stilts(73), American Avocets(200+), Short-billed Dowitchers(800+), and white egrets(177 Great and 221 Snowies) making up the bulk of the birds.

While watching the birds, a young raccoon waddled out of the wetland and passed by within ten feet of us. Another cool creature we encountered is a Velvet Ant, also known as a Cow Killer for its powerful sting!

At Shearness Pool we observed several young Bald Eagles, an Osprey, a flock of 20 Black Skimmers, a few Wood Ducks, and dozens of Glossy Ibis. The tide quickly came in and covered up the mud flats, and the shorebirds flew into the impoundments to rest.

We found two juvenile Virginia Rails feeding along the edge of the cattails at Bear Swamp, a unique observation of these reclusive rails. At the same spot, an adult Least Bittern perched on a small log and caught a frog while we watched, pleasing the crowd of 15 birders watching this tiny wader put on a show 10 yards away.

At our picnic afterward, we tallied up our bird sightings: 55 species! Many birds were new, first-time sightings– what we call Life Birds! Bombay Hook always is an exciting place to go birding.

Enjoy the rest of summer!

The Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps, commonly known as “Duck Stamps,” are pictorial stamps produced by the U.S. Postal Service for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Originally created in 1934 as the federal licenses required for hunting migratory waterfowl, Federal Duck Stamps have a much larger purpose today.

Federal Duck Stamps are a vital tool for wetland conservation. Ninety-eight cents out of every dollar generated by the sales of Federal Duck Stamps goes directly to purchase or lease wetland habitat for protection in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Understandably, the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated and is a highly effective way to conserve America’s natural resources.

Besides serving as a hunting license and a conservation tool, a current year’s Federal Duck Stamp also serves as an entrance pass for National Wildlife Refuges where admission is normally charged. Duck Stamps and the products that bear duck stamp images are also popular collector items.

How do Duck Stamps benefit wildlife?
Since 1934, the sales of Federal Duck Stamps have generated more than $750 million, which has been used to help purchase or lease over 5.3 million acres of waterfowl habitat in the U.S. These lands are now protected in the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System.

Waterfowl are not the only wildlife to benefit from the sale of Federal Duck Stamps. Numerous other bird, mammal, fish, reptile, and amphibian species that rely on wetland habitats have prospered. Further, an estimated one-third of the Nation’s endangered and threatened species find food or shelter in refuges established using Federal Duck Stamp funds. People, too, have benefited from the Federal Duck Stamp Program. Hunters have places to enjoy their hunting heritage and other outdoor enthusiasts have places to hike, watch birds, and visit. Moreover, the protected wetlands help purify water supplies, store flood water, reduce soil erosion and sedimentation, and provide spawning areas for fish important to sport and commercial fishermen.

On a local Delaware note, 95% of Bombay Hook NWR and 82% of Prime Hook NWR was acquired through funds raised by the Duck Stamp!

New National Ad Campaign to Increase Duck Stamp Sales
In November of 2008, Bill Stewart – Conservation Chair for the Delmarva Ornithological Society, was fortunate enough to help spearhead a national advertising campaign in an effort to increase Duck Stamp sales and generate more conservation dollars. Along with members of the Stamp Support Group, ads were developed featuring birders, youth birders, and wildlife and have started to appear in national periodicals and various websites. A few of the ads can be seen below and all photographs were generously donated by Kim Steininger.

Where Can I get a Duck Stamp?
Federal Duck Stamps ($15) are sold in many post offices across the country. You can also buy both stamps on the internet, and many sporting goods and outdoor stores sell the Federal Duck Stamps. Visit online at www.duckstamp.com/mm5 to get yours today!

For the past twenty years, I’ve enjoyed raising domestic ducks, and learned a lot about these remarkable bird by keeping them as pets. The wild duck that first captured my interest is the Wood Duck, an amazing little duck that swallows acorns whole, nests in hollow trees, and is absolutely gorgeous to behold.

The drake Wood Duck is a rainbow of color, with a riotous red beak, a green-and-purple head, rust-colored chest, burnt yellow flanks, and an iridescent blue back. Add in white and black outlines to these feather patterns and you have one handsome duck.

But the female “woodie” is a real beauty, too, with her delicate wings shimmering in purple and blue, a white-outlined eye, and shaggy brown crest.

I love the way Wood Ducks happily adopt nest boxes that you build for them. This spring, I built three special wood duck boxes that I placed in a marsh in early March. By the first week of April, I found hens in the boxes sitting on downy nests with lots of eggs. After 28 days of incubation, the ducklings hatched out and then clawed their way to the nest opening. One by one, they bravely plummeted out into the world, and swam away following their mother. That is the wonder of Wood Ducks!

Hi, I am Bill Stewart, one of the leaders for the Delaware Dunlins and I am not 8 years old! I get asked all the time what my favorite bird is and I can never come up with an answer to that question. There are many times I can think of my favorite bird of the day or the trip, but I am unable to pin it down to just one all time favorite. I can remember when I first started to learn about birds and go ‘birding’, I was quite taken by Roger Tory Peterson’s drawings in his field guide of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. For a time, that became my favorite bird to try and see but it literally took me many, many years before I ever saw one in the field. Now each time I see that beautiful male in the Spring, it reminds me of my early days of searching and wishing a Rose-breasted Grosbeak would appear. It also reminds me of how much birds and nature have taught me and how much more there is to learn each and every time I wander off with binoculars in hand.

My name is Magdalyn and I am almost 7. One of my favorite birds is the Black-capped Chickadee. I like it because my daddy calls me his little chickadee. Also because I like their call.

Robins are neat too. We have lots of those around our yard and we like watching them.

Aaron, age 4 loves “Blue Herons ’cause they are big and Eagles ’cause they are fast and Cardinals ’cause they are red.”

Parker, age 3 lists his favorites as the cardinals, goldfinches and hummingbirds that come regularly to our feeders.

It is hard to pick a favorite, I love them all! Here are just a few that top my list…

My favorite bird is the Eastern bluebird. I like them because they are so pretty. Also, they are a threatened species and I care about them. I want to see their population grow. They are also my favorite, because I picked them as my favorite when I first started birding when I was five. I don’t really know why I picked them then, but I did. For two years we have had bluebirds build a nest in one of our nest boxes but the house sparrows keep driving them away before they can lay eggs. Maybe next year I can stop those house sparrows and have baby bluebirds in my nest box!

Another one of my favorite birds is the Baltimore oriole. I have only ever seen one oriole and it was an immature Orchard oriole, but hopefully now that I have an oriole feeder I will be able to attract some Baltimore orioles. Baltimore orioles are one of my favorite birds, because their bright colors contrast with the black and they are beautiful.

Lastly for now, another one of my favorite birds is the Ring-necked pheasant. I like them because they are so big and colorful and because their heads are my favorite color, green.

Jerald Reb age 9 (10 in a few weeks!)

My name is Dominic Morrell , I am 8 years old, and my favorite bird is the male painted bunting. It is a small, colorful, bird with a blue head, red breast, and yellow upper back. It has green upper wings and gray lower wings. It has gray tail feathers and an orange-ish rump. It has a couple of violet red spots on its wings, a faint yellow spot near its beak, and pink rings around its eyes.