Delaware Dunlins |

Gathered in the auditorium of the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, members of the Delaware Dunlins Youth Birders Club prepped for their field trip, with an introduction to the basics of waterfowl identification. A few new faces, courtesy of the News Journal article about the club, graced the crowd.

Well-known wildlife photographer Kim Steininger surprised us by bringing along a selection of nicely-matted bird photos for the kids to choose from and take home. The more-avid young photographers made sure to get her autograph on these works of art.

Our group of twenty-three youth birders and their accompanying adults(parents and grandparents)headed out on the refuge driving loop– more than forty people joining together for a special morning of waterfowl watching.

With a frigid wind howling, we huddled close around the scopes at Raymond Pool for looks at Snow Geese, Tundra Swans, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Mallard and Black Duck. Pressing digital cameras to the scopes, a few kids captured photos of ducks and geese. The proverbial “white wall” of Snow Geese rose and fell from the sky as we watched.

The tidal marsh held a few small groups of Bufflehead which entertained us with their frantic diving and helter-skelter short-distance flights. As one participant noted, the “Bobbleheads” are a lot of fun to watch!

A couple of Bald Eagles spotted soaring above the marsh kept flushing huge numbers of Pintail, while Northern Harriers cruised against the strong gusting winds. At Leatherberry Flats we found an American Coot tucked in against a mud bank. Not a true waterfowl by our definition but a pretty fun waterbird to watch.

Matthew approached a Great Blue Heron for a close-up of this long-legged wader, as the kids made sure to photograph as many species of waterbirds as possible for their Photo Safari assignment. With the tide out and mudflats exposed, flocks of Dunlin plied the muck while the kids spied on their shorebird namesakes.

After locating eleven species of waterfowl, and managing to not freeze our faces to binoculars in the frigid conditions, we retired to the visitor center for our wrap-up. A waterfowl workshop group from Cape May Bird Observatory shared the auditorium with us, and I know the kids made a great impression on this group of visiting birders.

Upon announcing that we would return to Bombay Hook in January to take part in the Christmas Bird Count, I think we can be assured of plenty of sharp young eyes to help spot and count the thousands of birds that call this refuge home for the winter!

An eager crowd of twenty-one youth birders gathered at Ashland Nature Center this morning for a program entitled “Hawks at The Hill.” With fall in full swing, we gathered for our monthly youth birders field trip.

New faces, including Anna Mae Buhl and her twin granddaughters, joined veterans from last month’s Delaware Dunlins field trip to Prime Hook. The kids are still talking about the Peregrine being mobbed by Starlings!

We began with a hands-on teaching session, with mounted raptors being passed around the room. Comparing the diminutive Sharpie side-by-side with the hulking Bald Eagle gave a good perspective of relative size. A presentation of the raptors of Ashland helped the kids brush up on raptor ID, and they aced the photo quiz afterwards.

Heading out on the trails, our groups encountered Dark-eyed Junco, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, White-throated Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and other new arrivals. A Great Blue Heron flying out of the marsh provided an excellent surprise.

Marching up the hill, we began scanning. Without good winds to guide them south, the hawks were mostly circling and repeatedly soaring overhead. The kids had outstanding looks at Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, Sharp-shinned, and Cooper’s Hawks.

Other raptor sightings include American Kestrel, Osprey, and Northern Harrier. A large kettle of more than 80 vultures gave us plenty of opportunity to compare the Turkeys with the Black variety. Dozens of Tree Swallows tried to fool us into calling them tiny falcons.

A crowd of more than 40 people filled Hawk Watch Hill with plenty of excitement, pointing out birds, taking photos, and relishing in the scenery. The Sugar Maples are a blaze of crimson right now, and provided a colorful backdrop to a fun hawk-watching session.

Next month’s trip, “Wonders of Waterfowl”, will be held on November 22 at Bombay Hook NWR. All youth birders and accompanying adults are welcome to join us for this waterfowl adventure.

Saturday, September 20th marked the official launch of the new youth birding club sponsored by DOS, the Delaware Dunlins. Our first field trip: Prime Time at Prime Hook. Fifteen youth birders, ages 6 to 15, gathered at the refuge headquarters, accompanied by parents and grandparents.

After a brief introduction by club leaders Bill Stewart, Judy Montgomery and me, our group of 26 headed out on the Boardwalk Trail. Eastern Kingbirds, Blue Grosbeaks, and Northern Mockingbirds offered themselves up for scope views, and then the real show began.

A mob of European Starlings appeared overhead. Right below them, and just over our heads, flew a Peregrine Falcon. When the falcon dropped lower, the starlings actually pursued en masse. The ball of black birds “chased” the mighty predator, in an interesting but short-lived role reversal.

By the cemetery an amazing sight greeted the children. Bill spotted an American Redstart wedged in a tree branch, dead and hanging limp. Of course, the kids thought this was very cool (and creepy). We left wondering how this tiny warbler got itself stuck.

Out in the marsh we saw a couple Northern Harriers cruising, and the kids spied River Otter tracks in the mud. A Bald Eagle soared overhead, and a surprise flock of more than 100 Snow Geese rose up from the marsh.

We took a break from birding, and the kids each received a birding folder, notebook, checklists, and field guide. Teddy and Jean Marc were particularly proud of the number of new “life” birds they’d spotted.

Just before noon, we headed up the road for the finale.

The impoundments along Fowler Beach served up a show, right along the road. A long mud flat held Black Skimmers, Forster’s Terns, gulls, and ten species of shorebirds. A lone Mute Swan, Ospreys, dozens of Snowy and Great Egrets, and a couple Little Blue Herons added to the scene.

I trained the scope on a Stilt Sandpiper and had 8-year old Jerald take a look. He promptly informed me that a Semipalmated Sandpiper and a Semipalmated Plover had just moved into the scope view. This boy knows his birds!

Sharp-eared Nick heard a Swamp Sparrow and got a Clapper Rail to respond. Seth kept busy taking loads of photos with his mother’s digital SLR. Carter spun in circles, trying to look at the Willets, Ospreys, and cormorants all at once. Magdalyn and Rocklin spotted fiddler crabs scurrying in the mud. Teddy sat on the road’s edge, making notes of all his new observations. Parents smiled as kids huddled around the scopes.

Our day concluded at the observation platform on Fowler Beach. Ed Sigda graciously pointed out pods of dolphins just offshore, and the kids wandered along the beach, scooping up jellyfish, horseshoe crab shells, and other treasures.

In a few short hours, we’d seen large numbers of birds with a large number of youth birders and their families. Together they observed 62 species, but more importantly they had a great time together outdoors as a family. The bounty of Prime Hook and the beauty of a crisp fall day combined for the true prime time– outdoors and not in front of a TV.

We are excited about our next trip, Hawks At the Hill, at the Ashland Nature Center on October 11, from 9am to 1pm. Time to learn more about raptors and migration.