Delaware Dunlins |

What happens when you pack 100,000 migrating Snow Geese into a small lake?  A March blizzard! 

Witness an incredible spectacle as waterfowl, including hundreds of Tundra Swans, gather at this important wildlife area in northern Lancaster County.  Watch for raptors like Northern Harriers, American Kestrels, Red-tailed Hawks and nesting Bald Eagles.   Rough-legged Hawks have also been seen recently.  Be ready for a day full of birds!  

Trip Details:
This is a full-day trip, departing at 10:00am and returning at 5:00pm to northern Delaware. Transportation for the trip will be by carpool from Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin, DE. Please meet at Ashland by 10:00am. 
Be sure to bring a camera and pack a bag lunch. We will be outside for about 3 hours and will hike about a half-mile total. Most viewing will be from the roadside and binoculars and spotting scopes available to use for great looks at the birds!

Click here for the Field Trip Information Flyer: Delaware Dunlins March 6 2011 Field Trip

For more information about Middle Creek Wildlife Area, visit:
http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/middle_creek/13905

 By youth birder Sarah Luca, age 16:

Sarah scanning the surf at Indian River Inlet. Photo by Derek Stoner.

On our exciting South to North Winter Birding Adventure, the Delaware Dunlins encountered “life birds” around every corner!  The incredible experience began with a visit to Indian River Inlet, located at the bottom of Delaware, where we spotted handsome Long-tailed Ducks mingling with flocks of clown-like Black Scoters and Surf Scoters.  In addition to these ducks, a few Red-throated loons were sighted and we got wonderful views of Ruddy Turnstones and even a Greater Scaup. 

A handsome drake Long-tailed Duck swims in the surf at Indian River Inlet. Photo by Derek Stoner.

During a spontaneous visit to the bay, we enjoyed watching playful Buffleheads and spying on a Common Goldeneye, which, despite its name, is actually not very common! 

The large flock of Canvasbacks resting on Silver Lake in Rehoboth. Photo by Derek Stoner.

At Silver Lake, hundreds of Canvasbacks held us spellbound with their beauty as they floated about peacefully in the water. 

A trio of Brown-headed Nuthatches visit the sunflower seed feeder at Cape Henlopen State Park. Photo by Derek Stoner.

More surprises awaited us at Cape Henlopen State Park’s Nature Center, where adorable Brown-headed Nuthatches entertained us with their comical calls, as we tried to entice Carolina Chickadees to eat sunflower seeds out of our hands. 

The wind-whipped Lighthouse Point where we found a Common Eider! Photo by Derek Stoner.

Despite freezing winds, we explored the Point at Cape Henlopen and were highly rewarded with glimpses of a rare Common Eider. 

Colorful Northern Shovelers flock together while feeding in the shallows at Prime Hook. Photo by Derek Stoner.

Continuing to move northward, we drove through Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, stopping to watch gorgeous Northern Shovelers and Northern Pintails from the warmth of our cars. 

The Painted Bunting did not show, but this adult Bald Eagle did! Photo by Derek Stoner.

At our next stop, we planned a stake-out for an elusive female Painted Bunting which had been recently sighted in the area.  We hoped that she would pay us a visit, but we were unable to locate her.  We did, however, have the opportunity to admire soaring Bald Eagles and swooping Northern Harriers while we waited. 

Tundra Swans and Canada Geese near sunset at Bombay Hook. Photo by Derek Stoner.

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge was the final stop of our thrilling day of birding.  Here, we were treated to hundreds of Snow Geese, numerous Tundra Swans, several pairs of Common Mergansers, and multiple Great Blue Herons.  The Delaware Dunlins’ South to North Winter Birding Adventure was an unforgettable day full of fun, friends, and magnificent birds! 

                                             — Written by Sarah Luca

Our birding group posing for a portrait at Cape Henlopen. Photo by Kim Steininger.

Our birding trip (with 8 adults and 8 youth participating) was a wonderful day afield, and we observed a total of 70 species of birds during our seven-hour tour of the Delaware coast and bayshore. 

We saw 19 of 20 “Target Birds” that we had hoped to observe.  Those specialty birds that we saw are: Red-throated Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Great Cormorant, Brant, Canvasback, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, Bufflehead, Long-tailed Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Ruddy Turnstone, Purple Sandpiper, Bonaparte’s Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Brown-headed Nuthatch, and Boat-tailed Grackle.   With all these special birds, there were dozens of “Life Birds” counted by our youth birders– and some of the adults!

Join us next winter for another great South to North adventure!

– Derek Stoner, Delaware Dunlins Field Trip Coordinator

You are invited to join the Delaware Dunlins for a winter birding adventure. With an up-to-the-minute Target Bird Species List, the field trip will start at the Indian River Inlet (South side) and begin the race back north in pursuit of the expected bird marvels and hopefully unexpected surprises.

The field trip will explore well-known Delaware Birding Trail spots along the northward trek at specified time intervals, allowing participants to pick and choose their own participation level and join in– for part of or the entire day. The planned schedule is shown below. All participants must register by February 10. Please contact Derek Stoner at 302-893-8426 or derekstoner@hotmail.com

Time frame: 9:00am to 4:00pm

9:00am – Start at Indian River Inlet( South side parking lot)
10:00am – Silver Lake in Rehoboth
11:00am – Cape Henlopen State Park Nature Center
12:00noon – Lunch Break (please pack your own )
1:00pm – Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge: Broadkill Road and Fowler’s Beach
2:00pm – Mispillion Harbor (DuPont Nature Center)
3:15pm – Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

Getting There:  For driving directions to these Delaware Birding Trail sites along the Delaware Bay, visit: http://www.delawarebirdingtrail.org/obib.html

What to Bring:  binoculars, camera, water bottle, bag lunch, and snacks

Binoculars and field guides available to borrow. Spotting scopes will used to provide best possible views of the birds we see.

Trip led by Derek Stoner, Bill Stewart and Judy Montgomery

Some birds we might see….

Long-tailed Duck

Purple Sandpiper

Northern Gannet

 Some pictures from our VERY COLD trip to Two Eagles Farm!

The thermometer read 19 degrees at 9:00am.  Our goal: to get a higher species total than the temperature! 

At Two Eagles Farm in Smyrna, birds and other wildlife abound. In the depths of winter on a bitterly cold day, you gain a quick appreciation for how tough winter survival is for our native wildlife.

We skated across the frozen pond in our boots, found an old Wood Duck egg in a nest box, and watched scores of Northern Cardinals flush from a hedgerow.  At the farmstead, a tangle of trumpet creeper held a squadron of sparrows:  Song, White-throated, and House. 

We checked out next boxes along the fences and found five that had housed House Wrens.  A dead and frozen House Sparrow along the trail was a mystery.   Horned Larks called as they flew overhead, and male Northern Harrier put on a great show as he cruised by.  A pair of Red Foxes ran about in the corn field while a young deer watched them play. 

To cap off our morning as we tallied up our species, a pair of adult Bald Eagles flew over– appropriate since we were at Two Eagles Farm!

Our final count for two frigid hours: 25 species and seven pairs of rosy cheeks!

After a snowy day postponed the scheduled date for the Bombay Hook Christmas Bird Count (December 26), we gathered at the refuge on December 31 for the 70th annual running of this historic Delaware count.   Snow lingered on the ground and ice covered most of the impoundments, but there were plenty of birds around to be counted. 

Our first stop at the visitor center  gave us exciting looks at an adult Red-shouldered Hawk that flew over, flocks of Eastern Bluebirds, and the friendly flock of White-crowned Sparrows that haunts the hedges around the center.   A surprise Pine Siskin on the ground underneath the feeding station was a life bird for many, and a great discovery made by Mike. 

Driving around the refuge loop produced a spectacular sighting:  two dozen Eastern Meadowlarks perched on bushes like bright-yellow feathered candles!  

At Shearness Pool we thrilled to close looks at dozens of Tundra Swans, along with Northern Pintail, Black Ducks, Ruddy Ducks, and Hooded Mergansers.  Out on the tidal flats, a pair of adult Bald Eagles scavenged for fish.  Northern Harriers, Red-tailed Hawks, and a Red-shouldered Hawk hunted over the marsh to the west.

Our assigned location for the count was the Finis Pool area, and we got to see some great birds there.   Another Red-shouldered Hawk flushed upon our arrival, and we observed a Great Blue Heron fishing for minnows through a hole in the ice.  In a nearby field we had a close encounter with an adult male Northern Harrier ( a ”Gray Ghost”) hunting for food.    

For the morning we tallied 51 species, and had a great time helping out with this amazing citizen science effort.