December (April?) Birding in Delaware
KurtCapt87@aol.com
Sat, 5 Dec 1998 22:46:15 EST
Folks,
Todd Day and myself went on our annual Birding Trip to Remember Pearl Harbor
Day (on a weekend closest to the anniversary) today, 5 Dec 98, from about
0730-1715. The weather was incredible! - 52-70 F, no wind and then a very
light breeze after about 1030, diffused hazy sky which burned off near noon.
We birded Cape Henlopen first, then Indian River Inlet south marshes (we
arrived about 1015, high tide was 0915), the inlet itself, and then the nature
trail north of the inlet and boat docks (which was bird-poor, mainly
Yellowrumps), then Silver Lake in Rehoboth, followed by Prime Hook area
(1400-1530) including a nice sparrow lane heading south about 2.5 miles west
from where all the Snow Geese hang out. We ended the day at Port Mahon Rd.
Highlights were LeConte's Sparrow in the south Indian River Inlet marshes, as
well as good numbers of the other 3 "salty" sparrows - Seaside, Saltmarsh
Sharp-tailed, and Nelson's Sharp-tailed (at least 2 subspecies noted). With
the addition of other sparrow species observed, we found 12 species for the
day. At Cape Henlopen huge numbers of Red-throated Loons were noted flying
over the cape from the bay - 313 were counted. High numbers of Boneparte
Gulls were noted - over 200 at Henlopen and 881 at Indian River Inlet. A
flock of 40 Snow Buntings were spotted on the dunes near the cape of Cape
Henlopen, ocean side. A Peregrine Falcon was noted at Cape Henlopen and over
40 Am. Pipits were observed near Prime Hook in the field near the sparrow
hedge row. The day ended at Port Mahon Rd, with an observation of a Short-
eared Owl from the road beyond the fishing shack store near the end of the
road. The Short-eared Owl was observed for two minutes or more patroling the
grassy marsh to the west, the length-wise thick wings, short tail, and round
head and thick chest were clearly noted.
The statistics on the 88 species were as follows (Cape Henlopen - H, Indian
River Inlet - I, Silver Lake - S, Prime Hook - P, Port Mahon Rd - PM):
Red-throated Loon (H=313, I=10), Common Loon (H=1, I=3), Pied-billed Grebe
(S=3), Horned Grebe (H=1), Northern Gannet (H=1, I=6), Double Crested
Cormorant (H,I,P,PM), Am. Bittern (PM=1), Great Blue Heron (H=2, I=3, P=1,
PM=1), Tricolored Heron (I=4), Snow Goose (everywhere), Brant (H=10, I=30),
Canada Goose, Green-winged Teal (P=500+), Am. Black Duck (I=3, S=200+),
Mallard (H=4, S=20), No. Pintail (P=30), No. Shoveler (P=10+), Canvasback
(S=125), Lesser Scaup (S=3), Oldsquaw (H=2, I=5), Black Scoter (I=10+), Surf
Scoter (H=12, I=12+), White-winged Scoter (H=8, I=6), Common Goldeneye (H=2),
Bufflehead (H=50, I=2), Common Merganser (H=10), Red-breasted Merganser (H=8,
I=3), Ruddy Duck (S=20), Black Vulture (I=1), Turkey Vulture (H), Northern
Harrier (H=1, P=1, PM=1), Sharp-shinned Hawk (P=1), Cooper's Hawk (nr Dover =
1), Red-tailed Hawk (P=1), Peregrine Falcon (H=1), Clapper Rail (I=1, PM=2
question: are King Rails or Clappers at Prime Hook nr where the Snow Geese
roost?), Am. Coot (S=5, PM=10), Killdeer (H=3, P=50), Ruddy Turnstone (H=14,
I=6), Sanderling (H=2, I=10), Purple Sandpiper (I=6), Dunlin (I=25, P=100+),
Laughing Gull (I=1), Boneparte's Gull (H=200, I=881) Ring-billed Gull, Herring
Gull, Black-backed Gull, Forster's Tern (H=300+, I=50+), Rock Dove (H,I),
Mourning Dove (H,I), Short-eared Owl (PM=1), Belted Kingfisher (I=3), Downy
Woodpecker (P=1), Hairy Woodpecker (P=2), No. Flicker (P=2), Horned Lark
(P=2+), Am Crow (H), Carolina Chickadee (P,I,H), Brown-headed Nuthatch (H=2),
Carolina Wren (I,P), Golden-crowned Kinglet (H=3), Am. Robin (H=20, I=1), No.
Mockingbird (H,I,P), Am. Pipit (H=2, P=40), Eurotrash (H,I, ...), Yellow-
rumped Warbler (H=100+, I=100+), No. Cardinal (I=1), Eastern Towhee (P=1),
Savannah Sparrow (I=4), LeConte's Sparrow (I=1), Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed
Sparrow (I=5), Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow (I=3, 1 nelsoni and the balance
subvirgatus/St James Bay), Seaside Sparrow (I=5), Song Sparrow (H=12+, I=6,
P=10, PM=4), Swamp Sparrow (I=3, P=2, PM=2), White-throated Sparrow (H=15+,
I=10, P=4), White-crowned Sparrow (P=6), Dark-eyed Junco (H=10), Snow Bunting
(H=40), Red-winged Blackbird (H,I,PM), Eastern Meadowlark (P=1), Boat-tailed
Grackle (I=50+), Common Grackle (I=50+), Brown-headed Cowbird (I=50+,
elsewhere along the road to Dover in 20, 000 + blackbird flocks), Purple Finch
(I=1), House Finch (H=8, I=2), Am. Goldfinch (H=2, I=2), and House Sparrow
(Little Creek).
Kurt Gaskill, kurtcapt87@aol.com