Tweeters,

Weather dictated the birds we saw and did not see during the week Gina
Sheridan and I birded Delaware Bay with Delaware resident, Dennis
Murphy. The highlight of the trip was a Wood Sandpiper, a state first,
that remained at Prime Hook NWR, Broadkill compound, long enough for
Dennis to show it to us on the 14th. Gina?s experience and excellent
ear, plus Dennis?s local proficiency brought me 29 life birds on my
first time birding the east coast. We arrived a day after a huge,
damaging storm, so 22 of my life species were easy to get in the first
two sunny days. Then, wind and increasingly heavy rain discouraged our
efforts until we let the final day pass with no birding at all.

Delaware is a small, flat state which I came to view as a sort of giant
coastal marsh. Like Florida, the high point is found on its border with
another state and is only a few hundred feet above sea level. Dennis
said his home in the center of the state is at 30 feet. The state has
some great birding locations which I?ve included below. Because we lost
time with plane difficulties on the way in, we were unable to visit the
northernmost Piedmont Hills and Valleys Region.

Synopsis: Local specialties and rarities in caps.

5/14/08
Slaughter Beach and Lighthouse Road: LAUGHING GULL, Horned Lark, BLUE
GROSBEAK, INDIGO BUNTING, RED KNOT, the first of many, many Ruddy
Turnstone, SNOWY EGRET, eastern WILLET. Plus southern red oak.
Mispillion Harbor Reserve: A fabulous look at CLAPPER RAIL, SEASIDE
SPARROW, SALTMARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROW, GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL (I love
this beautiful gull), FISH CROW, AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, and eastern PURPLE
MARTIN on route to Fowler Beach.
Prime Hook NWR: GLOSSY IBIS, BLACK SKIMMER (I fell in love with
skimmers), BOBWHITE (heard), Least Sandpiper, and the WOOD SANDPIPER. We
also saw lots of Fowler Toad.
Herping west of Lewes in the evening produced 90-100 dB of at least 6
herpes, but we were only able to get on the southern leopard frog due to
swampy conditions and lack of hip boots.

5/15/08
Milford, DE: BLACKPOLL WARBLER
Robinson Rd & Gravelly Branch of the Redden State Forest: NORTHERN
PARULA, RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, ACADIAN FLYCATCHER, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER
Jester Tract: SUMMER TANAGER, TUFTED TITMOUSE, YELLOW-THROATED VIREO
State Forest Road n. of Seashore Hwy.: BROWN THRASHER, GREAT-CRESTED
FLYCATCHER, PRAIRIE WARBLER, OVENBIRD, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, FIELD
SPARROW, WHITE-EYED VIREO, BLACK VULTURE
Great Cypress Swamp: WORM-EATING WARBLER, PINE WARBLER, YELLOW-THROATED
WARBLER. Short-leaved southern pine and red maple. Northern water snake.
Maryland, just south of the Great Cypress Swamp: EASTERN PEEWEE, WOOD
THRUSH on the nest!, RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, KENTUCKY WARBLER,
EASTERN BLUEBIRD, ORCHARD ORIOLE
Delaware, Indian River inlet: BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE, AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER,
Burton?s Island: eastern BRANT, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, TRI-COLORED HERON
Rehoboth Bay, New Road: Bonaparte?s Gull, Western Sandpiper,
BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH. Eastern cottontail.

5/16/08
Killen?s Pond: BALTIMORE ORIOLE;
Sandtown: EASTERN SCREECH-OWL, Cowmarsh Creek, Mahoncor Road, May Pond
Still Road & Choptank River: EASTERN PHOEBE, BARRED OWL. Mason-Dixon
Line marker.
Reedy Point Bridge & 1,000 Acre Marsh: CATTLE EGRET, LITTLE BLUE HERON
Rt. 9, Twin Bridges over Appoquinimink,
Woodlawn Beach Wildlife Area: SNOW GOOSE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Bombay Hook NWR: BLACK-CROWNED & YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON.

5/17/08
Milford Neck Wildlife Area: BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, RED-SHOULDERED HAWK,
AMERICAN REDSTART, Northern Waterthrush, SCARLET TANAGER, MAGNOLIA
WARBLER, CANADIAN WARBLER. New Jersey chorus frog.
Cape Henlopen: ROYAL TERN, PIPING PLOVER, LEAST TERN.
Port Mahon: Horseshoe crabs. This fascinating species of the arachnid
class is 300 million years old and in as much demand by the medical
industry as it is as fish bait. We were greatly saddened by the damage
to it from the storm, but heartened to see its effort to proliferate.
Ted Harvey Conservation Area was closed from the storm, but we took a
look in St. Jone?s Reserve and Kitts Hummock.

5/18/08
Lewes ferry to Cape May, NJ: NORTHERN GANNET, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL,
Black Tern! Bottle-nosed dolphins.
Matt?s Landing near Heislerville: We looked, but were not successful
finding the Curlew Sandpiper in the rain. Belleplain Forest was
gorgeous, but no new species could be coaxed out in pouring rain.

5/19/08
Cape May Island increased our New Jersey state list with Piping Plover
and American Oystercatcher, but added no new trip species in cold,
windy, partly cloudy weather.
Matt?s Landing: CURLEW SANDPIPER under partly sunny skies.
Brigantine NWR: GULL-BILLED TERN from the car, in rain, again.

5/20/08
We made plans to bird for Black-throated Blue and Black-throated Green
Warblers in the morning before our flights back to Washington, but the
plan included a cancellation clause for rain. It rained. The trip back
to Philly in our rental car involved some downright scary driving in a
blinding eastern downpour.

CONCLUSION
The trip confirmed much good learning: Good planning and careful study
make a trip worthwhile. Weather is everything. Birding with local
birders over a period of time is much more productive than visiting some
famous birding spot briefly. Eating and sleeping right will maximize any
birding experience. January, or very early new year is the cheapest time
to buy plane tickets?so maybe go first class and stress less.

And there were new lessons: No amount of coaxing will bring out an
eastern warbler in the deciduous forest when it?s pouring rain. When all
else fails, play your tape of Eastern Screech-Owl, or retire for the day
and let the birds relax. Travel has changed and more time must be
allowed. Not only is more time needed to check in, but at least one hour
should be booked for changing flights on the same airline, and two hours
are needed to change airlines, even to a connector flight. Delays and
human error seem rampant today and must be accommodated.

I?m grateful to Gina for getting me the Curlew Sandpiper, an annual
rarity here, and many other wonderful birds, and I?m indebted to Dennis
for his guidance as I studied for the trip, his wonderful trip
itinerary, the remarkable Wood Sandpiper and great views of local birds.

Patricia Lott
Seattle, WA
P.S. We have a newly fledged family of Steller?s Jays in the yard today.
I wonder if our reliable peanut feeder has caused a resident, disabled
bird to ?beat the rush? of returning spring jays and robins.