Delaware Records Committee

 

Jim White (President), Frank Rohrbacher (Secretary), Chris Bennett, Anthony Gonzon, Jean Woods

Delaware
State Bird List


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The records committee is charged with maintaining the Delaware State List of Bird Species, which consists of all bird species accepted as having been observed in Delaware. They also maintain the Delaware Review List, which are those birds for which the committee requests documentation from the observe r.

Summary of Completed Reviews -- An index of all of the records reviewed by the committee that form the basis for these state lists .

The Delaware Bird Records Committee held its 2009 Annual Meeting on August 27, 2009.  The new Committee for the coming year consists of Jim White, President, Frank Rohrbacher, Secretary, Anthony Gonzon, Chris Bennett and Jean Woods.  The Committee voted to publish accepted records on de-birds as soon at the vote occurs, rather then wait until the end of the year.  We will still submit a more complete report including those records not accept each year for the Ornithologist.  Clay-colored Sparrow was removed from the Delaware Review Species List.

The following list is a summary of the records reviewed during the year 2009 by the Delaware Bird Records Committee.  A total of 40 reports constituting 18 records on 13 different species were voted on this year.   One new species, Roseate Spoonbill, was added to the Delaware State List of Bird Species this year, so that the total number of species now is 403 as of January 1, 2010.    Unaccepted records have a very brief note as to the reason for non-acceptance; by far the most common explanation is lack of sufficient detail in the description to positively and diagnostically identify the claimed species.  More detailed discussions of all these records will be published on the DOS Web page and in the 2010 DOS Ornithologist.
DBRC#
Date
 Species Location Reporters
         
08/17
8/15-20/08
 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 1000 Acre Marsh Lin Just, Jeffery Davis, Frank Rohrbacher
08/26
6/17/2008
 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Prime Hook NWR Marnie Pepper
09/16
9/15/2009
 White-faced Storm-Petrel Elephant Trunk in DE Waters Ed Sigda
09/07
6/21/09-8/19/09
 Roseate Spoonbill Fenwick Island Frank Rohrbacher, Colin Campbell, Maurice Barnhill, Kevin Fleming, Derek Stoner, Janet Owen
09/08
6/6,8/2009
 Roseate Spoonbill Fowler Beach Ed Sigda
09/09
7/16-22/2009
 Roseate Spoonbill 1000 Acre Marsh Frank Rohrbacher, Colin Campbell, J. Young
09/10
7/20-28/2009
 Roseate Spoonbill Bombay Hook NWR Frank Rohrbacher, Matt Orsie, Bill Schreitz, Katherine Boyd
07/17
12/7/2007
 Gyrfalcon Delaware Seashore SP Bruce Peterjohn
07/02
2/25/2007
 Common Murre Pelagic in Delaware Waters Ed Boyd, Sharon Lynn, Ed Sigda, Frank Rohrbacher
06/02
1/22/2006
 Yellow Rail Fowler Beach Road Ed Sigda
08/31
11/13/2008
 Cave Swallow Woodland Beach WMA Forrest Rowland, Collin Campbell
08/32
11/15/2008
 Cave Swallow Prime Hook Beach Jeff Gordon
08/33
11/16/2008
 Cave Swallow Prime Hook NWR Frank Rohrbacher, Steve Collins
07/19
9/21/2006
 Clay-colored Sparrow Fowler Beach Road Bruce Peterjohn, Ed Sigda, Frank Rohrbacher
08/27
9/2/2008
 Clay-colored Sparrow Fowler Beach Road Ed Sigda
09/02
2/28/2009
 Clay-colored Sparrow Deep Branch Road Bert Filemyr, Michael Switters, Jane Henderson, Lynn Jackson, Mike Rosengarten
01/08
6/6/1903
 Henslow's Sparrow Specimens, Choptank Mills George Armistead
09/23
10/19/2009
 Le Conte's Sparrow Cape Henlopen SP Chuck Fullmer
08/24
10/11/08-11/7/08
 Harris's Sparrow Brandywine Creek SP Hal&Kristen Snyder, Chuck Brandt, Kim Steininger, Bert Filemyr, Frank Rohrbacher, Steve Collins, Mike Smith, Chip Krilowicz, Colin Campbell
08/08
3/1/2008
 Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow Prime Hook NWR Bill Haber
09/11
8/22/2009
 Painted Bunting Prime Hook NWR Larry Riddle
         
    Records Not Accepted    
         
06/13
10/4/2006
 Anhinga Ashland Nature Center Insufficient detail to rule out alternatives


You are encouraged to submit records of unusual sightings in Delaware to Frank Rohrbacher, DRC Secretary, 5 Neva Court, Wilmington, DE 19810 by regular or e-mail. Detailed descriptions and any sketches, no matter how crude, are important for documenting rare state birds particularly for difficult to identify species. Good quality photographs and sound recordings are especially helpful.