Prothonotary Warbler by Kayla Gonzon.
On Sunday, May 18, the biennial DOS field trip to the Nanticoke Wildlife Area was held with three participants. Despite the low turnout, the group had a great morning. Recent storms on the preceding Friday had dropped quite a few trees and large branches across the parking area and trails, but that didn’t deter the group from getting multiple close-up views of Prothonotary Warblers. Yellow-throated Warblers, Ovenbirds, and Worm-eating Warblers also put on a great show along the trail at Phillips Landing. Never failing, a Yellow-throated Vireo was singing in the parking lot and we found a pair of nesting Brown-headed Nuthatches that managed to narrowly avoid a tree that fell two days earlier. Multiple Summer Tanagers were seen, including one orange adult female variant! Barred Owls, resident there year round, eventually replied to Anthony imitating their call but never made an appearance. One of the best birds of the day was an extremely cooperative Yellow-billed Cuckoo, one of several heard and seen throughout the morning. The group ended the day at Big Field where we found Blue Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting.
Overall, we found 47 species and it was a great morning in a unique area in Delaware! A full trip report can be found at https://ebird.org/tripreport/374262.
-Anthony Gonzon