Date: 3 May 2025
The end of Bennetts Pier Road at dusk kicked off the annual nighttime Rail trip led by Andy Ednie. Arriving early, 20 participants got to see marsh and shorebirds ending their day before roosting for the night or taking off for the north. The target property for Bird-a-thon is an expansive space of open marsh, shoreline, and pinewoods. The hauntingly beautiful landscape reminded me of the Everglades. We were joined by reporter Jason Lee of WBOC who was filming for an upcoming episode of Outdoors Delmarva. This leg of the Rail race yielded fine views of bathing Clapper Rail (captured on video), calling Virginia Rail, Common Nighthawk, and a surprise at dusk – a stocky heron sp taking off from the marsh and circling overhead before heading north. We were hoping for American Bittern (rare) but could not rule out Black-crowned Night Heron (also heard calling earlier) due to darkness and distance. Full report at https://ebird.org/checklist/S232759270
-Joe Francis, DOS President