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White Clay Creek State Park Bird Survey

May 7 @ 8:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT

Photograph by Andy Ednie

Join the survey!

Delaware’s piedmont area is only 10% of the land mass, but has the largest, most diverse biodiversity in the state. The White Clay Creek State Park is the 4th highest ranked top birding spot in New Castle County and 49th largest Delaware area bird list by Cornell University’s eBird data base. This list is growing as more hours are spent birding the area. The purpose of this bird survey is to evaluate the avifauna potential in a systematic two-year study and add to the knowledge of the park. The survey takes 3-4 hours and covers about 3 miles. The park was originally surveyed in 1976-1977 with weekly surveys over 24 months. That data was published in the Delmarva Ornithologist.

Chestnut-sided Warbler by Michael Moore

Plan:
Date: January 2, 2026 – December 31, 2027
Frequency: Weekly, alternate Thursday/Saturday
Coverage: North and South sections split by Hopkins and Pleasant Hill Roads.
Data Entry: Checklists will be recorded by eBird along with weather, observers and effort.
Volunteer Hours: recorded on separate volunteer sheet.
Goals:
Count the total number of birds in the park over a 24-hour period weekly for 2 years.
Document status and population of bird species.
Locate critical areas for unusual species.
Increase usage for birding activities
Monitor volunteer hours (between 350-750 hrs./yr)

Census Dates: The dates for the weekly bird census may be modified based on the consensus of the
group. Changes to the schedule can occur in response to weather conditions or other unforeseen factors
that may affect census activities.

Census dates for 2026 continue as follows:

Saturday, May 16Saturday, September 19
Thursday, May 21Thursday, September 24
Saturday, May 30Saturday, October 3
Thursday, June 4Thursday, October 8
Saturday, June 13Saturday, October 17
Thursday, June 18Thursday, October 22
Saturday, June 27Saturday, October 31
Thursday, July 2Thursday, November 5
Saturday, July 11Saturday, November 14
Thursday, July 16Thursday, November 19
Saturday, July 25Saturday, November 28
Thursday, July 30Thursday, December 3
Saturday, August 8Saturday, December 12
Thursday, August 13Thursday, December 17
Saturday, August 22Saturday, December 26
Thursday, August 27Thursday, December 31
Saturday, September 5 
Thursday, September 10 

White Clay Creek Nature Center by Andy Ednie

Meet at the White Clay Creek Nature Center at 8:00 am. Entrance fee or Annual State Park Pass is required March 1 through November 30.