White Clay Creek State Park Bird Survey
July 16 @ 7:30 am – 11:30 am EDT
Bobolink by Jean-Marie Gauthier
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.
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, July 25 | Saturday, October 17 |
| Thursday, July 30 | Thursday, October 22 |
| Saturday, August 8 | Saturday, October 31 |
| Thursday, August 13 | Thursday, November 5 |
| Saturday, August 22 | Saturday, November 14 |
| Thursday, August 27 | Thursday, November 19 |
| Saturday, September 5 | Saturday, November 28 |
| Thursday, September 10 | Thursday, December 3 |
| Saturday, September 19 | Saturday, December 12 |
| Thursday, September 24 | Thursday, December 17 |
| Saturday, October 3 | Saturday, December 26 |
| Thursday, October 8 | Thursday, December 31 |
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.