Next DOS member
meeting: November 18th!
| |
|
Female Eastern bluebird by Mike
Moore.
|
|
Letter from
the President
Rarity season is in
full swing and cooler weather is here. I hope
everyone gets out birding as much as
possible!
Fundamentally, the mission of
DOS is to facilitate a community of birders and
ornithologists interested in the birdlife of
Delaware. The easiest way to do that is at
gatherings like meetings, field trips, picnics,
and events. Since none of those are possible
right now, these are challenging times for
organizations like DOS.
I think our
monthly meetings on Zoom are working well. I
miss the face-to-face interactions with people,
but I don’t miss driving home from Ashland on a
winter night! If you have not joined one of our
Zoom meetings yet, I encourage you to give it a
try. It is easy and enjoyable and allows you to
connect virtually with other members. Zoom and
similar platforms have been such a vital
technology during the pandemic, allowing people
to stay connected and for organizations,
businesses, and schools to function. I don’t
know how we would have fared during this without
them.
It would be great to find
other ways to engage with each other and we
could use your ideas and your help. There are
lots of other things we could be doing. However,
since joining the DOS leadership team a couple
of years ago, I have been blown away by the
dedication and hard work of the entire team of
volunteers that leads DOS. But these people are
already overworked sustaining the DOS
multifaceted mission, and it is hard to ask them
to do more. We have talked about things like
virtual field trips, identification videos, bird
quizzes, Zoom meet and greets, eBird tutorials
and others, but we just don’t have the people in
many cases to deliver these.
We
would love to hear your ideas for other things
we could be doing to engage with each other. We
would love it even more if you would be willing
to take charge and make it happen! We can help
you use Zoom or post videos to our Vimeo
channel. Email me at [email protected]. Also, we are still
looking for a new treasurer. Email me if you are
interested or know someone who might
be. -Mike
Moore, DOS
President | |
|
November
Meeting: Ultimate Winter Finch Primer
Martina
Nordstrand is an avid birder and has loved
nature her entire life. She was inspired after
reading about Peregrine Falcons in elementary
school and finally went on her first birding
trips in 2012. Since then, birds have taken her
all over the country. She is currently working
towards a BS in Wildlife Biology at NC State
University. In addition, she is an eBird
reviewer for North Carolina and is serving a
term on the North Carolina Rare Birds Committee.
Martina also worked at her local Wild Birds
Unlimited store for six years, where she led
bird walks and helped customers set up the
perfect backyard bird feeding
experience!
Martina
will join us to share her knowledge about
attracting and enjoying winter finches in your
backyards and neighborhoods. She’ll also explain
the background to this year’s phenomenal finch
flight and talk about the identification and
life history of some of these charismatic
visitors.
Meeting
will take place over Zoom from 7pm-9pm. Members
receive a Zoom link via email a few days prior
to meetings.
| |
|
Get
to know DOS member Scott Northey!
DOS
welcomes Scott Northey to DOS Council in 2020!
Scott will serve a three-year term as a Council
Member-at-Large. Prior to joining Council, Scott
played an instrumental role in working with DOS
leadership on a successful grant application
through his employer, Chemours, which has the
potential to award over $100,000 towards DOS
initiatives such as youth birding, the annual
Wilmington Falcon Watch, and the Delaware
Bird-A-Thon. Scott is an Environmental
Compliance and Strategy Manager at Chemours’
Chambers Works Facility in Deepwater, NJ. He has
spent almost 30 years working in the
environmental field in the areas of chemical
manufacturing, regulatory compliance,
remediation, and sustainability. Scott has been
married for 25 years to his wife Maureen, and
has two children: Ryan, a senior at the
University of Delaware, and Maggie, a high
school senior attending the Joffery School of
Ballet in NYC.
How long have
you been a DOS member? About
4 years.
What is the best
thing about being a part of DOS?
The knowledge-sharing and networking
amongst members.
Do you have
a ‘spark’ bird? Bald Eagle.
About 14 years ago, we discovered a nesting pair
at my place of work, and I have been monitoring
their nests ever since. That has grown into
Osprey platforms, owl boxes, songbird boxes,
Kestrel boxes and an abundance of eBird
checklists.
Bald eagle
by Scott Northey
What
is your favorite bird and why?
I am drawn to the warblers
-- the colors of the Black-throated Blue has
always been my favorite.
Do
you have a favorite birding patch?
I live close to Bellevue State Park and
tend to visit there a lot. It is an under-birded
location but on certain days it can yield some
great birds -- especially warblers in migration
seasons.
Do you have a
favorite ‘type’ of birding?
I prefer birding walks through the local
state parks and natural areas. You get to see
some of the amazing locations our local area has
to offer while getting some exercise while
birding.
What’s the farthest
you’ve traveled to bird or see a particular
bird? Since I still have some
local life birds to find, I have not ventured
too far yet for a particular bird. I joined some
fellow DOS members this past winter for a day
trip to Barnegat Lighthouse (NJ) to get a few
‘lifers’: Purple Sandpiper, Harlequin Duck,
Iceland Gull and King Eider (plus an Ipswich
Sparrow).
Where (that you
haven’t been yet) do you daydream about birding
most? Alaska and/or
Colombia.
Who’s been your
most influential birding mentor?
Not sure I can name just one. I got
started in birding about 5-6 years ago as part
of the Salem (NJ) Christmas Bird Count. The site
where I work has about 700 acres of open habitat
along the Delaware River and has been part of
the Salem Circle count since the 1980s. For
several years I hosted some great local south
Jersey birders which allowed them to visit our
site for the count. I think it was 2016 when I
finally bought a pair of binoculars and that
changed my world – everything wasn’t a small
brown bird anymore. So, Marilyn Henry, Scott
Hendersen, and Ron Kegel got me off to a great
start. Then once I found DOS, Bill Stewart, and
Andy Ednie were the two that have taught me the
most about birding but also a lot about the
history of birding in
Delaware.
Do you create
bird-related art? I have
taken some pictures from time to time but don’t
consider myself a wildlife photographer –
included are some of my lucky
shots.
What advice would you
give a new birder? Don’t be
intimidated by what you don’t know. You will
learn something new almost every day you go
birding. And most birders, especially DOS
members, are always willing to teach you what
they know so rely on the walks, talks and events
to increase your knowledge. And when on a walk,
tell the guides if you are looking for a ‘lifer’
or something special. I think seasoned birders
get as much satisfaction as finding you a life
bird as you do seeing it for the first
time.
How have birds changed
your life? I think the best
part of my early birding career is gaining
knowledge of the abundance of natural areas in
Delaware and surrounding states. I lived in
Delaware since the second grade but mostly knew
only the local state parks in New Castle County
and the Delaware beaches. In the last 3-4 years,
thanks to DOS, I have been to some areas in
Delaware I never seen before including the
Bayshore marshes and beaches, Bombay Hook and
Prime Hook NWR, DE WMAs and some private areas
only accessible through DOS-sponsored field
trips (i.e. Granogue). The protection and
conservation of these locations and hopefully
more lands like it in the future are now
something I can appreciate more and more, and I
hope to contribute to that effort through my
membership in DOS.
Kestrel box monitoring by Scott
Northey | |
|
Membership News
Exciting
news for our social media aficionados! DOS
now has an Instagram account. Please follow us
@DOSBirdsOrg: https://www.instagram.com/dosbirdsorg/Tag
us in your Delaware bird photos and follow us
for more DOS updates and
content!
If
you’re interested in serving on the DOS
Membership and Outreach Committee and/or
contributing towards the efforts described
above, please get in touch with me at: [email protected]
-Meghann
Matwichuk, Membership
Chair | |
|
Ashland
Hawk Watch Update
The
Ashland Hawk Watch continues our 14th season.
Late-season species to watch for include
red-shouldered hawk, red-tailed hawk, turkey
vulture, bald eagle, and golden eagle. A new
single-day record for red-shouldered Hawk of 110
was set on 27 October, which was an excellent
day with nearly 800 migrating raptors. The first
golden eagle of the season was seen on 28
October.
Pine siskins increased in number
throughout October and are visiting the hawk
watch feeders daily with more than 200 seen some
days. A vesper sparrow was seen on 26 October.
The first flock of snow geese migrated over on
27 October. The Ashland Hawk Watch runs daily
through the end of November.
An Ashland Hawk Watch visitor hand feeds a Pine
Siskin on 25 October. Photo by David
Brown.Visitors
are welcome but must practice social distancing
or wear a mask.
-David
Brown | |
|
|
Hawk watcher David Brown handfeeding some pine
siskins at the Ashland Hawk Watch.
| |
Cape
Henlopen Hawk Watch Update
October
is the midst of the hawk migration season, and
with it comes a nice mixture of falcons and
other assorted raptors. Osprey are one of Cape
Henlopen’s star attractions, and by Oct 21, we
had a season total of 1616. Sharp-shinned hawks
were the most frequent accipiter with a season
total of 1123. The coast is the route that
falcons appear to prefer, and our numbers
reflect that. Season totals as of 10/21 for
American kestrels were 530, merlin 310, and
peregrine 256. Compare Cape Henlopen falcon
numbers to Ashland hawk watch that had season
totals of 62 (AK), 20 (ML), and 5
(PG).
The Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch
is very dependent on the right winds to blow the
birds in our direction, and the more
Northwesterly winds, the more birds we get. If
the right winds happen after a period of rain,
the backlog of birds can create a tremendous
flight. These conditions happened Oct 5th (302
raptors) and 6th (295 raptors) and spectacularly
on Oct 14. That day brought us 765 raptors,
which included high counts for osprey (126),
sharp-shinned hawk (459), Cooper’s hawk (23),
and northern harrier (21). The Oct 14
flight of 765 was our highest one-day count
since 2010.
Some other season highlights
were 48 peregrines on Oct 6 and 44 merlins on
Oct 13. We had a juvenile light morph Swainson’s
hawk on Oct 6, which was the first one seen
since 2015. As of Oct 21, the total number of
raptors counted migrating over Cape Henlopen was
5134.
Peregrine falcon by
Hank Davis.
The perks of the Cape
Henlopen hawk watch include the other birds seen
flying over the Atlantic and through the dunes.
We saw waterfowl including snow goose, brant,
American wigeon, greater and lesser scaup,
scoters, common eider, and red-breasted
merganser. American golden-plovers and parasitic
jaegers were seen in mid-October and the first
northern gannets were documented on Oct 8. 122
Great blue herons were recorded on Oct 11. Pine
siskins have had a tremendous irruption year,
and we had a high count of 675 on Oct
14.
Volunteers are incredibly important
to the success of Cape Henlopen, and a special
thanks to Sue Gruver, Bruce Peterjohn, and the
other volunteers who stepped up in October when
they were needed. Please feel free to come help
with your eyes and abilities. All are welcome if
you wear a mask and keep a
distance.
-Jen
Ottinger & Sally
O’Byrne | |
|
Youth Birding
Update
On
Saturday, October 17th, the Red Knot Youth
Birders hosted an Open House at the Ashland Hawk
Watch. Participants and their families trekked
up to the top of the hill to discover the raptor
migration spectacle and learn how to identify
the various species flying by. Bald eagles,
turkey vultures, and red-tailed hawks were
popular with the youth birders and their
families, but the flock of pine siskins at the
thistle feeders stole the show as they zipped
around heads and perched on scope
tripods!
This trip was
the first event outing for the newly revitalized
group, but it won’t be the last. Be on the
lookout for future adventures involving Delaware
birding hotspots, family-friendly birding
locations, citizen science projects, meetings
with bird experts, and much more. Have an idea
for a great youth birding activity or
opportunity? Let us know!
Connect with
the Red Knot Youth Birders through social media,
email, and the DOS website so you don’t miss the
next fun thing.
| |
|
Christmas
Bird Counts
It
has been a tough year to say the least, but we
do have something to look forward to – the DOS
Christmas Bird Counts. Thanks to our amazing
compilers we are going ahead with all six
counts. We will be following social distance
protocols set forth by National Audubon during
the counts. Count compilers will inform their
participants about these protocols. However, if
you are interested go to the Audubon CBC web page for
details.
The Delaware
Ornithological Society sponsors six
counts: Wilmington, Middletown, Bombay
Hook, Rehoboth, Cape Henlopen/Prime Hook and
Milford. All counts are looking for birders to
participate. Contact the appropriate count
compiler if you are interested in joining any or
all of this year’s Christmas counts. New birders
are always welcome. The counts are free to all
participants.
| |
|
DOS Backyard
Birding
Challenge |
|
The DOS backyard
birding challenge is still going strong. Check
the current leaderboard below. You can still
join in on the fun! Learn
more
here. | |
|
*Rankings
as of Oct 29,
2020. |
|
What's
this bird? Click here
for the answer. Photo by Katie
Bird.
| |
|
|
|
|